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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:
Terriblethirtytwos · 14/07/2022 22:33

@KettrickenSmiled wow, that was rude! I wasn’t in any way trying to be pompous. I was asking about why she thought he lied, not whether she thought he lied. I wondered if it was kind of a compulsive thing, lying about really small things. I read OP’s updates after I replied and it turns out he’s just a total arse leaving her unwell with three kids while he has a drink.

Mumoblue · 14/07/2022 22:34

I mean, sounds like you know he’s a liar. And you know he won’t stop. The question is- is a relationship with a committed liar acceptable to you?

Little lies almost always turn into big lies. My ex used to lie about the odd thing and he ended up being a cheater. I ended up with a very easy formula for figuring out if he was lying: would lying make his life easier? If yes, he was lying.

Now I’m kinda done with dating but if I go back to it and a guy lies about ANYTHING, I’m done instantly. I can’t stand liars.

KettrickenSmiled · 14/07/2022 22:36

if he was really trying to deceive you and cover his arse he’d have turned it off.
Bullshit.
He doesn't care when he IS caught out in a lie.
He just lies more, to cover up the original lie. He doesn't care that his wife has rumbled him. Only HIS version of events, & getting his own way, matter. He sounds like our so-called prime minister.

IME people lie like this when they know they are going to be told off / moaned at etc.
OP has already said she's less angry about whatever he's doing, than being lied to about whatever he's doing. So can you quit with the victim-blaming, @CBAMumma?

QuizzlyBears · 14/07/2022 22:40

Why would he lie to you if he is fully aware you have the tracking app? Clearly he doesn’t know you stalk it quite like you do.

Bollindger · 14/07/2022 22:42

I would stand in front of him,
Tell him he HAS one chance to confess, tell him to bare in mind you all ready know it all, but he can either tell you NOW that is it...
Then say start talking,,, say nothing else,
I would also not talk to him again.

KettrickenSmiled · 14/07/2022 22:43

Terriblethirtytwos · 14/07/2022 22:33

@KettrickenSmiled wow, that was rude! I wasn’t in any way trying to be pompous. I was asking about why she thought he lied, not whether she thought he lied. I wondered if it was kind of a compulsive thing, lying about really small things. I read OP’s updates after I replied and it turns out he’s just a total arse leaving her unwell with three kids while he has a drink.

Funnily enough, most pompous people aren't aiming to be pompous ...

He lies because he is a liar.
He lies all the time - whether it matters or not.
It's not up to the OP to analyse his reasons - or you to decide whether his lies are in any way 'justified' - it's up to her to decide whether she wants to put up with it any longer.

mswales · 14/07/2022 22:43

I think the not caring enough about you being sick and on your own with the three kids is worse than the lying to be honest. Only an absolute arsehole would stay out drinking knowing that their wife is home with a stomach bug and three kids under 5. And of course an absolute arsehole would then lie about their whereabouts in that situation! The lying sounds like just a side dish to the main course of arseholery. You deserve to be with someone who actually cares about you. Think of what relationship example you would like to show your kids. Hope you are feeling better now. X

KettrickenSmiled · 14/07/2022 22:43

QuizzlyBears · 14/07/2022 22:40

Why would he lie to you if he is fully aware you have the tracking app? Clearly he doesn’t know you stalk it quite like you do.

It's not clear in the slightest.
He could be fully aware, but simply not give a shit.

RedHelenB · 14/07/2022 22:43

Caaarrrl · 14/07/2022 20:34

Why do you have a tracking app for your husband? That's not normal and maybe if there is so little trust between you, the relationship is over.

This. Yabu, why are you so keen to catch him out?

HaveringWavering · 14/07/2022 22:44

OP, while it does sound like you were more than a little ill and he should have come home to help you, you do also sound very dismissive of his work. You said that he would probably have fed you a load of bullshit about having to be out having drinks with new colleagues- has it occurred to you that it might be true? With people working from home so much it is very very important to take every possible chance to form networks and relationships (he’ll still be on probation too). What if this was his line manager saying “let’s go for a drink team”? And you say he would have been out with a bunch of “blokes”- really, he has no female colleagues? You sound very eager to conclude that he was bunking off with a bunch of mates.

Do you think maybe he lied because it was easier than trying to explain to you that work is not always just sitting in meeting rooms? You sound like you might be a bit envious of him going out to work.

Annoyingkidsmusic · 14/07/2022 22:45

ireallyshouldntbesurprised · 14/07/2022 20:40

@Stichintime I've already said upthread that I woke up this morning vomiting bile alongside having diarrhoea. We have 3DC under 5. I checked the app to see if he was on lunch so I could call and speak to him. I didn't want to phone him during the meeting.

Why didn’t you just text him? My dh will frequently go to lunch with colleagues, where a phonecall still isn’t always appropriate. I’m not sure how it’s easier to track his movements on an app rather than send a text? I feel like there’s quite a lot more to this than just “dh lies.”
Would never enter my head to track my husband’s whereabouts rather than message him.

HaveringWavering · 14/07/2022 22:47

All you had to do was text to say “really ill, not coping, please come home.” Your explanation that he has form for reading texts and forgetting/not replying to them may hold true for “please pick up nappies on the way home” but not something like this.

ireallyshouldntbesurprised · 14/07/2022 22:48

@HaveringWavering He's not on probation and they had a team building meeting last month in London which was purely about them all hanging out together and going round a bunch of pubs. Today was a big corporate event at the HQ office which was supposed to run til 5, not finish at 2 then DH sits out in the sunshine while I'm up to my eyeballs in vomit and shit, dealing with our three DC's.
And regarding my 'blokes' comment - he's only ever spoken to me about male colleagues, so that's what I'm basing my assumption on.

OP posts:
KettrickenSmiled · 14/07/2022 22:49

Annoyingkidsmusic · 14/07/2022 22:45

Why didn’t you just text him? My dh will frequently go to lunch with colleagues, where a phonecall still isn’t always appropriate. I’m not sure how it’s easier to track his movements on an app rather than send a text? I feel like there’s quite a lot more to this than just “dh lies.”
Would never enter my head to track my husband’s whereabouts rather than message him.

You've clearly never lived with a committed liar.
It's sport for them.

Also - OP explained why she didn't text - he chooses to 'forget' to reply if she does. What exactly are you insinuating, @Annoyingkidsmusic, with your "there's a lot more to this than "DH lies"."?

Catlover1970 · 14/07/2022 22:50

MolliciousIntent · 14/07/2022 20:30

When you get to the point where you're stalking your husband using GPS, your marriage is over.

Totally agree. Why are you stalking him?

ireallyshouldntbesurprised · 14/07/2022 22:51

@HaveringWavering do you know my DH personally? How can you state with absolute certainty that he would reply to me in this situation? Unless you've been with him for the last 8 years, I think I have a better understanding of my DH's messaging habits.

OP posts:
Iamsnoopy · 14/07/2022 22:52

He didn’t come home as he wanted to sit drinking in the sunshine rather than deal with kids and vomit.

the issue for me is the lying and I just couldn’t be in a relationship with someone who lies over and over.

big lie little lie

then you find he had taken a loan out on the house, or had a child with someone else etc

Catlover1970 · 14/07/2022 22:53

Stichintime · 14/07/2022 20:39

Once you have to track your husband for what ever reason ( unless medical, e.g fits or sudden onset amnesia) your marriage is over. Its not healthy at all. Why should you spend your time and energy tracking and comfronting him?

Totally agree

PyongyangKipperbang · 14/07/2022 22:56

I spent 12 years with a man like this. He. Will. Not. Change.

The question is, will you?

Will you change from the sucker sitting at home taking his bullshit because you CBA to deal with further bull shit and so just take it and never trust him again? Or will you take control, tell him you are done with his lies and leave?

Its up to you but from personal experience I strongly suggest you do not waste your life on someone who, if they told you that the sky is blue, has you looking out of the window to check.

timeisnotaline · 14/07/2022 22:57

Catlover1970 · 14/07/2022 22:50

Totally agree. Why are you stalking him?

Reading the thread you have posted on will answer that one for you!

you should equally be pissed off over what he’s lied about op, not just that he’s lied. It’s ok to be pissed it over both. I’ve told my Dh a couple of years ago that him not being there when I’m sick and have young children to look after is a deal breaker for our marriage. I don’t mean him taking days off work at the drop of a hat, but I do mean him skipping the early morning run or coming home a bit earlier. Basically he doesn’t sound like a great husband, are there redeeming qualities? Do you want to work on it wiht counselling or do you want to go on slowly detaching from the man who doesn’t have your back?

HaveringWavering · 14/07/2022 23:03

ireallyshouldntbesurprised · 14/07/2022 22:51

@HaveringWavering do you know my DH personally? How can you state with absolute certainty that he would reply to me in this situation? Unless you've been with him for the last 8 years, I think I have a better understanding of my DH's messaging habits.

Not responding to a text that says “Ill, can’t cope, please come home” is nothing to do with “messaging habits”. That is a fundamental personality flaw. If you believe he could have put something like that out of his mind and forgotten about it then I think you should leave him.

wellhelloitsme · 14/07/2022 23:06

So he's lied to you so far in your relationship about money, drugs, porn and drinking. Eek.

You say he "knows your stance on lying" but gently OP, as someone said upthread - all he knows is that your stance is "I don't like it when you lie but I always end up forgiving you."

I've been upfront with DH in the past when I've known FULL well about something, and he's STILL lied to my face. In fact, most times I let him know the game is up and he still continues to lie.

Please don't waste the rest of your life with someone like this OP. Please.

And seriously consider the fact that you'll grow increasingly resentful over the years and he'll grow increasingly defensive which is a recipe for toxicity that your children will grow up thinking is normal and what a relationship looks like.

Setting them up for an adulthood with relationships that have a similar dynamic.

wellhelloitsme · 14/07/2022 23:08

BornIn78 · 14/07/2022 21:50

But to do it with small things? Why? How does it benefit them

Well he got to spend the afternoon drinking beer in the sun instead of being at home with a sick wife, having to care for his 3 kids.

And he knows that even if you find out he’s lying, at most he’ll get a bit of earache, maybe get given the cold shoulder for what? An hour or two?

And then life carries on as normal. He can go and do the same damn thing tomorrow and he knows you’ll just accept it.

So I’d say his lying benefits him quite nicely, wouldn’t you?

This, really.

Sorry OP it's so shit and unfair on you but you need to follow through on your stance that you don't want to spend you life with a liar.

And that's what he is.

NumberTheory · 14/07/2022 23:09

the issue for me is the lying and I just couldn’t be in a relationship with someone who lies over and over.

big lie little lie

then you find he had taken a loan out on the house, or had a child with someone else etc

^^ This. Maybe not quite so dramatic as a second family (though possibly) but I think his willingness to lie shows a disconnect from the family. He jut isn’t that concerned about you having to deal with 3 kids while you’re sick. He lies to try and make his path through life smoother for him so that his choices have as little negative impact on him as possible.

You’re right to find your trust eroded. You can’t trust him. Now you have to decide what you’re going to do about that.

(For what it’s worth I don’t think your tracking apps are odd - DH and I track each other so we can get the dinner on at the right time, etc. It’s way easier and more reliable than texting. And I don’t think the way you “tested” him was wrong either. You have a lot at stake and are understandably unsure of how to tackle it and unwilling to put yourself out there that much. Things have got past you giving him a “fair shot” at explaining or responding. Now you’re building up your own understanding of the situation you’re in so you feel more able to act. At this point, playing things close to your chest is wise.)

Iflyaway · 14/07/2022 23:10

You said he lied about money and drugs upthread.

Those would have been a deal-breaker for me absolutely.