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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

DH lied.

335 replies

ireallyshouldntbesurprised · 14/07/2022 20:24

DH has form for lying, he’s lied about tiny, insignificant things over the years, but he’s also lied about some big, shitty things too.

Each time he’s caught in a lie, I remind him of just how much I detest being lied to, he apologises and we attempt to move on - but it of course nibbles away at my trust each and every time.

Today, DH had meetings in London. I was told last night the meetings were a ‘big corporate spiel lasting from 9am to 5pm’. Anyway, I checked our tracking app that we have on our phones shortly after lunchtime, to see that DH wasn’t where I thought he would be (the HQ office), but was instead, in some random bar in a different area of London.

I messaged DH an hour or so later, asking him how he was getting on etc. He told me it was fine but a bit boring. I then asked him if his meeting was being held in the usual place and he stopped replying.

He got in this evening and I asked him what time the meeting ended up finishing, and if it’d been held at the HQ, to which I was told ‘yep, normal place, we finished up around half 4, was supposed to be 5 but they rushed through a couple bits so we could duck out a tiny bit early’.

Now, I can see from our app that he left the building where the meetings are held shortly after 2pm and was in a bar from then, until he left to get the train at around 5:30pm. When I asked him if he’d stayed and had any drinks, he told me that ‘once the meeting was finished, they left the HQ and he had one quick pint before getting the train’. I also asked him if the blokes from work were staying ‘out out’ for drinks after the meeting, and he told me they were apparently heading to a certain bar in Shoreditch. Well, I checked the app, and lo and behold, that bar that his colleagues were supposedly heading to ‘after’ DH had left, was in the fact, the bar DH had been sitting in for three hours.

For what it’s worth, the apps we use are never wrong. They might show you’re stood a few metres from where you actually are, but it would never show you as being MILES away from where you are, if you see what I mean. I can also tell when DH is lying by the level of (false) details he gives in answers.

I haven’t yet told DH that I know he’s bare face lied to me, but I am seething. He knows my stance on lying. He knows that above all else in life, I’m always, always going to be more mad about a lie than something he may or may not have done. It’s the lying. I can’t stand it. I don’t care that the meeting finished early. I don’t care that he sunk a couple pints in the midday sun. What I do care about is the fact he seemingly thinks so little of me, that lying about stupid shit is like a second nature to him.

Would you confront your DH if you knew he’d so breezily lied to you?

OP posts:
layladomino · 17/07/2022 18:19

Have you spelled out to him that, being as he's refusing to tell you where he's going (which is a very normal thing couples tell each other) you can only assume he is doing something he shouldn't, or has lied about it being a work thing, or is otherwise hiding something.

Whatever his reason, he has shown you again and again that he can't be trusted. HE has created this atmosphere of you doubting him, by lying and by avoiding telling you the truth when you ask for it. I would be seeing a solictor if I were you, and seeing how the land lies. He is meant to be the person you can trust most in the world.

That's aside from leaving you alone, sick, with 3 small children while he sat in a pub and didn't even ask how you were. Utterly selfish.

Rainyday4321 · 17/07/2022 18:20

This is no way to live 🤷🏻‍♀️

ireallyshouldntbesurprised · 17/07/2022 18:56

@layladomino I'd love to be able to spell it all out to him, but it would end one of two ways - either with stony silence so much so that I might as well have had a conversation with the wall. Or, he'd flip the situation around on me to make me out to be the bad guy. It's usually a nice combination of the two that happens. I feel bad for raising an issue, then receive stonewalling. A few days go by and I end up going to him and apologising just to cut the atmosphere. It's been almost a decade of those types of cycles.

I've no idea why he's keep all of this information secret. I'm sure he doesn't view it that way, but to me, withholding information in such a way is akin to keep a secret, and I just couldn't ever imagine myself going away for work and not telling DH the ins and outs of it all. The only way that I wouldn't, would be if I genuinely had no idea - but that's clearly not the case here.

I'm sure he's justified everything to himself regarding the drinks while I was sick at home. 'It was only a few hours', 'she'll have moaned at me if she knew where I was' blah blah blah

OP posts:
RenegadeMatron · 17/07/2022 18:56

FML.

OP - you realise how much this is not normal, right?

He either lies to you, or stonewalls you and says nothing at all?

This is so, so weird.

I don’t see how you can live like this.

ireallyshouldntbesurprised · 17/07/2022 18:59

It's hard @RenegadeMatron it really is. But I think I've almost acclimatised to it, so while him ignoring me or completely shutting down during conversations does really hurt me (and angers me), I've almost learnt to live with it in a way?

I am slowly learning though, that it's a clever controlling technique.

OP posts:
wellhelloitsme · 17/07/2022 19:05

OP this is the model for relationships that your kids are being showed. It's the most likely to influence their future relationships as adults.

Wouldn't you be gutted if they ended up in relationships like this, feeling unhappy and anxious like you do, and you knew that at least part of the reason they did so was that they'd grown up thinking it's what a normal relationship looks like?

Try to let that fuel you to make a decision about the relationship. It's not good for anyone.

Living with someone who lies a lot is fucking exhausting.

Penfelyn · 17/07/2022 19:19

Sorry OP that sounds really frustrating, but no, you won't change him. You have two options, either accept it and let it go, or divorce. I'd pick the latter (but I also know it's easier to say in theory than actually having to sort through the finances, house sale, child custody, etc mess that is sure to follow).

SpidersAreShitheads · 18/07/2022 03:28

ireallyshouldntbesurprised · 17/07/2022 17:13

@RaspberryHoney I just tried to ask him and apparently he's now staying with the rest of the colleagues because work 'block booked' the rooms, despite the fact that just a few weeks ago, there wasn't a single, spare room for him? Hmm

He didn't/wouldn't tell me what hotel it was, nor whereabouts in Birmingham it'll actually be. He just shut down and stopped responding like he does all too often. Joy.

When he goes to the hotel, you'll be able to see where he is from the app you have on your phone, right? (By the way, me and DP also have the location sharing app - totally normal, we've found it invaluable on occasions when either one of us has been delayed etc).

Once you know the hotel he's in, you could do an anonymous call to the hotel just enquiring if there's a large block booking from XXX company - explain you've got something to drop off and you can't remember what hotel it was. They might not tell you, but then again, they might. And that would confirm whether it really is a big corporate do. Worth a try just to give you peace of mind about that aspect perhaps? And then you can figure out what you want to do about his lying, the fact he doesn't prioritise you and the DC, and his bizarre secrecy....

The fact that he refuses to give you details of where he's staying means it's a really good job you DO have the location sharing app. If something happened to you or DC you might need to get hold of him in a hurry. It's not unreasonable to let your spouse know where you're staying overnight!!

kateandme · 18/07/2022 04:11

Op can you live like this
Can your children.they see it btw.they see also what it does to you.a child knows there mum's mood as much as she can instinctively no theirs.it won't just be hurt in you

Sunnyjac · 18/07/2022 07:46

OP you have a lot of unpicking to do in your relationship and how you behave in it. It sounds like your H has some longstanding problematic behaviours that have conditioned your responses. He is not behaving like a loving partner. How long do you want to put up with that?

Heatstrokeunsteady · 18/07/2022 08:18

This is a bit unusual but have you tried reverse psychology? Teach him a lesson. Openly lie to him about a few things and when he blows up at you “Now you know how I feel….It’s not a great feeling, is it?”

You don’t want to divorce
He knows you hate lies and is continuing to do so.

Try something else then.

Bookworm20 · 18/07/2022 09:04

The fact he won’t tell you the hotel is really weird. And the fact he shuts down and won’t talk about the event at all is even odder.
if either me or dp are away for work we always just automatically tell the other where we’ll be staying. Probably we don’t actually need to know this half the time but it’s just part of the conversation around being away with work. And if he asked me directly, what hotel is it, I’d just say. Why wouldn’t I?

no wonder you are second guessing everything. He lies to your face and also gives you zero information about where he is.
i mean why? What’s he gaining from it?

not sure what your next move is, but I’d be considering trying to access his phone or laptop or emails. I’m guessing he keeps those secret?

another way you can find out what hotel is to say to him that a friend or colleague of yours has to book quite a few rooms for a work thing in Birmingham in a couple of months and you said you’d find out for her where his work had booked and whether he knew the costs. If he doesn’t tell you then, he’d be really unreasonable!

IAAP · 18/07/2022 09:36

I think you need some ground rules

  1. if you are going to a meeting tell me where and when and the venue and an eta back
  2. if it moves tell not you are running early or late tell me
venue means text detailing which hotel bar etc

you default our marriage is over, you lie our marriage is over.

the reason I want to know is practical - gif forbid there is a fire, terrorist attack etc and what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

eg I’m planning on being at home all day looking after the kids might go to the park etc

so it’s either swap roles - he does the DC and you work or else a divorce.

anything else is unacceptable.

he moans- lying is unacceptable it breaks all trust

1VY · 18/07/2022 10:39

ireallyshouldntbesurprised · 17/07/2022 18:56

@layladomino I'd love to be able to spell it all out to him, but it would end one of two ways - either with stony silence so much so that I might as well have had a conversation with the wall. Or, he'd flip the situation around on me to make me out to be the bad guy. It's usually a nice combination of the two that happens. I feel bad for raising an issue, then receive stonewalling. A few days go by and I end up going to him and apologising just to cut the atmosphere. It's been almost a decade of those types of cycles.

I've no idea why he's keep all of this information secret. I'm sure he doesn't view it that way, but to me, withholding information in such a way is akin to keep a secret, and I just couldn't ever imagine myself going away for work and not telling DH the ins and outs of it all. The only way that I wouldn't, would be if I genuinely had no idea - but that's clearly not the case here.

I'm sure he's justified everything to himself regarding the drinks while I was sick at home. 'It was only a few hours', 'she'll have moaned at me if she knew where I was' blah blah blah

You know he’s abusing you, don’t you ?

girlmom21 · 18/07/2022 10:46

Heatstrokeunsteady · 18/07/2022 08:18

This is a bit unusual but have you tried reverse psychology? Teach him a lesson. Openly lie to him about a few things and when he blows up at you “Now you know how I feel….It’s not a great feeling, is it?”

You don’t want to divorce
He knows you hate lies and is continuing to do so.

Try something else then.

Tit for tat won't fix this toxic dynamic

Thewookiemustgo · 18/07/2022 10:57

Just isolating the lying here, and I know it’s stating the bleeding obvious, but people lie mainly to hide something they are doing from you.
Why lie about their behaviour?
They lie to deliberately abuse people (rare but true) and they lie as a means of control, to keep them in the ‘one-up’ position in a relationship. They also might lie because they want to do something which they see as ‘reasonable’ but know that their partner will see it as ‘unreasonable’ eg “I’ve worked hard all day so I deserve a few pints before I go home but she’ll moan if I do and I don’t think that’s fair.” and avoid the flak.
The whole thing is a huge red flag to me and some of the behaviour around work/ clothes/ a few beers after work is exactly what my husband sounded like when he was cheating. (Yes, it’s MN and quick to jump on this but it’s honestly the experience I had and some of it looks and sounds very similar).
To not let you know which hotel work booked for him (HR would have booked it and sent everyone on the trip the same email surely?) and to change his story about ‘no rooms’ to ‘block booking’ is pretty odd to say the least. You have every right and it’s eminently sensible to know exactly where he’s staying when he’s away for work, or anywhere else for that matter, as you have young children and you need to be able to contact him if he doesn’t/ can’t answer his phone when you might need him urgently.
Lying just doesn’t even bother him any more, doesn’t even touch the sides of any moral compass he might possess. He’s using lying in his life like other people use their car. It gets him from the A to B of doing exactly what he wants to do (whatever that might be) with no conscience and absolute impunity.
You can’t function in a fake reality, OP, it will destroy your mental health. I’m so sorry you are going through whatever this is, but we all need to know that the life we think we’re living is the life we actually are living. I was a SAHM living in one reality whilst my husband lived in another. Unpicking the lies were the gateway to actual reality where real choices can be made. You won’t realise the damage his lying has done to you until you are free of it. He can make the choice to free you from it by changing his behaviour, if he can’t or won’t, then you have to make the choice to free yourself. X

TooHotToTangoToo · 18/07/2022 11:09

The problem with the constant lies, even when he doesn't have to lie, is it just breeds uncertainty and makes you constantly check what's true or not. It really isn't any way to live op, you end up existing in a state if hightened anxiety as you're always second guessing him

He staying away for work - is he at work, has he gone out with mates, is there an eow

He's late home - is he in the pub, mates, ow

He's going out on his motorbike - is he meeting someone

He's broken down - is he actually broken down, has he gone somewhere else

He's had a pay rise - is it the amount he's telling you, is it actually a pay rise

Susan and her dh are having a baby - you double check

Brian is having marital issues because Sarah is cheating - is that true

You get the picture

BoxOfCats · 18/07/2022 11:25

It absolutely is about control. Stonewalling is a form of emotional abuse.

psychcentral.com/blog/signs-of-an-emotionally-abusive-relationship#1

BlokeHereInPeace · 18/07/2022 11:57

Not telling you where he's staying in Brum isn't lying, is it, it's just plain not telling. Just as weird. Good luck.

DiscontinuedModelHusband · 18/07/2022 13:29

OP you're fixating on small details.

Fundamentally, your DH doesn't respect you enough to be honest about things.

Whether it's to hide an affair, or just because he likes a bit of freedom away from the responsibility of family - he's going to do it regardless of how it makes you feel.

Even the lack of detail on the Birmingham trip reeks of this.

Either:


  • he's organising a dirty trip away with OW

  • he doesn't care enough to inform you of details surrounding a perfectly valid work event


Neither of these bode well for your relationship.

Stop fixating on details, stop saying how "vehemently you abhor lying" (even though there are literally no consequences for him doing it).

Either start establishing clear expectations and boundaries with him, with clear consequences for him failing.

Or just tell him you're done.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 18/07/2022 13:33

You don't trust him and are constantly checking up on him. I'd say divorce is the best option for both him and you.

girlmom21 · 18/07/2022 13:38

BlokeHereInPeace · 18/07/2022 11:57

Not telling you where he's staying in Brum isn't lying, is it, it's just plain not telling. Just as weird. Good luck.

Lying about staying elsewhere then about there being a room free is lying though isn't it

feistyoneyouare · 18/07/2022 15:43

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 18/07/2022 13:33

You don't trust him and are constantly checking up on him. I'd say divorce is the best option for both him and you.

Given the details OP provided, can you really blame her? Interesting that you're focusing on her behaviour not on his, which is far more egregious.

ireallyshouldntbesurprised · 18/07/2022 23:23

@SpidersAreShitheads @Bookworm20

So, I once again asked DH where he'll be staying, this time including that I'd like to know incase for whatever reason he isn't contactable then I could phone the front desk in case of emergency, and all I got out of him was 'it's a best western, it's where the meetings are'.

When I asked which one, he rolled his eyes, huffed slightly then walked off.

Telling me it's a best western in Birmingham is the same as telling me he's staying in a travelodge in London, like, that hasn't narrowed it down for me!?

For what it's worth, I do believe he's going there for work, I just can't wrap my head around the weird, shady behaviour surrounding him not just straight up telling me exactly where he'll be. It's bizarre.

OP posts:
Thewookiemustgo · 19/07/2022 11:50

Actually I don’t think there’s a Best Western in central Birmingham, OP. Just looked it up and the nearest one is 1.3 miles outside Birmingham. Was he talking ball park or city centre? Either way it’s a bloody awful way to treat you, ask him to forward you the email from work with the details in it and if he doesn’t care that his family don’t know where he is then maybe he shouldn’t expect his family to want him in it any more.
Easy for me to say, yes, but ultimatums are way overdue here, if he can lie, shrug and eyeroll with no actual consequences then he has no incentive to change his behaviour and won’t. Ever.

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