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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

Needing support for those days after first finding out about husband's infidelity

921 replies

Sazdun · 27/03/2022 18:05

Okay third time lucky. Unfortunately some of you will have followed what happened to me yesterday and finding out my husband of 8 years was unfaithful. There have been super kind people who have reached out and from the bottom of my heart I thank you. I wish j could buy each of you a well deserved wine or chocolates. I still can't find it in me to reach out to my IRL friends or find the words but I am meeting my friend tomorrow and lets hope I can by then. My original thread has been put up so I can get some of the helpful info people posted but no more replies can be made. My follow up thread has since been deleted because it is a thread about a thread. I did not know this is not something you are supposed to do. Anyway I have started this to keep anyone who is helping me stay updated or for anyone going through the horrible or similar same thing to get some helpful advice. Some people have questioned if I am infact real. I am. I am a 38 year old mum of two who has been with her husband since she was 23. I was concerned about his relationship with another woman but while I came on here yesterday thinking I would get feedback on how to approach my feelings and deal with my husband, I got angry and stood up for myself. I never ever thought it would lead to this. So if you doubt me or what to pull every little thing I type please don't, predictive text is a bitch. This is my life, my girls lives and I just need support and help.

OP posts:
kaleidoscope123 · 28/03/2022 12:34

@IncompleteSenten

Hang on. She can't have children? So he's basically manipulated you into 'sharing' yours with her? That adds another layer onto this, doesn't it? I'm so sorry
This! I cannot believe how they have treated you. It really is a mess but you need to ensure that they all know the truth of how shamefully OW and Husband have acted (OW cannot come out of this looking like roses, I do not believe her for one second that she really thought you knew). Don’t let this get manipulated. I would be absolutely ashamed if this was my family member! I would cut contact with OW and her parents (fake grandparents). I know you are thinking of your girls but they are so young I really feel like you need to think about yourself.

I would seriously be considering a move elsewhere for a fresh start or certainly to a different part of town at the very least so that you could see your friends but won’t need to see OW or husband regularly.

I am sorry to hear about your relation relationship with your Mum and Sister. You sound like you have a good set of friends that are not embedded with OW/Husband and I would be seeking comfort from them.

I think even if Husband broke off his friendship with OW and left his job (and he would need to instigate this without you putting it out as a term) there is really no way you could trust him and have him back in your life and a husband and lover. If he doesn’t instigate cutting off friendship with OW then you really do know your place (and he hasn’t as I understand he is staying in her house and is still protecting her by not wanting you to get OW and her new Husband involved now!).

Whatever00 · 28/03/2022 13:04

@Sazdun

I'm so scared of that *@IncompleteSenten* and these key people disappearing from my daughter's lives. The baby won't know any different by my older one will and she doesn't deserve that especially as she got so upset during lockdowns etc about not being able to see people. She is such an outgoing wee thing who chats to everyone and loves having company.

She had cancer and there was a high risk of it spreading/getting worse if she went through hormone treatment so between that and the chemo/radio therapy can't have kids. Fucking idiot here was the one that told her even if she can't have kids she can still be the best auntie to all her friends kids and that adoption is always an option. She was around before all that though and seems to love kids more than my friends who are also childless. As mentioned before very generous to ours in giving them her time, attention and gifts and similarly with our other friends kids too. Sometimes it was awkwardly generous like she didn't grasp spending that much and turning up with 4-5 things is just not what you do. We had a superheroes and princesses party right before Covid struck for my daughter's 3rd birthday and she came as Elsa from Frozen and ever since then my daughter and her wee BFF have been obsessed by her and adore her which if I am being honest I hated. Now I am wondering if everything she has and H have done has been a thought out manipulation to get into my family or if she really thought we were all moving on and she was just for example wanting to come as my daughter's favourite to make my daughter happy. Pff so many thoughts!

I don't think OW will be going anywhere. Her dad will make sure DC have contact regardless of if you like it or not.
RoundGlass · 28/03/2022 13:21

So very normal to flip flop OP, but it does get easier Flowers

HateASD · 28/03/2022 14:09

Thinking of you OP Thanks

purpleboy · 28/03/2022 14:32

Gosh op I've just read your other thread.Shock
I don't even have the words.
I'm so sorry your going through this. You are so very strong.
Sending you love and strength to get through this difficult time.Thanks

Fraaahnces · 28/03/2022 14:33

Has it occurred to you that she’s been using your kids to play “Fantasy Dollies/House” because she wants your DH and can’t have her own kids? Is she sucking them into her web too?

Fraaahnces · 28/03/2022 14:46

Sorry! My phone keeps jumping between threads!

Sazdun · 28/03/2022 15:01

LONG POST Just spent afternoon with friend and wonderingwhat others think of this . Head cannot make it more succinct, well I can.My best friend knew.
She came round today knowing something was up with H and me but I sobbed my way through it all .When I finished she was visibly upset and said she thought I knew. I swear it was like him telling me all over again. My heart was pounding and i was shaking. I can't believe other people knew.

Context, Her H is my H's cousin and close friend, i suspected H might have said something to him at some point but never that my friend knew. I met H through her dating his cousin, as she has been my close friend since we started uni. Turns out H told him right after he did THAT with OW and asked him what to do. When I asked her what did he mean what to do, like did he mean tell me or go ahead with marrying me, she said nothing. I'm now wondering if it crossed his mind to call off the wedding.

She said her H/his cousin wanted me to know. Incase H didn't, he told his wife, my friend who was also my bridesmaid knowing she would at the very least tell me. Friend told my H if he didn't tell me she would. He promised her it was a stupid mistake, said he would tell me and she said she sent messages to OW on social media calling her everything under the sun and to stay away from me and H. Even then OW said she only found out we were getting married and was sorry and it was at an end.

When I asked why she never told me, she said she thought that was what our fight before the wedding was about.

H and I had a fight two days before the wedding she thought that is what it was over and her H told her not to bring it up as it was between me and H, unless I did, as it would ruin the wedding that was seemingly still going ahead and maybe i needed time to figure it out. Obviously I didn't bring it up because I never fucking knew. The fight my husband and I had before our wedding was about the bloody flowers and his gran telling me they were unlucky, for funerals and far too ostentatious. At the time I didn't want to talk to anyone about it because it was such a stupid argument especially because everyone seemed so shocked at as arguing as we generally never really had massive shouting arguments, I also went off on one about his gran and didn't want it coming out what i said as i didn't mean it, it was just said in anger in a fit of pre wedding stress. I'm now thinking he manufactured that who fight to make it look like he had told me. He was so shitty in the run up to our wedding but I was nippy too, so never thought much of it.
I even remember best friend coming to me after I stormed away and telling me if i had any doubts that i could walk away and she would deal with it all. I laughed at her being what I thought was way over dramatic because I was just angry about flowers and embarrassed i lost it over a stupid thing, I quickly went and apologised to H because i didn't want people thinking there were any actual problems or for it to ruin our pre wedding BBQ. I even remember that night saying to her I was mortified because people were walking on eggshells with us after the fight and her telling me it was his fault and I had nothing to be mortified about. Again i just assumed she blamed him as it was his gran being an opinionated biddy and he should have never passed her thoughts of the flowers on. Obviously they thought it was over something way more serious and our getting married was my forgiveness.

As I said my H and I were always 100% honest with each other (or so I thought) he was the one out of his group of mates who would tell me if they went to a casino, who got up to what or if they all ended up a strip club on a stag do. He would call me on nights out back in the day and the lads would be shouting in the background calling me father or the priest and acting as if my H was at confession and telling me not to tell their wives and gfs. Because he was so honest they all thought he would have the balls to tell me and from what my friend says, they believed OW was a nobody in my husband's life who would just go away after we got married. My best friend would actually call me the most forgiving person she knew and I always assumed it was because I was the cool wife that knew and didn't get bothered by that sort of stuff while all the others were kept in the dark by their husbands about lads night and trips away and operated on better to not know. When one of my H and her H's friends cheated on his gf, she [the gf] told me that she told her cheating BF, they had to be more like me and H and 100% honest no matter what if they were stay together and work it out. I remember thinking I had the best relationship and was so smug. Everyone probably just thought I was an idiot. It seems everyone in our circle of friends knows of this and even judging by my friend's reaction will be angry I am hurt and he didn't tell me but not angry at what he actually did because they have all known for years and have since accepted her into our group of friends I spite of it.

In the midst of this earlier while i was seeing to the baby she must have texted OW because she then said she had asked OW for her response. Friend was just repeating the same shite OW texted me on Saturday. Feeling terrible, thought I knew blah blah blah. Asked friend how she could even look at OW knowing that she had done that and she said she loathed her but when H and I started inviting her to things and then when I had her at girls nights she figured miss forgiving here really was a way better person than everyone else. I know initially my friend was stand offish with OW and I remember that and I thought it was because I had mentioned way at the beginning not being sure about her but they soon got on quite well as i was inviting her to more and more things because i thought OW was lonely and half thought if she had more friends she might not rely on H as much.

Friend told me today that before she accepted OW into a friendship of sorts, her and OW had a chat, she warned her that if she ever heard anything else had went on she would go straight to me and discussed years ago her being with my H. OW apparently was 'so grateful I had been able to get past it and let them be friends. While she called OW a bitch today and said the things she was supposed to say it felt like she doesn't view OW as being guilty in any way. Maybe she has had time to work through that anger and ask OW the questions I still have, plus also it is not her husband who has been up to this. Friend says she doesn't think there has been anything going on sexually since we married ( though it isn't as if OW would exactly disclose that is it).

I don't even think that is the biggest issue now. It is that he never told me when he could have and now on top of that, it is that other people knew about this and he told them I knew or implied it. My friend is so angry that I actually didn't know but even she didn't get angry about OW like I thought she would. This woman has infiltrated everything that was mine and it was me that let her do it. I feel so stupid. While friend seems to be saying the same thing as OW and H, I don't know why she would lie to me or repeat OW and H's narrative if she didn'tbelieve it or think it to be true. Although the fact they maybe haven't been sleeping together this whole time isn't making me feel any better. He could have kept her out. It seems she stepped back for a bit, why did they both come back to being friends, why did he let her back in? Why was I not enough? He chose me, he chose to have a wedding, he didn't give me a choice and then he decides that isn't enough! I keep thinking about what I would have done if he had told me before our wedding. I hate myself but I probably would have forgiven him to save face and not run out on expensive wedding. Did he do the same? Has he just been saving face the whole time? Did he even love me the same way after meeting her? Hate who he made me. I didn't think I was that type of person but it seems I am without even realising it.

OP posts:
Sazdun · 28/03/2022 15:11

Best friend clearly been straight on to phone to her H after she left me. According to her my H he was in touch straight away with his cousin after i chucked him out but asked that he not tell his wife my best friend H actually stayed at a flat his cousin normally rents out last two nights, which is something, as atleast he did not go to OW. Cousin doesn't believe that anything went on between them after pre wedding stuff. Me and the girls are his priority everyone knows that, he has no idea how this has blown up but H has never mentioned OW to him other than in a mate way suggesting there is anything else going on. Blah blah party line.
His cousin then messaged me himself and apologised for essentially unknowingly colluding in all this. Says when he asked H why he needed the flat he just said he fucked up massively and needs a few days to sort his head out. No mention of me, but that is of no surprise now.
I asked him not to tell H we have spoken but the family are like a pack of thieves so sure he is probably speaking to him now.

Do all these people I loved think so little of me that no one was honest with me or thought to double check, have that conversation.

OP posts:
PollyPutTheKettleOnKettleOn · 28/03/2022 15:16

Oh god, this just keeps getting worse for you. Sazdun I don't think I can even begin to imagine the storm of feelings you must be experiencing right now.

It sounds like your friend has had your back, and I feel for her too right now as she must be feeling awful and the generous side of me thinks she's stuck between a rock and a hard place.

But I can't get over how much greater the betrayal you feel must be. I'm also surprised how in all the years since your marriage your friend has never even referred to it.

You need her to be as angry now as she was at the time, and for to very clearly come down on your side. The hurt you must feel that she seems to have moved past it - wow.

One thing is for sure, your husband is far and away the most duplicitous piece of scum I've come across. That he's manipulated you and your friends into this situation for so long, what a disgusting sh*t he is.

To reiterate what others have already said, I wouldn't trust the OW either as far as you could throw her. Re your friend, I think you're going to need to some time to work out where you stand and to give her a chance to come through for you now, when you need her most. There's no question where her loyalties should lie.

PollyPutTheKettleOnKettleOn · 28/03/2022 15:19

Do all these people I loved think so little of me that no one was honest with me or thought to double check, have that conversation.

This is what it comes down to isn't it. I've read a lot of awful things on this but I'm really raging on your behalf.

Do you have a friend not associated with your husband or his family that you can talk to?

You need someone with undivided loyalties.

kaleidoscope123 · 28/03/2022 15:23

Oh goodness. This was my worry. They all knew and assumed you knew but did they really think you knew if they never mentioned it directly or asked if you knew all the details. Plus then they watched as he brought OW into your life and then they also became friends with her. They are now messaging each other and OW getting their stories straight. Are they really friends? Did you tell your friend today that you are having absolutely no contact with OW and separating from husband. Unfortunately as she is married to his cousin you will loose her as a friend (or clearly won’t be able to trust her as the proper friend you need through all of this?).

Perhaps the admin of arranging a meeting with a divorce lawyer and looking at what you could get for your house in order to relocate would provide you with some emotional distraction.

I note husband said he was trying to clear his head, so he must actually love her and perhaps he thinks one he has tried to programme his head into stopping loving her that you will just roll over and keep him for the sake of the children!

WTF475878237NC · 28/03/2022 15:27

I don't know what to say really. It seems as though your husband is actually quite a skilled manipulater and has managed to get everyone thinking that it was your idea to have this woman (that you knew your husband had been involved with) in your lives. I'm just shocked no one said do you know what you're doing here?!

Zonder · 28/03/2022 15:36

I actually don't think this reflects badly on your bff and her husband. They really seemed to think you knew and were on your side. It's your H that's the problem. I guess he thought he could hide it all and it would go away... And for years he was right. I think you and him need a big long talk away from anyone else.

Essentially he had a fling before you got married but hasn't done anything since, apart from last week at the wedding where he got emotional. It's up to you now whether you can forgive him for the affair and not telling you, or whether you want to call it a day.

It's a truly horrible situation.

friendlycat · 28/03/2022 15:36

Well I suppose I can see how your pre wedding row may have been misconstrued with others thinking your DH had come clean and confessed all and you had both moved past this and onwards.

Then your friend was being diplomatic in not bringing up the past and she saw you inviting OW to things and thought it all in the past.

But there’s still so much weirdness. Your wedding invitations must have gone out more than 3 weeks before the wedding so firstly OW did know you were getting married when she and your fiancé had sex and her claiming ignorance just doesn’t hold water. Then attending your wedding afterwards is plain odd.

But even if you get past what happened prior to your wedding and focus on the present, your husband still seems enthralled with her and cannot distance himself from her. He’s told his cousin he needs space to sort his head out. Once again it seems absolutely about him and his feelings, as per his long coffee time text to you.

In all of this where is your husband beating a path back to your door, begging forgiveness for the past and reassuring you that you and your family are the most important things in his life?

kaleidoscope123 · 28/03/2022 15:41

I’m not sure of anyone else’s thoughts on this but I’d be tempted to right now message the OW in response to her message to say does she honestly think you would have befriended her, invited her into your inner friendship group and have her around your children if you had known that she had had a physical affair with your husband at any point. They have clearly both got their heads in the sand if they do not feel like they have also been having an emotional affair all this time (if indeed nothing physical has happened since you got married, which you have no way of knowing because you cannot ever believe anything either of them tells you again).

I’d also message your friend saying how could she think that if you knew about the affair with OW you would have befriended OW and certainly not to the extent you have. You need to make it clear to people that you are no push over and they have all acted terribly towards you.

Opentooffers · 28/03/2022 15:51

This is all on your H I'm afraid. Shows its easier said than done to keep a secret forever, which was his plan A. But why he couldn't was because of his feelings, and that is on him. He's lied to you about his feelings, and he's lied to himself about them. Anyone who made a one-off mistake would of been easily able to move on without cultivating a close friendship and would of been able to keep shtum, but you know he's been fawning over her for years, and that is where the major betrayal is, that is what I could not forgive.
I don't think it's helpful to direct anger at OW if she really believed that he'd done the right thing, and told you, as she did with her DH. If she knew, or even suspected that you were unaware, that would be a different matter and she could be blamed for not keeping her distance.
Be careful not to chuck the baby out with the bathwater, but by all means, chuck your DH. I'd not quite be as friendly maybe, but not cut her off, but I'd also stay separate from DH, bide my time and see if dynamics alter between your DH, OW, and her DH. If she sticks by her DH, your DH is the biggest fool in all this, years of liberace over someone who may well have moved on from him. This may well now affect OW view of her DH's friendships, would she have been as tolerant if she wasn't doing the same thing, has it now shone a light on the difficulties of being friends with existing in general - there's no need if DC's aren't involved is the answer.

Opentooffers · 28/03/2022 15:53

Limmerance

Opentooffers · 28/03/2022 15:54

Ex's in general Hmm

Ocsetldil · 28/03/2022 15:59

This is one monumental car crash, isn’t it?

kaleidoscope123 · 28/03/2022 16:00

@Opentooffers

This is all on your H I'm afraid. Shows its easier said than done to keep a secret forever, which was his plan A. But why he couldn't was because of his feelings, and that is on him. He's lied to you about his feelings, and he's lied to himself about them. Anyone who made a one-off mistake would of been easily able to move on without cultivating a close friendship and would of been able to keep shtum, but you know he's been fawning over her for years, and that is where the major betrayal is, that is what I could not forgive. I don't think it's helpful to direct anger at OW if she really believed that he'd done the right thing, and told you, as she did with her DH. If she knew, or even suspected that you were unaware, that would be a different matter and she could be blamed for not keeping her distance. Be careful not to chuck the baby out with the bathwater, but by all means, chuck your DH. I'd not quite be as friendly maybe, but not cut her off, but I'd also stay separate from DH, bide my time and see if dynamics alter between your DH, OW, and her DH. If she sticks by her DH, your DH is the biggest fool in all this, years of liberace over someone who may well have moved on from him. This may well now affect OW view of her DH's friendships, would she have been as tolerant if she wasn't doing the same thing, has it now shone a light on the difficulties of being friends with existing in general - there's no need if DC's aren't involved is the answer.
I don’t think the OW really suspected she knew all the details. The OW did know about her near the wedding day but didn’t realise they were engaged and about the be married but she did know he had a partner. If you were the OW would you not at the very least have apologised before striking up a friendship. Reassure her, say that she didn’t know they were that serious at the time but felt awful and saw it as a mistake. Something feels completely off to me
Sazdun · 28/03/2022 16:09

@friendlycat OW wasn't at my wedding. Prior to us getting married I had only met her a few times at H works nights out and he talked about her a bit but not in a way that bothered me too much as they were driving to work together or he would bumped into her as we all live nearby. When I got annoyed was on one night out when a colleague called her his work wife and I guess it annoyed me because I wasn't even his wife at that stage and his team made comments about me coming to check up on him. She only really got properly into my life after they started hanging out again. Apparently when they just had to be in each others lives as friends and she was wanting to.involve me so I didn't think there was anything else going on

OP posts:
Sazdun · 28/03/2022 16:17

I don't feel it adds up either. We have had some brutally honest conversations about her DH and his friendship with his ex. I don't see how she never mentioned it. I do think she believed he told me but what sort of person then wants to come back into our lives, it is fucking weird this obsession they have with being friends. I'm just hurt that no one has been honest with me and they think I am the sort of person who would put up with this charade.
The thing is my H knew he was getting married, he knew he didn't tell me, he even knew that she was perhaps trying to build an honest friendship with us all and he lied to us even her it seems. Bastard.

OP posts:
PollyPutTheKettleOnKettleOn · 28/03/2022 16:21

I have a feeling that when all this is done they will go on there merry way with their lives happily (incestuously) intertwined.

I hate to say it and I'm sorry sazun, but they'll not want to blow up their lives anymore then they have to.

Please focus on friendships that are not part of this weird quagmire Flowers

bjrce · 28/03/2022 16:24

Your OH is a hugely manipulative person! playing dumb to all the bullshit he has been spouting for years!

I don't think you even realise how manipulated you have been all this time.

Even before I read your horrific update following the text he sent you ( all about how he felt!) . I thought to myself I wouldn't trust that OW one bit!
He was actually confident enough to come "clean" at that point as the OW is now married so he had nothing to lose in telling you the truth.

Does no one else think it strange the timing of his revelation- could it be he wants to throw a bomb into her new marriage and it will bring it all out in the open - based on how he looked at her on her wedding day - he is very cunning!

He really believes he is not going to lose you and its all going to work out - I'd say in his delusions - he still thought it wouldn't matter as he stayed with you - you won the prize as it were.

Funny how he didn't want you to contact OW and the new Husband!- he still thought he could keep it all contained. He is still putting her first!

You have a really tough time ahead! He has no intention of losing his "friendship" with her. The reason he is not contacting you is he is waiting for you to calm down! He honestly thinks this will blow over. He really has done a job on you! I am really sorry for you!

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