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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

Please, I need advice whether he is telling me the truth?

62 replies

xkellyx91 · 01/01/2026 18:23

Hi ladies,

I need female advice and other than my own mom and friends, I have nowhere else to turn to through this.

Nine months ago, I met a man I became romantically involved with after he asked me for my number when he moved into the same village as myself. We are both 34 years old.
We actually met on a dating app, and couldn't believed we now live round the corner from eachother.
At first he was extremely keen, and invited me around his house within a month of us messaging eachother daily.
He had only come out of an 18 month relationship six weeks ago and constantly talked about his ex.
On the second date he wanted sex, which I refused as I said it was too soon and could ruin anything developing for the long term, he said it wasn't and went very moody when I wouldn't have sex, but I still stayed over the night and slept in the same bed.
He took me out on the third date, saying he really liked me, and I could potentially end up his wife, but he just wasn't ready for a relationship yet as he still just wasn't over his ex and needed time before he could give his next partner 100% of him.
I foolishly agreed to wait for him as I liked him so much.
For the next few months we spoke all the while, and he continued saying he was in such a bad place, was not himself, and could not commit fully to a relationship, not with me or anyone else.
After a drunken night in September, we slept together after heading back to his house.
The worse thing ever, was after a good ten minutes of him really being into it, saying how much he had always wanted sex with me, he suddenly said he couldn't come and he didn't know what was a matter with him and it abruptly stopped, saying let's just go to sleep.
I was mortified.
In the morning he was nice to me, but the following week we met up around his house again, he would not touch or kiss me like he use too, and he told me he just wasn't himself as he still has feelings for his ex.
That he wasn't ready for relationship or to commit to anyone at all anytime soon.
I continued to be his friend, and we messaged twice a week checking in on eachother.
And then three weeks ago, after not seeing eachother for three months but talking twice a week, he messaged me saying that he could no longer contact me, that he was being truthful to himself as he had always been, that he had met someone and found a spark, it was totally unexpected and out the blue for him and being loyal and not wanting to jeopardize it, he could no longer talk to me anymore.
I messaged back asking how long and he said he had only been seeing her for five weeks.
Only a month before he told me he couldn't commit to anyone.
I am just devastated, I have fallen in love with him.
My mom and half of my friends believe it's a lie and he has reached out to his ex and has gone back to her, while my other friends believe he may be telling the truth as he says because wouldn't he just tell me it was his ex.
The five weeks he claims he has been seeing this "new person" does add up to a night out he went on with a group of his school friends, all of them married with kids expect him.
He rang me up and told me about the night a week before it, saying how much he didn't want to go as they were all married with children but him, but he stated on the phone not to worry, as I can trust him. He promised me that I could trust him.
He even sent me a selfie of his outfit before he headed out to it and I told him to have a good night.

What makes it worse is that while he was " special friends" with me, he was still logging into the dating app as I use to check, and it always use to say last logged in, in the last 24 hours that did concern me.

He has now disappeared from the app completely, since saying he has met someone else.
Proving to me he has come off it for whoever she is.

Please, I need clarity as I'm struggling with it all.

Do you think he has lied and returned back to his ex, or he has met someone so amazing that he has commited to her within weeks when he never got over his ex in a whole nine months time range of seeing me.

Thank you xx

OP posts:
Mooselooseinmyhoose · 01/01/2026 18:25

Does it matter? Hes an unreliable man who is wasting your time. Whether its her or someone else is irrelevant.

Dust yourself off and walk away with your dignity.

xkellyx91 · 01/01/2026 18:25

Thank you

OP posts:
TittyGajillions · 01/01/2026 18:25

What exactly is there to love about him?

Sally2791 · 01/01/2026 18:26

Don’t give him any headspace. Block and move on

Mooselooseinmyhoose · 01/01/2026 18:26

xkellyx91 · 01/01/2026 18:25

Thank you

Youre worth more than anyone who could treat you like that! Its hard to be heart broken. Im not taking away from how you're feeling. But hes done you a favour!

ShoesSnooze · 01/01/2026 18:26

TittyGajillions · 01/01/2026 18:25

What exactly is there to love about him?

No wet patch?

m00rfarm · 01/01/2026 18:29

Gosh - how many ways does he have to tell you that he is not interested in you? I don't want to sound harsh, but just read what you have written. And it is probably worse in "real life" as you will not have included the bad parts. Please just block his number and move on. And try to avoid any more long discussions with friends. They will get fed up very quickly of dissecting a non relationship, and you need them far more than you need him.

ICouldHaveCheckedFirst · 01/01/2026 18:29

Anyone who keeps talking about their ex isn't ready for a new relationship. Something to bear in mind for the next frog you kiss.

Goditsmemargaret · 01/01/2026 18:30

I'm sorry, you're going to think I'm a bitch but really you need to hear it.

He just wasn't that into you. It doesn't matter why, he simply wasn't.
It also doesn't matter who he's with now.
Never EVER make someone a priority who treats you like a backup.

You should never have agreed to wait for him how could anyone respect a person who clearly had no respect for themselves? His line about one day you might be his wife literally made my skin crawl; he assumed it was all his choice.

Forget about him and work insanely hard on increasing your self esteem. You should have binned him off after the sulking on the second date. He sounds gross.

Didshejustsaythatoutloud · 01/01/2026 18:32

Lucky escape hun. Leaves you free for a real man x

Lostworlds · 01/01/2026 18:36

I’m sorry you’re going through this and I don’t mean to sound unkind in my response but what does it matter who he is with?

I’m sorry to say but it sounds like he was using your for a rebound, he wanted sex, he kept in touch as he wanted causal rebound sex and made it clear from quite early on that he didn’t want a relationship.

Sadly it sounds like he was using you, keeping you hanging on until he found what he was looking for. You knew he was still on dating app then you should of just left him be.

I know you said you were in love with him but it’s more that you liked the attention and company from him.

Take some time to feel sad about it but then force yourself to delete him and move on. You don’t need to waste time on someone who repeatedly told you they didn’t want to commit. You want someone who actually wants to be with you and wants to talk to you daily.

brightbevs · 01/01/2026 18:37

He was using you as a place holder to feed his ego and help his loneliness. He might be back with his ex, or he might have found a woman that he thinks is a great match for him. That doesn’t reflect badly on you. She isn’t any better than you.

Dust yourself off and learn from it. Don’t fall in love with a man who won’t commit to you.

CamillaMcCauley · 01/01/2026 18:40

It really doesn’t matter whether he lied or not. The man was showing red flags from the earliest days when he sulked because you didn’t want sex on the second date, and he’s been head-fucking you one way or the other ever since.

Be thankful he is now someone else’s problem; whether it’s the ex or some starry-eyed new sucker is irrelevant. He’s not a keeper.

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 01/01/2026 18:41

He's a flake. He was going out with you FAR too soon after finishing his previous relationship, he clearly wasn't over his ex, he was still looking around while dating you, he had problems with sex... I really don't think he was ever the man for you.

BeenThereBackThen · 01/01/2026 18:44

Step away from this mess.

It sounds like you was his rebound after ex tbh. He enjoyed having you around and offloading onto you. But from his side there was nothing more.

Overall, for a healthy relationship, both parties need to be over their exes and have processed latest break up. He is nowhere near that point and possibly his new sound ‘spark’ is just another source of distraction.

Give yourself 2 weeks. In that time, no contact with him. You’ll find that you’ll start detaching and things will look different.

There is no future with him, don’t waste your time.

Greenfingers37 · 01/01/2026 19:09

Lucky escape if you ask me!

FatCatPyjamas · 01/01/2026 19:20

"On the second date he wanted sex, which I refused as I said it was too soon and could ruin anything developing for the long term, he said it wasn't and went very moody when I wouldn't have sex"

At this point you should have been running. It would have saved you a lot of heartache in the longrun if you had been able to identify an entitled and disrespectful attitude and remove yourself.

In the kindest possible way, I think counselling/therapy to understand why you tolerated such poor behaviour might benefit you.

HipHopDontYouStop · 01/01/2026 19:28

He sounds like a total dickhead.

Maddy70 · 01/01/2026 19:28

Move on. Do not give him any more time or headspace

TwistedWonder · 01/01/2026 20:13

Sorry OP but I agree with others that he showed you right from the start he had no interest in you other than a back up shag when there was nothing else on offer.

He’s an absolute prick but he made no attempt to hide that fact.

What’s your dating history that you were prepared to have such a low bar to let him treat you like this?

Honestly it doesn’t matter who he’s shagging now - stop giving him headspace and worm on raising your self respect to not accept a few crumbs

TheThingOnTheIce · 01/01/2026 21:00

He’s dished out quite a few of ‘those old chestnuts’ there hasn’t he?

SlayBelle · 01/01/2026 21:05

It sounds like he never got over his ex and you were just a distraction. Now it sounds like he’s either met someone else by dating behind your back, or he’s got back with his ex.

Either way, from everything you’ve said about him, he sounds dreadful and a total waste of your time. I hope you find someone better in 2026.

Endofyear · 01/01/2026 21:35

Does it matter if he's lied or told the truth? What difference will it make really? He sounds like he's messed you around and you've willingly taken the crumbs he offered, knowing all the while he's still on dating apps.

You need to see this as a lucky escape and move on. You're not in love with him, you're in love with who you though he was.

I would work on your self esteem and hopefully you'll see the red flags early next time - talking about his ex all the time, being only 6 weeks post-break up, getting moody when you didn't want to have sex on the 2nd date...all these things should have had you running for the hills!

Dollyfloss · 01/01/2026 21:38

He has literally messed you about from the start and fed you crumbs and you’re in love with him?

Kindly, you need some therapy to work out why you accept this treatment from anyone and call it “love”.

Eyeshadow · 01/01/2026 22:12

You will never know the truth so just block and move on.

There were multiple red flags which you ignored which is concerning.

Get back on the dating sites and find someone worth your time.