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I think I’ve just caught my husband cheating

538 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:
OchreRaven · Yesterday 20:49

I’m sure when I’ve deleted messages on Teams there was an option to ‘undo’. Have you actually seen the deleted thread? You will at least see how many messages have been deleted I think

ScabbyHorse · Yesterday 20:51

He’s a scumbag

Cheesetoastiee · Yesterday 20:54

Another one for the pile. I noticed the same name at the top of his WhatsApp list for weeks - he was always on his phone. I eventually asked about it and he deleted everything. To no one’s surprise he was having an affair in the end. Don’t let him gaslight you, it’s so hard to recover from the psychological side of having reality denied. You have the facts, you did see a message, he lied repeatedly, deleted the messages and then minimised his involvement.

Youllneverguesswhothisis · Yesterday 20:54

You need to ring the office tomorrow and ask to speak to Joanna, pretend to be a customer or whoever to get through. Once you get her on the phone, ask her outright. You'll be able to judge how bad this is by her reaction. I was in a similar situation. Partner denied everything but my gut told me otherwise. Spoke to her on the phone. Told her if she hung up on me without answering my questions, I'd come and see her face to face at the office. She bottled it and told me everything.
I'm sorry you are going through this. 😔.

TheRobotsAreComing · Yesterday 21:01

bigboykitty · Yesterday 19:32

This is awful @CoffeeRevelsfan . I'd assume he's cheating and behave accordingly. He can't prove he's innocent because that's the choice he made, to hide the evidence. Saving his own neck is more important to him than proving he wasn't cheating. I think you know what this means. I'd probably say to him that it's unfortunately not the first indication of his cheating that you've seen. Then say nothing. He'll be desperate to find out what you know, so he can decide how little he needs to admit to.

💯 👌🏻

ThePoetsWife · Yesterday 21:08

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.

And you’re still with him?!

MrTiddlesTheCat · Yesterday 21:12

I'm so sorry OP, you must be in absolute turmoil right now. Take your time to decide how to proceed on your terms. You don't have to make any decisions right now.

lostinchaos · Yesterday 21:25

I’m sorry you are in this situation… my husband had a case of mentionitis and for the first time in 18 years I checked his phone when he was asleep. It seemed so unlikely that there would be no messages anywhere with this client he couldn’t stop describing as amazing and someone he would hire in a heartbeat, so I googled how to unlock deleted messages and lo and behold there she was. The messages themselves were not sexual, more banter and trying to arrange times to meet at a big industry event in another country they had both attended. ‘What are your plans tonight? Meeting you!…’ that type of thing. Anyway he has always denied any wrong doing or affair. He screamed at me for invading his privacy and would go mental if I asked about her or told him he had crossed a line and been too familiar with this woman. He had no answer for why he deleted the messages.

I have stayed with him, but mainly for the kids and also because at the time I had been made redundant and was struggling to find a new job. It just didn’t seem like a good enough reason to break up our home when I do believe there was nothing physical between them. I am certain he had his head turned and had a crush on her however. 2 years later I have not forgotten or forgiven him, as he has never even said sorry. We are ok but he is always so grumpy and chasing me to be more affectionate, and I don’t feel that way about him anymore.

don’t be me… push your husband for proper answers and don’t stay unless you think you can move on.

Rosesandthorns66 · Yesterday 21:26

Laiste · Yesterday 16:34

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.

I totally agree with this.

It was my thought too, give him an ultimatum, either he proves he's not hiding something or he leaves.
However!
Unfortunately, if he is having an affair, this is the excuse he'll need to leave and the other woman wins. So in that sense I wouldn't want to be too hasty.
It's easier said than done because I'm sitting and writing this while you are in midst of this situation.
Best wishes.

FannybygaslightinGovan · Yesterday 21:26

Ask for his unlocked phone. If he doesn't hand it over willingly then you have your answer.

I'm so sorry this is happening. These men are absolute fucking morons.

Databreach · Yesterday 21:28

So sorry op xx

Laiste · Yesterday 21:37

Fucking puppy dog eyes?!? Woe is me?!?

I'd have gone fucking ballistic by now OP! Unless he was literally on his knees in front of me i'd be kicking his sorry arse out of the house so he can spend as much time as he likes flirting with other women 😡😡😡😡

Get angry OP. How would he react if he caught you hiding your flirting with other men? !

CoffeeRevelsfan · Yesterday 21:46

I am angry, I’m fizzing. My 16yr old son is upstairs so I can’t loose my rag and yell at him - I am yelling in my head though. He’s not bothered to try to speak to me, come up with any explanation or apologise in any way.

OP posts:
KidsDoBetter · Yesterday 21:47

CoffeeRevelsfan · Yesterday 21:46

I am angry, I’m fizzing. My 16yr old son is upstairs so I can’t loose my rag and yell at him - I am yelling in my head though. He’s not bothered to try to speak to me, come up with any explanation or apologise in any way.

Arrogant twat. He really is.

DiscoCherries · Yesterday 21:48

I’d have to find her on LinkedIn and message her. Have to!

prh47bridge · Yesterday 21:49

bellhawk · Yesterday 18:06

It is possible to undelete Teams messages. He should do this and show you them, then you can both discuss how to move forward. It would be interesting if he had some long term intentions behind flirting with the woman from work - if he hoped it would go somewhere.

If this is a work Teams account, deleted messages can only be recovered by the user for about 10 seconds after they've been deleted. Beyond that his employer's IT admin may be able to recover the messages, but that is not guaranteed.

DewDropsAndCobWebs · Yesterday 21:51

I'm so sorry this is happening.
I hope he grows up and tells you the truth, it's the only way to handle it

k1233 · Yesterday 21:55

@CoffeeRevelsfan I'd tell him it is clear he was being inappropriate. He was doing something he knew would upset you, but continued to do it anyway. He clearly has no respect for you or your relationship. Engaging in, at a minimum, flirty banter with a coworker is inappropriate on many levels, not just the disrespect towards you. He is doing it when he is supposed to be working.

I'd be finishing with if he wants to keep your relationship you expect him to tell you what active steps he plans to take to rebuild your trust. It will take time and he needs to actually do something not just woe is me all over the place.

Hopomythumb · Yesterday 21:57

ThePoetsWife · Yesterday 21:08

And you’re still with him?!

Yes and that incident was the tip of a very big, sad iceberg.

Objectrelations · Yesterday 21:59

The posters saying he would ask her to resend the messages with something more palatable than the original message context or would give her a heads up if you showed up in the office and expect her to cover for him sound extremely unlikely to me because why would she want to protect your marriage to him? I suppose she might be married herself in which case there might be a possible reason, but I can’t see it.

toiletpaperthief · Yesterday 22:01

I would find who is "johana" in his work team and politely message or email her asking if she has something going on with your husband.

Mugsey62 · Yesterday 22:03

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.

Say you want an adult conversation about it. Wait until the morning and ask him calmly what's going on.

Pieandmashtwice · Yesterday 22:04

So sorry to hear you’re going through this. My DH had been messaging a woman colleague for over a year when I became suspicious and sneaked a look at his WhatsApp. Totally floored me; nothing sexual but her telling him how life at work would be nowhere near as wonderful without him there, how lucky she is to know him etc. and messages all times of day or night. Broke my heart pretty much. When I confronted him he focused on me looking at his messages and it was all just a joke or they were being ironic. I asked to look at them and he refused and deleted them anyway then changed his passcode.
I still don’t know what to think and am in a miserable limbo knowing he sees her everyday but I am being told to forget about it and then everything will be okay.
I hope you can be stronger than me, because I wish I’d stood my ground and listened to my instincts.

TheYorkshirePudding · Yesterday 22:06

CoffeeRevelsfan · Yesterday 19:04

I’ve never had his passcode for his phone or log in details for his computer, I’ve never needed them and never before felt suspicious about anything like this.

He’s saying there is nothing in it. Trouble is he’s shot himself in the foot as he can’t prove anything now, how am I supposed to believe anything he says if he repeatedly refused to show me the messages then deleted them.

I’ve asked if she knows he’s married, he said yes then pled his innocence again. I told him I would drop by the office tomorrow to speak to her myself. (I wouldn’t do this by the way, I just wanted to see his reaction).

I think I would say that if he can’t restore the messages or ask Joanna to send a screenshot of them, then he might as well pack a bag. It’s no good you going to the office because if they are intending to cheat then they will find a way whether she meets you or not. You either need to see proof that it’s nothing and he shuts the unnecessary conversations down, or the relationship would be done for me

Sodthesystem · Yesterday 22:16

I mean I do t think I’d waste my time finding out tbh because he’s already obviously not reliable and that’s all you need to know.

But you could always message her with something like -

“Hello Joanna, this is Shauns wife, Sorry to disturb you but I thought I better check in with you woman to woman as I noticed my husband was messaging you the other day and then he acted shifty so I asked him what was going on and to show me but he - deleted all the messages. So of course now I’m thinking he’s up to something. I wonder, is there anything I need to know? Apologies for putting you on the spot. Or rather, that he has”.

Be aware that sometimes affair partners will lie though.

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