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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

What Is He Up To?

238 replies

CognitiveDissolver · 07/03/2022 00:21

Now please don't tell me or my friend we should just ignore this. I think thats something that suits the patriarchy very well but we are both a bit concerned about this although obviously theres nothing we can do. The guy is up to something.

I was dumped by my boyfriend of 2 years a while back very abruptly. I literally saw him at the weekend, everything was great, we parted on great terms a few days later he phoned me to say it was over because he had someone new. He refused to talk about it or meet up, and I have never seen him since.

He has continued to send me the odd text message though, despite his vows that we are to have no contact. Most recently on Friday he sent me one saying he "felt bad" about the way it had ended and suggesting meeting up.

Now, I'd turned into a bit of a private detective after him ending it and had discovered that he got married in September. I found this out because I got in touch with a friend who I'd lost contact with, and it turned out that he had slept with her too, when we were previously together for a few months and he had dumped me before (confusing, I know). She had felt guilty so had stopped being in contact with me.

She suspected from something on FB that he had got married and found out the name of his wife, which was a very unusual one. I checked the public register of marriages, and discovered that he had got married last September, 9 months after dumping me! Basically, my ex had told me such a convoluted set of lies that he pretended to be an entirely different person from who he actually was. I thought he was shy and liked to spend a lot of time on his own and valued his independence. Turns out not.

We also found out some details about his new wife. She is 18 years older than him - he is 41 and she is 59, and she isn't in the best physical condition. She's a little old lady. He is a particularly good looking, young looking 41 too, and my friend showed me some photos from Facebook and it was pretty shocking to see them together as they looked more like grandmother and grandson. She isn't a young looking 59. She's divorced and has been for about the last 20 years and we don't know if she has children, but if she does, since we are in Scotland, if she dies, most of any property she owns would go to him despite what any will said as a wife has legal rights.

So back to the text message. I let him dig his own grave by sending a reply saying yes, it was a shame how it ended, and he then suggested coming round to mine. At which point I told him I knew he had got married in September and to get lost, and blocked him. Looking back, he had also sent me a text just a month or so before he must have got married, and I also told him to get lost then too as by that point I had finally woken up to the fact that although I didn't fully understand what had happened, he was trouble.

He told me so many lies and was completely convincing, from saying we were exclusive and he wouldn't dream of cheating or even looking at another woman, how he preferred me being a bit younger than him and having similar backgrounds and interests in sport (thats how we met) (his wife is from a third world country where women don't have many prospects other than marrying rich western men, and doesn't seem to work or have any social media presence), how he liked how independent I was and how I worked hard and had my own place, and even how in his business he would never meet anyone else as they were "all old ladies" (at this point he made a face of disgust).

The guy is up to something. He is a manipulative liar and very, vey convincing, and if it weren't for my friend telling me, I would have assumed he was single and maybe let him come round to clear the air. He was obviously even trying to cheat on her at the time the marriage license was applied for. I wouldn't even have got together with him again if I'd known he had slept with her when we were together. Worse still, I thought he enjoyed dumping me and my upset at it being so abrupt, and my friend said she had exactly the same feeling.

I know it all sounds really odd, but its really a strange thing to have happen to you. I'm concerned that this 59 year old woman, who while she might be a lovely person, wouldn't have that many romantic options in life and certainly not with a handsome 41 year old. My friend thinks she has met her and says she doesn't speak that great English. At best, he wants her to cook and look after him but I just can't get my head around it. I have no intention of getting in touch with her or anything as I know I wouldn't be believed and would be shot as the messenger but he's likely messaging other women too. I'm worried it might be whats called a predatory marriage.

OP posts:
MurmuratingStarling · 07/03/2022 10:01

@CognitiveDissolver

We also found out some details about his new wife. She is 18 years older than him - he is 41 and she is 59, and she isn't in the best physical condition. She's a little old lady. He is a particularly good looking, young looking 41 too, and my friend showed me some photos from Facebook and it was pretty shocking to see them together as they looked more like grandmother and grandson. She isn't a young looking 59.

I agree with all the other posters - what a nasty way to describe her.

Your jealousy and bitterness is fierce!

Gonnagetgoing · 07/03/2022 10:04

You sound like you're not over him.

The stalking of him and his new wife (and comments about her age etc) aren't normal too.

I get that you're concerned for her but both of them won't welcome your concern and he certainly won't.

Yes, I've been involved with an idiot in the past but luckily he's moved abroad now and whoever he's with I don't care about! You should do the same.

NativityDreaming · 07/03/2022 10:04

He sounds like an ass, you sound obsessed.

You’ve had good advice to report to adult social services if you really are worried about his wife and leave it at that. You are making drama for no reason.

BuddhaForMary · 07/03/2022 10:08

You have a new boyfriend but you're not over your ex.
What your ex does is absolutely none of your business.
Are you hiding your obsession with your ex from your new boyfriend?

It's over, let it go. I get it, you're sad it ended. But what he does now is his own business and you're coming across as creepy stalkerish. As if you went digging for information on his wife!!

And if I was your new boyfriend I'd end it with you quite honestly. The whole thing is bonkers.

godmum56 · 07/03/2022 10:10

What is there to discuss?
What do you want from MN?
What do you want to do?

I am also well over age 59 and not a little old lady. That is very rude and judgemental.
Had you thought of taking up knitting or parkruns? any hobby really...also your "friend" who if she was a real friend would not be encouraging you.

Anonanon1234 · 07/03/2022 10:22

You're better off out of it. He sounds like a fucking snake..clearly wants to 'meet up' to see if you're still weak for him and to stroke his little ego.

You're entitled to hurt, of course. He broke your heart. Get some counselling and rise above it. He doesn't deserve your headspace - he sounds like a needy prick and most of the men that go for women who nurture/cook/clean just have mummy issues.

Be glad you're out of it. Fuck him! Now go be happy and find true love.

boobot1 · 07/03/2022 10:25

@livyaz

The only strange behaviour here is yours. I think you've been watching too much Netflix 😂
This 😂
CognitiveDissolver · 07/03/2022 10:27

In answer to a few questions.

Yes, it is real. Unfortunately.

I am sorry for upsetting people by using that description of her. I am usually impressed by men who aren't concerned by age in relationships and who don't go down the usual route of chasing after younger women, but I think its very unlikely that a cheater who already had a girlfriend would suddenly fall in love with this woman in the circumstances in which he would have met her.

He uses people then discards them. He admitted this to me and said he doesn't keep friends because he doesn't see the point in them.

He doesn't work, his father gives him money and he runs what is often termed a "vanity" business which involves teaching an activity which mainly attracts single older women. I don't want to be too identifying but that is the main demographic. This description was from him, he was very disparaging about older women and how the women in the groups he taught were lonely and single the penultimate time I saw him as my boyfriend. He made a face of disgust when he mentioned the age of these women. He dismissed the thought of meeting another woman through these groups in a mocking, cruel way.

I believe he dumped me because they moved in together due to lockdown.

Looking back, it was one of the many red flags I should have picked up on at the time but he is very convincing and I realise now that he gradually eroded my boundaries. I still had some boundaries and he was aware of this.

He is blocked and I want no more to do with him. He is trouble and seems to enjoy discarding people.

Other post contained some mistakes.

My current boyfriend is fairly new and he was formerly part of the same wide friendship circle that my ex was part of. He sometimes mentions him as he finds him odd, in the way that "I wonder what xxx is getting up to now" and thinks he is a bit like that guy Leonardo Di Caprio played in the film, I forget the name.

If my current relationship doesn't work out then so be it. Its not the end of the world. I take it as it comes. There are other things in life than men and having relationships.

A former male friend who was doing his police training at the time described my ex as a psychopath, presumably based on the way he behaved at the time. This was long before he dumped me, my friend and so on.

As I say, I find it unlikely that he has suddenly found true love with a woman who just happens to be so vulnerable and isolated as this one is. My friend (the one who was also dumped by him) does the same activity that he teaches, but at a higher level, and she has met his new wife a couple of times coming in and going out of classes. She described her as "being in a world of her own" and unable to engage her in conversation even on the basics.

I realised that my ex does this thing of pretending to be gentle and caring and he seems to deliberately set himself up in an area where there are a lot of single women older than him who worship him because of this persona. It was a real shock to me to find out what he was really like. He contacted me before his wedding and afterwards.

I admit I am perhaps picking up on things in a certain way, possibly because I lived next to a man who went on to murder his wife for her money (he was jailed for manslaughter). No, I am not making this up either. No, I don't think he will murder her. Yes, I do think its possible he is in it for her inheritance. I also think he gets pleasure out of letting women down and dumping them once he has led them to believe he is a good guy and I hope he doesn't do this to this woman. He gets pleasure out of other peoples' pain.

On the other hand, perhaps she is tough and resilient and can cope with him and his habits.

Finally, I would reiterate again that he is blocked now and I would never, ever have anything to do with him again.

I have to work now so will not be on much of the day to respond to questions. Also reticent to post again in case answering questions leads to more accusations of being obsessed. If you don't believe any of this or think it shouldn't be discussed, then perhaps read the Bluetones thing.

OP posts:
Tinacollada · 07/03/2022 10:28

Not your monkey, not your circus.

MissAngorian · 07/03/2022 10:28

Sounds like you're trying to drop him in the shit with the authorities. Are you hoping this thread will be outed and he'll somehow get his just desserts for hurting you?

In some ways I get it OP; the hurt which thrusts you into the obsessional. If you were genuinely concerned about your ex's wife, however, then there are other ways to approach it.

CognitiveDissolver · 07/03/2022 10:31

@MissAngorian

Sounds like you're trying to drop him in the shit with the authorities. Are you hoping this thread will be outed and he'll somehow get his just desserts for hurting you?

In some ways I get it OP; the hurt which thrusts you into the obsessional. If you were genuinely concerned about your ex's wife, however, then there are other ways to approach it.

Please stop making things up. I haven't done this and have no intention of doing so. How utterly ridiculous that would be. There is a big difference between discussing things on an internet discussion group and "trying to drop someone in the shit with the authorities".

I don't want to "out" anything. If posters are concerned that this is my motive then please report the thread and have it deleted.

I really have to work now.

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 07/03/2022 10:32

He might not generally be attracted to older women but clicked with this lady. It happens.

Gonnagetgoing · 07/03/2022 10:32

@CognitiveDissolver

In answer to a few questions.

Yes, it is real. Unfortunately.

I am sorry for upsetting people by using that description of her. I am usually impressed by men who aren't concerned by age in relationships and who don't go down the usual route of chasing after younger women, but I think its very unlikely that a cheater who already had a girlfriend would suddenly fall in love with this woman in the circumstances in which he would have met her.

He uses people then discards them. He admitted this to me and said he doesn't keep friends because he doesn't see the point in them.

He doesn't work, his father gives him money and he runs what is often termed a "vanity" business which involves teaching an activity which mainly attracts single older women. I don't want to be too identifying but that is the main demographic. This description was from him, he was very disparaging about older women and how the women in the groups he taught were lonely and single the penultimate time I saw him as my boyfriend. He made a face of disgust when he mentioned the age of these women. He dismissed the thought of meeting another woman through these groups in a mocking, cruel way.

I believe he dumped me because they moved in together due to lockdown.

Looking back, it was one of the many red flags I should have picked up on at the time but he is very convincing and I realise now that he gradually eroded my boundaries. I still had some boundaries and he was aware of this.

He is blocked and I want no more to do with him. He is trouble and seems to enjoy discarding people.

Other post contained some mistakes.

My current boyfriend is fairly new and he was formerly part of the same wide friendship circle that my ex was part of. He sometimes mentions him as he finds him odd, in the way that "I wonder what xxx is getting up to now" and thinks he is a bit like that guy Leonardo Di Caprio played in the film, I forget the name.

If my current relationship doesn't work out then so be it. Its not the end of the world. I take it as it comes. There are other things in life than men and having relationships.

A former male friend who was doing his police training at the time described my ex as a psychopath, presumably based on the way he behaved at the time. This was long before he dumped me, my friend and so on.

As I say, I find it unlikely that he has suddenly found true love with a woman who just happens to be so vulnerable and isolated as this one is. My friend (the one who was also dumped by him) does the same activity that he teaches, but at a higher level, and she has met his new wife a couple of times coming in and going out of classes. She described her as "being in a world of her own" and unable to engage her in conversation even on the basics.

I realised that my ex does this thing of pretending to be gentle and caring and he seems to deliberately set himself up in an area where there are a lot of single women older than him who worship him because of this persona. It was a real shock to me to find out what he was really like. He contacted me before his wedding and afterwards.

I admit I am perhaps picking up on things in a certain way, possibly because I lived next to a man who went on to murder his wife for her money (he was jailed for manslaughter). No, I am not making this up either. No, I don't think he will murder her. Yes, I do think its possible he is in it for her inheritance. I also think he gets pleasure out of letting women down and dumping them once he has led them to believe he is a good guy and I hope he doesn't do this to this woman. He gets pleasure out of other peoples' pain.

On the other hand, perhaps she is tough and resilient and can cope with him and his habits.

Finally, I would reiterate again that he is blocked now and I would never, ever have anything to do with him again.

I have to work now so will not be on much of the day to respond to questions. Also reticent to post again in case answering questions leads to more accusations of being obsessed. If you don't believe any of this or think it shouldn't be discussed, then perhaps read the Bluetones thing.

@CognitiveDissolver - in the kindest way possible just ignore him, let him do him and you do you.

I do think if you feel you've been affected by his psychopathic behaviour then get therapy for that, nothing wrong with that as they can mess with your head.

There is really not much you can say or do. Yes, you could tell his new wife about him and if she choses to believe you, great, she may divorce him, she may not. Ultimately these people (your ex) will either always be found out, move on and con someone else etc.

You cannot do much about his actions, he can't really be prosecuted unless he commits a crime so best to park him and leave him and whoever he's involved with to do what they do.

Good luck.

vjg13 · 07/03/2022 10:36

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER

IMO some posters are being very unfair, OP.

I don’t blame you at all for wondering what he’s up to, and I don’t think you sound jealous at all - just very interested/concerned, and I dare say I’d be the same.
The wife presumably has something he’s married her for - house, money, or maybe just willingness to be his domestic slave, though I doubt it can be just that. It can’t be a surprise to anybody that some older women can be very gullible and easily fooled by a younger, good-looking man pretending to be in love with them.

He is evidently extremely plausible as well as dodgy - you had a lucky escape!

I think you've had an unfair bashing on here too. I think your instincts are correct and he probably met his current wife doing his "day job" and when it's over with this one, they'll be another lined up.

You had a lucky escape. Smile

lemongreentea · 07/03/2022 10:38

maybe get some emdr for the trauma you have gone through by being with him.

hes either fallen in love with this new woman or he will treat her the same. either way nothng you can do. move on.

CognitiveDissolver · 07/03/2022 10:40

OK, going to ask for this thread to be deleted due to the comment about me wanting to "out" him.

Thank you for the posters who were supportive. This is obviously a difficult subject to seek support for.

I don't think I believe in the romantic dream or being swept off my feet any more, lets just leave it at that.

OP posts:
Anonanon1234 · 07/03/2022 10:40

What you've described, he sounds like a total narcissist! He is probably keeping this woman, because she has a use to him: cooks, cleans, financial. He sounds like a fucking awful man and sadly he will probably break this woman down too - that's what they do.

As a side note, I find it weird you're dating friends exes/now in a relationship with someone else known to your ex - maybe try looking further afield and it won't be as messy/drama filled.

ToffeeNotCoffee · 07/03/2022 10:49

I have a horrible feeling this isn't a wind up.

So...lets say she does die one day, he inherits from her by due process of law. (What if he predeceases her ? Same deal.) Job done. The story ends.

I really don't understand what you're on about if you're so insistent that you have moved on.

Knowing what you know, about him being married, I'm surprised you didn't let him come round and then, during conversation, say to his face, 'congratulations on your wedding, by the way, how did you meet ?'

His reaction would have been interesting !

At the age of 41 maybe he just wants to be looked after by someone he can walk all over. Could he get citizenship by marriage of her albeit third world country ?

What's he up to ? In all honesty ? Who.the.fuck.cares ?

Oh, and you and/or your friend trying to strike up conversation whilst she basically ignores you is a bit low.

Either of you congratulated her ? No ? Thought not.

girlmom21 · 07/03/2022 10:56

What you've described, he sounds like a total narcissist! He is probably keeping this woman, because she has a use to him: cooks, cleans, financial.

How does that make him a narcissist?

MurmuratingStarling · 07/03/2022 10:57

@CognitiveDissolver I really want to know what Leonardo DiCaprio character he thinks he is now.

#tooinvestedinthisthread

OrlandointheWilderness · 07/03/2022 11:01

@MurmuratingStarling I wondered if they meant the Leo DiCaprio character in catch me if you can - the real life con artist Frank Abagnale?

ToffeeNotCoffee · 07/03/2022 11:01

@MurmuratingStarling

The one where he plays the part of a guy who faked being able to fly a plane or have cancer etc etc.

I think the film (based on a true story) was called Catch Me if You Can.

Flipflopfoodle · 07/03/2022 11:02

So he is nasty for going for a (slightly older than you) lady, but you have a boyfriend who is almost the same age as your son! (Info from former threads)
You judge his wife for her age and looks, and accuses him of being shallow.
I think your double standard radar is broken

CognitiveDissolver · 07/03/2022 11:04

@Flipflopfoodle

So he is nasty for going for a (slightly older than you) lady, but you have a boyfriend who is almost the same age as your son! (Info from former threads) You judge his wife for her age and looks, and accuses him of being shallow. I think your double standard radar is broken
I what? No, I do not. I commented on another thread where that was the scenario being discussed by that poster.
OP posts:
Gonnagetgoing · 07/03/2022 11:05

OP - ok - I have a close friend who had a male close platonic friend for many years. They eventually dated, he moved in with her, then he had an affair and also had a work issue (not saying as outed) but it got him fired as it breached confidentiality.

So he and his new GF had a torrid relationship full of drama which for some reason involved the GF (who was unstable) ringing my friend etc. They even went to her flat to 'stalk' her. Eventually the GF got pregnant and had his baby and they broke up. They still try to contact my friend from time to time but she's moved on with a lovely man. She didn't even want to try to tell the GF about her ex because she thought they were both as bad as each other.

What I'm saying though is the drama isn't worth it. Get therapy to get over him.