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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

Just found out he was cheating

62 replies

princeismagic · 25/03/2022 08:22

My DP of 5 years broke up with me in late January. Because of work and childcare reasons, we live just over an hour apart in different cities, but had what I thought was a strong, loving relationship.

Looking back he'd been distant for quite a few weeks, but I was going through a terrible time over Christmas and into January and hadn't really had time to give it much thought. My mum was in hospital over Christmas and died in early January. My DP came to stay with me for a few days after that (last time I saw him) and then 2 weeks later broke up with me.

I'd confronted him about what was going on because he was not being chatty on calls etc, was hard to get hold of. Basically at a time when he should have been supporting me he was pretty absent. He said he was finding the living apart difficult, that our lives were too different etc (I have kids he doesn't, for example) and ultimately that we needed to break up. Got really mad when I asked if there was anyone else and has consistently maintained since that he's not looking for anyone. (After not talking for a month, he'd been sending friendly messages. I shouldn't have engaged with them, but I was open to potentially trying to work things out so I was up for chatting a little Blush).

Anyway, back in those first few weeks after the break up I was desperate for answers. He's part of a Facebook social group in his city that organised meet ups. I knew he'd been going to their regular get together on a Friday night and it was around that time he'd started acting odd. So I created a second account and joined the group chat. I've never joined in the chat, just lurked on it for a few days and then just stopped looking at it as I knew it wasn't healthy or a good use of my time.

Fast forward to yesterday. I never shut down my laptop and was closing a load of open chrome tabs and the chat is on one of them. And low and behold someone's talking about my ex and a woman in the chat always 'getting it on' at the Friday night get togethers. From what was said it's clear this was back at the end of last year/start of this year when we were still together and it now appears that they're a couple. I just saw red. I posted in the chat who I was, that we were together 5 years, that we broke up on x date and that this was all going on whilst my mother was dying. I've also messaged him telling him what a disgusting human being he is.

This morning I feel so sick and shaken by my actions on the chat. I know he's going to paint me as this crazy, psycho ex stalking him online (and tbf I do feel really shit about getting into the group on false pretences). I was just driven by this feeling of 'why should he get away with this? Why shouldn't she and everyone else in that group know who he really is?' I'm normally a very private person who'd run away from online drama, but I just couldn't help myself in the moment.

I'm also feeling so broken. The man I thought loved me (and was telling me he still loved me) is a liar and a cheat. He'd been making out that the split was hard for him too, that he wasn't looking for anyone else, that he'd never feel for anyone like he felt for me etc etc. I feel like the person I loved didn't exist. I can't get over how he the man I loved could behave like this and treat me in such a disrespectful way. Maybe I should have held on to my dignity yesterday and just cut contact with him and not messaged the chat. But why should he get to walk away and not be held accountable?

Sorry that's so long and rambling. Just need to get it all out.

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 25/03/2022 19:08

He can make out you're the crazy ex and he'll tell her it was just casual and he couldn't leave while your DM was poorly or whatever but she'll never trust him now and the group will judge him.

Hopefully you get your money back!

Moser85 · 25/03/2022 19:15

This morning I feel so sick and shaken by my actions on the chat. I know he's going to paint me as this crazy, psycho ex stalking him online (and tbf I do feel really shit about getting into the group on false pretences).

He can paint you as whatever he wants, any normal decent person would understand and a huge amount of people have done some virtual "stalking" after a break up to get answers so they'll totally get it.

The rest of the people don't matter!

catstale · 25/03/2022 19:16

High five for having the balls to do that. Yes it'll make you look a little crazy but now everyone will know the truth about him so good on you!

user1471457751 · 25/03/2022 19:56

Hate to mention it but did you send him a letter before action before you submitted your court claim or even anything formal to try to sort out repayment? Court should always be a last resort. And really one late payment which he has already caught up on before you filed your claim won't be seen as an issue.

Northernsoullover · 25/03/2022 20:04

Honestly? Don't sweat it. I wrote to a former boyfriends new girlfriend detailing his cheating with a timeline. If I'd have posted here I'd have been told to live my life well as revenge.. but I am glad I did it. I'm glad I made him uncomfortable. It was the least I could do 🤣I probably wouldn't do it now. Or maybe I would (I'm happily single so difficult to quantify). Your ex will have felt uncomfortable regardless of how he may try to portray you. He deserves to feel uncomfortable. The shit.

princeismagic · 25/03/2022 20:17

@user1471457751

Hate to mention it but did you send him a letter before action before you submitted your court claim or even anything formal to try to sort out repayment? Court should always be a last resort. And really one late payment which he has already caught up on before you filed your claim won't be seen as an issue.
It's a bit more detailed than what I covered in my original post. In early January he said he'd pay me £100 every 2 weeks starting there and then. He never made any of these payments and broke up with me in late January. I contacted him mid Feb about this and he said he'd pay me £50 a fortnight and made the first but not the second payment. He made no effort to contact me about this and I had to chase it up a week later and was told he didn't have the money.

I have messaged him several times saying I want the full payment which he's not responded to and blocked me after my final message and paid me £72. I did say in those messages that I'd consider a claim if I didn't hear from him about making the full repayment. (Tbh if he'd confirmed he'd pay me regularly I'd have settled for that). I've put all of that in my claim and said that with him defaulting and our relationship being beyond repair (and the blocking) I don't have confidence that he'll follow through.

If he'd paid me the £100 a fortnight he originally said he would he'd have paid off £600 by now, but has only paid £270.

OP posts:
Princeismagic · 25/03/2022 20:20

*sorry, should say he has only paid me £172

OP posts:
littleburn · 25/03/2022 20:23

And the £72 he sent me yesterday was on the day he should have paid the 3rd fortnightly instalment, so he's paid one, skipped one and paid 1.5 times the agreed amount for the 3rd.

princeismagic · 25/03/2022 20:24

Sorry, my posts keep jumping between my 2 user names!

OP posts:
SerendipitySunshine · 25/03/2022 20:28

Why did he owe you money?

supercali77 · 25/03/2022 20:29

Im delighted you did that. So many men get away with this crap because of seperate friendship groups etc....they get to go and pretend they're not an arsehole. He can paint you how he likes but there'll still be a cloud of suspicion hanging over him lying.

I agree id go to the small claims court myself

ChameFangeNail · 25/03/2022 20:36

Don’t worry about it. Perhaps not your finest moment, but you would never have behaved like that if he hadn’t been deceiving you and lying to your face. That treatment can really do a number on your mental health.

princeismagic · 25/03/2022 20:38

@Northernsoullover

Honestly? Don't sweat it. I wrote to a former boyfriends new girlfriend detailing his cheating with a timeline. If I'd have posted here I'd have been told to live my life well as revenge.. but I am glad I did it. I'm glad I made him uncomfortable. It was the least I could do 🤣I probably wouldn't do it now. Or maybe I would (I'm happily single so difficult to quantify). Your ex will have felt uncomfortable regardless of how he may try to portray you. He deserves to feel uncomfortable. The shit.
Well I hope my post has made his life a little uncomfortable and I intend to also have the revenge of living a good life Grin I'm pretty certain that the women he was 'getting it on' with Envy would have been led to believe he was single. You don't make out with someone in a bar in front of your friends if everyone knows you're in a relationship. So now that she has that info (unless someone managed to delete it) she can make an informed decision about having him in her life.
OP posts:
princeismagic · 25/03/2022 20:42

@SerendipitySunshine

Why did he owe you money?
Because he's lazy and works as little as he can (because he's a 'free spirit') and then would need me to help pay his rent. Whilst also being very superior about people who work 9-5 Monday to Friday. He did very well out of having a girlfriend in just that position though. I know, I know, I'm an idiot ... Confused
OP posts:
BloodyNora79 · 25/03/2022 20:45

Don’t ever feel bad about your actions and the group chat - I feel this is normal behaviour for a woman in shock and disbelief. You could have done a whole lot worse.
Hold your head up high, you will come out stronger for this.
Wishing you strength x

littleburn · 25/03/2022 20:46

Can I just say thank you to you all?? You've made me feel a lot less anxious about the post and actually I'm now kind of pleased I sent it. Plus setting out his behaviour like this really is helping refocus my thoughts that this is perhaps not such a great loss after all. (Losing him I mean. I'm still determined to get my money back!).

IsThePopeCatholic · 25/03/2022 20:51

Revenge is sweet. You did the right thing, and now at least you know what a little shit he is. Sounds like you are well shot of him. Well done!

Chloemol · 25/03/2022 21:16

Good for you, now she knows what actually happened. And if he did it to you he will do it to her

As to the money I would go to small claims court

princeismagic · 29/03/2022 19:06

An update in case anyone is interested.

He received the small claim form today and a letter by post asking he return property of mine, He has unblocked me to say I will have my money back by end of May and that his 'lawyer friend' say my actions in 'infiltrating' his online friendship group to look for evidence to 'fit my narrative' of why we broke up constitutes harassment. He has temporarily unblocked me to tell me to stop contacting him and that I am to acknowledge his message for 'legal reasons' and then he will block me again.

I've replied:

You need to formally respond to the small claim via their system by 19th April as
I need to understand how you intend to pay me back and have that formally recorded.

Just to confirm I have no interest in having any contact with you ever again. I just want my property returned and a legally recognised agreement in place for you to pay me my money back, after you repeatedly missed making payments as is evidenced in the small claims timeline. It is not necessary for you to contact me directly about this when you can simply return my property via post and set out how you will pay me back via the small claims website, as will have been explained to you in the claim form. Making claims of harassment because I made factual statements about our relationship in a Facebook forum does not actually constitute harassment.

I have now blocked him Smile

OP posts:
Blanca87 · 29/03/2022 19:15

Well done op❤️ He sounds like an absolute roaster you are well rid.

Hallmark1234 · 29/03/2022 19:29

It looks to me like he deliberating made himself scarce to avoid paying you your money and the new woman is most likely his next 'victim'!

Jibbajabba1 · 29/03/2022 21:29

Good on you for outing him,it’s the least he deserves. So sorry to hear about your mum 💐

Jibbajabba1 · 29/03/2022 21:31

Just saw the update, your response was spot on - he can put that in his pipe and smoke it!

princeismagic · 04/05/2022 20:28

Just an update for anyone who's interested.
I got all my money back (1 hour before the small claims ended, because that's so him), had to reject numerous calls from him as he's now realised the grass isn't greener (now I have my money back he's blocked completely) and I met a lovely guy a few weeks ago and things are going well!

OP posts:
Dimebag10M · 04/05/2022 21:24

Good on you girl!! I'm glad you got your money back. I really hope he is feeling like an absolute idiot for giving you up!