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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

P cheating, please could somebody help, I don't know what to do (long, sorry!)

870 replies

dismantlethesun · 28/06/2010 07:27

Argh

Background- I was OW briefly. DP told me he and wifey had been separated for 7 years, they had not

We moved in together after 6 months, it became a fiery relationship because he hacked into my emails and read that I had said he was controlling

He banned all friends. He banned relatives. He banned staying 5 mins late at work. Banned certain clothes and shoes. Stopped me progressing in my career.

Began to falsely accuse me of things. Always false. Began to be very violent.

Reverted to old drinking habits. Drinks A LOT.

I got pregnant (one year in) and he got even more violent.

I suspected him of an affair because I found a message on his phone but he denied it then beat me up badly.

I really loved him. He was so good at controlling me, being ver 30 years my senior.

Had DD, he was awful. I told him I was leaving and he said if I left he would lie to social services and say I was a bad mother. I said, but I'm not I'm a great mother, he said 'I have police connections/etc etc they won't believe you'

So I stayed. During that year he nearly killed me with a wine bottle and with other acts of violence. He grabbed DD once when she was crying but I jumped in and fought him off her. He punched me hard in the head and strangled me while I was holding her. When DD was almost 1 she became acutely unwell and was admitted to hospital. She was there for 3 months and then she died.

He was never in the hospital, he was in the pub on his laptop, or somewhere else. He would tell me he was fcking a barmaid, then say he only said it to wind me up, he told me he was fcking a colleague, then said he only said it to wind me up. He would not let me stay in the hospital with DD overnight, because he said if I did he would leave and not pay rent so I'd be homeless (I was on extended maternity leave) and I got scared and thought DD wouldn't be able to be discharged if he did that as we'd have no home to go to. So I stayed.

She died, he turned up briefly to shed a false tear. I got pregnant immediately- I reget this now, but it was a one-off and I was extremely upset.

I went back to work, he became violent again, kicking me in the stomach hard. I bit him (one time) in self defence to get his arms off me as he was holding me down to kick me. The police were called and they let him go because he has 'connections' and he reported my act of defence. The only time I've ever fought back.

Baby was born. Blabla. He's now been made redundant. WE have no s*x life at all because he is so much older and is diabetic so it's pretty useless. But he has always said 'it works fine when I want it to' My grandma died, my best friend died the other week, and DP has destroyed all my other friendships except for a few in Canada.

I have just found a memory stick with his emails on it from work. I looked at it because he indicated he was emailing his wifelet (he wasn't) and he had hidden the stick. I read lots of it, including his sent emails which mentioned a new secret account. I logged in (same password for everything) and he has been having an affair since before DD was born.

WHat do I do?? I am scared. I am in rented accomodation that is more than my full time salary. DC2 is 5mths old. I have no income other than statutory maternity pay. I have no family now really and all my friends gave up 4 years ago. I am 24. I have ruined my career by having babies and being so unprofessional. Hell, I don't even know if I want to be in my career. I want to go back to uni. Or leave the country. Or right now I jjust want to curl up and die, quite frankly.

I honestly do not know how to handle this- he is still married to the ex as well, so I'm not entitled to anything if we split. I have a low income even when working full time. No childcare.

Thanks anyone, he's going to wake up in a minute and I'm going to have to pretend I don't know I really believed him when he said I was his soul mate etc. He said he loved me. I hoped he would change. I am mortified that I have been so stupid and didn't leave when DD was small.

OP posts:
Mouseface · 29/06/2010 13:29

Marantha - we know what you think, you've told us. More than once.

Thank you.

Point taken.

Now, please do as advised.

I, for one, am bored of you repeating yourself.

VinegarTits · 29/06/2010 13:32

Marantha you are trying to psycho-analyse the mind of a woman who has been mentally and pysically abused by a monsterous contolling, manipulative man, and who is also still greiving for a child

of course she is not thinking straight! you are trying to be clever but making yourself look quite foolish

Cartoose · 29/06/2010 13:34

I like Dolly's idea of a code word.

CantThinkofFunnyName · 29/06/2010 13:34

Dolly - I only wish she would do that. I think I have done everything I can now. I will continue to call her to keep contact but she has to be ready to ask for my - or someone else's help. I don't want to push her in the opposite direction.

Mouseface · 29/06/2010 13:35

Exactly VT - she lost her DD just over 12 months ago.

VinegarTits · 29/06/2010 13:36

excellent post by jet cat, says what i was trying to say but better

Cartoose · 29/06/2010 13:36

Very wise Can't. It's so frustrating though isn't it?

Follyfoot · 29/06/2010 13:37

Quite right jetcat....And of course all the assaults will have been 'her fault': that will be what she has been told for so long, that she will believe it, she did something wrong so she deserved what happened to her.

As so many others have said, you just dont stand a chance of having any insight into the madness of the situation unless you have been there.

cluelessnchaos · 29/06/2010 13:39

Marantha, seriously why dont you take your points to this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/992637-Cheating-worse-than-beating where you can talk about the rights and wrongs of staying with an abusive man in a more general way, it feels too personal on this thread.

Mouseface · 29/06/2010 13:40

Very sensible idea Dolly but can't has a valid point.

OP is extremely mixed up right now. She needs to genuinely want help (and I believe she does) and ask for it herself.

The fact that she's 'going about her usually day' is spot on. Throws him off the scent. Buys her time to act and to think clearer as the hours pass.

This all makes perfect sense to me.

The most important thing is that she has taken the first step.

I hope that she keeps going forward now.

jetcat · 29/06/2010 13:41

thanks Vinny and Folly - have reported it though, as i dont want to distract from the OP.

CantThinkofFunnyName · 29/06/2010 13:43

Dolly very frustrating yes, and incredibly sad. It's also sad to realise so many women go through this daily. I did when I was 17-20 but without children and certainly not to the same degree of violence - but nonetheless, I understand. It actually took me meeting someone else to do the "flit", not his violence or controlling behaviour, or the cocooning, the cutting off of family and friends, or even the beating on the drive home from my father's funeral at the age of 19 because a family friend (my dad's age) put his arm around me when the hearse drew up.

So no, it doesn't surprise me in the least how she is reacting or rather, acting now. It is the cheating she will hold on to and particularly that it was during her DD's illness and death. Everything else is just "normal".

superwoman25 · 29/06/2010 13:45

cant thanks got txt back, send me another with name on i cant have you in my phone as cant x

superwoman25 · 29/06/2010 13:49

got it thanks

Mouseface · 29/06/2010 13:50

Can't .

Memories for you too then.

LittleMissHissyFit · 29/06/2010 14:05

marantha when a person has been through extreme circumstances, it alters their perception of normality, turns thinking upside down, and the justification to stay and not rock the boat does strange things to your thought processes.

To recap and remind, Dismantle has:
been abused mentally, verbally and physically,
been bereaved and indeed be left to grieve alone,
isolated from all the people closest to her,

All this perpetrated by someone who has
controlled her the entire relationship, by someone who has an interest in child pornography and therefore is a proven master manipulator

Dismantle has endured all this and in her early 20s too, She is only 24 now.

Her brain will do all sorts of upside down thinking, because she has lived her life in constant fear, afraid of when the next attack will come.

With utmost respect to you marantha the biggest issue you have endured of late is to wonder who it was that referred you to the opthalmologist.

I'm not being unsympathetic to your plight marantha, but if that's the most you have to worry yourself with, being a bit squeamish and scared of Doctors, then perhaps you ought to do a lot more reading on the Forum rather than writing... Perhaps you'd then begin to understand what some women have to go through in their everyday lives before posting such silly comments.

The least you can do is to hide the thread, or just to ignore, but to sit there naval gazing and spouting such unhelpful rubbish, is beyond comprehension.

Most of the contributors to this thread are utterly inexperienced in the extreme abuse of another woman, all we can do is to just offer the support and best wishes we can, and hope that in time we may be called upon to do something more concrete for our 'little sister'.

LittleMissHissyFit · 29/06/2010 14:06

Sorry to pile on in, but I felt I needed to say that....

CantThinkofFunnyName · 29/06/2010 14:07

LittleMissHissyFit - that was a beautiful post eloquently put.

ladylush · 29/06/2010 14:08

Imho if you are unable to understand or unwilling to even try and understand where the OP is coming from, then you need to leave the thread. Marantha - dismantle is so close..................judging or picking apart her choices/decisions is incredibly unhelpful right now. You made your point. It's time to back off.

Rindercella · 29/06/2010 14:09

^^ what LittleMissHissy said.

ladylush · 29/06/2010 14:10

Cross posted Littlemiss - you said it much better

stressed2007 · 29/06/2010 14:10

Cant there seem to be several offers of help on the thread - have you kept a list of who has offered (this thread seems to be getting very long now so maybe difficult to find earlier posts - I know I am rubbish at it) so people can be contacted again.

I am in the process of huge clear out here and have some very nice boys things etc that I would gladly forward if needed. It would give me and I am sure others pleasure to try and help in some way.

Dismantle we are all routing for you.

Mouseface · 29/06/2010 14:10
CantThinkofFunnyName · 29/06/2010 14:12

Stressed no I haven't sorry! I haven't heard anything further, but don't expect to yet as she had a lunch engagement. If anyone wants to contact me with offers in the event that she does call, you can reach me at CantThinkofFunnyName at googlemail dot com

Ellielou02 · 29/06/2010 14:14

Gosh so been following this thread too, cant you are doing all you can and have been great.
dismantle Hope you and your DS are safe.

I have the same feeling that onetwo does though, what if the partner has her phone?