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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

Inappropriate work relationship, again!

36 replies

Daftpunk2 · 25/04/2025 22:20

Looking for a bit of advice or just maybe wanted to write things down somewhere to clear things up in my head. I don't have any close friends/family that I can speak to around this so often I'm just alone in my thoughts. I don't know if my feelings are valid or if it's something I should put to bed and move on from. For background, a couple of years ago my husband who I have two young children with was engaging in an inappropriate "work friendship". Nothing physical happened but there were messages and actions that crossed the line. Fast forward 2 years and it seems it's happening again. In the first occasion with the first woman, for a bit of context their "friendship" took place through my entire second pregnancy and for the first few months of me having our second child. I was gaslighted the entire time when I questioned things and made clear I was uncomfortable. I was told it was totally normal to have a friendship lwith the other sex and I just "don't get it coz I don't have any mates". It wasn't the other sex that was the issue as he has many friends who are female this just "felt" different. Breif examples before I even saw the messages are I bought him a birthday present when I was pregnant that I couldnt take part in which was a climbing outdoor activity. He took her (he says this is fine coz he also took my teenage relative with them).They met up in Manchester for a gig when he went with one of his friends. He said they had to go to the gig together and meet up beforehand as she was giving him a lift back. She turned up at one of his gigs (he's in a band) and blanked me the whole time and was slut dropping near the stage. He bought her a birthday present which I found really bizarre. I've never known a guy to buy his female colleague a birthday gift and he's never done that for anyone else before. This was done in secret ofcourse. I was told so many times it was just me a problem and no one else would find this all a bit weird. After months I knew my gut was telling me something was off so I looked at his messages and low and behold it was all crossing the line. Alot was on Snapchat which deletes so I never saw the true extent of it. There were reels sent to each other which are reels you'd share with a partner and just innaproroiate. And the odd comment telling her how good she looked in her suggestive insta pics. When it all came out he said he would never put me through those feelings again and it meant nothing etc etc. this was a really hard time for me as I was newly post partem, was juggling 2 small kids on my own as he was rarely present due to his mental health and I also was recovering from a bad birth injury. It shattered me at the time. I believed he wouldn't risk our relationship again and I tried to move on from it. fast forward two years later and I feel it is happening again. This time I'm again told by him it's totally normal and I've even been told its just part of life that men are like this with girls at work and I just am "one of the few loyal people" making it feel im just naive. So I'm asking would anyone else find these things disrespectful and crossing a line or am I clutching at straws because of what's happened before? There been reels shared- one saying "when she replies to your messages with kisses then suddenly starts replying one sentences" and a man looking gutted. He's deleted messages from her and then later archived her chat. He was messaging her constantly all through day asking what she's doing, etc etc just seemed odd when you're at home with your wife and kids to be messaging someone from work at the weekend asking about their weekend etc. I've seen messages sent to her where he's referred to her as his "work wife". There's a conversation where he's asked her if she would ever do only fans. A message sent saying "I judge from my insta algorithms you've been side hustling again -resting bitch face in lingerie" which I can only interpret as hinting at a pic he will have sent her of a woman in lingerie that he feels looks like her. I know if I confront him I'll be told it's banter or an inside joke between them I wouldn't get- that's his regular defence that makes me feel im losing it. Either way why would you message a work colleague about only fans and women in lingerie? I'm worried if I bring it up he will downplay it all and say it's all "banter" and I have issues for looking at his messages. Then all I've achieved is looking a fool myself. I appreciate i may be judged for looking at messages but when you've been in a situation where your gut has told you something, youve looked into it before and been validated, it's hard not to act on it again. Im just so fed up of feeling inferior as he seems to continue a pattern of wanting validation off other women. It also really humiliates me that these women must pitty the woman who's husband letches after them. Is it too much to ask for just some respect and not message other girls things that are just suggestive and a bit creepy. Or is this harmless conversation and am I being too naive/paranoid? I just expect more out of ten year marriage and two children. And I expect more respect after he betrayed my trust last tome. It just hurts a lot to think how hurt he saw me last time and to feel he's doing it again without a thought for me. I feel he just can't possibly care about my feelings or love me in that way else why would he continue to seek validation from other women in this way? Or is this something best left unmentioned and hope it doesn't escalate and im reading into things...

OP posts:
OchreRaven · 26/04/2025 13:06

I read a thread a while ago with a woman in a similar scenario. Her partner was minimising her worries over the ‘friendship’ and she knew that he was being shady and unfair to her. Unlike you they had no children and she owned the house etc so she didn’t have the ties that you do and was prepared to end the relationship.

She sat him down in a public place and explained that she knew he wasn’t going to change so she either needed to accept his lack of boundaries with other woman or she needed to end the relationship and she was leaning towards ending the relationship. He knew she was serious and suddenly had an epiphany that he was indeed crossing boundaries and knew the OW liked him romantically and was enjoying the ego boost. He made changes to his behaviour because he believed that there would be consequences if he didn’t. She decided to give him one more chance on the understanding there wouldn’t be another one.

In my opinion going nuclear is the only way to save the relationship and if it doesn’t save it, it’s because they value their inappropriate relationship above their marriage. That’s not something you can change and it’s better to know sooner rather than later.

Crackanut · 26/04/2025 13:17

I was newly post partem, was juggling 2 small kids on my own as he was rarely present due to his mental health

Bloody hell, he's really played a blinder hasn't he? Concerts, days out, other women, plays in a band but 'mental health' when it comes to his kids and wife.

OoLaOoLa · 26/04/2025 13:21

He knows full well that this isn’t innocent banter that all men do. He is gaslighting the fuck out of you!
He might not be physically cheating but I bet given the opportunity he would.
At the moment it sounds like he needs continuous validation from other women to make himself feel good, with zero regard for how this is obviously going to make you feel like crap.
Your birthing this man’s children and he’s on his phone doing shit like this, I know it’s easier said than done but I’d want to leave him.
just to add my husband works in a office jobs and has lots of female colleagues that he is friends with in and out of work, he has never crossed a line like this, it’s absolutely not normal and it’s not what everyone does.

Smokesandeats · 26/04/2025 13:24

His behaviour isn’t that of a man who loves or respects his wife and children. I’m not even sure why he bothered having a family with you, as he seems to be acting like a single man most of the time. He’s one of those men who like the idea of being a family man but aren’t really committed to it in reality. You need to divorce him as he will never be the partner or husband that you’d like him to be.

AgentJohnson · 26/04/2025 13:30

Of course he doesn’t admit that it is inappropriate because then he would have to stop.

This is who he is and you can’t change him. He is fundamentally an insecure entitled twat who seeks out ego strokes in the form of other women.

You are worth more!

waterrat · 26/04/2025 13:38

Op it's not up to him to define whether it's crossing a boundary. It's up to you.

Stop letting him gaslight you and tell him he has massively disrespected you and you are no longer prepared to debate whether or not it counts as cheating.

My husband has never ever behaved like this and he is a good looking man who works with lots of women !!

It's pathetic flirting and sexual banter and its totally outrageous when you were vulnerable at home with a baby

Scousemousey · 26/04/2025 13:52

Kick him out and get a divorce started.
What a stupid sad specimen he is.

ginasevern · 26/04/2025 14:59

Fuck his mental health. He isn't so bad that he can't chat up strange women and take them to gigs and rock climbing. I'd give him mental health issues and something to bloody worry about. He's a self centred sleazeball and making a total fool of you OP.

Elasticatedtrousers · 26/04/2025 17:38

Argh, this is painful to read. He is trampling all over your boundaries. I’m really sorry but I loathe men like this. He knew what he put you through but his utter selfishness and entitlement makes means he’s just going to crack on and do it again.

He’s an utter man child who gets ego kibbles from these interactions with other women, who are happy to interact like this knowing he’s married with young children.

They’re all as seedy as…

I know you’re not feeling ready to leave BUT I urge you to believe you and your children are worth so much more than this. He should be wrapping his arms around you all and placing you at the forefront of his life but he is not.

Seek legal advice quietly and distance yourself from him emotionally to start the process of being able to get out of this when you’re good and ready.

He is a serial cheat and an unsafe partner and he will not change.

Summerhillsquare · 26/04/2025 18:15

"I was juggling small children...he was rarely present due to his mental health" throw the whole man in the bin, he's pure rubbish.

colourblockss · 26/04/2025 19:36

I agree with majority of other responders. I’m sorry but it’s happened more than once it’s going to keep happening unless you put your foot down. there’s a reason everyone’s telling you to end it. End it now. you can find someone who will respect you and will never treat u like that

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