Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

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

Long term relationship, kids depression, affair now seperation...Advice please!

6 replies

helloSTK · 08/03/2025 17:22

Hi everyone,

This may be long winded but il try and explain the best I can.
The love of my life, fiancé, childhood sweetheart and father to my two children struggled with depression and low mood for the last 7/8 months. I have tried and tried to get him help but he muddled through. We put this down to having a very stressful job and we have a child with additional needs and he struggles with sleep. Until late last year where I discovered he had embarked on a short affair which he is very remorseful and sorry for. We are completely broken and separated immediately as this is not something I would ever accept. Even though he was suffering with his mental health, it is never an excuse to cheat. They met at the gym, did the same classes and began a friendship then began talking online then they had sex once and both regretted it and it didn't happen again. The other lady is married and her husband has forgiven and they are working and posting things online as if nothing has happened and this infuriates me. I have spoken to her and she apologised but any woman that does this knowingly to another woman and family where children are involved...is a word I cannot use online. My life and the kids lives has been completely turned upside down. I am beyond devastated. The grief and mental and physical pain this has caused I cannot describe. I am now on medication for depression and anxiety and have lost two stone from the stress, and have been signed off work since December. We have kids, one with additional need so its been so tough doing it all alone. This and the constant meltdowns and changes to his routine which have been so hard for him to understand, we have explained but he just feels that daddy has abandoned us even though he sees him regularly. I love this man with my whole heart. And believe it or not, he is near perfect other than this affair. He has great qualities, is a great dad but then something changed and he was able to do this. We have had a very long and happy relationship. And although I think I may be able to work through some of the issues, there are others I find hard to image working through. I whole heartly believe he is sorry and very remorseful. We are both in individual counselling and it is obvious there is so much love still there. However....he cannot live with the pain he has caused me. He has done so much damage to our relationship, me, the kids and to himself too. He became somebody that neither of us recognise. He says that he feels numb and he knows that he loves me but thinks that there is so much work he has to do on himself and our relationship that he doesn't think we should get back together as too much has happened now and he feels as though he will spend the rest of his life trying to make up for something unforgivable. Mentally he is still in a very low place and I think I have been really hoping that in time he may change his mind.
The grief and loss that I feel stops me doing my day to day and I cry all day, every day and barely sleep.
How on earth do people get through this?
We tried no contact and after two weeks we were emotional wrecks hugging and saying how hard it is. But now he no longer wants this? I'm devastated.
I'm on medication, counselling, talking to family, going for walks. I'm just completely lost without him in my life. He was my absolute best friend and my heart is broken and I desperately miss him. We are still communicating and co parenting but every time he messages or calls its like I'm completely broken all over again and cry the moment I see him.
Its been months now and nothing has improved.....Does anyone have advice for heartbreak?

OP posts:
deathbypiles · 08/03/2025 17:56

Time.
Bring around good, supportive sensible people.
I say this very gently to you, if he wanted to come back he would.
Focus on yourself.

MrsBreadPitt · 08/03/2025 18:02

I'm so sorry, this must be so so painful.

He does not want to be with you anymore - perhaps the affair was an excuse for a way out? I note you also say

'this is not something I would ever accept'

So if this has been your stance, and you have not /will not forgive him then it's perhaps unsurprising that he feels he couldn't come back to you as you'd never forgive him?

Painful as it is, I think you need to accept it's over.

Cherryonthetop94 · 08/03/2025 18:35

How did you find out about the affair?

Horationor · 08/03/2025 20:14

I'm so sorry.
You need to look after yourself and your family first.

My husband had a very brief affair. We reconciled as we both still wanted to be together. There was a lot of remorse and were in a good place. But we both really wanted it - it doesn't sound like he does?

I mean this kindly, it is very hard work reconciling, and we will never have the same relationship. It is in many ways better, we are kinder and take each other less for granted.
I don't regret the reconciliation, but it is not an easy path to walk.

helloSTK · 08/03/2025 20:22

Thank you for the replies.
I know I do have to accept what he is saying.

I think the reason I have so much hope is because he is repeatedly telling me how much he still loves me and how sorry he is. He is also doing some of the things that I have asked of him. He is very much a broken man, which I do think a lot of it is down to shame and guilt. He is saying now that he cannot be with me right now because he has issues of his own to deal with before, such as his mental health(depression)/body dysmorphia/doesn't communicate well. He says that if we rush into working on things now, it will just go wrong because he hasn't done the work on himself. Not that he doesn't want me any more, more that he doesn't ever want to inflict pain like this again due to unresolved issues. It has been very hot and cold. He says he doesn't want to cause me any more pain or put the kids through trying for it to fail because I cant get over it or he cant make it up to me.
We did originally decided to see what happened but this was before any therapy and where there was so much pain and anger, it was a toxic environment to have around children so I asked him to leave and stay with his parents to keep the household peaceful for the kids and to allow me time to process the information.

It may seem as though I am making excuses for him which I am absolutely NOT!
One of my many character flaws is that I see good in everybody and that I strongly believe we are all humans and we make mistakes. (This being one of the worst possible things!) What he has done is despicable but unfortunately my heart doesn't realise that yet.

At the moment I am finding it hard to accept as our relationship hadn't changed in any way other than his mental health issues caused a bit of a change in his moods which is to be expected.

We have spoken openly and honestly about the affair, I have also spoken with the affair partner and her husband and laid everything out on the table. We have discussed absolutely every detail, which was very painful for me to hear but I felt was necessary.

I have expressed how I feel and put out a lot of new boundaries and non negotiables if we had or decide to move forward which scared him I think. We have been together since we were teenagers and have always shared the same morals and values hence why it is an unspoken rule that we respect and trust each other. This is completely out of character for him. However, I am not completely naïve and under no illusion that this was a 'choice' he made, even if it was an awful one that he now regrets.

Every day he messages to check in and after each of his sessions he gets in contact to communicate what he has learnt and spoken about. More now than he has in the entire relationship.

We had a serious conversation this evening and I have said that for now, I work on myself, he works on himself and never say never. But I am going to actively try and look after myself and be the best mum I can be to our children and just see what time brings. He was very emotional with this as he said it isn't what he wants but thinks its what we currently need.

OP posts:
VivienneBL · 08/03/2025 21:18

This is brutally sad . It sounds like unbearable pain but thank god you have your children and whilst that makes it so hard they get you through. There sounds like so much love and respect between you both but an affair is such a massive thing to do to someone . It’s not your job to ‘fix’ this relationship as he broke it .
I think you’re right focus on yourself and if it’s meant to be you will be back together.
Be kind to yourself though . Heartbreaks are like grieving and should be treated the same . It sounds so cliche but you will be ok, it’s not what you imagined but even if you don’t get back together, you can still have a full and happy life it will just take time
Go slow and keep talking is all I can say. Sending love x

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread