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Relationships

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DH messaged OW. Can't decide whether to say I have crossed lines too.

167 replies

daughterof · 20/02/2023 08:37

My DH and i have been together 15 years with young children, we have a business together and other ties.

He works away as part of our family business. He lets me use his phone freely. When I used it, there was a message in the scroll down bit. He had been messaging a woman about chipping in for renting a flat for an adult party and other things. No sexting, no pic exchange, but asking her about the event which had been cancelled amongtst othet things, saying he was planning to go. I have never had reason to think he has cheated on me before and he is the last man I would expect too. We have had very rocky times but solid for a while now and I love him.

He deleted the chat platform on his own volition and I have sneaked a look at his phone, he doesn't have anything in other chat platforms or the woman as a contact. We have an ongoing stressful situation and he said he is not thinking straight and just sent messages as one off. I messaged the woman, she confirmed no meeting and sent me copy of conversation history too, there are barely any messages.

I don't know how I feel moving forward. We have talked lots and he is very sad and ashamed. My gut feeling is I don't know how but i want the marriage to work. But I am worried as he has the opportunity if he wants to.

But. Last year across a few months, I formed an connection with a man. Nothing ever happened, no physical contact, no dates, no sexting, no pics. We happened to meet at a hobby I do and we fancied each other, we swapped no's and we sent friendly brief texts sometimes. He became frustrated I wouldn't have an affair with him but i said no as we were both married with children and even though things rocky with DH at thag point, I just couldn't do that to him/our family. He no longer attends the hobvy and we haven't messaged for months.

Now I know what DH has done, I feel so guilty and want to tell him what i did. But I am scared it will push him into pursuing another woman.

OP posts:
Humanswarm · 20/02/2023 08:58

I think, full and Frank disclosure is needed from both of you. A good conversation about why both of you felt you needed to step outside of your marriage, however briefly, in whatever form. Something is clearly amiss. But it doesn't sound the end of the world.

daughterof · 20/02/2023 09:01

Thanks @Humanswarm . I think I need to tell him too. I think he will be devastated as he is insecure anyway..

OP posts:
Shoxfordian · 20/02/2023 09:05

I don’t think you need to say that you met a man and didn’t have an affair; you didn’t really do anything wrong in comparison to him and his adult parties - once the trust is gone then it’s very hard to get it back

daughterof · 20/02/2023 09:10

But if he hasn't attended them though @Shoxfordian ? I think it's something he did for titillation. He is really remorseful. The messages I swapped went on for months, and big chats whenever I saw him at the shared hobby,

OP posts:
Shoxfordian · 20/02/2023 09:14

I wouldn’t care if he didn’t attend them: the intent is enough for me. Who knows what else he was doing or what other apps he had? Easy to be remorseful when you’ve been caught as well

daughterof · 20/02/2023 09:20

I know what you mean @Shoxfordian . I looked through his whole phone though (without his knowledge) there is nothing anywhere. I did tell him that it was over as soon as I saw messages. However, privately, I want to give him a chance. I am fine single, I have the children alone for long periods, but I do believe him and want to give him a chance. My own trangression also fuels this, as I fully intedned to meet the other man until I felt too guilty and he revealed he was actually happily married, not unhappily so as he had suggested before, which made me back off. My DH is saying he had no intention to actually meet anyone.

He was nearly crying and kept saying he is sorry and that what he did is disgusting, he can't believe he has caused me so much hurt and he doesn't want to lose me.

OP posts:
TicketBoo23 · 20/02/2023 09:21

as he is insecure anyway.

Not lacking in confidence to find out about orgies and start communicating with a woman about attending them though.

TicketBoo23 · 20/02/2023 09:22

Also what you can't someone doing doesn't tend to be the full picture, just what you can't h someone doing.

People are good at deleting things. They occasionally get sloppy/complacent.

TicketBoo23 · 20/02/2023 09:23

I have the children alone for long periods

He works away quite a lot (?) He has a lot of opportunities and as I said, you don't know what he's deleting when away.

TicketBoo23 · 20/02/2023 09:24

*Also what you catch someone doing doesn't tend to be the full picture, just what you catch someone doing.

Shoxfordian · 20/02/2023 09:26

This poem seems appropriate

Can you trust him again?

DH messaged OW. Can't decide whether to say I have crossed lines too.
TicketBoo23 · 20/02/2023 09:28

as I fully intedned to meet the other man until I felt too guilty and he revealed he was actually happily married, not unhappily so as he had suggested before, which made me back off

Fully intended to meet him for sex?

It sounds like you had an emotional affair. You backed off from having a physical one ... Partly due to your loyalty and integrity towards your own relationship, partly due to a bit of integrity (or at the very least discernment) towards the Om's.

I wouldn't be telling him incidentally.

It's very easy for people to slip into an emotional affair. It happened fairly naturally/organically through your hobby. And you stopped short of sex.

Your H is actually seeking out sexual situations with relative strangers .... Adult parties, orgies, whatever you want to call them.

Rather different things with rather different motivations.

TicketBoo23 · 20/02/2023 09:32

I don't think it's going to help the situation that you now do the emotional equivalent of vomitting about your emotional affair.

Probably wiser to just consider exactly what it means about your relationship that you're slipping into an emotional affair when an opportunity arises.

And that he's seeking sex elsewhere. And you actually have no idea what yes done or would do. People caught at that sort of lark do not generally confess to anything that can't be proven.
Admit only what you have to admit to ... Is the general rule

Choconut · 20/02/2023 09:33

Did he delete the chat forum of his own volition before you caught him? or after? There is quite a difference between the two.

I also don't understand what you think you did wrong, you were friends with a bloke that you got on really well with. You said an absolute no to it going anywhere beyond friendship. I'm not seeing what you did wrong here? Are you using this as an excuse to yourself to make what he did ok? They are on a completely different scale IMO.

If you want to stay though then I wouldn't tell him - he is already insecure and has low self esteem and you did nothing wrong - but he might well use it against you or make it into something it wasn't. Men with low self esteem do not make good partners generally IMO, they are always looking around for validation to boost their tragic ego - but don't want you to so much as talk to anyone else.

If you want to stay then I think it would be helpful to get some counselling to look at how you might move forward from here. How you can make your relationship better going forward. I think that's what you need to concentrate on now if you're going to stay.

Channellingsophistication · 20/02/2023 09:34

I dont think you should tell him about the other man. You werent seeking him, you liked him and were friendly but not intimate in messages or otherwise and I dont see what it will achieve other than DH turning things back onto you.

Your DH has behaved differently in seeking sex and I’m sorry to say there is usually more to it. Its a horrible situation for you

Zanatdy · 20/02/2023 09:40

I personally wouldn’t tell him. You didn’t do anything wrong

daughterof · 20/02/2023 09:42

Thank you for replies, it's helpful.

I will probably have to delete this as getting outing. He isn't insecure generally, he is insecure in bed with his performance.. so I think it's really unlikely he met someone else for sex.

OP posts:
daughterof · 20/02/2023 09:47

@Choconut So I read everything on the chat app, while he was asleep,he had no idea what I was doing. I screenshotted the conversation (only one). Its not a sex app, its a general chat one, eg he was on threads about his hobbies, tv shows etc. I asked how he got onto the chat baord he was on, he said he just decided to type it into the search bar and thinks partly as he feels insecure in bed with me., partly stressm partly fantasy idea. I said that doesn't esxcuse him and he can't use that as a reason, he said he wasn't making an excuse just explaning and said he shouldve spoken to me.

When he let me use his phone later in day, I asked where the app was and he said he had deleted it as he regretted what he did and just wants me.

OP posts:
daughterof · 20/02/2023 09:49

@TicketBoo23 yes would have met him for sex, if he hadn't have said his marriage was actually happy. But equally I don't think i could have gone through with it,

My DH is saying same. He said he could never have actually gone through with it.

So I feel like, without him knowing, we have done quite a similar thing.

His messages to this woman are not sexual, he makes no comment on her, or pic swapping. He just says wheres the chat gone about the meet up, thats a shame I would have come then asked her something else about her meets.

OP posts:
TicketBoo23 · 20/02/2023 09:51

he is insecure in bed with his performance..

Why does he want to meet and have sex with strangers ... possibly in front of strangers ..... then?

daughterof · 20/02/2023 09:53

@TicketBoo23 I don't think he would, I think a fantasy idea. I said if that's some kind of fantasy, why didn't you tell it to me or watch porn instead and he said he was an idiot

OP posts:
daughterof · 20/02/2023 09:56

@Choconut it was more than friendship in that i hid it from DH, me and the guy discussed our relationships and if we awere going to take thigns further, as huge mutual attraction, and I deleted messages continually our of fear DH would see. DH would have been gutted if he had seen me and the guy together, other people at hobby knew we were both married and also noticed how close we seemed.

OP posts:
TicketBoo23 · 20/02/2023 09:56

*yes would have met him for sex, if he hadn't have said his marriage was actually happy. But equally I don't think i could have gone through with it"

Well you know you wouldn't have.

You don't know for sure he wouldn't have or hadn't. Sorry to be blunt but that is true. Ime on this forum .... People only admit to what they have to.

I think you need to think about why, in your relationship, you're indulging in emotional affairs and considering physical affairs ..... And he's searching around online for orgies/sex meet ups and going as far as communicating with an organiser, if that's what she is. (And presumably participant). It's not exactly the picture of a nicely functioning relationship, is it.

I actually think - as I've said above - emotional affairs can be quite easy for people to fall into if they don't guard their boundaries well - especially if you're separate a lot of time.

But he's actually seeking out sexual opportunities outside your relationship.

Whether he's actually taken them or not.

TicketBoo23 · 20/02/2023 10:02

Anyway, if he's insecure about his sexual performance.... Confessing to an emotional affair that was on the verge of turning sexual - with only your word you wouldn't have or didn't have any sexual contact.... Does not seem likely to help the situation.

He'll think you might do it again but actually follow through the next time.

If he's really not get unfaithful, he'll lack motivation not to be in future.

TicketBoo23 · 20/02/2023 10:03

*not been

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