Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

Should to trust my boyfriend about his “girl friend”?

36 replies

PollyPocket987 · 28/02/2024 20:21

My partner of 10 years, who I have two kids with and a house, told me that another girl has a picture of him and her as her phone screensaver.
Back story is my partner joined a mixed gender sports team 18 months ago and takes part in competitions. He was at a comp last week with this “friend” who we shall call Megan. He returned home, after competiting in a team with Megan and four others, and somehow bought up this… “oh you were there when someone asked whether the guy on Megan’s phone was her boyfriend weren’t you but it’s a picture of me and her” or something along those lines. I told him categorically that I wasn’t there and had no clue he was her screensaver. Im now beginning to wonder whether this someone was actually my friend and he’s trying to cover his tracks. I told my partner I found this very strange that a girl who he hasn’t really known for very long as his photo as her screensaver. The photo is from another competiton, 7 months ago, where they took part in a team. And the photo isn’t of the rest of the team, it’s just the two of them. I asked my partner why did Megan have this photo as her screensaver and he relied “she told Me that it’s the happiest she’s felt”. Again very weird I find, why not have the whole team picture from the day. And I honestly believe that someone asking Megan if that was her boyfriend is a very natural and normal thing to do. Because let’s be honest who has a picture of someone else’s boyfriend as their screensaver.
I told my boyfriend it made me feel very uncomfortable. I know this girl, haven’t actually spoken to her, but when I’ve gone to watch them play competitions she knows me and the kids exist.
i stewed in the info for 2 days and then on the third day I asked my boyfriend whether Megan had ever propositioned him and he strongly denied this and said that he felt like she was a little sister he never had and she felt the same.
I then asked whether she had ever messaged him privately and not the group and he denied she had. I asked him to prove it. There were no messages there. However I knew there had been. In the two days I had had this info for, I did wrong and checked his phone. But there were messages there from her, which seemed innocent and it was about going out the following weekend for her birthday. I challenged him and he went mad saying I obviously didn’t trust him. Well no, you’ve lied, deleted messages and are a screensaver on another girls phone. Long story short, he promised me nothing happened and said he now understood where I was coming from.
everything was fine. He went out for her birthday along with others. I was honest and told him I wasn’t comfortable about it but I didn’t want him kissing out on the social with the rest of the team.
today, he went to the sports club. I asked him who was there and he said Megan was but she was training with another team. I’ve sneakily looked at his phone, he’s been in a stinking mood all day but then when I got home (after he had been to the sports club) he was sickly nice. On that phone was a message in his teams chat if a video taken of him by Megan. It was an innocent video of him stretching with her saying “wow look at the flexibility on this video” but it’s the fact that he lied about her talking to her / seeing her.
now what do i do. I’ve told him he needs to distance himself, he’s refusing. I asked him not to be alone with her, it was all arrant that even though the gym hall was busy, they were working out together. He was flat out saying I was over reacting. Am I? I didn’t think I was so I told him once again to back off from her and possibly tell her that I and he feels like she’s crossing the line and if he didn’t say anything to her then I would. Because I’m not being made a fool of. I also go to the sports clubs but at different times due to childcare and I don’t want people knowing things that I don’t.
Am I over reacting or do I trust my instinct in that something doesn’t add up. I trust my boyfriend but I don’t know whether he’s enjoying the attention from Megan. She’s mid 20s, he’s early 30s.

OP posts:
PollyPocket987 · 28/02/2024 23:01

Newnamehiwhodis · 28/02/2024 21:58

the only man friend I would have as my phone background is someone I’ve known since I was 15 years old, and If he had even a brand new girlfriend who was uncomfortable with that, I would respect her emotional safety and remove it. I’ve distanced myself from him when he’s in a relationship, and it doesn’t bother me a bit, because I’m not into him romantically, and other women’s needs are something I respect.

this is all to say - it’s very odd that you can’t just be heard and they make the changes they need to make.
it’s simple. You don’t feel good with it, it needs to stop.

it’s completely unreasonable of him to refuse.

Thank you. He has a best girl friend of the last 20 years. I’ve never had to feel threatened by her. And when I initially learnt he was this other woman’s screensaver my response was that his best friend of 20
years wouldn’t even have him as her screensaver so why would a friend of a year have it.

all I want really is him to say “I get you” and the messages, likes on Instagram, lies all stop :(

OP posts:
Noseybookworm · 28/02/2024 23:03

PollyPocket987 · 28/02/2024 22:58

That’s what’s hard to answer. We’ve got two young children and I don’t know whether I can break their family up. I honestly do think he’s being flattered like you say and very much enjoying it

I know it's hard to even imagine breaking up your family when you have small children. I have no advice to offer but sending a virtual hug 💐 I hope it works out for you x

PollyPocket987 · 28/02/2024 23:04

Noseybookworm · 28/02/2024 23:03

I know it's hard to even imagine breaking up your family when you have small children. I have no advice to offer but sending a virtual hug 💐 I hope it works out for you x

Thank you so much.

OP posts:
NoPrivateSpy · 28/02/2024 23:13

So what are you going to do, OP?

newyearnewknees · 28/02/2024 23:27

Obviously without any idea of the sport or the event, I have a photo of me and another (male) member of my sport displayed somewhere but he's only in it because it was the only photo I had of me holding my medal. I would prefer that it was of just me, but he had been standing there when the photo was taken, so we happen to both be stood together with our medals. It could have been anyone, I don't fancy him, I just wanted the photo of me with a medal.

IHateLegDay · 28/02/2024 23:30

The fact that he's consistently lying to you proves that something is going on.
If it was innocent, he'd have nothing to hide would he?

FairyMaclary · 29/02/2024 06:34

Remember he is choosing to break up your family. You are just maintaining your boundaries. You cannot make him stop but you can say ‘I am not prepared to be in a relationship with a man who lies’. You shouldn’t have to bend and twist your boundaries to accommodate the poor characteristic that is lying.

You know he is a liar.

Whatever you do don’t do the pick me dance. But you do need to be prepared to leave him. A relationship shouldn’t be an obligation it should be a choice you make each day. If he doesn’t think you will leave he has no reason to change.

If you enforce your boundaries and he Pretends to change Do expect him to take any affair underground. Cheaters are boringly predictable. It’s like they read a manual (there is The cheaters handbook out there I tried to find it for you but it’s proving tricky. It used to be called The Midlife Crisis Handbook but it’s all about cheating). It’s a free document, you may find it on Reddit as a very long post. If you find it and are unsure PM me the link or post it here and I will tell you if it’s the right one. Whoever wrote it was very astute.

One question- are you on his SM accounts? Pictures of you and him etc? Or does he appear like a man who could be splitting up? He may be spinning her a tale of woe about his home life.

But if your hard boundary and core value is no lies then he’s not the man for you. You can dump him without proof of cheating. You can dump him for being a man who struggles to tell the truth. It’s a very valid reason. (Not that you need any specific or valid reason to split up).

What is your financial /work position etc? Friends/family nearby? I would focus on getting yourself into a position of being independent. Also use condoms as a disease isn’t going to help you or your kids.

SheLovesaCrisp · 01/03/2024 13:15

If my DP was getting really upset about a friendship I had, I don't think I could continue that friendship. If you love someone, you don't like to see them get hurt.

So who's feelings do you think he is prioritising here?

Freeme31 · 01/03/2024 13:48

He is probably enjoying all the attention there is no need at this stage to split up but he has to understand he maybe in emotional affair territory perhaps download something from the net and read it together so he can see how you feel & he must put his family before this girl friend. Good Luck

PollyPocket987 · 01/03/2024 16:25

Freeme31 · 01/03/2024 13:48

He is probably enjoying all the attention there is no need at this stage to split up but he has to understand he maybe in emotional affair territory perhaps download something from the net and read it together so he can see how you feel & he must put his family before this girl friend. Good Luck

Thank you so much. I’ve really taken away your view and I think this is the right route to go down. So level headed. Thank you so
much again.

OP posts:
IsawwhatIsaw · 01/03/2024 16:43

The point is, whatever he or isn’t doing, you’ve told him you’re worried and concerned about it , but he doesn’t care.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page