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I think I’ve just caught my husband cheating

500 replies

CoffeeRevelsfan · Yesterday 16:00

DH is working from home and I was doing the housework, I walked upstairs as a jet went over the house so it was really loud. We don’t live on a flight path so it was unusual. I went into his office and he literally jumped out of his skin and pressed the X to hide a teams message on screen. I asked about the jet just as another message popped up on teams from a woman called Joanna - he scrabbled to press the X again as fast as possible and was as red as a beetroot. The message said “yeah, it looked better in my head hahaha”.

His whole demeanour had changed and looked hugely guilty and caught out. I asked who he was messaging to which he said no one, i again asked who it was and he said a man from work - i told him i saw it was from a woman called Joanna. I asked why he was acting like this and looking so guilty and lying - he said it’s because he knew how I’d react. I am well aware he works in a mixed team and have never taken any issue to him having work conversations with other women so this is completely gas lighting on his part. I told him this was bull shit and to bring up the messages, he refused. I asked again and he locked his screen then picked up his mobile - he has teams on his phone so I am assuming he was deleting the messages. I asked if that’s what he was doing and he dug his heels in and shouted that there is nothing going on. I told him to prove it by showing the messages, he repeatedly refused and told me no as he didn’t feel he should have to prove himself, and then wouldn’t make eye contact with me.

if that was me and the conversation was innocent, I’d have brought up the messages and demanded an apology. Everything about him screamed red flag during that situation.

ive left the house and am currently in my car in a park, shaking and feeling sick. There surely can’t be any other explanation for his reaction and refusal to prove himself innocent?

we’ve never been in a situation like this, I’ve not had any cause to doubt him in the past. Been together for 15years.

OP posts:
Lsquiggles · Yesterday 17:18

He's either cheating or trying to. His reaction tells you everything you need to know really!

YouLostMeAtBanana · Yesterday 17:20

DistantConstellation · Yesterday 16:31

Do people really do flirty / affair talk chat on a work Teams chat?
Bet IT love checking the records on those...

If you want the office gossip, make friends with the IT staff…..Our filters pick up all kinds of juicy stuff and we are often called into disciplinary hearings.

OP - with regards to your hubby, there is no doubt his response is shifty. Take your time to get over the shock and decide what you want to do next, but let him know there is no easy way out and it would be better if he told the truth.

Notsosweetcaroline · Yesterday 17:20

You’d need to be Really fucking stupid to cheat on teams where rhe messages can be read by administrators, like off the wall level of stupid

DistantConstellation · Yesterday 17:21

LasagneGoblin · Yesterday 16:59

Oh sweet summer child, the things people get up to on their work Teams can be pure filth, flirty banter is the least of it. I hasten to add I've worked in teams who have to pull the records for disciplinaries, not speaking from my personal experience of being a workplace deviant.

On a serious note OP, if it was entirely innocent surely he wouldn't have jumped out of his skin and just said 'its Jo from X dept asking about Y.'

Grin Would love to see these! Mine are so boring by comparison!

Woodfiresareamazing2 · Yesterday 17:21

It certainly seems from his reaction that he is doing something with Joanna that he knows you wouldn't be happy about.

Can you find out via the company website who she is and what she does?

Does your H have to travel for work, attend business dinners or events, anything like that when he would have the opportunity to cheat?
Have you suspected he might be playing away, or feeling unhappy in your marriage?

You will have to expect that all messages have been deleted, but, if he does hand over his phone, it's worth checking his deleted file in case he forgot to empty it.

Fwiw, I wouldn't trust him to tell me the truth, so I would be doing some digging ...

I'm so sorry, OP 💐

Keroppi · Yesterday 17:24

Well you either blow up and demand to see the conversations and threaten him if not. Marriage counselling and open access to all his devices at all times

Tell him you will just find Joanna yourself and ask. She will be easily googlable with his company on their website or LinkedIn or his socials

Or say OK I believe you and then lay low for a few weeks (get all financial info together just in case you need to divorce) and then once he thinks he's pulled the wool over your eyes, you search his phone, laptop etc for conversations

Or say OK I believe you and never fully trust him again but lay it to one side because staying together suits you for now.

bananaobama · Yesterday 17:25

Start scouring his social media for signs of Joanna

shuggles · Yesterday 17:25

Sensiblesal · Yesterday 16:20

I’m sorry but you have no right to see his work teams messages. Literally he will have a policy at work saying this.

I mean you have clearly caught him flirting but who knows if its more.

You have to decide if you trust him. You can’t demand to see his work stuff

Yes, that will be in his employer's policy, but do you really think his employer will know that his wife saw his Teams chats?

IhateBegonias · Yesterday 17:25

So sorry this happened
a reaction like that does maybe suggest something suspicious.

KidsDoBetter · Yesterday 17:25

This unfortunately does seem like a true duck scenario …

Those defending his behaviour are bonkers. He went bright red. Scrabbled to delete next pop up. Lied about sex of co-worker. And then set about deleting teams messages on his phone. Clearly up to something quite significant that’s non work related …

SonK · Yesterday 17:26

Probably just flirting - this would be an absolute deal breaker though, especially due to his behavior and how he reacted when you confronted him.

shuggles · Yesterday 17:27

@CoffeeRevelsfan If this is Teams used by his employer, then it would be highly unusual, and painfully misguided, for someone to send a flirty or sexual message to another person. IT support can see those. There have been numerous cases of people getting in trouble for having romantic or flirty conversations on Teams.

My bigger concern above your husband being unfaithful would be him getting into trouble at work.

KidsDoBetter · Yesterday 17:28

lol at the person suggesting her DH might be planning a surprise for her birthday. With Joanna from work on Teams.

The message whilst not inherently sexual or indicative of inappropriate behaviour - could very easily be part of a flirty conversation.

BippidyBoppety · Yesterday 17:30

KidsDoBetter · Yesterday 17:25

This unfortunately does seem like a true duck scenario …

Those defending his behaviour are bonkers. He went bright red. Scrabbled to delete next pop up. Lied about sex of co-worker. And then set about deleting teams messages on his phone. Clearly up to something quite significant that’s non work related …

This and this again.

People trying to find other excuses when the simplest is almost certainly correct.

OP - I hope you are OK. Trust your gut.

Johnogroats · Yesterday 17:35

Notsosweetcaroline · Yesterday 17:20

You’d need to be Really fucking stupid to cheat on teams where rhe messages can be read by administrators, like off the wall level of stupid

People are really fucking stupid. I did investigations at a big corporate for 10 years…. Not saying I’ve seen it all, but I’ve seen plenty to know that some people don’t think with their heads.

Hopomythumb · Yesterday 17:36

Trust your gut.
He'll have deleted everything by now.
Calm down. Go home. Tell him that you don't believe him. Calmly. Tell him he needs to prove you're wrong.
Or he needs to leave.
Seriously.

Absolutely this - I was in a similar situation 15 yrs ago - his phone message beeped in the garage whilst I was taking him tea out there. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it except his phone was on the other side of the garage and he looked weird and guilty. I left the garage then turned on my heel to go back and ask what was that about. He got angry and defensive saying I should trust him. I asked him to show me his phone but he wouldn’t so I said this is your only chance to reassure me because once I leave the garage you can delete anything. He still refused. I have never trusted him since or felt emotionally safe with him. Don’t be me, not knowing for sure is terrible. Be braver than I was and insist on the truth.

CoffeeRevelsfan · Yesterday 17:40

AbsintheMakesTheHeartGrowFonder · Yesterday 17:06

I'm not having any kind of affair, but if my partner came into my office space and started quizzing me about who I was messaging on my work Teams account and started asking to go through my work messages and Teams conversations, I'd think he was a controlling weirdo and I'd tell him to fuck off.

It was his reaction to me coming in that made me suspicious- I didn’t just burst in and demand to know who he was messaging.

OP posts:
LondonLass2026 · Yesterday 17:41

I literally write Teams messages in front of my partner if he's working at home. Just today I was in the middle of a written conversation with someone, and he came down and joined me at my laptop because I was giving my personal phone to him to look at something for me. I then went to the kitchen while he literally sat at my work desk. There is nothing to hide and it's the same his end.

I hate to say it but your situation does not look good. Him going all red faced and angry, hiding, deleting, getting flustered. That's not the mark of an innocent person. As pps have said, I can think of no other explanation for everything you described.

MrMucker · Yesterday 17:46

DON'T mention it again.
If he's guilty he'll be uncharacteristically nice and lovey dovey in a bid to make you forget.
Yes, they're THAT basic and transparent.

So watch him trying to smooth things over and then you'll know. Then you can embark on some detective work. Men are crap at hiding affairs, dig deep enough but don't let on until you've something tangible, because there's knowing, and there's demonstrating. You need the latter as you cannot then be gaslit.

DirtyGertiefromno30 · Yesterday 17:47

Something is definitely going on @CoffeeRevelsfan. I would have to find out l wouldn't rest until l knew .

CoffeeRevelsfan · Yesterday 17:48

im back home, he’s pulling the woe is me face. He again told me there was absolutely nothing going on and he has no idea why he reacted like that. I continued to press him for what caused his reaction and why Neil from work was actually Joanna. He has eventually admitted the messages were of a nature that could be “construed” as flirting, and has admitted he has deleted them as “he panicked”. I am furious and gutted all at once, the main stab in the heart is his refusal and reluctance to prove he was anything other than guilty. Really don’t know where I go from here.

OP posts:
Piknik · Yesterday 17:51

AbsintheMakesTheHeartGrowFonder · Yesterday 17:06

I'm not having any kind of affair, but if my partner came into my office space and started quizzing me about who I was messaging on my work Teams account and started asking to go through my work messages and Teams conversations, I'd think he was a controlling weirdo and I'd tell him to fuck off.

But that's not at all what happened.

OP went into his office to mention the jet plane and her H jumped out of his skin, scrambled to close his chat window and then immediately lied about who he was talking to. Of course you're going to quiz under those circumstances. Unless you are so busy being a 'cool wife' that you've forgotten to maintain self-respect...

OP - no doubt it looks bad. They could be having an affair or the chat was borderline flirty but not indicative of any more than that, but to me, his reaction displays the intention behind the chat. He either retrieves messages or you have no choice but to assume the worst. He will obviously try to gaslight and shame you - be ready for lots of "I can't believe you're accusing me" and "you've broken our trust" - DO NOT FALL FOR IT. Smoke and mirrors. DARVO is real, so prepare yourself with some calm stock answers.

"I know what I saw, and I need to understand the content of the messages and your reaction".

And for when he tries to 'how dare you demand to see my work messages"

"I have been crying because I feel our marriage is at stake. Please explain why you are not rushing to reassure me by showing me the chat as I would for you?"

"Why are you holding a casual teams conversation with a work colleague in higher esteem than reassuring your wife?"

Find some that work for you and repeat and repeat.

Good luck.

Piknik · Yesterday 17:52

Cross post but most of my comment still stands

Goingncforthisone · Yesterday 17:52

I think you can Undelete Teams messages. Now he has admitted they are of a flirty nature can you insist then that you see them otherwise you're going to think the worse?

Puzzledandpissedoff · Yesterday 17:53

He has eventually admitted the messages were of a nature that could be “construed” as flirting, and has admitted he has deleted them as “he panicked”

Could they possibly be any more predictable? Hmm

Has he got to "I only did it because you weren't paying me enough attention" yet? If not that one will be coming soon ...