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Relationships

Have found out that my dp is married

270 replies

almostthesecondwife · 12/02/2008 16:45

Am a regular but have changed my name as I have friends on here that I know in rl.

I have been with my dp for 4 years. We met in a pub and got chatting and exchanged numbers and things sort of progressed from there. He's a salesman so does a lot of travelling so initially it was a long distance relationship. Then after we'd been seeing each other for about 6 months or so he moved in with me. But he still had to travel a lot so was away for 3 or 4 nights a week. It's always been like that.

He proposed to me within a few months of us moving in together but as yet we've never set a date as he's always given some reason, there's not enough money, he's very busy at work so unable to get the time off, it's been frustrating but I've generally accepted this without question.

Then a couple of weeks ago I was looking for a pen and knowing that he would have one in his briefcase I opened it, which is something I never do, and found a mobile phone in there that didn't appear to be his. And I did the inevitable and looked at it and there were texts on there from him to another woman and from her back to him, saying things like 'have really missed you babe, can't wait till you're home tonight' from her, and one from him that said 'I'll be home later', well i'd assumed it was from him. I confronted him about it, and he just said that the phone wasn't his and that it belonged to someone at work who had left it in his car and he'd brought it home.

But the next day after he went to work I rang the number of the other woman and asked if he was there, and she said no but that he would be home later that night, so I asked who she was and she said that she was his wife! .

I've confronted him about it and he's told me that the relationship has been over for years, that he's only there for the kids etc. Thing is, if that were true, why did he never tell me that he has 3 children?

I've done a lot more snooping and he's literally been leading a double life. with bank account for me and him, and bank account for him and her, different mobile phones registered to different addresses etc. I never questioned it because we both just put enough money into the joint account to cover bills and kept the rest for ourselves, so I'm guessing he was putting part of his salary into our joint account, an half into the marital account .

But we have a 15 month old daughter, and I have recently discovered that I am pregnant again. I don't know whether I can deal with the betrayal, but I don't know what to do.

Does his wife have a right to know? He's begged me not to tell her, but I'm not just the other woman am I? I'm also mother to his children.

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MascaraOHara · 12/02/2008 17:08

It's not going to be easy, there is going to be a lot of hurt but you and the other lady involved really need to sit down and talk.

If I were you, I'd call her up and start a very comforting conversation (however hard this will be for you).. explain you need to see her and ask if it would be posible for you two to meet up. You think your partner might be have been leading a double lif and your fear it might be her husband. Ask her to bring a picture.. explain the you worry that you might both have been lied to and you really like an opportunity to talk with her. Apologise that what you are about to tell her might upset her a great deal but you need her to know and you both need to talk about the way forward.

I think you need to build a relationship with her and forget your relationship with him.

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hunkermunker · 12/02/2008 17:08

Crossed posts - crikey, what an utter shit!

When are you due?

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Catz · 12/02/2008 17:10

Mascara - unfortunately 'common law man and wife' means nothing legally. Technically he's not committed bigamy although morally he has. Unfortunately the OP is not going to be in as strong a legal position as the wife.

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LIZS · 12/02/2008 17:11

"Common law" means very little. His wife is the one who can take a share of his pension on divorce , probably has her name on the house deeds, has the kids for whom he'd ahve to pay were they to split. He has his cake and eats it. Maybe she knows and chooses to ignore it.

But where does that leave you, your dd and unborn lo ? tbh you are in danger of falling for the oldest story in the book and really need some objective legal and financial advice to protect yourself. Somehow he justifies this to himself, there may be yet more lies if he can sustain it for so long. Do you really want to be party to this ?

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MascaraOHara · 12/02/2008 17:11

Ohm that's a shame I thought they had changed the laws to protect peopel who had had long term relationships but not got married.. my mistake.

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ShinyDysonHereICome · 12/02/2008 17:12

I'm in the South as well- if there is anything I can do please say.

I think you're going to have to be quite strategic about how you manage this situation which needs planning well.

Sort any financial issues out first, then do what you need to do.

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hunkermunker · 12/02/2008 17:13

Do you jointly own your home?

Have you any money/assets in your name?

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Catz · 12/02/2008 17:13

they've proposed changes to protect long term partners but it's not gone through yet - all at the 'maybe' stage.

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ShinyDysonHereICome · 12/02/2008 17:14

When is your baby due?

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Kimi · 12/02/2008 17:14

I think his wife has a right to know to be honest, and not to hurt her or to hope she will kick him out but because he is a sad man who has lied and lied to you and to her.

Also she has a right to know he has 2 more children.

What a mess.

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wheresthehamster · 12/02/2008 17:17

How does someone keep their story straight for that length of time?
What happened at Christmas? What excuses was he making to you or her?
What did he say about his parents/siblings not contacting you when your dd was born?

Crikey. I can't imagine what you're feeling. I hate him without even knowing him

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PippiCalzelunghe · 12/02/2008 17:19

Oh my goodness... he's the worst of the worst.

yes sort out your finances, don't let him back and talk to her. surely he must know that he'd lose everything if found out. have you got anyone around to help you if he's not around?

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Kimi · 12/02/2008 17:19

And how could he afford to run two familys

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almostthesecondwife · 12/02/2008 17:19

Hunker baby is due in september.

The house is in my name. I owned it before we got together, so when he moved in he just moved into my house. He said he didn't own a house of his own but was happy to move into mine and always hinted at us buying something together but like the wedding date it just never happened. I guess doing something like buying a house would have made him more likely to be caught out when questions were asked about other borrowings etc.

So if nothing else I still have my home.

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ShinyDysonHereICome · 12/02/2008 17:19

almostthesecondwife are you okay?

Here's us rambling on with questions....how are you doing? x

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Hassled · 12/02/2008 17:20

Poor you - what a nightmare situation. And what an absolute bastard.
I agree that your first action should be to open an account of your own if you don't have one (you can at least start the ball rolling online) and then shift whatever money is in the joint account that you feel is yours.
If I were the wife - I mean if my DH had another domestic setup going - I would certainly want to know. The longer she doesn't know the harder it wll be for her when she finds out, which will happen eventually.

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themoon66 · 12/02/2008 17:21

Where was he on Christmas day?

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Kimi · 12/02/2008 17:26

I think you need to speak to the CAB and find out where you stand.

Did you never meet his family?
Your poor children.

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frostymorning · 12/02/2008 17:27

ATSW, I'm so sorry to hear what's happenend to you, it must all be a tremendous shock and the trouble is that when you're pregnant you tend to feel even more vulnerable.

Although he has proved himself to be an amazingly selfish man and a very competent liar, I don't think that you should do anything rashly but need to stop and think about the different options open to you and the consequences of each of them for you and your dc. A good starting point would be to see the CAB to get a clear and objective vier regarding what your position would be if you decided to end the relationship.

Once you've made a decision about that then why don't you start to think about his wife and your dc's half siblings.

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Cam · 12/02/2008 17:27

As you own the house, boot him out, change the locks and then go to a solicitor for advice re child maintenance for your (soon to be) two children.

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almostthesecondwife · 12/02/2008 17:27

He told me that he was estranged from his family so I never met them. I don't know now whether that's actually true or whether he told me that so I would never ask questions.

He told me he hated Christmas, which was very upsetting for me as I always spend Christmas with my family. So he would stay up in Manchester on Christmas eve and go out with the others from the office, I would go to my family on Christmas day and he would invariably come down some time on boxing day. God knows what he told her in order to get away then. We used to row about it, but he said that Christmas meant nothing to him, and that he found it hard to be around families when he didn't have one.

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Cam · 12/02/2008 17:29

I think you safely assume that nothing he says is the truth

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LIZS · 12/02/2008 17:29

Are you expecting him back today ?

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almostthesecondwife · 12/02/2008 17:31

No he's in the states on a sales Conference, I've checked and he's definitely there, for the next 5 days.

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KerryMum · 12/02/2008 17:32

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