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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Confused - unsure if I'm just being untrusting and controlling

30 replies

Lonelylonelylonely · 22/09/2021 23:12

I separated from my husband last year and a few months later was asked out by someone I knew (but not well) through a hobby of ours. New man and I have now been together approximately a year, we don't live together and we most likely never will.

Neither of us are spring chickens, I'm late 40's, he's 10 years older. He's also been married before, but no dc. When I first split with my ex-husband, my split was very amicable, but has since become acrimonious. His split with his ex-wife has been very amicable. They still communicate most days via text or phone call. He insists there's no going back for them, but is fiercely private about his communication with her.

He always texts good morning to me and we text throughout the day. If we're not seeing each other that day, we talk on the phone in the evening, just general chit chat about how our days have gone.

However, I recently discovered he'd had his ex-wife over to his house a month or so ago and had not mentioned it to me. I also discovered they text most days including good morning and good night texts (sometimes even when we've spent the night together). He has said he hasn't told me about meeting with her because his interaction with her is private between them. However, I can't help but feel that this level of contact and lack of communication with me just doesn't sit right. I don't want to know the details of what they discuss etc, but I do feel it's not right that he's not even mentioned, "oh mrs ex-dp came over yesterday". I'd even asked who some drinks were for that were in the fridge (typical female drinks) and he'd said it was in case his sister dropped by. I later found out they were for her. It also makes me question what else he's not telling me.

He's been quite open about the fact that he still loves her, but claims that doesn't mean he can't love and make a commitment to me. He says I don't trust him and he's right, that trust has been eroded since I found out he'd had her over to the house without telling me. He gets very angry if I bring the topic up, but I feel we do need to discuss it. He's said there's nothing to discuss.

Am I being an unreasonable bunny-boiler, or is this level of protectiveness over a previous relationship not ok? To my mind he's been lying by omission, he says that's just not the case. Fwiw they were married for decades. I'm just trying to get my head around the whole thing.

OP posts:
Lasttimeneveragain · 22/09/2021 23:17

I don't think this relationship is working TBH. It sounds like you both have different ideas of what is acceptable behaviour. No one is right or wrong, just different. And that will never work over something so big.

Personally, I would be uncomfortable with that level of contact if they didn't have children (ie a reason to be in touch) and lying about it would make me feel uncomfortable too.

AnneLovesGilbert · 22/09/2021 23:23

He's been quite open about the fact that he still loves her

What the fuck. Why did they divorce?

He’s texting another woman morning and night messages every day, he’s meeting up with her behind your back, he gets angry if you bring it up. It’s not mitigated by her being his ex, that makes it worse.

He has no business dating if he’s going to carry on like this. It’s appalling.

You don’t trust him because he’s untrustworthy and basically cheating on you!

Chuck him.

BananaPB · 22/09/2021 23:24

Does he talk about his male friends? If she's just a friend he would talk about her and be honest if he was going to see her. The lies are a massive red flag imo- does she know about you I wonder ?

BananaPB · 22/09/2021 23:25

He's been quite open about the fact that he still loves her, but claims that doesn't mean he can't love and make a commitment to me.

You should be nobody's plan B. He should be dating you because he can't have her. The fact that he has these secret meetings and still loves her means that he can't commit to you.

MorriseysGladioli · 22/09/2021 23:26

I wouldn't like that level of involvement at all.
It seems almost like hiding in plain sight.

EarthSight · 22/09/2021 23:26

Not sure what there is to understand here -

He's been quite open about the fact that he still loves her

I also discovered they text most days including good morning and good night texts (sometimes even when we've spent the night together)

He gets very angry if I bring the topic up, but I feel we do need to discuss it. He's said there's nothing to discuss

He probably gets angry with you because he still loves her! He still wants to communicate with her as regularly as people in relationships do. A lot of women wouldn't put up with this. They're just too close.

Texting each other good night??

Just no.

seensome · 22/09/2021 23:27

She is the third one in the relationship, doesn't sound normal, the good morning and night texts, drinks without you, come on, he is having an affair please wise up to this and ditch him.

honeygriff · 22/09/2021 23:28

It really isn't you that's the problem here! He's basically still in a relationship with his ex. Run.

Aquamarine1029 · 22/09/2021 23:30

There's 3 of you in this relationship. That wouldn't work for me, and it's clearly not working for you. Call it a day and move on.

Northeastsouthwest21 · 22/09/2021 23:30

@Lonelylonelylonely deep down I think you will already know the answer to this. He is not moving on from his ex wife, and he is quite clearly not wanting to. Leave him and let him go. Why waste your time and energy on trying to make him see this is not a normal level of contact with an ex who have no kids together. From what you have said, he doesn’t want to be challenged on this so just leave him and his ex wife to it. The fact he’s told you he still loves her and that he is sending her morning and night messages tells you everything you need to know.

Lonelylonelylonely · 22/09/2021 23:33

Thanks everyone for your rapid replies. I've been feeling like I'm going slightly mad with this and being unreasonable. I know she knows about me, because she offered to meet me to explain how there's nothing going on and there's no going back from their divorce. He claims she's just his oldest friend. However, if I'm meeting with male friends I wouldn't even conceive of not telling him. It would just feel wrong.

OP posts:
Clymene · 22/09/2021 23:34

If he still loves her, what dies that make you? His 'this'll do for the minute" woman?

Fuck that fir a game of soldiers.

You can't build a future with someone who is using you to plug a gap.

GummyBearWhere · 22/09/2021 23:34

I think you’re mad to put up with that type of shit, get rid of him. He loves her, he’s emotionally invested in her, but since he can’t seem to have her (now) you will do for sex and companionships long as you stay in your box. Dump, stay single for at least a year and invest in yourself.

Onthedunes · 22/09/2021 23:42

How long has he and his wife been separated/divorced ?

Who ended the marriage?

It sounds as though he has used you to get over his relationship with his wife, I hope you didn't leave your husband for this un committed man.

Lonelylonelylonely · 23/09/2021 09:04

@Onthedunes divorced two, nearly three years now, a mutual agreement.

My feeling is he doesn't want to be on his own entirely, he wants the companionship of a relationship, but entirely on his terms and still very much with the emotional ties to the ex-wife. I think she probably enjoys knowing she's still no. 1 even if there's another woman arrived on the scene.

OP posts:
EvenMoreFuriousVexation · 23/09/2021 09:13

[quote Lonelylonelylonely]@Onthedunes divorced two, nearly three years now, a mutual agreement.

My feeling is he doesn't want to be on his own entirely, he wants the companionship of a relationship, but entirely on his terms and still very much with the emotional ties to the ex-wife. I think she probably enjoys knowing she's still no. 1 even if there's another woman arrived on the scene.[/quote]
I think you're bang on with that assessment.

I suspect the split wasn't as mutual as he's made out to you.

He's putting the majority of his emotional energy into his relationship with her, and you're getting the leftovers. Fuck that!

You might find this book helpful:
Mr Unavailable and the Fallback Girl

Crikeyalmighty · 23/09/2021 09:18

I suspect that his wife initiated ending things— I do think ex’s can be friends but I wouldn’t expect them to be constantly texting if in a new relationship- I think that this won’t work for you and quite understandably so

Lonelylonelylonely · 23/09/2021 09:26

@Crikeyalmighty I know she initiated things in terms of the divorce, I don't want to give details as it's very outing, but she did something and as a result of that they agreed to divorce.

I suspect she's still single and it makes me wonder what would happen if she got involved in another relationship.

OP posts:
BananaPB · 23/09/2021 12:21

There's no need to hang around for that to happen.

They could become more emotionally entangled discussing their new man.

As the others said you are essentially in a relationship of 3 people and she's getting the best parts of him. He has clearly not dealt with why his previous relationship went wrong. He would go running back to her if she clicked her fingers.

You deserve to be number one but you're not.

BuffySummersReportingforSanity · 23/09/2021 12:26

What the fuck. I opened this thread prepared to say that YWBU, as I am against people policing their partner's friendships, but. What the fuck. He actively lied to you to hide the fact she was visiting. That is not OK by any standards or in any language.

I don't think I could tolerate that kind of disrespect.

summersolstice43 · 23/09/2021 12:55

So he's very private about his ex and their private time together but he has told you that she is happy to meet you to explain the situation? Sounds like he's telling you what he thinks you want to hear and hiding everything else, especially lying about the drinks for his sister. Also sounds like you're the other woman and not her. Please leave him, you deserve so much better than this.

CousinKrispy · 23/09/2021 13:00

I'm a big believer in partners being able to have separate friendships, and remaining friends with exes, but even I think this sounds bonkers. You clearly deserve better. You're totally within your rights to say "This just isn't working for me, bye" and end it.

Lonelylonelylonely · 23/09/2021 13:03

@BuffySummersReportingforSanity he claims he's not lied, he just didn't tell me. When I said this is lying by omission he tried to make out as though that's something I was making up. He's said it's not lying if you've just not mentioned something that is private. I think he's not told me because he knows I wouldn't have been comfortable with him inviting her over like this. He's said he's never been unfaithful to me and trusts me implicitly, but I clearly don't trust him, she's his oldest friend, they've known each other since they were teens and I should accept he's got a history that I'll never be part of.
I do accept he's got a history I'll never be part of and I wouldn't want to take that away, I'm not even that bothered if they want to keep in regular contact etc, it's the good morning and good night texts and the not telling me about her visit which make me distinctly uncomfortable.

OP posts:
BuffySummersReportingforSanity · 23/09/2021 13:08

If he told you the drinks were for his sister and they weren't, he lied. And he knew perfectly well he was lying, unless somehow coincidentally his sister cancelled at the last minute and his ex happened to suggest coming over in the now vacant timeslot.

I don't like the way he's gaslighting you.

Crikeyalmighty · 23/09/2021 13:11

It’s a bit like the Bill Clinton thing of ‘I never had sex with that woman’ — in that case Bill may not by a strict definition of ‘PIV sex’
have been lying - but he certainly was not exactly giving the full story and same applies here— he’s hiding stuff he thinks won’t sit well with you. Only you can know how much this matters in the scheme of things-