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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

Was he unfaithful?

26 replies

ShouldIbesuspicious · 19/06/2022 18:02

My exDH and I divorced in December 2021 we have 1DS 5. He was emotionally abusive and controlling for the last few years so I’m glad we are divorced but in April 2022 he told me he was seeing someone new and he was going to introduce them to my son (so am i, that’s fine with me of course) but it turns out it’s someone from his work place. They’ve known each other for about 3 years. It’s a small company with only about 30 employees in the uk. I know vaguely know who she is because I used to hear them having work related phone calls a lot when he was working from home and I was in the house. ( then he’d hang up after his chatty happy conversation with her and be cold and disdainful to me again, but to be fair he did this me after any phone call with anyone)

his story was that she’d noticed his address changed and asked why and they got chatting then they got together in December 2021 so conveniently just after the divorce came through.

i had to meet her the other day when I collected DS from his dad’s house and she was there and I had this really visceral reaction afterwards. I was so much more angry and upset than I expected like screaming into a pillow couldn’t sleep all night.

I suppose now I’m wondering was there something more going on? Was he having an affair physical or emotional. At the very least I think it must’ve been on both their minds.

He went on alot of work trips and loads of work nights out in London like every week and he never invited me.

he’d often stay over in hotels overnight but not book them until the night it self ( to get a cheaper rate he said)

he started keeping his finances separate and had lots of different bank accounts that I never had access to ( I’d thought this was because he was planning to divorce me)

we bought a duvet because she recommended it to him and said how great it was

he had a work phone that I was never allowed to know the password for and then he also changed the password on his regular phone too and he did become more guarded about it.

he started exercising getting his teeth fixed laser hair removal

he was very cold toward me turning away from any physical affection constantly rejecting me and and sexual advances that I made but I assumed this was part of the abuse and didn’t connect it to anything else.

they’ve just been to Greece on holiday for 2 weeks and had a weekend abroad in April 2022 and both holidays were booked in feb 2022 so only 8 weeks max after they first apparently got together.

I had asked him outright when he ended the marriage in jan 2021 if there is anyone else and he said no and he seemed believable at that time.

my head is reeling and I can’t think clearly about it. Maybe I’m adding 2and 2 and getting 5? I’d been so focused on unraveling everything from the abuse that I hadn’t considered this. I feel angry all the time and it’s really disturbing my happy peaceful life that I’ve worked had to build for myself and ds. I don’t think I’ll ever truly know what happened and I have so many unanswered questions. Every time my ds chats to his dad on face time I have to see her face next to him and it’s just this painful reminder.

are these signs of something more? Could it all be innocent like he says. I’m hoping the hive mind of mumsnet can help me with this one.

OP posts:
waterSpider · 19/06/2022 18:21

I may be missing something, but since you're now divorced isn't this just of 'academic' interest.

KangarooKenny · 19/06/2022 18:23

Does it matter ? You’re well rid.

miltonj · 19/06/2022 18:25

I understand OP, I'd want to know too in your situation. It's not nice not knowing the whole picture and knowing the truth helps to process things properly and move on effectively.

However, if he won't be honest with you, I don't see how you'll ever know, it certainly sounds like they were at least putting the wheels in motion so they could be together, wether or not anything physical happened, you may never know. That may be something you have to come to terms with unfortunately.

Try and focus on your new partner and child. It won't happen over night, but one day, you'll realise you just don't care either way anymore!

cushionpillow · 19/06/2022 18:44

I know it's hard but try not to give this any headspace. He will deny it, and even if he admitted it, it wouldn't change anything.

You are better off now. Focus on the future.

GreyCarpet · 19/06/2022 18:49

I discovered my husband's 'emotional affair' and kicked him out.

He told me it had never been physical but, tbh, I didn't care. It didn't matter. It wouldn't make any difference to me either way and, in the past 10 years, I've never given it any thought.

This isn't to say 'so I'm better than you', only to say, 'I've been there' and, tbh, I didn't need to know. He betrayed me and that was that. The specific nature of the betrayal was academic. Even at the time, I didn't question whether it had been physical because it didn't matter.

You're never going to know so you have two choices - to let the thought of it consume you or to let it go.

sammylady37 · 19/06/2022 18:53

You say he ‘ended the marriage’ in Jan 2021, so if he did get together with her after that, but before the divorce came through, I wouldn’t consider that being unfaithful. The marriage was over, even if the divorce wasn’t finalised.

Londonderry34 · 19/06/2022 18:55

Of course it matters! He's horrid. Sorry you are going through this.

BearFacedCheekGrylls · 19/06/2022 19:00

I sympathise.

My exh started working out more, wearing aftershave, dressing better, going on loads of work nights out (previously having avoided them like the plague), buying me lavish gifts. He was very protective of his wonderful secretary who was being treated badly by her own ex husband.

Eventually I got so suspicious I checked his phone to find he had been talking to her but loads of the messages were deleted. He gave me various contradictory explanations for this. At the time I was very passive, didn’t know what to do for the best. We are not together anymore and I’ll never know the truth but I believe if he wasn’t having an affair with his secretary then he very much wanted to.

sorry you are going through this.

pinkfondu · 19/06/2022 19:22

Does it really matter? You are unlikely to know the truth. Youve both moved on. Are you happy with how things are working now? Is it worth the argument?

WhoppingBigBackside · 19/06/2022 19:24

Yes, probably, but there is no point in dwelling on it now. You are divorced and need to co-parent your child.

A man who marries his mistress creates a vacancy

Dumblebum · 19/06/2022 19:25

I think as they marriage ended a year before the divorce then I’d no consider him being unfaithful if they got together after the end of the marriage. I don’t perceive at that stage he had to stay faithful till the divorce came through

it feels like there is jealousy and resentment, and I note he ended it not you. I think maybe counselling would help as you need to try to move on.

Vikinga · 19/06/2022 19:31

It does sound suspicious. But you're well rid and she may have been the catalyst or the reason you split which you should be thankful for otherwise it may have been hard to get rid of him.

I can only feel sorry for my ex's new girlfriend. When I see photos or memories come up and all the shit he put me through, I thank my lucky stars that I am no longer with him.

MadMadMadamMim · 19/06/2022 19:40

Don't give it any headspace beyond a vague feeling of gratitude towards her that if she WAS having an affair with him she did you a massive failure.

She's now ended up with the abusive, disdainful prick and your life is far happier without him in it. Believe me, he's not a prize.

MrsTimRiggins · 19/06/2022 19:44

Maybe he was having an affair, maybe he wasn’t. It seems likely that he was having at least an emotional affair with this woman, to some degree, but really, it doesn’t make a jot of difference to the outcome of your marriage now. It’s done, do try not to give this any more headspace, it’s not worth it. He sounds horrible, either way you’re better off without him.

ShouldIbesuspicious · 19/06/2022 19:59

Wow! thanks for everyone’s replies, I wasn’t expecting so many so quickly.

yes, you are right it doesn’t matter if it started after he left in January 2021 even though we weren’t officially divorced, as I made up my mind I was done with his shit as soon as it happened. I don’t really care about that bit I do care if it started earlier though when I was tying myself in knots trying to make it work, going to marriage counselling and doing anything I could to fix things.

Yea I know I probably should be a bigger person and just let it go, hope one day I will be able to but right now I am just furious that he’s got away with it! Like I’m such a mug to have not spotted it.

OP posts:
5128gap · 19/06/2022 21:24

I can understand entirely why it matters. You had an understanding of your marriage and why it ended and it now looks like there was something else going on all the time, and you were being cheated on. Of course this is upsetting as it adds insult to injury.
Unfortunately you're never going to know for sure. I'd say at the least he had her lined up as a safe bet for a replacement, given men typically tend to leave when they have someone else to go to, so there would have been indications of interest on both sides. Plus his story about how she knew he was single is unnecessarily complicated (ie, made up) If she was a 'friend' he'd have just told her, so he's hiding something there.
On balance? At minimum, heavily flirtatious with intent, but likely there was 'overlap'.

Dumblebum · 19/06/2022 21:35

Op don’t assume he’s got away with anything. Right now all you know is they are together, you’ve been split a year and a half, it’s highly likely it started after it finished. The marriage was clearly over. Being with someone else just reminds you it’s permanently done.

your reaction shows you’re not over him, I think maybe seek counselling and also I’m not sure it’s fair if you’re with someone else.

good luck I hope you’re able to move forward.

ShouldIbesuspicious · 19/06/2022 22:04

thanks, Yes I have a counsellor, who is great and really helpful. I don’t necessarily feel that I’m jealous but I think I do feel like I had a particular story about why things ended the way they did and I suppose now I’m thinking some other things are starting to add up.

I was doing so well and really happy moving forward etc and I’m just pissed off that this came along to throw a spanner in the works.

OP posts:
Dumblebum · 19/06/2022 22:16

But op nothing has come, all that’s happened is he’s started a relationship with someone he knew. Everything else is your imagination. There is absolutely nothing to suggest he was with her before. Nothing. I think you need to accept your marriage ended because it wasn’t working.

you’re running down a rabbit hole here where there is no need to. And the big issue is it’s only causing you pain. Not him. He’s not going to stop dating her.

your reaction is so extreme, the screaming into yout pillow etc, it’s clearly jealousy and you’re trying to find another way to justify it. Just meeting her sent you spiralling.

as said, I hope you can move forward, speak to your counseller but it’s very clear you are not over him and the fact he ended it and the fact he’s with someone else is causing you enormous pain.

GreyCarpet · 19/06/2022 22:48

A man who marries his mistress creates a vacancy

This is a ridiculous comment and I think so everytime I see it trotted out on here.

My exh was never unfaithful to me before this woman, who he has now been with for 10 years and is marrying next month.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he would never cheat on her. I'd stake my house on it. He wasn't happy with me and he fell in love with someone else. That's the bottom line. It happens.

WhoppingBigBackside · 20/06/2022 08:14

@GreyCarpet , what happened to you is not what happened to others. I object to being told my post is ridiculous.

Dumblebum · 20/06/2022 08:25

WhoppingBigBackside · 20/06/2022 08:14

@GreyCarpet , what happened to you is not what happened to others. I object to being told my post is ridiculous.

To be fair the poster is right, and someone who has an exit affair is not necessarily a serial cheat and secondly there is every chance this man didn’t even cheat,

the old cliche about creating a vacancy is not really appropriate here. It’s appropriate when someone is a known serial cheater.

WhoppingBigBackside · 20/06/2022 08:41

@Dumblebum , if the marriage was already over, then maybe not, but I still dislike being told that mine or any other poster's posts are ridiculous.

Watchkeys · 20/06/2022 09:28

Like I’m such a mug to have not spotted it

Your low self esteem is at the root of the problem you're having with processing this situation.

Closure comes with being ok knowing you'll never know the answer to your question.

Work on your self esteem, rather than trying to work out the answer to what is ultimately an unanswerable question.

Why are you a mug just because someone lied to you and you wanted to see the best in them?

caringcarer · 20/06/2022 10:42

From what you say it seems obvious to me he was having an affair. However you need to move on and put him out your mind.