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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

Brokenhearted and trying to save our marriage...

145 replies

LuJay · 24/03/2009 02:28

Here's summary of what has happened over the last year or so... I have told absolutely NOBODY about this so this is quite difficult for me, but here goes...
We have always had a close relationship and i have always trusted DH fully and absolutely. When we married i was so happy that i had found someone who i believed would never ever stray as this was way outside his moral beliefs and values. He is a kind caring man and i just never believed he had it in him to cheat, especially since he has always worshiped the ground i walked on so to speak. Anyway, early last year i began to notice a marked change in his behaviour and became suspicious that he may be having an affair. So i started making note of secret conversations he was having on the phone and to cut a long story short, found out that he had been having a telephone relationship with another woman. Well i was devastated and confronted him about it and he denied there was anything in it except that he was flattered that this attractive (also married) young woman would be interersted in him and admitted that he was attracted to her but that nothing had happened and it was mainly a phone thing because he found it easy to talk to her. This shattered me even further to think that he found it easier to talk to her than to me, his own wife. At that time we had a young baby and a toddler and i knew i had been neglecting him emotionally while caring for our kids - it is so easy for the children to take over and before you know it you haven't been intimate in a month. So i accepted my share of responsibility. Anyway, things were ok for a few more months but i was still noticing some strange behaviour around phone use. Anyway, then i busted him after he went on a short trip with her and my world fell apart. I was on the verge of leaving him but we worked through it and i decided to stay and give our marriage a chance to heal for both myself, DH and of course our 2 beautiful children. DH promised me that they did not have sex, but that he wanted to although he wasn't sure whether he would have actually gone through with it once in the situation. Apparently she was also struggling with it since she also still loves her husband and so for those reasons on both sides, they never consumated the 'friendship'. Even if i convince myself that nothing 'actually' happened, the fact that he wanted it to hurt me more deeply than i can even explain. He has always been my world, the love of my life. Then late last year i found out that they were still in contact via sms and all hell broke loose again. I was ready to leave if for nothing else than to give him a taste of what a broken home would be like. He swears that the only reason he has remained in contact with this woman was to try to keep her calm so that she wouldn't lose it and tell her husband out of guilt which would only complicate things further. Anyway, he promised that he would not talk to her or sms her again and that if she called, he would not answer her calls and he would tell me about it. Anyway, 2 weeks ago i randomly listened to his voicemail and she had left him a message on there. There was nothing untoward about the message, it was very short and basically just said that someone had called and she wondered if it was him as it came from a private number. My trouble is that he didn't tell me about the message as he had promised and i was already having so much trouble trying to trust him again. He said he just didn't want to open a can or worms again and that he didn't tell me because he didn't want to bring the whole thing back up again for no reason. He said he did not return the call and that the fact that she left a message should reassure me because he does not answer her calls. Any thoughts from anyone who has been in a similar situation?

OP posts:
beanieb · 24/03/2009 10:20

I agree with Anyfucker. Have just read your other thread. If you are really feeling worried about what he is actually doing on Friday and Saturday nights then you need to talk to him about this or put your foot down. Do you ever get the chance to have a Friday or Saturday night out yourself?

sayithowitis · 24/03/2009 10:22

Sorry, I am not convinced he is out playing cards with his friends at the weekends. My instinct is that he is with her doing all the things he has told you he is not doing! Why on earth should you have any belief in him after all his lies? If I were in your position, I would be telling the OW I know her dirty little secret and I would be kicking him out of the door after a swift kick in the knackers! He is taking you for a fool and you are letting him get away with it!

abedelia · 24/03/2009 10:22

Oh yes - and don't waste money on Relate until she is well out of the picture.

MsSpentYouth · 24/03/2009 10:26

Lujay is in america i think, so she might not be about now (i think this because of a number she gave me yesterday)

So she won't be able to use relate either (???)

abedelia · 24/03/2009 11:00

Okay substitute Relate for 'very expensive relationship counsellor'... who will cost a hundred dollars for an hour of telling her H to ditch the OW. Give me his number and I will do it for half the price and be a lot more forceful - especially as I have serious PMT today and am feeling particularly belligerent but can't take it out on H as it's his birthday so have to grit teeth and be nice...

LuJay · 24/03/2009 11:05

WOW! Can i just start by saying that the support and 'friendship' i have had from you guys since posting my story this morning has been phoenomenal(? spelling). Never in a million years would i have thought that i could take such comfort from the support of strangers and for this i am eternally grateful. I just wish i had found you all a year ago, perhaps things would have been more bearable for me.
Now, i can see that there are a few details i need to add so here goes.

i will post as i go so you don't have to wait so long. Sorry for the lengthiness of my post.

OP posts:
LuJay · 24/03/2009 11:11

They do not work together. We bought out house from them and it started from there.

I always knew he was attracted to her, she is a beautiful woman, what man wouldn't be, even my brother in law commented on how 'hot' she was when he came to one of the pre-purchase inspections with us.
This of course does absolutely nothing for my ego but deflate it. I'm not an ugly woman but i do have about 6kgs to lose that have been hanging on since the birth of our last child over a year ago so that's not helping me feel very good about myself especially when she has the body of a 16 year old girl even after 2 children herself.

OP posts:
LuJay · 24/03/2009 11:12

Secondly, about the card games. I know he is definitely playing cards because he calls me from the games at various times of the evening and leaves the line open so that i can hear the guys all talking and playing together. I do appreciate this because it does show some level of concern for the way i feel and he is trying to make me feel more secure.

OP posts:
susie100 · 24/03/2009 11:16

LuJay - unfortunately he will be telling you the very minimum. If you look at all of the similar posts in this section you will see it always starts with 'nothing happened' oh well ok it did but only once and I am no longer seeing her etc

I think it is very unlikely indeed that he went away with her and did not sleep with her. It also sounds like he is still seeing her to be honest. If he wants to save his marriage he needs to be completely honest with you and you need to get tough.

i would snoop for a bit and get as much info as possible without confronting him and see what he is really up to.

So sorry you are going through this. I know it is humiliating gbut you need some real life support. is there no one you can talk to? At the moment by keepign it secret from everyone he has no incentive to stop.

LuJay · 24/03/2009 11:17

I have been cautious about what i've said on this site because i do worry that if i gave too much detail that if anyone involved read it, they could put it together and it could cause alot more problems. But i think suffice is to say that my husband took out a life insurance policy this year for me and the kids after all of this stuff happened. I know that he did this out of genuine concern for us should the shit hit the fan. Apparently her DH is a force to be reckoned with and anything could happen if he found out that he even looked in her direction.

OP posts:
unavailable · 24/03/2009 11:19

Yes - until it is "known" in real life, it is still some sort of fantasy relationship for him, and he doesnt have to confront the reality of what he is doing to you and your children.

HarlotOTara · 24/03/2009 11:22

If her husband 'is a force to be reckoned with', then why on earth would she tell him about your husband? It is horrid that you are being so hurt but this doesn't add up to me.

LuJay · 24/03/2009 11:26

Thanks for your input susie100. i have done a MASSIVE amount of snooping over the last year. I now think i should open my own private investigation business. i would make a fortune with the brilliant ways in which if have found information. I have checked everything from Etags to phone records, to mobilcard statements telling me what station he filled up fuel at to creditcard receipts and statements. I've done it all, short of actually hiring someone to follow him. That's something that i have a real problem with. The problem is that every time i have found something out, i have been so upset that i have not been able to keep it to myself for more than a couple of days. I've never been good at keeping secrets from my dh and i have always told him everything, so not to have that has been unvelieveably difficult for me. So every time i have confronted him i've had to tell him how i know what i know and every time i do that i lose that method of evidence gathering because now he knows about it. i have no ways left to catch him out and so i just don't know if anything is still happening or not.

OP posts:
BitOfFun · 24/03/2009 11:27

Then what the hell was he doing getting involved with her in the first place? He has got you over a barrel, scaring you into "protecting" him. I'm sorry but actions have consequences. I would be serving him divorce papers for unreasonable behaviour even if you can't prove adultery. Playing cards two nights every weekend? He is taking the piss. And I would be deeply suspicious of that too, despite the phonecalls...he might even have a tape playing in the background and be congratulating himself on how clever he is being, the devious arsehole.

There is one thing that is enabling all this to continue: your silence. You are effectively colluding with him you know...

I know this sounds harsh, but it is meant kindly. You need to kick his sorry arse from here to Sunday, my love.

QuintessentialShadow · 24/03/2009 11:27

Why then did he involve himself with her?

If he really had concerns for you he would not be having an affair with a hot tottie married to a lose cannon!

I dont think that is any excuse, it is just scare tactics to keep you from talking to her, and him.

LuJay · 24/03/2009 11:29

To HarlotOTara i think she would only tell her husband if she thought i was going on the rampage and was going to contact him. That way her story would be much more credible if she volunteered the information to him first.

OP posts:
susie100 · 24/03/2009 11:29

Lujay - jsut saw your other post about being left every friday and saturday night and how desperately lonely you are. These are not the actions of a man trying to save his marriage and make ammends to his wife (even if you do believe that nothing ever happened).

He is behaving appallingly and he probably knows it and is waiting to see what he can get away with. please stand up for yourself and your children you deserve better than this. You sound like a loving and intelligent woman there is away back from here but you must make it clear that you expect to be treated with respect rather than a babysitting service.

QuintessentialShadow · 24/03/2009 11:30

I just read your last post about your snooping methods.

This is getting to sound really sick. You have followed your cheating dh around for a year, and each time you have found out something you have told him, so he has changed tactics.

Is this a game to you?

unavailable · 24/03/2009 11:31

LuJay, I'm sorry but the more you explain of the situation the more it seems to me that your husband and the ow have concocted an elaborate story to ensure your silence so things can carry on as they are.

QuintessentialShadow · 24/03/2009 11:32

Just make sure YOU are the first to tell her dh the story.

For all you know he is like you. And not the raging bull your husband and his mistress makes him out to be.

susie100 · 24/03/2009 11:32

Sorry cross posted - I imagine it must be unbearable to keep that sort of info to yourself. The point is if he is really keen to save the marriage he should be making an effort. Huge hugs (I know un mumsnet) but I really feel for you. Can you do something for yourself - organise a girls night out,. hair cut, go dancing and leave him with the dcs. Sounds as though you need a boost to self esteem. Do you work outside the home?

PlumpRumpSoggyBaps · 24/03/2009 11:35

I'm sorry Lujay, but it sounds to me like he's taking you for a fool.

He goes out every Friday and Saturday night.

He is able to go on a trip with this OW.(Why? What possible reason was there for a trip? Did he lie about this?)He claims he didn't have sex with her then.

He won't tell her directly and clearly that she is not to contact him again because of her DH's possible reaction to the news.

Do you and he go out together? I see that you have accepted your 'share' of the blame for 'neglecting' your relationship- has he? Has he done anything to get your relationship back on track?

I can't help but think, if he REALLY wanted to make things better with you, he would have cancelled his 'boys' nights out', given this woman an unmistakeable message and turned his attentions to you.

I think I would give him an ultimatum. Insist on seeing this OW so that you can tell her to back off. Take no notice of your DH's protestations. You have behaved impeccably thus far. He has not. If he is afraid of her DH's reaction he can beg the OW not to tell him. Otherwise he must be a man and take whatever is coming to him. (It is possible, BTW, that the OW has done this before, if her DH's reactions are to be so feared)

I hope you can sort things out. Good luck.

LuJay · 24/03/2009 11:37

He got involved because he was thinking with his other head, you know, the one that doesn't sit on his shoulders?
But seriously, I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him because of my actions. I know it sounds like he's playing me, but what if he is telling me the truth and there is really nothing going on anymore?
It is so damn confusing that i feel like my head is spinning out of control.

OP posts:
QuintessentialShadow · 24/03/2009 11:38

It is not YOUR actions causing it. It is HIS actions.

If there really is a danger, you should go to the police.

TheCrackFox · 24/03/2009 11:39

Well if he is so scared of her DH then tell your DH that if he speaks/sees the other woman you will immediately tell him. No 2nd chances.