Join the Club...and Share Your Story

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Betrayal is lonely as hell. It also often silences us. We fear looking stupid. We dread people's pity. We don't want their judgement of us...or our cheating spouse. So we keep our stories to ourselves.
But our stories are powerful. They reveal what we're telling ourselves. And they reveal what we're not telling ourselves. By tell our stories, and being brutally honest, we can gain clarity and insight. We can begin to own what is ours...and let go of what isn't. By telling our story, we can begin to heal. 
I invite each of you, when you're ready, to share your story. You can include your name or post anonymously. You can share your heartbreak, your anger, your fear, your hope. (I only ask that you don't post anything that's disrespectful to others' choices or experience. No slamming reconciliation or divorce. No pretending that your choice is the only choice, or even the best choice. It's YOUR choice.)
I'm going to ask you to follow a few rules so that it's easier for others to find your story. Give it a title that lets us know, roughly, what you're sharing. Perhaps it's "The Other Woman was my Best Friend" or "Coping with Depression" or "I'll Never Have Sex Again" or...you'll no doubt do better than I with the titles. Your stories can be long, they can be short. They can give us the whole saga or you can focus in on a tiny part of it. 
By sharing your story, you not only respect your own path, you give voice to many others who can't find their own truth yet. Though the circumstances in each of our stories might be different, the feelings are pretty much the same. And recognizing that so many of us know your pain and have walked the same road can go a long toward putting us on the path back to wholehearted living.
It's YOUR story. Own it. Share it.
We're listening...

201 comments:

  1. Dear Elle,
    I guess I'm here like many other members, searching for a piece of mind. My husband is a minister who had an affair with a member of our congregation. This in it's self is hard to deal with because he stands in the pulpit and teaches against this. For over a year I had known that this affair was going on, but of course he denied it. It only came out when he was faced with being outted about another affair with his first daughters mother. That one I can handle a lot better because we're 600 miles away. But I'm in a situation now where I'm faced with my horror on a daily basis. This is not something that we wanted to spread around the church so it was kept private. Every time I'm at church I'm reminded of how my husband betrayed me. It's not something that we can run from. We have 3 children together and packing up and leaving is not an option right now, however when and if the chance comes we're out of here on the first thing smoking. I guess my question is how do I get over this when I have to look at the other woman all the time. It's gotten to the poing were she feels comfortable coming to my home to drop of things to my children. Some days I'm ok and others I still feel dead. I feel like he has put me in a position that can't excape from. I wen't through my period where I was crying every 5 minutes, but then I had to pull it together quick because I'm the ministers wife of course. Please help. I'm tired of feeling depressed and sick over this.

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    1. Dear Minister's Wife,

      I'm so sorry for what you continue to endure. It must feel horrible to sit and listen to someone preach hypocritically. Clearly your husband has serious issues, especially if this is a second affair. What is he doing to deal with it? Does the church offer some sort of counselling or support? I think affairs within ministry are more common than we think -- it's a tough job. Not an excuse...just the truth.
      Why, might I ask, do you have to deal with the OW? It should be made clear to her that she is to have absolutely NO contact with your husband or your family. You certainly should NOT have to face her at your own front door. You need to get really clear on what you will and will NOT tolerate. You're being an incredibly good sport about this...but maybe it's time to start respecting yourself enough to insist on certain behaviour from your husband and from the OW. Starting with keeping her as far away from you as possible.
      Please don't think you're obliged to put your feelings away because you're the minister's wife. You need a safe place to let them out. Where you can be honest about how difficult this is and figure out what you need to get back to a place of feeling safe and valued. Until then, you won't "get over" this. Even with all that in place, you don't get over so much as you get through this.
      In the meantime, you need to set some ground rules to protect yourself and your family right now. This woman has some nerve! Don't put up with it. YOU did nothing wrong.

      Elle

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    2. Please love yourself enough to draw boundaries. Allowing the ow to show up at your door only keeps self inflicting the pain which equals an atomic bomb. My h cheated with lots!!! of low lifes...but truthfully he was just as much a low life as them. I hold him responsible for his horrible choices...no matter how out of control any woman is...the betrayer is more than 100% responsible for their actions!! I stayed in my marriage...D day was 24 years ago. I had 3 little kids and my h seemed very remorseful..he did make a lot of changes and overall I am glad I stayed to preserve the family. We moved ...started a new life. You have been very wise to not talk about this especially to others in the church!! That was some of the first and best advise we received is be very cautious about who and what you tell because you WILL BE TREATED accordingly in the future!! I didnt tell my family and all these years later so glad I didnt. Prayers for you and listen to your heart❤

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    3. I am new here. It has been three months since my D-day. It was a normal Friday evening. We were both happy to be home from work. He was cooking dinner. I walked into the kitchen and saw him deleting text. I quickly grabbed his phone and ran out the door. He was screaming at me to bring his phone back. I ran down the block and was able to play a voicemail from her " I love you more" My heart died that moment. So much as happened since that day. I was very happily married for 18 years. We had it all. His reason. He wanted to sleep with someone new. The thrill of it! He pursured her. I am suffering the worst pain of my life because of his sexual desire for a younger woman. I hate him and love him at the same time. We are still together. I am very unsure of my future. I just know that right now I need to focus on me and reclaim my life. This nightmare I have been living needs to end. I am starting the new year with a resolution to focus on me. I have always been the giver. Give to my kids, husband, mom, family. Now it is time for me. The grief I have felt over my loss has been unbearable at times. Mourning the man I thought I knew, the marriage I thought I had, our reputation as the super couple, our family, everything I thought was a lie. He was my rock, the one who would always protect me. Instead he is the one who caused me more pain than anyone in my life. How can this man be my husband? Yes he is remorseful. I just feel he is remorsful because he got caught. They never had sex, I caught him before that happened but he said at counciling that he planned on riding out the affair no matter where it went. He wanted her sexually. This man is not the man I fell in love with. Please guide me.

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  2. 2-years later ...

    I won't go into details, but things are really the best they have ever been for our family and our 17 year marriage.

    Here's my issue:

    I have never, ever hated anyone in my life. Most people who know me would say I am the nicest, most caring person. My job involves having a lot of compassion for people, and I really do well at it. I go to church, maybe not every Sunday, but generally. I try to be a good person.

    But I hate her.

    I despise her.

    I absolutely detest her.

    Two years later, I still hate her like the first day I found out.

    Thoughts of her run through my head probably 10 times a day and usually end with me (in my head) screaming at her to swing at me once so I can rip every piece of hair from her head. (Mind you I have never been in a verbal or physical fight with another girl in my life...)

    I could never actually hurt another person, but, to be honest, if I saw her bleeding in a road, I think I could definitely walk right past without helping her. And not feel bad about it.

    I used to think, "If I could just forive her..." but two years later, I can't even hear a song by a singer who shares her first name without my blood pressure rising and feeling sick to my stomach. I don't think what she did was forgivable. Her actions harmed my children. I can't even pretend to forgive her.

    Some people say, "I learned to feel sorry for her ..." Haven't done that. I feel sorry for my kids, for my family's fincial situation which she helped make horrible, for a lot of things, but I don't feel sorry for her. Not even a little. I found out her house foreclosed, and I actually laughed and hoped she had no where to live.

    I don't feel intimidated by her. I don't feel ugly or fat compared to her. I don't feel she is smarter than me. I just absolutely hate her.

    I hate everything about her - the city she lives in, the stupid profession she is a part of, the car she drives - you name it - if it is at all related to her and I know about it, even in the smallest way, I hate it.

    I have never talked to her.

    She is not big on facebook and neither are we, so, there's no online stalking or anything like that. Though, I do admit to going to google, putting her name and city and then "is a horrible person", in the hopes that if I do it enough, it will just come up automatically when anyone searches for her. (Again ... I know this is crazy ...)

    I have seen her once, and I was so upset at the time, I really don't know if I would recognize her if I was standing next to her. Her image is sort of like a ghost or something that isn't quite real, so I don't really identify my hate to a face, but more to just a feeling.

    I hate her so much.

    Once I wrote on another website that I hadn't gotten over my feelings about her, and a whole bunch of posters gave me the, "You're blaming the wrong person" thing. "Your anger should be directed at your husband" speech.

    Well, I don't care. That's not what I'm going to do.

    I just hate her.

    However ... 2 years later ...

    It actually takes too much of my energy to hate her this much. I could probably put even more energy into making things even better. And for that reason, I wish I could stop hating her even just a little. Maybe I will now.

    Thanks for having this site : )

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    1. Wow, thanks so much for posting that because i too get the "your blaming the wrong person" speech all the time. Well sorry but ive already blamed him and got over it. We are happy but the trust is still slow to come. I HATE HER! She deserves just as much blame as he. She knew he was married with 3 kids and 8 grandkids and still did it. I HATE HER! We are 18 months into our "new" relationship but i still hate her just as much if not more than ever. Its nice to know someone else is just like me. Makes me smile :)

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    2. Sorry I've taken so long to respond. Busy summer already!
      In any case, I think you know that this hatred is damaging you way more than her. It's like you've drank the poison....but you're hoping she'll die from it. I know from your post that you know all this. But...and I know it's a big but. It's really, really hard.
      Here's what worked for me. I indulged in the fantasies of ruining her life for a while. I let myself hate her with her pore of my being. But when I started realizing that I was becoming MORE like her -- bitter, small-minded, angry -- I decided to stop. I made the conscious choice to not give her any more real estate in my brain. I started picturing a big red STOP sign whenever I would start to think about her. And, belive it or not, it worked. It had become a habit and, by breaking that habit, I broke the cycle of anger. It might take more for you...like wearing an elastic band around your wrist and snapping it anytime you think of her in any way, shape or form.
      But, for YOUR sake, please stop. She's a loathsome vile person who doesn't deserve to consume your life. And your just giving your life over to her. You have only a finite number of minutes on this planet...and your giving those precious minutes to her. Please. No more.

      Elle

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    3. Hi Elle:

      June 21st "hater" here :) Actually, Amy M.

      Just wanted to let you know that although I probably sounded like a crazy person, I was going through a few emotionally tough days dealing with some issues that brought quite a few "flashback" feelings.

      Though I do admit to still truly hating the "horrible person", my life really does roll along pretty well now (2 years later). I have done some of the things you mentioned (stop sign, rubber band) in the past to keep the thoughts in check, and it does help. My anger/sadness/fear/hate really did paralyze me for about the first year, but I am learning to deal with it.

      It also helped for me to just write it all out here and feel like I "told" someone else about my feelings, as I don't talk to any friends or family about this (besides my husband). Thank you again for having this site.

      Amy M.

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    4. Amy,
      We've all been there...most of us more than once. It helped me to realize that, even when the feelings seemed overwhelming and I felt like I was right back "there", it was a temporary setback. And maybe not a setback at all but a chance to revisit some strong issues that weren't completely resolved in my own mind.
      Glad to hear that you're doing well. At two years out, I was still a bit of a mess frankly.
      And yes, it's crucial to be able to share your feelings with people who get it. Who can let you rant and rage without judgement because we've been there.
      Glad you found us!

      Elle

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    5. I feel the same way Amy! Because of my position at work I can not confront her. I feel I need this. I tried to reach out to her once and she told my supervisor. I wasn't mean and said nothing derogitory. Just asked her to either meet with me or call me. I contacted her through email. If I hurt someone as bad as this hurt me, I would do the decent thing and give the hurting person my time and honesty. Instead she walks around like a proud peacock. Even finds reasons to be where I am knowing I can do nothing. Yes, I hate her. She is married with children and should be walking around with the big S on her forehead. Not parading around.

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  3. I found this blog and I am posting because I can't talk to anyone and I am going crazy in my own head. I've been married for 10 years, together for 5 before that. We have two young children. We have struggled throughout our marriage to keep passion alive and to keep from becoming what my husband says is "like roommates." About every six months he would bring it up and I would basically blow him off because I didn't want to deeply examine our relationship. What would that lead to? What if he wanted to leave? What if I did? How would I start over and what would happen to my children. I should mention that I am the child of divorce and stability is very important to me for my children.

    About six weeks ago, I was using my husband's computer and I saw something pop up on a messenger site with a name that I didn't know. I read the chats and saw that he had been sexting and also emailing women from craiglist. I confronted him and he said that the family meant everything to him and that he would stop. He wanted to earn my trust back and stay with me.

    Last week we were on vacation. On the drive, he brought up the roommate conversation again. We talked a bit about it, but nothing was resolved. The last night of vacation, I was taking a picture with his phone and a strange text popped up. He grabbed the phone from me and deleted the messages. I didn't talk to him for a few hours. We finally had a conversation and he told me that it was nothing, just a girl he knew from running. Maybe she had sent the text to him by mistake. I didn't sleep that night. The next day we talked on the way home and he continued to deny that anything was going on. When we got home, he went to go pick up the dog from the kennel and we went to a friend's birthday party. That night when he fell asleep, I searched his emails. He had been very careful but forgot to delete a few sent emails. There were emails there from him telling the girl to be careful and to delete everything. I went upstairs and grabbed his phone. He came downstairs and I confronted him. He continued to deny it until I ran a program to recover his deleted messages. There were texts from that night while he was supposedly upstairs asleep. He had seen her that day when he went to get the dog. In the texts they repeatedly told each other that they loved each other. He finally admitted that they had a sexual relationship. He said he didn't know if he really loved her but he loved that infatuated feeling you get when you first fall for someone and he felt that we hadn't had that connection for a long time.

    My first reaction was to kick him to the curb, but then he asked me if I loved him. He said he really didn't know and that was one of the reasons he was so confused. I had to really think about it. I know that I do love him. I just think we haven't been in love for some time. We talked all night and we want to try and get back to where we once where. He has given me all access to all of his electronic information and we emailed the girl together to cease contact.

    It's been two days since my discovery. I can't stop crying and it's hard to function. I am ok when he is here but when he is gone I start to think too much and I break down again. I am scared that we will try to make it work and it won't. I don't know if I can handle that. We are seeking professional help as soon as possible.

    Thank you for letting me share. It helps me to get it out there.

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    1. Anonymous,
      Your experience is pretty textbook. And your reactions are too. I was terrified any time my husband left the house for the first few weeks. That was when my mind went to dark, dark places.
      Getting professional help sounds like the place to start. You're acknowledging that, though the affair is entirely HIS responsibility, the fact that the marriage had become stale falls to both of you. I'm certainly not defending what he did, but it does sound as if he's been trying to get your attention on this for a long time.
      A good counsellor will insist that he take full responsibility for the affair and the emotional wreckage from it, but then move on toward a relationship where you both can discuss your needs clearly and respectfully and navigate toward a marriage that serves both of you (and your children).
      I hate to admit it, because affairs cause so much long-term damage, but they can serve as wakeup calls and move us toward relationships that are deeper and more meaningful.
      Please don't hesitate to keep posting. It can be such a lonely place when you're going through this. And you'll still have a lot to get through. Rebuilding trust can be the toughest part.

      Elle

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  4. Thank you Elle. It helps to have someone to talk to. I would like to ask your advice about something. My husband has pledged complete honesty about everything and he is answering all of my questions, even when it hurts me to ask. I have been hiding somethings myself in our marriage. I haven't been unfaithful, but I have hidden debt and things happened to me before our marriage that I have never shared with him. I am scared to be truthful because it might change his mind about staying with me, but how can I ask him for complete honesty when I am not giving it?

    Thank you,
    Anonymous aka M

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    1. M,
      You ask a really crucial question. And I suspect you already know the answer. A friend of mine recently discovered that her husband had dug the family into debt and she viewed it as a total betrayal. It meant pulling their kids out of their private school, cancelling plans for renovations and her starting a business to help pull in money.
      What made her stay was that her husband took steps to make amends for his own financial deceptions and she owned up to the role she'd played (removing herself from any awareness of the family finances).
      What happened to you before your marriage, unless you think it affects your husband in some way, doesn't necessarily need to be disclosed. We don't have to reveal everything about ourselves...and in fact I'm not sure we could. But the debt certainly needs to be discussed, perhaps after you've sought debt counselling or whatever seems appropriate.
      Without honesty and a trust that you tackle things together, there really can't be a true intimacy in the marriage. And without that true intimacy, both of you are open to making the same sorts of mistakes again.
      He deserves to know, just as you do. But it's important that neither of you hold each other's transgressions over your heads. You acknowledge them, deal with the emotional repercussions and move toward some sort of reconciliation, whether rebuilding the marriage or dissolving it with respect.

      Elle

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  5. Hello Elle it is very comforting to know that theres help out there for us. I need your advice. Just two months ago I found out my husband was connecting in a much deeper way to his business parter after leaving me pregnant and with a 7 year old son. He left for a couple months in during this time he was sharing with her very private information of us, hugging in the office, chats at nights, sharing music and dreaming about the company that they just started. He denies that anything ever happen between them but it is hard to believe. This woman is very smart, she knows a lot of the business, she is confident and helps him with the company because she has all the experience that he needs (which I dont because I never got myself into his business)
    Well after founding out I was already 6 months pregnant, he decided to move back in to the house, I really want to save my marriage so ended up saying yes. This past two months it has been like hell, fights everyday, he admitted that all was wrong and that he wants to be with us but he does not want to sell his part of the company because it is a great oportunity, thats why he continues long talks over the phone, they work alone in the office doing estimates, invoices and thats something that I cant live with. He has asked me to trust him again but it is very hard after everything that happened. I am pushing him away everyday with things I say and I cant leave the past in the past because it hurted me very much. We been married for 10 years and never thought in my life that he could have and emotional connection with another woman. What should I do because this is very painful.
    Yours
    R

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    1. The way I see it, there are three options: The first is for him to choose either his business or his family. There's clearly a line that's been crossed between him and his partner and that's threatening to your family. The second is for you to become involved in the business -- copied on all e-mails, privy to all phone calls, though that would likely be exhausting to you (with a newborn) and doesn't change that there could still be something going on behind the scenes. And finally, you could ask him to sign some sort of contract, giving you ownership of his part of the business if he cheats on you. In all cases, I think you should get yourself some counselling in order to work through the anger and hurt you already feel and so that you can talk with him in a way that doesn't make the situation worse (and, of course, you have a young child with another on the way -- so it's crucial that you both model treating others with respect).
      Give this some thought and talk it over with him. Without yelling or fighting, try to get him to understand how painful and frightening this has been for you and how it's crucial, especially with you pregnant, that you feel safe in your relationship.
      Good luck. And please take care of yourself and your son as best you can.

      Elle

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  6. Nicole, Another betrayed here applauding you for getting sober. That is amazing and you really should be very proud of yourself.
    What a time you've been through. I do think that Elle is right when she says that it might do the children good to get some counselling.

    You say that he admitted once to sleeping with the other woman, then you found out it was twice. All I can say on this matter is that sometimes there is more, but the affair partner cannot get it out in one go. It took around 8 months for me to get the truth. After 6 weeks or so of him telling me I knew everything I decided to call a so called truce... We were going away for a few days and before the vacation I told him I wouldn't ask him on a daily basis, but on the vacation I needed more truth, so he had a little time to think about it and REALLY come clean. I told him my heart had already been broken just knowing he'd slept with her once, I was angry at one gift he bought her, one missed school concert, so he may as well fess up to everything. I tried to tell him that all the time he was keeping it back from me, he would feel bad and never really move on. That doesn't mean to say you need to know every detail. From his point of view, it was a really shameful thing for him to admit he slept with her at every opportunity, however, it was empowering to hear at the end of it that he really couldn't face sleeping with her anymore, and I do remember the nights he came home early saying that he cancelled a work meeting.

    I feel that working out why an affair happened is like unravelling a knotted ball of wool. We had a really good marriage and sex life, but its taken me over a year to work out that there were a few tiny knots in my ball of wall, and when I took my eye off that ball, it was yanked and the knots got tighter. In my case it was depression on my husbands part, perhaps a bit of mid life crisis and also the fact that he was approached openly by the OW. But, had I taken action when I saw the depression approaching, I may have been able to confront it openly with him. Saying that, it was his decision and I do not feel in anyway responsible for his affair. Things hopefully will start to unravel for you and I hope and pray that you can all find a different healthier way in which to move forward. You have taken the most wonderful step yourself.

    Keep looking at this site and read the other blogs from months back. They really do help and remember, you are not alone. Elle recounts the story of her mothers addiction with compassion and the honesty in which she remembers feeling annoyed that her mother regained sobriety on her own when Elle had been trying for many years and her position as carer/mom became redundant. It is warming to hear that she had the most wonderful relationship with her mother after, and 6 years after her passing still misses her deeply. Sure its made Elle the woman she is today.

    Each story here will mean something to you and you will pick out bits that are so similar. Be strong and I wish you well.



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    1. Each story does indeed help us understand our own. There's such strength in a community like this -- of those who've been there coming together to support each other. Thank-you for sharing your story. The ball of yarn analogy makes a lot of sense.
      And thank-you also for recognizing how much I loved my mom. Despite everything (I sometimes even think because of everything), I admired the courage with which she faced her own demons. I was so lucky to have her as my mom.

      Elle

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  7. I am in need of advice... With that said I know I am the only person that can make this decision and I know I have to figure out my heart and my head. I have posted here before but not sure I shared my whole story. Dday for me was March 2011 and I was 6 months pregnant. My husband and I had been together 9 years at the time but married only since October. We had gotten pregnant on our honeymoon in Maui things were great all we ever talked about was being parents and starting a family. I forgot to mention that we were high school sweethearts so I guess I should of seen the curiosity thing coming. After we were back from our honeymoon my husband had to work a couple hours away so he just stayed in a hotel that his work payed for with another guy that was immature and going through a divorce I didn't feel good about it at all. Anyways he would stay there during the week and come home on the weekends. Things started to get tense between us I had a lot of anger that he was gone and not there for me he felt he was doing what he needed to go to be a provider. But anyways around dec. he met this bartender at a place they went and ate at and eventually it led to her bringing him and his friend food one night which later turned into them hooking up. This chick found me in Facebook and wrote awful things to me things I know wouldn't of came from my husband like he never loved me, our marriage was complicated, he never wanted a child with me, etc. she played the manipulated victim. So through therapy couples and individual on my part we moved forward. I still didn't know if I was making the right decision bc like many of you it was my deal breaker! So this year has been rough as I have kept my heart guarded. Just last week we went on a vacation I felt great content and happy scared to even say it. I was seeing the man I loved in a new light a wonderful father and really a good partner. While on vacation we took a nice stroll in the evening on the beach just him and I and I could feel he was closed off. That night we made love and cuddled and I just couldn't shake something being up. So the next evening he gave me his truck key to go pick up food and I saw his work phone in the door. So of course I decided to look at it and guess what I see text between her and him they were nothing loving or sexual at all just hi what's up etc. however she texted I love you for real he never responded back. So I if course flipped told him we were done and he ruined his second chance. That there was supposed to be no contact with her.

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  8. Part2....
    He claims that there had only been contact 5 or 6 times through this year and she would text him hey and trying to see how things were between us. What I don't get is how in his mind he believes he was protecting me and just hoping someday she would get the hint and move on. My thing is he shouldn't of even entertained her by replying he said it was like once he replied he feared that if he didn't keep replying nicely since he did once that she would turn it into something more and contact me again on Facebook. I told him he should of came to me with this at there very beginning but I says he felt like he was on such eggshells and I was threatening to divorce him over everything that he didn't want to be divorced. Why don't men get that honesty proves so much more! The thing is I think he realizes I am at my breaking point he has cried for 3 days smothering me with affection showing me compassion and honesty like he never did before it was like before he kept things in in fear of doing more harm. I wanted him to realize we have and always have been best friends and he needs to feel like he can come to me about anything. He let me know all these things outside of us that I had no idea that were bugging him. Any ways he told me he wants to get individual counseling which he has never before because he wants to figure out why he feels at the time covering things up to avoid an argument is better than complete honesty. My question is should I run did he blow his second chance I know there was no more physical cheating and I know she has an obsessive issue and can lie. I know my husband is completely in the wrong and I just wonder if he will be able to ever be honest. It just kills me for 8+ years I never caught him in a lie I just don't get it!! The things is even through all of this he is the one I want to console me and I want to do the same for him. What to do...

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  9. I meant Dday was March 2012 oops

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    1. You're right in that only you can determine whether or not you're able to move forward from this with him in your life.
      I will say that many men who cheat tend to avoid conflict in many ways. They often have a long history of not speaking up about things that bother them or upset them for fear of creating conflict. Peace at all costs seems to be their motto.
      I'm glad for you husband's sake and your child's sake that he wants to get individual therapy to get to the root of why he thinks lying to "protect" you is better than giving you honesty. That will serve the whole family better. Conflict is part of any relationship. No couple agrees on everything and the challenge is to be able to create compromise where necessary, while ensuring that each partner feels heard and respected. Not easy at all. But crucial.
      Without that honesty -- and the freedom to express our opinions -- resentment builds. And that's where it's all too easy for people to convince themselves that cheating is okay. "She doesn't appreciate me." "He doesn't share my dreams." Etc. Etc.
      I'm so sorry you're going through this. Keep us posted about what you choose to do.

      Elle

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  10. Having trouble letting go of anger towards the OW... Part 1

    A year and a half ago my husband told me he'd had an affair with a coworker and friend who I had also gotten to know. They met only a year before when she started working with him. They quickly became friends and he would often have a beer with her after work. After a while we all started going hiking together: the three of us and, for a while, her boyfriend. (They broke up after a while.) She made overtures towards being my friend. I did the same. I didn't like her a WHOLE lot, but I'm not terribly social so I figured that was all it was. Then after time she began to cool towards me. She would say little, snippy things that made me feel belittled.. I had no idea why she was acting this way.

    The first thing I said when he told me was, "I'm not 100 percent surprised." (That actually blew me away later when I recalled it. I HAD been worried, but I hadn't really believed it was possible.)

    The second thing I said was, "Do you want to stay with me?" He said yes, if we could work on some things. And with that we began to talk.

    When he told me, I was of course devastated. I was miserable and could barely stop crying for months. I lost 15 pounds (and I was fairly thin to start with). But my husband did everything right. He owned up to everything right away. He said there was no point in lying any more: If we were going to work on our relationship and make it work, he had to be honest. And he has been. He told me it's his fault, that I'm not to blame for the bad decisions he made. He said we need to communicate and pay attention to each other, the lack of which he felt was at the root of what had made him unhappy for quite some time. (While still reiterating that the affair was NOT my fault in any way.)

    So we've been rebuilding and it has been very good, in that regard. We talk. We plan. We have fun. We do more together. We enjoy each other. We plan for a long and happy future together.

    But of course there is still pain, and all of those issues you all know so well. The fear that things still might fall apart. The worry that I'm not good enough. The anger that he betrayed me and deceived me. The resentment that when I tried to ask him what was wrong, he evaded my questions. And also resentment that before he met her he was unhappy with me but never even hinted to me there were problems, so there was nothing I could have done. The sadness. So much sadness.

    And I'm angry with her. I never spoke to her after I found out. I haven't seen her except for a couple of very brief encounters, at a distance, barely even sure it was her. And it kills me because I WANT to confront her. But I know that even if it had ever been a good idea (and really, it wouldn't), it's long past the time when it would make sense. And all it would do is tear open wounds and risk new outbursts.

    They still work at the same place, but not closely. It's really not feasible for him to change jobs. I never asked him to and wouldn't now. They studiously avoid each other. He says he can see she's still angry with him, but still, she keeps her head down and avoids any contact. He stays cool and neutral, just avoiding her and not thinking about her. But it's frustrating that she blames him completely and, from what she said when he last talked to her, clearly doesn't see any fault in her own actions.

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  11. Having trouble letting go of anger towards the OW... Part 2

    They were attracted from the start. He didn't fight it beyond telling himself nothing would come of it. Early on in their friendship, he told me that her former husband had cheated on her, with her sister. She has never forgiven her ex or her sister and she's still bitterly angry, many years later. After telling me about the affair, he said that he told me about that so I'd know that she would never have a affair herself, and therefore she wasn't after him. He believed that. He believed that would stop them both from acting on their attraction, and he admits that was weak of him.

    So they hung out as friends and discussed their lives and their relationship problems. They had beers and walked her dogs. He did favors like trimming her tree branches after a storm and helping her find a new vehicle when hers died.

    None of these things are out of character for him. He's a good friend to his friends, and he has often had female friends. That was never a problem for me because it was truly never a problem before. This time, though, he had been unhappy with me (without telling me). He felt an attraction he hadn't felt towards "just a friend" before. She was sweet and kind to him when he felt a need for that. He made excuses to be upset with me, exaggerated my faults, blamed me for things that either weren't my fault or were his fault, too. All of these things he told me as soon as we started talking about the affair.


    So all three of us went hiking together several times, along with a few other social activities. And in the meantime their attraction was brewing, and then one day, on a walk together, she kissed him. He didn't stop her. They didn't even question whether it was the right thing to do. They just continued on for a few months being affectionate and a little more than "just friends." And then they had sex three times in December.

    After that they began to question what they were doing. They halted the physical activity but continued to behave as friends for a few weeks. Then she gave him what amounted to an ultimatum: Stay away from me. Tell your wife about our affair or I'll tell her. But we can't see each other at all until then.

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  12. Having trouble letting go of anger towards the OW... Part 3

    He procrastinated for a few weeks and then, finally, told me. After we talked for some days, we agreed he should call her and tell her that we're staying together and he won't spend time with her again. He did that and it seemed to go well. Some weeks later she texted him several times in one day to say he broke her heart, etc., but since then there has been no contact.

    I now realize she thought I'd leave him and he would be hers. Why, I'm not sure. When her husband cheated on her, SHE wanted to make the marriage work. They went to a therapist, but her husband wouldn't talk and eventually it fell apart and they divorced. Why would she assume I'm so different from her that I wouldn't want to save MY marriage? Maybe she didn't believe I really love him; maybe that was a part of how she justified what she was doing.

    That's a big part of why I often think I want to talk to her. I want to know what she thought of me that made her think it was okay to hurt me in the same way she was hurt. She gets vehemently angry when people slight her, even relatively small slights like telling one of her secrets. And yet she can hurt me in the worst way she was hurt, and somehow she's not even at fault? I want her to acknowledge her fault in this. Yes, I'm aware that my husband was the one most responsible to me. I've been angry with him and delved into every aspect of how he wronged me. But I'm mostly past that now. We've worked through it, discussed it, resolved things. With her, I have none of that: just pure, raw anger and hurt. I haven't had an apology of any sort. I want that.

    Sigh.

    Recently I've made some steps towards what I'm calling "letting it go." I feel like maybe I can finally, truly release all of this anger towards her and just...let it go. I hope I can. Otherwise it's going to eat me up.

    I have no one to talk to about this other than my husband and my therapist. I made the decision from the start not to let anyone else know about the affair, because it would only cause more people pain and us more upset. So it's good to be able to share my feelings. Thank you!

    (I wonder if Part 1 didn't get through. I realized afterwards I didn't type all of the CAPTCHA stuff, and yet it behaved as if it went through...)

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    1. Mountainsailing,

      Your story sounds almost textbook. Have you done any reading around affairs? Not Just Friends by Shirley Glass is a classic. The reason I suggest that is that I suspect you're giving this woman way more power than she deserves. This really had little to do with her and everything to do with what your husband projected onto her. She was an escape from a relationship he was dissatisfied with but didn't have the guts to communicate to you about. Total fantasy.
      As for wanting to know why she could do such a thing? You've pretty much answered your own question. Anyone that bitter over her spouse's cheating with her sister (!!!) hasn't done the hard work of healing from that sort of pain. Absolutely I get her anger and hurt. No question. But to then to use that anger to get involved with a married man clearly shows that she's got a whole lot emotional baggage.
      My situation was similar in that the OW I first learned about was my husband's assistant. Her marriage had split up because her spouse cheated on her. When I confronted her, the words out of my mouth were "You, of all people, should know exactly how I'm feeling. Why would you inflict this pain -- that you know -- onto someone else?" The problem was that I was addressing the question to someone with the emotional immaturity of a 14-year-old. She was hurt and angry and humiliated and she felt quite justified feeling powerful by humiliating someone else.
      I suspect you'd be in for a similar conversation. This woman feels like the injured party. You're probably right that she hoped that bringing the affair into the open would destroy your marriage. When that didn't happen, her trauma (from her husband's affair) was triggered and she lashed out.
      This, of course, is all two-bit psychoanalysis...but based on a whole lot of anecdotal evidence.
      Short version? She's nuts. Crazy. Broken.
      You're applying logic to an illogical person. She doesn't follow the same rules.
      Put her behind you as best you can. It will get easier with time.
      I can honestly say I barely think about the OW anymore. If I do, it's generally with a sense of pity. She recently had a child, I heard, and I find myself hoping that she's smartened up enough to be a good decent parent.
      What does your therapist say about this? No doubt he/she sees narcissists like all the time (then again, do narcissists seek therapy? Probabaly not.)
      Hang in there. It gets better.

      Elle

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    2. Thank you so much for the reply. Yes, I have read Not Just Friends and I remember it being one of the most helpful of the several books and websites I've read on the subject. But it's been a while since I read it and it sounds like I could use a refresher. ;) I'll definitely go back to it.

      Thank you also for the reminder that it really had little to do with her. Once my husband left the "affair bubble" and saw her for who she really was (and is), he was appalled that he ever fell in love with her. She's selfish in all of her relationships, uses people, and judges everyone extremely harshly – except herself. She blames everyone else for any problems in her life but never seems to look at her own role in things. And she manufacturers or exaggerates problems to get pity and attention. He sees all of that now. I guess I need to be reminded of it, though.

      "But to then to use that anger to get involved with a married man clearly shows that she's got a whole lot emotional baggage."

      Exactly. It makes me want to scream at her: Don't you see what you've done? Don't you see you hurt me in exactly the same way you are still angry for being hurt? How does this make sense to you?

      But of course there's no point. I agree with you that's she's broken. And even more:

      "You're applying logic to an illogical person."

      Yes. That. I need to remember that. I need to let go of her and stop dwelling on what I assume she was thinking. I need to stop caring about her point of view or her motivations.

      To his credit, this is something my husband reminds me every time I let him know I'm thinking these things.

      "Hang in there. It gets better."

      God, I hope so! But really, I DO know this is true. It has already gotten so much better. I no longer cry every day, let alone ALL day as I did for the first few months. I no longer think of the affair ALL THE TIME, as I did for most of the first year. So now I just need to stop thinking about HER, and all of the things I want to say to her. I think I can do it. But it's taking more time that I thought it would.

      Thank you again. It really does help to read everyone's stories and to get a little feedback and what's still bothering me.

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    3. I totally agree with Ellie. In my case one of the woman my husband cheated with,( Heather holt Bush) had also been divorced before her current marriage due to her spouses infidelity. Her response to me when I tried to call and discuss things. " We don't even talk no more." "What do you want from me." How about acknowledging your part in the willful destruction of someone else's marriage, for starters. She NEVER admitted to the affair! She even had her husband call mine ( before my husband confessed completely) to try to get to the bottom of things, after I had tried to contact her about her contact with my husband.Her poor husband was very " concerned about our marriage" and told my husband that he and Heather would pray for us! Poor man! My husband stuttered around and admitted to crossing boundaries of friendship by being to friendly and close. But stopped short of admitting to the affair, that started after she jumped him in their office after the death of my husbands brother.. She went to the funeral, spoke to our families... Called him incessantly during that time to support him...When I look back on that time, and remember the outpouring from his family, and friends, and how worried I was about him! It makes me violently hate her! How dare someone overstep the boundaries of marriage and family!! woman are textbook narcissists! She even tried to play the wounded grieving card ( her father had passed away a couple of months before) when I first tried to call, she said she just couldn't talk to me, she was " so upset still." I knew all about it of course because my husband had to explain her desparate phone calls whining to him during that time...he til me that she even came into his office crying about how her mom and sister didn't like her, and were mistreating HER while they were planning for the funeral. Everything he told me about her shows her to be a pathological lying, histrionic, drug addict, narcissist! She once told him that she was asked back stage at a concert of the lead singer of poison! She pretended that it had hurt her feelings and insulted her that she had been treated that way. When he questioned her sister,( who had accompanied her to the concert) she laughed a out loud and said that never happened! When things came out my husband had to still be in the office with her for a few months. He said she treated him as if she was mad at him, because after he told he that he was being honest with me, she said to let her know first BEFORE telling me about them, so that she could, " find another place to live." He didn't, and I guess she felt betrayed. They( the emotionless monsters) are used to being put ahead of the wife. I remember him sharing with me that she became livid with him after they had sex at work, and he was leaving, she made the comment, " Well, I guess she ( referring to me his wife) wont be getting any tonight..." He replied that he nothing ever stopped us and we had sex every night... He told me this as a compliment and I responded negatively of course.. I was not surprised that she was mean spirited and tacky. In any case, I could go on and on. She is delusional...

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  13. hi
    I found out my husband had been having a 3 year affair on june 7th,we live in cali,she lives on east coast he saw her 4 times,but they spoke daily.
    a little background my husband and I have been married for 20 years,im 42 hes 48,we have 2 grown daughters we always had a good friendship we never fought except maybe the last year,cause I could sense he was different not his happy go lucky self,but I believed it was cause of all the problems weve had,we filed for bankruptcy,lost a business,a home,a car,and I thought with the stress of all this,and his stress at work was overwhelming,and I also believed he was going through a mid life crisis.
    well he met this woman playing cards online,she vever even met him and bought him a laptop 2 years ago(which he said his work supplied it to him)and the reason she bought him the lap top was cause our desk top took a crap,and she wanted to continue to play cards,who in the hell buys someone they don't know an expensive laptop?
    anyways the day I found out I called him at work he rushed home,and he said he wanted to do anything to save our marriage,and set up counseling sessions for us,and answered all my questions.
    he said he hit rock bottom,and hated himself,and now he feels like he has ptsd,which I feel like I have,to make matters worse I saw a picture of this woman who is severly over weight,short hair(my husband loves long hair always has)and shes way older than me,i know if she was cute I would still feel horrible,but I look at her and think wtf?is wrong with me that he had to go there,my self esteem is in the gutter,he says he doesn't know what he was thinking,and that nothing was real it was just an escape for him.
    well now this crazy woman keeps emailing me,nasty ugly stuff I finally blocked her,i just don't understand as I did nothing to her
    I have since blocked her,funny thing is she has my phone number,but never calls just hides behind her computer.
    I can see a 20 something falling for everything a married man says but come on a 50 something,if hes lying to me did she not think he was lying to her,and another funny thing is my husband told me she was always accusing him of cheating on her,with who?his wife,i did have a little sypmpathy for her at first,i believed she was a lonely woman and my husband was the first man in a long time to be nice to her,but I don't feel bad for now at all after the nasty emails.
    my husband and I have been getting closer,and I feel like im more in love with him now than 2 years ago,but the trust issues are driving me crazy,cause ive never been paranoid,maybe I should have and this wouldn't have happened or at least found out about it sooner

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    1. Anon,
      Similar to Mountainsailing above, I think you're dealing with a garden-variety crazy OW. You ask, what kind of person buys a perfect stranger an expensive laptop? A crazy person. A desperate person. Someone who places so little value on herself that she thinks she needs to buy attention. Someone who lashes out a wife simply because you're where she wants to be.
      Place your attention back on yourself and your husband. Let him do the hard work of getting to the root of what allowed him to go down this path. In the meantime, it sounds as if you've got a lot of stress and disappointment in what's happened that needs addressing. This economy has messed up a lot of people's lives. Sort through your own feelings about what's happened, work to put it behind you, and start moving forward.
      The paranoia generally goes away, assuming you're taking steps toward healing. It's still quite new to you. It takes a lot longer to heal from betrayal than any of us think it will.
      Your husband needs to offer you total transparency -- access to his computer, phone, bills, bank account, whatever you feel you need to see to ensure that nothing seems out of the ordinary. This is so that you can slowly trust that he's being honest. It takes time. He's shown you that he's capable of deceit over a long time. So it will take a long time for him to prove to you that's behind him. You will likely never trust him as blindly as perhaps you did. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Acknowledging that those we love are capable of painful mistakes is, for many of us, part of life. People disappoint us. We often disappoint people. The key is to learn from the mistakes and take steps to ensure we don't screw up again.

      Elle

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    2. Speaking of ensuring that we don't screw up again have any of you done or considered an infidelity contract??? Opinions please...

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    3. elle
      first thank you for taking time to reply to my post
      and yes I have all my husbands account passwords now,hes very remorseful,he says he was like in a fog,and he hit rock bottom,and says he wont feel good until I feel better.hes ashamed of himself.
      yes we have found a very good counselor,who weve been seeing,and I never believed in them,it makes me feel better everytime we leave her office,she has put a lot of things into perspective,and says in her 25 years of counseling couples,shes never seen a more remorseful man as my husband,and made me realize that things weren't going well in our marriage before,it had become stagnant,and its no excuse for cheating,but I can now see that we did have a lot of problems,like doing things without each other,i would go out with friends,while he stayed home,he would invite me to go to east coast,his family lives there,and I never wanted to go,we pretty much lived separate lives.
      now I feel that im falling in love with him more everyday,i know he has always loved me,everyone has always commented how crazy hes always been about me,but there was a point that I didn't feel like I loved him,in a way a wife should love her husband,for the last 5 months things have been going great,but he was still talking to her,he said he couldn't get rid of her,cause she would threaten to tell me,and he knew how hurt I would be,and didn't want me to go through what im going through now,and she wouldn't leave him alone,if he didn't answer her call she would start power calling,and he said it was just easier for him to answer,and say hi and she would say that's all I needed,i never thought I could hate someone,cause that's not me,but I hate her,i know its my husbands fault,and I felt bad for her at first,but all the nasty hateful messages she sent me,ive learned to hate her.
      so yes im focusing on me and my husband now,and putting our marriage first above everything else,and I know it will be a long road ahead,and I will have good,and bad days hopefully as the days and months go by,the good days will out weigh the bad days
      thank you so much

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    4. RE: Infidelity contracts: I've written about them on this site. I know Dr. Joy Brown (whose radio show I used to listen to) advocated for them. And I, frankly, think they're a good idea. I've asked my husband if he would sign something giving me the house if he ever cheats again. He has said yes. But then I realize that doesn't really make any difference. Guys who cheat never think they're going to get caught. They don't cheat for that reason necessarily...and I'm not sure that those who do cheat would NOT cheat if they risked losing something valuable. The MARRIAGE is valuable. The FAMILY is valuable.
      So I guess if a contract is viewed as a deterrent to the potential cheater, I don't think it's much use. But if it's viewed as a "reward" for having to go through heartbreak again, then go for it. It's a great question. Perhaps I'll post something about it and get others' feedback.

      Elle

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  14. Interesting note, Elle, about the bad economy messing with peoples' lives.

    For us, cleaning up the financial aspects has been almost as difficult as cleaning up the emotional aspects. (Actually, for me, sometimes I am better able to focus on cleaning up the financial parts than I am at healing the emotional.) I bet there are a lot of families still feeling the financial effects of 2009-2011 affairs.

    Though I'm getting a little better with letting it go, for a while I could ramble things off like, "Well, if you hadn't spent $103.64 on that stupid bottle of perfume for the horrible woman, maybe you'd be able to get that new fishing pole now. Too bad you didn't think of that."

    And though I have come to see that some of my comments weren't helping anything, in reality, because of the bad times, we did lose our family business and our house and ended up in huge debt which we are still trying to pay-off. (Sometimes I have had to make light of it just to not cry.)

    I know I can't blame everything on the horrible woman, but she did contribute to the situation. She had no problem in accepting gifts, trips, and taking money from us while our family was losing everything. The whole economy was in a nosedive and without my husband and I being a strong team during that time, it was a perfect storm which has left a lot of financial fall-out for us. And of course, horrible woman got to walk away from it all without a thought to how it affected our kids or family's future. (Grrrr...)

    Oh well. Our family may be paying out a huge percent of our income now to debt that we have nothing material to show for, but, we do have each other. And I guess I'd walk through debt-collection-hell for the rest of my life for that if I have to.

    Amy M

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  15. Hi everyone I will go by CM. I have been in what I thought was a committed relationship for the last 5 years not married and have a 2 year old and currently 41weeks pregnant now with our second.
    I have been knowing him since 2005 and now iam 27 yrs old. He finally confessed to me a day before Mother's Day after about 2 yrs of speculation that he was messing around with my whore bag sister before our first son was born and my other whore bag sister our first official year of our relationship.
    I speculated my younger one did because she said it one day while we were arguing while I was about 2 months pregnant with my first that if I didn't stop she will break my heart. I immediately had a feeling she was talking about sleeping with him since she slept with my ex boyfriend before him. So I asked her what she meant and she said nothing so I pounced on her like lion and walked her like a dog. However after e fight was over she still didn admit to nothing but was bragging how my ex boyfriend paid her but never said nothing about him. So I just thought she was just mad that we argued and wanted to make me mad and make me think they had something going on since she knew that I knew what she is capable of doin something like this again mind you she is a schizo and depressive so I had brushed her off. But it was still on mind.
    When he told me the truth that night since I grew tired of the speculation for all this time just constantly thinking about it daily I was relieved but very hurt and felt alone since I have our 2 yr old son and was 7 months pregnant. I put him out the house since he wasn't paying any bills anyhow for about 3 weeks he was practically in the streets.
    Then June 7 his second young sister had died at the age of 34 of a heart attack and I felt bad and let him come back home plus I needed help watching our son since iam was still working full time as a nurse. And I don't have much family support. Of course he appoligized and said the last 3 yrs he hasn't cheated on me an said he will marry me and get a job and be a changed man instead of the a$$ hole he has been during our whole relationship.
    I told him that we can't be together since he did something that can never be truly forgiven and that I just wanted him to be here for the kids and we could co-parent. He agreed but wantede to try to forgive him even if it takes a year or two. Unfortunately I feel so stupid to say since letting him back home in June we had intercourse twice but any other time I would tell him not to touch me which he respected. I somewhat still have love for him but iam still like blah towards him most time I try to be just cool for the sake of him being here with our son and being a great dad and help.
    He works odd jobs here and there and has been helping somewhat financially. As far as my sibling i forgave since i felt like I had no choice anyway since I need help with my kid and eventually my newborn when he gets here but I rather have their dad there for them then my own siblings, I feel like the less people around that did me shady the better.
    I don't want to be with him but I don't know how to deal with this as far as co parenting and leaving sex out the equation. I know after he is born I will just say no and put him out if he doesn't understand that and deal with being actually single raising my two kids and having my siblings help out instead . Sometime I wish we could be together but I know it's impossible. I couldn't be with anyone with visions of them doing god knows what with my siblings.

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    1. CM,
      You sound amazingly sane in the midst of total craziness around you.
      I'm so sorry you're going through this. And now to have a baby too. You must be absolutely exhausted -- physically and emotionally.
      You must take care of yourself, first and foremost. You can't be a good mom to your kids if you're feeling so beaten down.
      Your sisters sound absolutely toxic and I think the less you have to do with them, the better. Given their total lack of respect for you, I'm surprised you do want them around your children. They're not exactly great role models for honesty and integrity.
      As for your partner, I think it's great that the two of you are willing to be respectful to each other and co-parent. That's absolutely the best for the kids when parents can put their own problems aside and focus on being good parents. However, I think having him in the home is unhealthy for you.
      Given that you have a good job and seem to be the only adult that has any sense, you need to protect yourself from the toxic people around you.
      My advice? Give your partner some time (six weeks, for example) to find his own place and try and get a steady job. He should be contributing something financially to the situation. Make him useful to you as you get past childbirth and dealing with a newborn. But then it's time for him to get his own place.
      Start asking around about childcare for your kids. See if anyone knows of a good reliable sitter or decent daycare. Your sisters need to be kept at a distance until (and if!!) they get healthy and are willing to earn back your trust.
      Your most important job right now is to be a good mom to your kids and it sounds as if you're great. It's the people around you who are messing you up. You want them to grow up to be a decent, honest people, which means surrounding them with decent, honest people now.
      Take some time to figure out what you want your life to look like -- a partner who doesn't cheat on you and who contributes to the household, siblings that don't screw your boyfriend, children growing up in a healthy home where there's honesty and integrity. And then figure out how to make that happen.
      It starts by removing those people who can't treat you with respect.
      I'm so sorry, CM. You sound incredibly strong but nobody deserves to go through what you're going through. Remember that...and only let people into your life if they deserve to be there.

      Elle

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  16. Thanks Elle,
    Iam staying strong just cause I don't want to be miserable. It makes me mad sometimes and sometimes sad just because I have two kids with him, when all this could have been avoided and I could have been on my own and out of all three of their shady lives.
    But iam content when I see my kid smile and happy around his dad and being a family for him.
    I work midnights so daycare is not an option right now and plus for two kids it can get expensive plus his money is not consistent. I hope eventually he can move out on his own and find a stable job to support his kids.
    It's funny how he still wants to be a family and be with me since he claims he loves me so much and can't live without me. But he will eventually get it.
    All I care right now is my kids, and their happiness and my own.

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    1. Yay for you, CM. You'll get through this. Sounds as if you're already much of the way there. Just keep reminding yourself (though I think you already know), his cheating had NOTHING to do with you and everything to do with his own issues, not to mention those of your sister(s). People with their stuff together don't do that to other people.
      Hang in there.

      Elle

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    2. Thanks Elle :-)

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  17. July 26th, 2011

    Finding out it wasn't done in May ...

    I have been going through the "anniversary blahs" - those lovely times of year when I remember more than usual, feel more than usual, go through it more than I'd like in my thoughts. I have about 3 days stuck in my head each year, "anniversary?" dates of horrific emotional hurts. (Wish I could call them something different.)

    For the last month, more than I had for a while, I had started to relive the "2nd Anniversary" of "The Big One", the day that it all finally came to a screaming, crying, hugely hurtful, dramatic, almost tragic, end.

    I have been reading my journals from those days, and the hurt in my words is so strong. I was so lost, so devestated, so truly confused, so angry, so sad, so everything all at once ...

    For a few weeks, I have been trying to figure out if I wanted to put some of those words and thoughts here. I had actually taken my journals tonight and started to type out the entry from that day. I was thinking that if I just put it here, maybe I could get it out of my head.

    But then he called.

    My husband has a really tough job now to call and "visit" from. It's not easy for him to make calls, even sometimes in an emergency. But he did tonight, in the middle of a shift, in the middle of the night. Just to say, "Hey, love you, it's OK."

    He knew I was a little clingy tonight before he left. He doesn't keep track of these "anniversary" days like I do, but he knew it was something. Without me saying something about it this year, without me even crying today. He knew.

    It wasn't more than a 2 minute conversation, if even that. But it was perfect. It was just what I needed to be OK tonight.

    So instead of writing about the trauma of July 26th, 2011, I am going to end with the hope of July 26th, 2013.

    It's still not perfect. It's still not easy. Sometimes it's still a roller coaster. But ... the bumps are finally getting smaller and slower, like more towards the end of the roller coaster.

    Thank you for having this site and talking with me about this during the last month. I think that after tomorrow I'm going to be more OK again. I'm going to try to focus on my 2013 life instead of my 2011 life : )




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    1. I'm so glad your husband was able to be there for you in exactly the way you needed. And happy that you're beginning to see that, while there's still hurt, you've moved on from where you were when you found out. Sometimes we get so focused on how we're not where we thought we'd be, we lose sight of the fact that we're also not where we were. Healing takes time.

      Elle

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  18. Will I ever feel safe?
    Well here it goes... It's been 5 years since my husbands affair. Till this day he still defends himself saying it wasn't an affair because there was "no physical contact." It kills me when he reminds me of this fact. He never came clean about this emotional affair that included lunch dates and phone calls and admitted that he had feelings for his coworker. To put it lightly I was devastated! My world had turned upside down and it seemed like he could just go on with life. We have worked things out and have been to counseling for the past 4 years but the truth is I still struggle. I have found that I have pushed everyone away and can't let anyone get close to me. My husband still works with this girl but she was moved to another dept. Till this day I have never spoken to another woman who has had their heart crushed from an affair. I feel like nobody understands the damage it has caused in my life. Will I ever get over it?

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    1. Whether or not your husband acknowledges this as an affair, IT WAS A BETRAYAL. So many women whose husbands have cheated say it was the lying and deceit that they struggle with, more than the sex.
      I wonder if your husband's betrayal triggered an earlier betrayal, given your trouble letting people get close. You feel unsafe, which is normal given that your husband violated your trust.
      It would be good if you sought individual counselling. Given that it has been four years and you haven't moved last this part with him, I think it's time to focus own hay YOU can do to get past that hurt yourself.
      Sad that your husband can't acknowledge that this is about emotional trauma, not whether he stuck his man parts in another's woman parts. By not respecting and acknowledging your experience- and being accountable for it - he's compounding your pain and vulnerability. We need to be seen...and have our stories heard.

      Elle

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  19. I have a question.

    I found out about my husband's affair a couple of months ago. He moved out first, a few weeks after, but I was the one who told him to go ahead and sign a lease for an apartment. I didn't feel like I was in control of my anger enough to work on anything or reach a decision yet, and I don't think he was really sure what he wanted to do, either, although he lets it seem like I am the one who made the decision to separate.

    What is your experience- was it a bad idea to separate? Does it only widen the gulf and make reconciliation less likely? We are trying to preserve as much of our friendship as possible and don't want to lash out while we are still so raw. Of course I worry that he will just choose her if I separate- but then, wouldn't that be a sign that's what he really wanted all along? This was his high school girlfriend and he really had strong feelings for her, even though we have been together for 19 years. So it is really hard to think I could trust him again. But at the same time I know that I could change my mind (maybe in an hour- haha. Still on the roller coaster)

    When I read peoples posts here, on one hand it gives me hope that we could work things out, which then makes me worry that I acted in haste when I told him to sign a lease. But then I read of how the pain lasts so long, and it is a lot of work to save the marraige, and it makes me scared to try. It is so hard to know what to do. I believe he cares about me, but I don't know if he loves me enough anymore, and I worry he only wants to save things for "the marraige" and "the family"... not for me as a person that he loves and misses. Don't get me wrong, of COURSE the family/kids count, but I don't want that to be why he comes back, and then I'm just Mom but not his true love.

    Aarg. So anyway, has anyone had a separation period, and how did it affect things?

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    1. I didn't ask my husband to move out though sometimes wonder if I should have. I think the distance can give both of you the chance to get clear on what you want. Curious what others think...

      Elle

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    2. I couldn't do it either. I thought about it, and I told him I thought about it...But i knew I would NEVER let him come back. I knew he would run back to her just for attention, sex, whatever. I needed control to be perfectly honest! I wanted to know where he was at all times. I WANTED TO MAKE THE NEXT MOVE. Whether that was divorce or working things out. May not make sense, but it did to me. I hated him and wanted to kill him, but my kids needed their Daddy and I needed the piece of mind that while he was in our house, he was not with her.

      MS

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    3. In our case, my husband did not move out - he asked if I wanted him to move out. I had two reactions to that:
      1) He didn't want to make the decision to move out, he wanted ME to do it (and therefore be The Bad Guy), and
      2) I told him he could move out if he wanted, or not, but as far as I was concerned he was running away from his problems (plural) and had been for some time (i.e. running to her instead of confronting things head on). My husband is a classic passive-aggressive personality. Sometimes I think we needed that separation - hard to say in retrospect. - H.

      Delete
  20. This nightmare is my life :(

    Woke up unusually early on 12/1/12. Had urdge to find and look for his cell phone. I found it the text from WH to OW "wanna fuck". Tried to stand up almost passed out. This is where my world was ripped right out from under my feet!

    When he ended with OW she flipped out and started stalking me to the point of me obtaining a restaining order.

    This is constantly in my head, nothing seems the same, and I trust nobody.

    We are trying to make it work and he is being very accountalbe at all times. Just don't know if that's enough. I just want to get away but with three kids and limited funds--not happening.

    Now I'm a super jelous wife and never was before (I hate that). I feel completely needy and attention seeking (hate that more).

    He just keeps telling me it's the worst mistake of his life and will prove to me he's is worthy of remaining my husband.

    ...that was about 6 months ago. Now my days are getting better and better. I understand why he did this....they are (were) broken NOT me!!

    We are getting away in a couple of months, just the two of us :o)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I didn't find messages but I did find the number hundreds of times. You're journey sounds a lot like mine. And my needy tendencies have only gotten worse! I left facebook for awhile too bc of all the drama and I could view her stupid facebook page. My husband deactivated his forever I think!

      My husband is very non communicative but he too SWEARS it will never happen again. Time will tell, but the Betrayed Wives need to remain strong!

      Hugs to you girl!
      MS

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  21. I also have been reading each and every one of the stories shared here and I too as the previous person, feel both comforted and at times hopeless in doing so. As the previous woman stated, seeing how after 3, even 5 years later there is still so much pain, makes me question if l will
    be able to make it given that I'm only 6 months into this experience from hell. I need to share my story, I need for other woman like me to hear my story in hopes to communicate that we are not crazy or irrational as much crazy and irrational behavior we are participating in :) First I want to respond to the question of, should one separate from the cheating husband? Well the only answer to that is that there is only what is right for you. I kicked my husband out because I hated him and was beyond angry that I could not even look at him without wanting to spit in his face. I needed the space. Of course I then felt even more abandoned but it was what I needed at the time. I didn't see him for a couple of weeks but he would call and text nonstop as so did I in trying to find some answers. In the following 4 months he was out of the home he sometimes spent the night if I allowed it but then I felt serious abandoned issues resurface each time he left so I told him that either we worked it out together everyday or we seek a true separation. He moved back home. Either way, nothing can help us from avoiding the emotional roller coaster that eats up at our soul.

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    1. There's occasional pain years later but if you've both focused on healing, it's minimal. I would go so far as to say, I can look back now and see the gifts that I gained by this experience.
      However, you're right. Emotional roller coaster in the shorter term.
      Set some ground rules. There's lots on this site about steps to take: insisting on no contact, access to any and all e-mail accounts, cell phones, etc. marriage counselling is recommended if only to give you a safe place to hash this out.
      But please trust that the pain will end.

      Elle

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  22. Dear Elle, I've posted here before. Part 1

    I found out January 21 that my husband was cheating on me with a coworker that was half his age. From what I have read over the course of the last 6 months is this seems to be more common than I think. Never thought I would look at my experience like a Lifetime Channel story.

    I wanted to post to just get this off my chest. So I have an image in my head of this girl he slept with and had an emotional affair with. She is now in a relationship (which I do regret looking at her facebook page, but I couldn't help my stupid self). I don't know if she will pursue my husband again...I am hoping not. He says he has not had ANY contact with her since Mid-May...He was STILL talking to her after all the counseling and pain I had been through..and yes...telling her he loved her....But he did say he told her he was working things out with me. I don't know how this was supposed to make me feel better but whatever.

    Anyways, today we have been able to communicate without HIGH emotion. No crying or yelling. Just very "matter of fact" conversation. I voice my concerns and he APPEARS to listen. He says the cheating will never happen again and he loves me. I know I just want to move on, but I am still having trouble. I still have images and still ride the emotional roller coaster!

    But on a brighter note, I am back to my workout regime. I'm back to caring for my body and somewhat my mind. We've decided to forgo the counseling at this point as I feel we are at a good point to try to do things on our own. We have open lines of communication and I am getting better at balancing when those times to have serious conversation should be.

    THERE IS HOPE! I just try to fulfill his needs and he does the same. That's all I can ask for. Checking his phone and his accounts drove me crazy and I no longer feel the need to do it. I need to know this is a want and not a forced thing on his part.

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    1. Thanks for posting. Can I ask you something? It is killing me that I think the OW is still heavy on my H's mind. We haven't done counseling, etc. has yours talked about how he can have feelings for her and even love, and how did he justify his continued deception?
      I am so scared that I will try to reconcile, then face a similar discovery as yours a few months later. He won't give me a straight answer when I ask about thier current status. Which is my answer in and of itself, I guess, at least he's not telling a lie. I don't think they are very actively involved but I think she's on standby.

      Delete
  23. Posted here before Part 2

    Just a top to those just NOW finding this page and finding out...The one thing that helped me the MOST..

    Writing a letter..Contract..that stated EXACTLY what would happen should he still be cheating or cheat again! It is something I must hold to should I find out about anymore infidelity.

    I simply stated in a one page letter my terms for continuing the marriage and that if I did find out....I WOULD DIVORCE HIM.
    I've never said it myself..He's suggested it to me a couple times in the course of our 12 year marriage..I I have NEVER said it. I wanted to be crystal clear what would happen. Much like you would with a child! And I know for my own self respect, I will hold to the promise I made in that letter.

    Just a tip. It will help you to make a stand against the infidelity and set a goal for yourself should he feel he can have his cake and eat it too!!

    Remember to love yourself....The OW is just not worth your time!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yes, I too think a contract can go a long way toward helping you feel a measure of control. That can be so hard- that feeling of total OUT of control.
      And yes, the OW is NOT worth your time.

      Delete
  24. I stumbled on your blog and have found a lot of comfort in what you and the others have written. A few months ago my husband had an emotional affair with a coworker. Like everyone else on here I felt beyond hurt, betrayed, lost, lonely, everything. We went to counseling and really seemed to work through it. I am even having our third baby now and for a while things were really good. Ideally after this he would have found a new job, but he wasn't able to. With me becoming pregnant and already having 2 little kids we needed his income and insurance. We agreed he would continue to work at the same company and he would stop being friends with her outside of work. Well several times I have found that he was continuing his friendship with her outside of work. First I found out they became Facebook friends, after a huge fight he unfriended her. Then I found out he was sending her emails just about things he found "humorous" and after yet another fight he stopped emailing her in the evenings. So now this morning I saw a comment he wrote on a Facebook post referring to her as his "close friend." I just lost it. He swears nothing is going on between them romantically and I actually believe him. But I am broken up that he considers her his close friend and that they don't just talk about work things at work but they confide in each other about personal matters. He said ending their friendship has been harder than he thought. I believed him that they were simply co-workers and now I find out their friendship never ended. I know his comment sounds trivial, but it feels like such a slap in my face. The one thing I needed was for him to not continue his friendship with her outside of work, and he has shown me he can't do that. It makes me feel like I come second to her. I don't think he wants to hurt her feelings and I hate that she is not hurting. After all that happened she doesn't deserve to not hurt.
    I don't know what to do. I believe the affair is over but I do not feel that I come first in his life. I told him after we have the baby I want him to leave his job. He said he would if he found a better one. I'm scared about the future because I don't think I can handle him putting her before me any more. I want him to leave his job to help our marriage and I'm afraid he ultimately won't. I'm just so tired of him and this OW hurting me over and over again. I just don't know what to do.

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    1. You are not trivial at all. You tried to trust again, dealt with him working in the same place, then find out about more deception. It doesn't matter even if he is "just friends". After a betrayal like this, a small lie is as bad as a big one!!! Because if it were me I would start asking myself "if he can still lie after seeing my hurt, will he always lie?" or "if he's lying about being friends with her, what else is he hiding about them"
      Not to say that ur husband is lying, but he has to understand what is running through your head, you know?
      For the first week after d-day, I thought my husbands affair was only emotional- and it is still horrible. I could understand a flung- after 19 faithful (I think!!!) years- but talking to someone obsessively, about me? The kids?! It killed me. Still does. More than the sex.

      Delete
    2. Little Mama-
      It is NOT acceptable for him to be friends with her. My counselor made that clear to me and my husband when I found out what was going on. If it is not necessary for him to communicate with her, then he needs to stop. Mine husband tried to stay friends and did the same crap with not wanting to hurt her feelinsg...EXCUSES!!!....and eventually, he got a taste of who she really is bc she started spreading rumors!

      My husband and I deleted our accounts. Facebook has become a MAJOR issue in marriages. Either delete both or share ONE.We now share one that I control. He said he's not interested in having one. Works for me LOL!

      Same thing with email. You should NOT have separate accounts for A LONG WHILE. Not until you feel comfortable.

      He needs to be accountable for his whereabouts too! He should check in with you daily so you know you are first and on his mind. This will help your trust issues as well...It did me and let's me know he thinks of me. Your trust has been broken and he needs to EARN it back.

      Tell him calmly and emotionlessly (no crying/yelling) in order for this marriage to work....

      He must
      1) cut off all unnecessary contact (If he is not her manager and visa versa...It's unnecessary)
      2) NO MORE INDIVIDUAL FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS!
      3) YOU need to stand your ground. I know you have two kids...I do too (4 and 10 years old)...Stand up for them and yourself and tell him what will happen-Verbally and Written- if he continues the relationship.

      Good luck sweetie...We are all healing and we are all here to support each other.

      MS

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    3. The contact absolutely has to stop. She is NOT a friend to your marriage or you (to say the least) and he needs to grow up and recognize that his ego strokes or "friendship" doesn't trump your feelings and the marriage. His loyalty must be to you above ALL else.
      And yes, stand your ground. This is about helping YOU heal. If he's not interested in doing anything it takes to help you get past his violation of your trust, then show him the door. He doesn't get to be married when it suits him and single when it suits him.
      I'm so glad others weighed in with great advice. You guys are so great!!

      Elle

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  25. One of the hardest things for me to deal with is to know that my husband could lie to me so well. I've known him for 19 years and always given him complete trust. He travels, he has a cool guy career that could get him all kinds of girls, but I have never been one to worry. And when I did worry- for the past few months in particular- I asked him, straight out, for the first truly serious time in our relationship, if there was someone else and he said no.
    And now my whole idea of him is shattered. If I give him another chance, will I feel like I have to keep being a detective? Scouring the phone bill to see if hes called her? Checking his phone for text apps? I don't want to be that. I hate it, it isn't me. But I am so scared to trust him again. I feel like she is part of his heart now and does that make it too late?

    Well I am the person that said above that I asked him to sign a lease and I worry now. When he was here, we talked more and I would have had answers to a lot of my questions by now. But since he moved out we barely talk about things in any depth at all. And he is out of the country for over a month now so even though the space might be good, ultimately, it is hard not to stew with these unanswered questions. Believe it or not, that whole "envision a stop sign in your head" idea someone mentioned here- it really helped! I didn't think it would.

    Part of me hopes this time away will make him really want me back. So far I get mixed messages. When he landed overseas he send me a long heartfelt apology text. Made me feel so much better about myself.
    Well, just got the phone bill. Completely clean...except he also sent her a single text the day he landed. Aaarg. I haven't made him actually promise not to talk to her- after all, I kinda told him to leave- but at the same time he knows that continuing his relationship with her would totally nix me taking him back.This is all so hard :-(

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    1. Among the incredibly difficult tasks we have to face in the wake of betrayal is figuring what among our own responses is genuine and what is manipulative. It was so hard for me to figure out if I really wanted him to leave or if I was telling him to to gauge how much he'd resist it or how hard he'd fight for me. I was frequently "testing" him. Which doesn't really serve any of us well.
      So getting clear (with the help of a therapist who has seen all this before) makes a big difference and allows us to focus on what we truly want...and whether our husband is capable of giving that to us.
      If he wants to rebuild a relationship with you, he absolutely must stop all contact with her. Three is one too many.

      You're right. This is so hard. But we often make it even harder because our ego gets in the way. Our fears that this will happen again. Our deep, deep wound.

      Delete
  26. I found out my husband had cheated on me one day by accidentally grabbing his phone (we had identical phones) while dropping off our 9 year old son to his Writing tutor in May 2012. If he hadn't called the phone looking for it I would have never known I even had it. We were going through a rough patch in our marriage and I had suspected that he was "talking" to another woman but could never prove it. I dropped off my son, sat in the parking lot and went through the messages he had sent to this woman.

    My husband is in the military and travels every once in awhile. In November 2011, he had to fly to Arizona for a 3 week class. He called me everyday to tell me how much he hated it there and couldn't wait to get back home. After a week of being there, the stories started to change. He would tell me that he and some of his other classmates would go out to a bar. He would tell me how crazy some of the guys were hitting on this girl from the class. That he felt bad for her because he knew she didn't want anything to do with them. As a matter of fact, he boyfriend was there visiting her at the time. Later he would tell me that after class they would go running together. After that, they would catch a movie together.

    Of course, being a slightly jealous wife, I would say, "Wow, you're spending a lot of time with her. You sure her boyfriend doesn't mind?" He would never have anything to say to that besides, "She said he was cool with it." I looked forward to him coming home ASAP. He came home and continued to talk to this girl "as friends." I would even tell him to tell her I said Hi. I'm sure that message never got relayed. I became more vocal about how I thought he was talking to her alot and, of course, he would say I'm just being jealous and crazy. She lived in Virginia and we live in Florida. Eventually, he told me that she was going to deploy to Afghanistan in a couple months. (I cheered silently.) That was a load off my shoulders.

    Early March 2012 he tells me he has to go to Miami for a week for work in April. He said he needed some time away from us, his job, reality, for a while so he would add on another week to his work week in Miami. I was upset, but said if he thought this is what he needed then so be it. I completely understood as there were times I wish I could just get up and walk away from everything for a week. I booked his hotel that he requested, helped him pack his bags, and even helped him with the new GPS we just bought. The night we packed his bags he was in a great mood. I couldn't smack that smile off his face if I tried with a frying pan.

    It was 2 weeks after that I mistakenly grabbed his phone. So, of course, I went through the messages. And just as I had suspected, but hoped I wouldn't find, there were messages between my husband and this woman. I thought, well damn, even in Afghanistan she's still texting him!! Her phone bill must be sky high! And then I read the texts. "I miss you already. I wish you were here to rub my back again. Love you" Miss you already?? Rub my back AGAIN? LOVE YOU?!?!? I will never forget that short trip back to the house from the school.
    He didn't even try to hide it. I asked and he said yes. The woman had flown from AFGHANISTAN for her R&R to be with my husband in Miami.

    I don't cry everyday anymore. I don't think about it everyday anymore. But I still hurt a lot. And I still remember. I will never forget.

    I know you can't tell me when I will start to trust him fully again. And I know you can't tell me that things will be better. I just hope by sending a long sad comment on some random blog will help me feel slightly better by knowing that others have been in my shoes and have lived to see another day.

    MV

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    1. MV,

      I'm glad you chose to send your "long sad comment" onto this particular "random blog" and I truly hope it made you feel even marginally better.

      Sounds like you've been through hell. I can't tell you when you'll trust him again but you likely will never completely trust him again. But that's okay. You never could. None of us can ever truly trust someone else, even if we believe we can. You CAN get to a place where you trust that he has the tools to stop himself from going down that path again...so that if he does, he does so knowing exactly what it's doing to you. And you can absolutely get to a place where this feels like a horrible chapter in your life...instead of your whole life.

      I hope you'll keep posting and letting us know how you're doing. When you're further along, I hope you'll also share what you've learned with others who are just finding out. That say, we help each other along the path to healing.

      Elle

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  27. Jealousy: I was never a jealous person before this. I was proud to not be worried. I thought I had nothing to worry about... Until the affair was going on. I didn't know about it, but I was worried that their friendship was more than just that. But i didn't really believe it, and I felt guilty for not trusting him!

    Age and "love": The OW was 5 years older than me and my husband. She wasn't younger or prettier. She wasn't smarter, sexier, or even nicer than me. She and my husband were genuinely (albeit selfishly and stupidly) in love. It wasn't about sex, although it eventually came to that. That's one of the things that hurts the most. He really did love her.

    Recovery: We are doing well together, my husband and I. He truly wants to do everything it takes to fix things, make things better, and make a good future together. I do, too. We're making good strides in that direction. It's still hard, though. I think I trust him, but who ever really trusts again after this? My biggest problem on that front is believing he loves me. He says so and does everything he can to prove it. And I believe it when he's saying it. And then, when that belief isn't being actively reinforced, I lose faith again It's a matter of self esteem. My self esteem is shot.

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    1. Mountainsailing,

      That's one of the toughest parts of this...rebuilding our shattered sense of self. But I will venture to say that our esteem wasn't very strong in the first place if it depended on another's love to survive.
      That is YOUR job in this: to rebuild your esteem so that you absolutely believe in your own worth, no matter what anyone else does.
      I'm glad you're doing well together. I'm sure it'll continue to get better when you're both committed to making it so. But you'll never feel completely safe within the relationship until you trust that you would be completely okay without it.

      Elle

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    2. It seems a life-long (so far, anyway) task for me too.

      I suspect it's a problem for a lot of us. I don't think there would be so many affairs if people felt complete within themselves.

      Elle

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  28. My story reads just like a lot of others, my paid and feelings are just the same, i find it comforting to know other women feel as i do, shell shocked and stunned!! with my brain telling me to run a mile and my heart wants to stay!!
    I have been with my husband for 15 years, he is nine years younger than me, i have to sons , grown up now, and he has a 16 year old disabled son who has lives with us for two years.
    For background info, we have been through a lot together, money problems, my youngest son had cancer for tow years, my parents are elderly and need a lot of care, but we were so strong and close i never dreamed he would do anything to hurt me, ever!
    Since xmas this year, i noticed my husband seemed stressed out, not very happy, i had asked him many times what was wrong, he denied a problem.
    In march this year we went out as a group with some of my cousins, and i noticed his "talking" secretively to one of my cousins, she is his age, married with a child. For the first time in my life with him, alarm bells rang, two days later, i checked his mobile phone account and found over 5000 tesxt between then, going back to november last year.
    I confronted him, he completely denies ever meeting up/touching/ being attracted to her, and broke down, saying he is very unhappy in his life, for many reasons,(work, a failed relationship with his brother, stress of my parents) couldnt talk to me, as i over react (i did!) and that this was the outlet for his unhappiness. I made him aware that this type of betrayal (an emotional affair) was completely unacceptable to me,i confronted her also, and advised her to stay away from both of us, i looked at my own behaviour towards him recently, and changed my ways to help mend the problems he saw in our relationship. This appeared to be working, as we got on great,i really felt things were better. A month ago, i began to feel uneasy again, just gut instinct, i went through his work bag, and found a gift from her to him. I was devastated, i confronted him again, to be told she had met him from work that day, he had found a way to contact her again by ringing her from work, and she had asked to meet up.
    I called him all the names under the sun, asked him what hell he thinks he trying to achieve here, if he wanted to leave, just leave, dont keep punishing me for his unhappiness, he said , he is happy with us, he is very unhappy with the rest of his life, and he doesnt know why he needed to call her, why he feels compelled to call her??
    this was two weeks ago, i do have to say, this time his behaviour and what he has done actually seems to be sinking in with him this time, he is very remorseful (wasnt last time) and has sought a councellor for his issues with unhappiness. I cant tell you how totally out of character this is for him,he is/was the most sincere honest man i ever knew,i truly believe he has depression, i told him this back in march and had asked him to get help then, he vowes to prove he is sorry and it will never happen again,and will do whatever it takes to help me have trust in him again. My heart says stay, my brain says run!! its a mess. But i love him and i do believe he loves me.
    Im in a nightmare, i cant live without trust, but a third chance! am i being a fool??

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    1. With cousins like that, who needs enemies!
      You're not being a fool because you're feeling conflicted. So many of us go through that sense of head/heart confusion.
      One of the evergreen bits of advice following learning of an affair is to give yourself time to get clear on what you want. The early days are a blur of tears, tantrums, recriminations... It takes time to determine how you really feel in the midst of all this (ie. is this a good guy who made a really bad choice, or someone for whom an affair is just another level of deceit?).
      It sounds as if the first time, he didn't really recognize how wrong his behaviour was (emotional affairs are often dismissed as not really affairs, except by we betrayed wives). Give him time to sort his own stuff out, and take time to get clear on your own. If it feels right to you, relegate him to the couch or a guest room.
      You both have so much to deal with right now that I've no doubt it has taken an emotional toll of both of you. It's crucial that you each have outlets (not just each other) to work through the stress. Any one of those things (elderly parents, disabled child, sick child) is tough. That you've been able to hold it together is a testimony to your strength.
      Hang in there. If you choose to stay in the marriage, set some serious ground rules in order to help you re-establish trust: absolutely NO contact with your cousin for a start.

      Elle

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  29. Dear Wives, Mothers, Daughters, Sisters,Friends - All Ladies. I found your sharing incredibly caring and appreciate the effort to bring our pain into the open with honesty. I am writing to you from Australia and I find the hundreds of days/thousands of hours I have researched and learned about my husband's Midlife Crisis, America seems to have much greater morals and values in society than I have experienced here. It leads me to my story but also my question trying to find out if my story relates to anyone's experience in America or is it just Society in Australia that no longer has family values. So here goes, and I will try to be as brief as possible. My husband after 24 years/27 years together, left for the first de facto (yes, moved in within one month), then returned to me saying they had just been friends (I was completely lost and believed him) then we reconciled Nov 2012. Three weeks before Christmas he told our two sons (20 & 17) and myself that we couldn't be a family anymore. One month after telling me he loved me more than ever, he had moved in with the second de facto. But for me, this is only (hard to believe) the smallest part of his betrayal or attacks against me. He justified his actions with all his relatives and our friends and his colleagues with lies of how terrible I was. This is the hardest part for me to contend with today - his colleagues wife said she would help him find dates, his colleague took him to topless taverns, his brother, his sister and his 76 year old mother told him that she couldn't wait to meet the new women. These were my family too after 27 years. He met a psychologist once who told him if he was ready to move on within one month of 24 years marriage - there was no wrong or right if that's how he felt. He divorced me two months ago and brought his new de facto into the Court -we've had no fault divorce in Australia since 1975 and the Judge said we have an open court system and she could stay. Every single one of my husband's support people told him congratulations and 'move on'. It is an understatement to say after the abandonment of our beautiful sons and myself, he left us all reeling but to add many attacks against me of slander and malice, we couldn't recognise him anymore. Part 1 Hazel

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  30. The worst of it all is that in Australia all this behaviour by him is acceptable and even congratulated and that marriage is about moving on when he felt like it. Even our Courts herded us all in and completed 5 divorces in 20 minutes. We do not have hardly any alimony or spousal maintenance cases because they are very difficult to achieve in Australia. I wonder how a whole country - laws, friends, family and an old grandmother who has denied her own grandsons be part of a whole family - can be so lacking of values, morals, compassion or empathy. My husband (ex) has been pat on the back for walking away, we don't even know where he lives anymore and not one person in his life (except myself and our sons) has asked him to think about this - he told me everything I have explained here in November. I called our friends, they don't call me back. My sons live with knowing their grandmother supported the end of their family. Even my best friend and my parents who are very good people live in a state of conditioning where they just say "I have to move on" the day after my husband left. This country does not value or support marriage and family, in fact, adulterers are congratulated for 'moving on'. The slander and malice has been more hurtful than the other women. But from what I read about American people, relatives and friends often work very hard to help a husband or wife reunite. In Australia there is a whole-society attitude of our saying "Too bad, so sad" which means the same as "Bad Luck, oh well". I would be interested to know if adulterers are generally frowned upon in America? I have often read that if a husband has an affair, (in America) his own parents/relatives will not speak to him yet here in Australia every man I know (sadly, my brother too) walks out on his family and makes up a justification for it and (absolutely) everyone tells them they did the right thing. My husband's (ex) mother is a Catholic who attends every week - I cannot understand? Thank you for reading, Part 2 Hazel

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    1. Hazel,
      I've heard similar stories told by American/Canadian betrayed wives. Your husband, quite frankly, sounds like a jerk. And though I know how hurt you've been not only by him but his family and friends, I suspect you're better off without him. It's incredibly sad that he's abandoned his own children. Children always need their parents, even stupid parents like him. Please try to consider yourself lucky to be spared any more time on this guy. Seek out people who share your values and avoid toxic people like those in your ex-husband's life. I know enough Australians to know that there are some good people too!
      Hang in there. And please don't give these poison people any more of your emotional energy.

      Elle

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    2. Hazel,

      I think infidelity isn't much different in North America. A lot of people are blasé about it...until it happens to them. But our culture tends to blame the wife in some cases, or chalk it up to men being cads.
      In any case, I'm sure the lack of support from your family and friends is horrible after the pain of betrayal. Can you talk to them and explain to them how hurtful their behaviour is? Not in a blame way, just in a "I want you to know how painful this has been for me" way. If not, I think perhaps your friends weren't very good friends. Maybe this is the time to build a new life surrounded by people who genuinely support you and respect you. Show your sons that it's possible to create change and demand respect. Show them that being a man means loyalty and self-respect and compassion. That strength means sticking with people even when it's hard.
      And don't even bother trying to make sense of these hypocrites who sit in church but don't actually live the values they hear preached. Spend your time with people who make you feel good.

      Elle

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    3. Hang in there, Hazel! I agree with you about the no-fault divorce - I think (and have stated in other posts and places) that a marriage CONTRACT should be legally held to the same standards as any other business contract...Sadly it is not. In my case, we stayed together, I believe in part with pressure from his family. Understand, however, that his family will always BE his family, regardless of his behavior, whether they cease to talk to him or not.

      I do wish, however, that there would be some case for Libel in the court system and that "No Fault" should be justifiable - that is, if it's truly "no fault" then he should be a reasonable period (say a year or two) before he can hook up with another woman or it violates the "no fault" clause.

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  31. I feel for you as that has been the general attitude towards my ex, ah well it happens, something must have drove him to it (irish catholic mother who wont face up to her sons behaviour and does what many mothers here do, places blame on anyone else but on her son and even perhaps her own part in how her son was raised etc) and of course his brothers saying ah you are not the first and wont be the last. None of his friends have expressed dissaproval and yes I think that marriage and fidelity are no longer valued, are disposable, and people take the easy option when faced with dificulties, rather than doing the work to sort out problems. People have a sense of entitlement that sometimes astounds me. Here in Ireland its been my experience that women dont raise their sons to be good partner material.

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  32. Married to a sex addict
    I found the texts and emails between my husband and numerous women and men on our six-year wedding anniversary. My husband and I had been together since we were 15 years old - a total of 15 years. Never in my worst nightmares did I ever imagine he would betray me like this. I had no clue that he was a sex addict or that he had been physically cheating on me with multiple women for at least two years (that's what he admits to). He has since told me he has been addicted to porn for awhile now. Through the emails, I discovered he had an online alter-ego and was on numerous dating and adult sex websites. He texted and emailed these people constantly. There was even one young woman (only 21 years old with three young children) that he had an ongoing relationship with for over a year. I saw all their texts and emails. That hurt more than knowing he had had numerous flings. The fact that he had a real relationship with this girl hurt the most. I had been loving in a cold, loveless relationship where I was the partner putting all the energy into "fixing us" while he was giving all his love to her. He literally texted her every morning "Good morning beautiful". My husband has maybe told me I am beautiful about 5 or 6 times in the 15 years we've been together. I have always struggled with my self-esteem and told him so many times I wanted to hear that he thought I was pretty or beautiful, but he never could say that to me. I have struggled with anorexia over the past couple years to try to get the "perfect body" in hopes he would love me more or tell me how good I look. The weird thing is other men often tell me I'm pretty and I've been hit on right in front of my husband a few times - he didn't even react.

    Now that I know about all the affairs and his addiction, everything is starting to make sense. I now see how he could treat me so poorly and be so cold all the time. I understand why I was always the one initiating sex or wanting to show affection. I have also been questioning everything he has said and done over the past couple years. All of the memories seem jaded now because I know that even when we were on holidays or celebrating birthdays or Christmas he was texting, emailing or meeting up with other women. In a way I feel relieved because I know why nothing I did was enough for him and that it wasn't me or my fault even though he always made me feel that way.

    I kicked my husband out the day I found those emails and texts - on our wedding anniversary. Since then I have continued to uncover so many lies. I read your blog post about Pain Shopping and I was definitely guilty of that - asking him a million questions, forcing him to recover all the deleted text messages. I don't know why I did that, it just caused me so much more pain. I think I almost needed to confirm that I was making the right decision by divorcing him. It's hard to admit that the person you've loved and cared about for 15 years isn't who you thought he was at all. It was just so hard for me to believe that he could do all these things to me. The thing that disturbed me the most, more than the pictures and raunchy sexting and emailing, was the texts I discovered indicating that he had brought the 21 year old girlfriend into my home and had picked her up in my car after he drove me to work. That still makes me want to puke every time I think about it.

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  33. Married to a sex addict cont...

    Since I kicked him out, he has begun to see a sex addiction counsellor. He asked me to go see her as well so she could explain his addiction to me. I was very reluctant, thinking she would try to convince me to take him back, but I am so happy I went. Because he consented, she was able to tell me what they had talked about and what she felt about his recovery. His counsellor told me he has a very extreme addiction and may also have other personality disorders on top of the sex addiction. The thing she told me that confirmed that I had made the right decision by filing for divorce was that she knows he is not ready to change and that he has not hit his rock bottom yet. She said he is living in denial and doesn't think this is a big deal. I cannot save him and I cannot be there as he continues to spiral out of control. I need to walk away. This doesn't mean I've stopped worrying or caring about him. I just can't talk to him anymore unless it's about the divorce or selling the house.

    Since making that decision, I have felt a huge relief. He had asked me to help him through his recovery - now I see how extremely selfish that was of him - but I felt like I should try to help him. After all, we were best friends for 15 years. I can see now that I would never be able to heal if I was trying to help him heal. I need to cut the ties and move on with my life. It won't be easy, and it won't happen anytime soon but I need to do it for myself.

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  34. Hello Everyone!
    My name is Iria. I am sharing my story with all of you trying to find some guidance and honest opinions. I met my husband 13 years ago. I was at the time only 17 years old. We have been married for 9 years and have two wonderful daughters. My husband was my first everything and I thought he was the one. I was so naive because I thought my husband was a different person but I was so wrong. I trusted to him 100%. I never doubted him and I never doubted his love. I was so wrong. I believe that was my biggest mistake I trusted to him so much.
    I am attending College and I am full time student. Most of the time; I have to study and take care of my kids. I thought since he has been so supportive with me to improve my education I should give him some space and let him go out with his friends. I never thought …no even for a minute that he was having an affair with a co-worker of his. This woman is married and she has a son. Anyway, my husband told me about his affair about a month ago. He confessed of having one year relationship with this lady. I was in shock because I never imagined that he could betray me in this way. I just do not understand why he did this to me. I keep asking myself over and over the same question. I asked him why he did this to me and he responded that it was just sex. I know this lady has a long list of sexual partners and I am sure that she has more experience than me in this subject. I know my husband knew this. In fact, she was having sexual intercourse with my husband, her husband and her ex-husband. This is crazy and I just do not get it. Furthermore, his betrayal was not only sexual but also emotional..
    It is funny because I always took care of myself and my reputation. I have only been with one person until now. I was raised with the religious idea of waiting for the right person and that is exactly what I did. I am so stupid because I always try to give the best of me. I always tried to be a good mother, wife, daughter and friend and at the end this is what I get. I thought my husband was the man of my life and I feel like I do not know him anymore.
    I told my husband to leave the house right after he confessed me the truth. Well, he also told me that the lady had a baby who just turned 3 months old and this baby is his. Can you believe this? He had sex without protection. He did not think in all the sexual diseases he exposed me to. My husband is living with his parents and he wants me to forgive him and to give him another chance. Unfortunately, what he did to me is so hard to forgive and forget. I am so stress with the school that I do not want more stress in my life. I still love him but I will never trust to him as I did before. Something inside of me tells me that maybe he is not the man for me. Maybe all this situation has happen for a reason. My questions are: Do I should give him a chance for our kids? How could I ever have intimacy with someone who betrayed me in this way? Should I just move on with my life?

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  35. Hello Everyone!
    My name is Iria. I am sharing my story with all of you trying to find some guidance and honest opinions. I met my husband 13 years ago. I was at the time only 17 years old. We have been married for 9 years and have two wonderful daughters. My husband was my first everything and I thought he was the one. I was so naïve because I thought my husband was a different person but I was so wrong. I trusted to him 100%. I never doubted him and I never doubted his love. I was so wrong. I believe that was my biggest mistake I trusted to him so much.
    I am attending College and I am full time student. Most of the time; I have to study and take care of my kids. I thought since he has been so supportive with me to improve my education I should give him some space and let him go out with his friends. I never thought …no even for a minute that he was having an affair with a co-worker of his. This woman is married and she has a son. Anyway, my husband told me about his affair about a month ago. He confessed of having one year relationship with this lady. I was in shock because I never imagined that he could betray me in this way. I just do not understand why he did this to me. I keep asking myself over and over the same question. I asked him why he did this to me and he responded that it was just sex. I know this lady has a long list of sexual partners and I am sure that she has more experience than me in this subject. I know my husband knew this. In fact, she was having sexual intercourse with my husband, her husband and her ex-husband. This is crazy and I just do not get it. Furthermore, his betrayal was not only sexual but also emotional..
    It is funny because I always took care of myself and my reputation. I have only been with one person until now. I was raised with the religious idea of waiting for the right person and that is exactly what I did. I am so stupid because I always try to give the best of me. I always tried to be a good mother, wife, daughter and friend and at the end this is what I get. I thought my husband was the man of my life and I feel like I do not know him anymore.
    I told my husband to leave the house right after he confessed me the truth. Well, he also told me that the lady had a baby who just turned 3 months old and this baby is his. Can you believe this? He had sex without protection. He did not think in all the sexual diseases he exposed me to. My husband is living with his parents and he wants me to forgive him and to give him another chance. Unfortunately, what he did to me is so hard to forgive and forget. I am so stress with the school that I do not want more stress in my life. I still love him but I will never trust to him as I did before. Something inside of me tells me that maybe he is not the man for me. Maybe all this situation has happen for a reason. My questions are: Do I should give him a chance for our kids? How could I ever have intimacy with someone who betrayed me in this way? Should I just move on with my life?

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  36. Hi.Firstly I am so glad I have come across this blog. I do not know anyone in person who has been through what I have. It's been 2 years now since I found out about my husband's 1 year affair. I believed all his lies. He even got her pregnant and aborted the baby. I always thought I would end marriage if my husband had an affair. I did think I would rather have found out about his affair after 3 years of marriage rather than be married for 30 years and then him have an affair. I guess either way it is difficult. He was sorry immediately. It seemed he had formed a friendship with OW after she had lent him £5000 as a loan as he was going through financial problems. Obviously, one thing led to another. I sit and pick out moments when he showed me love and maybe guilt during his affair. He did sleep with her but he always made love to me quite often. I don't even know why he was with her. she isn't even that good looking albeit younger than me. He knew he would lose me and his 3 year old son. I changed the door locks, put a restraining order on him when he tried to break in. After all that he fell to my feet crying asking for forgiveness. Since that day, OW obviously wanted answers of my husband as to why he used her even though she knew he was married. He paid her back what he owed and moved on. It has been 2 years and I know he is trying. Tells me his whereabouts, lets me check his mobile phone etc. There have been so many tears about the fact that I can't trust him. I'm so scared to show him trust in case he takes me for a fool again. What if he is just staying for the sake of our son? And not because he loves me? I would like to know does it really get better? Anyone here, has their marriage improved/gotten better after affair? And if so, please tell me how?? I am desperate. I don't think he will ever have an affair again, as he says he has too much to lose. But that is only if he gets caught? I have stopped now, but I did end up self harming myself a year ago...None of my family know about his affair.

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  37. I logged on the computer this morning and find my husband's facebook acct still logged in. So I went snooping. I found out that he has been talking with his ex. I was shocked, I couldn't believe it. I continue reading he was trying to meet her for lunch and asking her if she was serious with her bf. I seriously wanted to throw up. They were talking about what he wanted to do to her. So I know this was no innocent conversation. I wake up husband and talk.to him about what I saw.All he said was sorry. Like that's it, all and forgiven. How do I tell him how much this hurt me? How do I know he will stop talking to her. How can I trust him after this?

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  38. How do you subscribe to posts?

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  39. I am from NZ and we are the same here, just move on, how sad too bad never mind. My ex husbands brother with a failed relationship and his best friend with 4 failed marriages were his advisors and they all said the same thing never mind just move on, we had been together for 27 years and still have 2 children at home it was huge for me, he was told that there is no going back, because its too hard now better to just find someone new and make a new life. And thats just what he's trying to do but we have kids together and its hard to keep things sane for their sake. What I find really interesting is the new women's attitude she demands that he cuts all contact with me he is not allowed to speak to me only the kids.She checks his phone his email and he actually goes out of his way to ring me when she's not around. Why do these women get involved with married men they must know that a cheater is a cheater.

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  40. Dear Elle,
    I'm writing this on behalf of someone that I care a lot about, she is my aunt and like a mother to me since the passing of my Mom 4 years ago. My aunt has discovered that her husband of 30 years has been having an affair, it's been a week and a half since she found out (he is my uncle btw). They were out with friends one night and he was texting all night on his phone, however it wasn't until on their way home that she questioned who and what he was texting, he then of course denied that it was anything important. When they got home she insisted that he hand over his phone and he would not of course. She came out and asked him if there was someone else, and he said yes. With all this she was naturally extremely hurt, but worst of all he won't tell her anything more! He says it was just texting and nothing physical (I have my doubts). My Uncle says he wants to work on things but says the affair is non of her business. We live in a small town and my Aunt feels it's someone she knows and she wants to know who this other woman is and I don't blame her. They've had many talks and he refuses to divulge anything to her, but claims he doesn't want to lose his family. She has asked that he send the OW a message saying it's over and he won't even do that. At this point she doesn't know what's going on. My main question is does she have a right to know who this OW is?? She has since kicked him out until he wants to fill her in. She is a mess with all the unknowns and I feel terrible for her, I just want to offer as much support as I can without getting involved and I came across this site, which is amazing btw.

    Thank you!

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    1. Your aunt has the right to know whatever she wants to know. If he won't tell her, then he's making that choice with the knowledge that he's completely disrespecting her position as his wife.
      She's smart to kick him out. He clearly isn't interested in protecting her or supporting her right now so allowing him the benefits of a marriage is crazy. Let him figure out whether he wants to make his marriage work (in which case, he breaks it off, sends a No Contact letter that your aunt is copied on and begins the hard work of rebuilding her trust. If he doesn't want his marriage, then she's better off not spending any time trying to talk him into it.
      She can't force him to tell her who it is…though if it's a small town, there might be those who have an idea. I hope she holds her head high. This is excruciating and I'm glad she's got you for support. This isn't about her, please tell her that. It's about something broken in him that he's seeking in an incredibly unhealthy, hurtful way.
      Tell her to stand strong and insist that he answer her questions if she chooses to come home. He doesn't get a free pass. And let her know, there's lots of posts on this site about what to do when you find out.

      Elle

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  41. Married for 15 years with 2 children, I found out my husband cheated on me between 2007 - 2010 with 2 women. I know about both affairs, but the truth came out because I found out, not because he confessed. He has drip fed me information about his affairs and 3 years on and I still have good and bad days. I think getting drip fed the truth has hindered my recovery. Although I love him and want it to work, Im haunted by the past and live in fear that one day I will re-live that horrific pain and devastation. He made those selfish choices and I can try and be the best wife, mother that I can, but there are no guarantees in life that he won't hurt us again.

    I think because I live with that constant fear its stopping me giving myself 100% to him. I find myself keeping back a little like its a safety blanket. Its as if that safety blanket will make the pain less if he strays again. I believe he has changed and I do think he would move heaven and earth to make me happy, but I am finding myself shutting down from him, I would even say that I'm suffering from low mood and depression as a result. I feel stuck, scared and very sad. I have been for counselling, we did try marriage counselling but his heart was never in it.

    I also dwell on how pretty and young these women are to me and end up feeling very low about myself. I am seriously contemplating ending the marriage, its not fair on either of us and maybe its the only way to end the pain.

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    1. It sounds to me as if you've move forward in your marriage but not past the affair. It's still very much a part of what's in the way.
      I also talk a lot on this site about how betrayal can lead to post-trauma…and it sounds as if that might be the case with you. Post-trauma is when we experience life as if, at any time, we need to be "ready" to be hurt again. It's feeling as if the pain is never really far away. The challenge is to re-file the experience as memory, not trauma. To feel stronger from having survived, not fearful about not surviving again.
      I urge you to get counselling again…with a new counsellor if the other wasn't too helpful. Ideally someone familiar with the fallout of infidelity.
      In the meantime, you need to get clear on what, exactly, you need from your husband. An accounting of exactly what happened and when? To be available to answer your questions, offer support whenever you express a need for it? An indication, in the form of his own work via therapy, that he truly understands why he did what he did…and how to ensure he doesn't go down that path again?
      It's crucial for you to feel safe in your marriage in order to have a real partnership. He needs to recognize that his actions altered your worldview…and certainly impacted your sense that he's your safe place in the world. In order to rebuild that, he needs to understand why he betrayed you, why he jeopardized his marriage and family, what he was seeking in those affairs that he didn't think he could get within the marriage. Affairs aren't about what's wrong with you…they're about what he's missing in himself that he doesn't think he can achieve. A man unhappy in his marriage might have an affair…but will generally use it to exit his marriage. Those who want to keep their marriage are cheating primarily because they're unhappy with themselves and an affair distracts them from feelings that are painful or uncomfortable. They're escaping pain.
      Whether or not your marriage survives, I want to assure you that you can survive this. But even if you end your marriage, if you don't take the time to treat the trauma of his betrayal, you'll simply carry your fear and pain with you. You need to heal from it, with or without him.

      Elle

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  42. Thank you so much for this site. I have been up all night reading it, nothing helps in the same way that hearing testimonies does. My husband had a mid life crisis ten years ago. He had moved to a new job in another state and our children and I were to follow him when the school year ended. They were in early middle school and the last year of elementary school, respectively, and I was finishing my Master's thesis in a totally new career field. But my husband decided he needed to find himself, and that he and I didn't belong together. He found that he just hated me so much, and that our 14 years of marriage were a mistake. After going back and forth on his decision for several weeks, he told me on Easter Sunday that he had decided we were irrevocably finished, with much vitriol. He filed for divorce, and the papers came in the mail on my Graduation Day. I grew up with a challenging mom and alcoholic father, but none of that drama compared with the pain of the divorce. I lost weight and had to go on anti-depressants. Words don't capture the depth of that awful time, but I can recognize it in the posts here. Well, 6 months after this saga had suddenly started, it ended just as suddenly with a contrite email asking me to consider staying married. The divorce suit was dropped, the mid crisis ended. The kids and I moved up and resumed our lives. It was a few weeks after we arrived that I came across the incriminating emails he had written during the divorce time. He was in love with another woman, as his friends and I had suspected. She was a piece of work, but was not interested in him - either stringing him along or just a person with poor boundaries. He didn't stop the divorce just because she wouldn't have him. Instead, it played out like a mid life crisis does, tying in to my husband's feelings of inadequacy when he hit 40 and went through a career change. But that didn't stop me from going through all the suffering that betrayal brings. It was a lot of painful work, but I can tell you that for some marriages, there is healing. Being able to look back after 10 years, I can say that this whole episode was an isolated incidence and not a recurring behavior. Still, it changed me. I struggled with many issues, one of them being hatred for the OW. Blinding and obsessive. She came back to my husband's workplace unexpectedly because it turns out she was adulterously involved with one of his colleagues. Broke up that marriage with no consequence, it was like the poor Australian woman who posted above, with no community support. What is wrong with community today? Anyway, it still haunts me after 10 years. Night before last I had a dream about the OW, even though it's been so long and we haven't lived in that area for years and my husband has had no recurrences with wanting to end our marriage. Just a bad dream, and I was plunged right back into the fresh horror of it. Unable to relate to present circumstances. Unable to function in the present relationship with my husband. Consumed with hatred and anger, wanting to scream at him and hurt her. It's been a bad 24 hours, and now it's starting to lift. Bewildering - no matter now thoroughly you deal with trauma, our psyches are delicate and just a stupid dream can totally take you over. Leave you absolutely out of control as if you were drugged or hypnotized. Anyway, thank you again for your site. You are a very gifted woman. God bless you and all of the women who post.

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    1. You're welcome. That's the thing with trauma. We think we've put it past us…and then suddenly we're triggered and it comes flooding back. I went through EMDR, which is this weird therapy whereby a counsellor uses bilateral stimulation (tapping on your knee, for example, or asking you to follow her finger with your eyes back and forth) but it's really effective for post-trauma -- to refile traumatic memories in a way that makes them less frightening. It's a matter of re-processing the feelings so that they no longer have power.
      It might be worth looking into as it seems there's still some trauma there.

      Elle

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  43. HI.. my husband has had an affair for three years. I found out about his cheating a few years ago, he denied it and i wasn't too strong, health wise. Now the matter has come up, he has told me he has been cheating on me and has a son with the other woman. Its hard and gets harder everyday. We have kuds of our own and i just feel like just running away leaving everything behind. dont know what to do. He says he wants his life back, what he had with me...but to me we never had a life and he never loved me...i am starting to hate him more and more as the days pass, i am trying to forgive him and stay for sake of my kids but its too hard to...i feel like he is lying and doing same things but its like i just don't want to feel anything anymore...just worried about if my kids will have to pay for his sins....

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    1. You simply can't rebuild a marriage (or "forgive") if he hasn't taken steps to understand why he's done what he's done and without figuring out how rebuild a marriage based on honesty and transparency and respect. Without attempts on his part to make amends (really make amends, not just say he's sorry), your contempt for him will simply grow.
      Are you in counselling to help you heal? Are you in couples counselling? Cheating is incredibly hard to heal from without the help of an objective person.

      Elle

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    2. One more thing...this page is pretty much full so if you comment here again, I can't be sure it will show up (if there are too many comments, this site just can't show them). Please post on another page if you can.
      Thanks,
      Elle

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  44. Oct. 11 2013 is when I opened my husbands computer to find a fake facebook account and him sex chatting with about 6 different girls. He says it was just a fantasy and didn't mean anything to him. I never thought this would happen to us. We have been married 13 yrs. and together 15. I am just heartbroken and I don't know what to do. We are in counseling, we started counseling about a month before I found out. Our marriage was already in trouble. After our first counseling session I felt like we were going to make it, like we were falling in love all over again. Sex was off the charts and I was so happy. I had found were he was looking at girls online and asked him about it and he said do you really think I am above this. At the same time he was facebooking a girl he had started a band with and it was getting flirtatious and I put a stop to that. I cant stop thinking about this. I cant focus on my job or my kids. I just want to run. We love each other but I just don't know if that is enough.

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    1. Tina,
      I'm so sorry for the pain you're in. It sounds as if this still feels very raw to you. It takes a long time to get past the pain, much longer than any of us would expect.
      Do you feel as though you're making progress? Is your husband genuinely remorseful? Does he recognize just how painful his choices were? Is he willing to do whatever it takes to rebuild trust? It's not enough to love each other, you both have to be willing to act out that love by being honest and trustworthy and always taking the other person into consideration in any choice we make. Once that's in place, a marriage becomes even stronger.
      That said, there's still a lot of pain to slog through. You need to grieve the loss of the marriage you thought you had. So often we want to jump right to making it better, without accepting that we need to grieve.
      Give yourself time. And insist that he do everything necessary to help you move forward.

      Elle

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  45. My husband cheated on me after 16 yrs of marriage... he married another woman without my knowledge and when I wound out he left her again... I had a tough life and my kids were taken from me at the age of 4 and 5 and send overseas... but I have them back now after I have threatened to leave my husband unless he brings the kids back to me. Now we all all playing happy family but I cannot overcome the betrayal ... I am also not allowed to talk infront of the kids but they already know what their dad has done.... I feel nothing for my husband but my kids begged me not to give them a broken home...

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    1. I'm so sorry for what you've gone through. I don't blame you for feeling nothing for your husband and I certainly understand making sacrifices for your children. I wonder about the wisdom, however, of allowing small kids to determine the course of your life. No child wants a broken home...however, I can't help but think that an emotionally healthy mother who's NOT in an abusive marriage will ultimately provide a better home for your children. Have you found counselling? I think someone who can help you see the level of abuse you've endured and continue to endure might also help you find the strength to make really tough decisions and to know what's right for you and your kids. I suspect right now your fear of losing them again is enough to keep you imprisoned in your marriage.
      What your husband did was cruel, to both your children and you. It's abuse. I hope you'll reach out for help in your community to find a way into a much better life. You deserve to feel safe and whole, and so do your children.

      Elle

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  46. My husband and I knew each other from high school. Not to long before him and I started dating I had ended a 7 year relationship with the father of my two beautiful children. I thought that was it for me at that point and I wasn't looking to be swept off my feet, but that's what happens. My husband swooped in and swept me off my free. He treated me like i was a queen. I was takin by him and the love that he showed me and then maybe 6 month into the relationship we were engaged. Our wedding was this past summer and I and my kids had never been happier. It seemed that thing were finally looking up for me. Just to give you a little back story my parents split when I was 7 my mother then started a 9 year relationship with the father of my sister and brother he was not a great man. He sexally, mentaly, and physically abused me from the time I 8 up untill I was 17. Then I met the father of my children who I was with for 7 years and he mentaly and physically abused me. So when my husband came into my life I was shocked that there were really men in this world that were good. It seemed like i was going to cobalt be able to breath without worrying unfilled January or this year the 7th to be exact. I found out he had been having an affair for the passed three months. That's Dday #1. Him and i talled about everything and we were going to work on things because we wanted to stay together. Dday #2 just came out three weeks ago. When my husband had told me that he did cut things off with the OW for a little while and then he started to see her again. Mind you while the affair was going on she had been to my home more than a few times before it came out in january. Her and i used to talked and hung out and could have been friends. Now if things couldnt get worse my husband tells me that she is pregnant. It seems like it just one thing after another. In between Dday #1 and Dday #2 I had a feeling that my husband was still seeing her and I was not happy unfilled he came clean with it. I just don't know were to go from here. PTSD is right. I have to be doing something always and even then the thoughts that haunt me just come anyway but they are far worse when I'm alone. My emotions are all over the place. One minute I'm happy the next I'm crying or angry. I want to work on things with my husband but I'm at that crossroads of to do or not to do. I have two children and it is very hard to do anything for me...time off to think about things would be a great idea if I could, but I cant. I want to be happy with my husband again but at the sametime I don't want to have these thought for the rest of my life. Right now I'm still confused dazed and lost. I guess I'm just looking for some guidence. Thank you for having this blog. I needed to get this off my chest. I have talked to a couple of people about this but this was helpful. Again thank you.

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    1. Elizabeth,
      I'm so sorry for all the pain you've been through in your life. Nobody deserves to be used and abused by someone else the way you've been.
      Unfortunately when our childhood experiences are so damaging, we're left with little experience of how to recognize "healthy". Too often we recreate what feels familiar even though it's unhealthy for us. And "healthy" can often seem boring to us.
      I would urge you, if you're not already, to get some counselling. To help you sort through those raging emotions. I think it's also completely reasonable to expect your husband to seek counselling to in order to determine why he would make such devastating choices. My guess is he's got his own demons to battle. But that's HIS battle, not yours. Your job is to get yourself to a healthy enough place that you won't tolerate disrespect or unkindness, let alone abuse. And to ensure that your kids see you treating yourself with respect, which of course, gives them permission to demand the same respect for themselves.
      Betrayal is devastating. And when you've already experienced so much betrayal in your life, there's no doubt that your husband's betrayal is triggering much of that earlier pain. Please find yourself someone to talk -- a social worker, a psychologist, a minister or priest -- who can help you through this pain. In the meantime, we'll remind you, as often as you need it, that you are worthy of love and respect. That you have the strength to get through this. That the world is also full of wonderful people who can support you through this. We know your pain. We've lived it and survived it and, in many cases, grown healthier because of it.

      Elle

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    2. Thank you Elle for the support. At this point in my husbands and my relationship we have grown apart and he does his own thing...not because I have tryed to push him away he is just having a hard time with my emotions and doesn't know how to read me so he is no home much. I feel as though things are slowly falling apart do to him not understanding why I'm acting the way I am. I have been talking with my pasters wife and they want to get together with my husband and I to talk about this and give us some information and books about affairs and how to over come it. I talk with her only because her and her husband have as well gone threw an affair and they are very strong now. The love that they give off is powerful. I'm trying to stay positive and move forword, slowly... I hope for the best but constantly think of the worst. But reading all the articles and comments here are helping me understand what I'm going threw is normal. So thank you for all of this.

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    3. Elizabeth,
      I'm glad you've got support from your pastor and his wife. There can be a lot of shame attached to cheating so your husband could be avoiding feeling his own shame. He could be emotionally unequipped to deal with your pain. Or he could just be a jerk. If he won't support you through this -- including visitor with your pastor and his wife -- then it doesn't bode well for your marriage. But please understand that is HIS loss. He's clearly got his own issues and if he isn't brave enough to own up to them, there's little you can do about it but take care of yourself and your kids.
      I hope, for everyone's sake, he's a bigger man than that.

      Elle

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    4. I guess he is just a jerk...and a whole lot of other names because I was contacted today by one of his ex girlfriends and she told me that he was still seeing the OW and was planning on leaving me when he could. To be with her. When I expected him to be home tonight at 6 he didn't show. I waited till about an hour and messages him and asked him if it was all worth it. He of course denied that he was seeing her, a little further on in the conversation he didnt stright out say he was with her still. I just don't understand all of this right now and it all hurts so much. To know the man you love doesnt love you back anymore. What walk hurts is the fact that he blames me for him doing this. I know it wasn't just me it takes two. I guess now is the time to heal and move on with my two beautiful babys. Still thank you for your help.

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    5. Oh Elizabeth, I'm so so sorry. Please, please know that this is NOT about you. It's not that he doesn't love you, it's that he doesn't even know what love is. As one author of a book about cheating wrote, "men cheat because of who they're not." He's not someone with a stable moral compass, he's not someone capable of honesty, he's not someone able to communicate with you about issues, He's someone who looks for an easy distraction for himself so he doesn't have to look too hard at who he really is.
      It's his loss. That of course, doesn't mean it will be easy for you. I know how heartbroken you feel. But you are strong enough to handle this. You've survived so much in your life. I'm sure you feel that you're due for some happiness and you are. Nobody deserves this pain.
      I hope you'll continue to meet with your pastor with the hopes that he can help you through this. To provide support as you go through the ups and downs. Please know, however, that many, many women have been where you are and have created wonderful lives for themselves. Right now it's hell, but it won't be that way forever.

      Elle

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  47. Dear Elle,
    I'm so glad I came upon this site. It's 4:56am and I've been up sibe 1:20am crying and thinking and crying and going crazy in the head because I don't know what to do. You see, my husband is a cheater! We've known each other for 13 yrs but married for 8 months. Presently, we live on different continents because of situation beyond our control but, we talk and text everyday and Skype every other day when possible. I have planned to move back latest Dec 2015 after my studies ends. We have 2 kids, both below 8 yrs. He visits us about twice a year which is not right by me. Anyway, we have come a long way. He got deeply involved with someone after our first child was born that's when I left and traveled to my present location. Been here for the past 5 yrs and all through that time to present, he stays in constant contact and supports us financially. He begged for forgiveness and assured me that things were different and he needed me back in his life permanently. Thus, he came and we got married. 6months later, someone calls me up anonymously and tells me he's in a serious relationship. He denies. I did my reseach I found pictures that prove he was lying. I confronted him with the evidence, threatened him with divorce and he finally admitted to it. He saids he's sorry and it wasn't anything and has promised to put an end to it. But the problem is I'm still hurt and the fact that he's so many miles away doesn't help. I've tried to forget it and move on but I can't. Every day I lie awake thinking is he still seeing her? Is he been honest with me this time around. Should I end this now because we are miles apart or continue on? He will be coming to us for vacation soon and I really do not know how I will react. I've asked that we go for counseling and he reluctantly agreed. He wants us to go on a separate vacation elsewhere and discuss it just the two of us but I don't want it so. You see I've somehow lost trust in him. I feel he'll say anything to keep me. We have done that before. I want something new. There's a void in my life that I hope professional help can fill. I feel helpless right now. I do not trust this man again and it hurts. What must I do? What can I do? I need help! Will couselling help?

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    1. Oh, how I remember those days of crying through the night. I'm so sorry for the pain you're in. Please know we've been there. There's light at the end of the tunnel and we'll help you find it.
      Of course, you don't trust this man. He has lied to you twice. Your mind and heart, very wisely, are telling you that you are not emotionally safe with him.
      Whether or not professional help is the answer, I don't know, but it likely won't hurt.
      It all comes to whether or not he truly has learned his lesson and is committed to honesty and loyalty and fidelity. That's almost impossible to know with you two living so far apart.
      I think it makes sense to go to counselling and bring up all these questions then. Gauge his reaction. What does he want going forward? What does he say about why he betrayed you in the past? Does he acknowledge that he has betrayed you completely? Does he understand that your mistrust of him is the consequence of HIS actions?
      You always have the choice to opt out of this relationship. But it sounds as if you want to know whether or not counselling with help. I would urge you to get counselling on your own as well to get clear on your own feelings.
      I hope you'll let us know how you're doing.

      Elle

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  48. I need advice...
    I'm 7 months pregnant with our second child. For months I had been feeling awkwardness, tension and an overall change in my relationship with my husband. I thought it was maybe him finding my pregnant body unattractive and I expressed to him that I feel like we were losing our connection. Early February he left for a work meeting for 3 days nothing out of the usual. When he returned things for even more strange, at first he began waking up extremely early going out getting us breakfast all which I thought meant he was trying to make things better and put an effort into making me happy... Little did I know at the time it was something else.
    After being so nice for a couple of days he started acting very distant. Wouldn't come to bed, would be gone early in the morning which was very unusual, starting to get out with guys friends a lot more than usual..
    I got suspicious and naturally began snooping, found out he got a new extra phone account, found he had been talking to a girl, sending pictures, and then the kicker... Found a confirmation for a plane ticket under her name in his email he had bought for her to fly down here on the dates he told me he had his next work meeting. Naturally I confronted him all about it and it all hit the fan. He denied it all got angry at me for snooping and wanted to take "a break". End of February I moved back in with my family, the more I tried to force him to tell me the truth about what I found the more he pushed me away.
    About a month later of us living apart (which was just a couple of weeks ago) he came clean about everything.
    He admitted to meeting the girl at his first meeting, there was no second meeting he flew her here to stay in a hotel together, admitted to sleeping together, and not just with her he has also been sleeping with other people here and there since I left, he first said he loves her and she was going to move here to get an apartment together. I felt like my gut was being twisted hearing this all. She knows all about us expecting a second child and still decided to come here to sleep with him anyways what kind of woman does that.
    Recently he has been saying he wants to make an effort to spend time and work things out between us as but not get back together wants to start off just as friends. I don't want to get back together with him right away either but we are obviously still married how can we work things out as friends. We've been spending some time together he's been saying he loves me and being honest about when him and the other woman talk on the phone and some of what they talk about. I told him I want to work things out we have been happy spending time together but he has to get rid of her for good and he can't seem to do that. He won't stop talking to her and I know he has feelings for her. Oh did I mention she's married also..
    I don't know what to do because we have spent time and I'm falling back in love with him but that fact that he continues to talk to her kills me and hurts the worst. If he loves me why won't he stop commuicating with her? What on earth am I supposed to do. We are expecting a child in about a month and he says he loves me but I have a feeling he loves her too. Why can't he just choose me we have been married for years they have known each other for two months. Why on earth would he want to be with her knowing his family is suffering and falling apart. And I hate her for the fact that she knows about our situation with a child and baby on the way and she still feels like she can have him and just come here to live with him and constantly talk to him!

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    1. Sorry I missed this. This thread is full so the only way I can publish your comments on this one is if I delete older ones. So I apologize for missing this.
      The short answer to your situation is simple: You cannot rebuild a marriage as long as the Other Woman is still a part of it. Unless you want a marriage with three people in it (which is what you have right now), he needs to cut off all contact, or you need to step away.
      It really is that simple. If he wants a relationship with you (and be a full-time dad to his children), then he needs to be a faithful, honest man.
      You're right that the OW is poison. She's definitely got her own issues...but don't make them yours. If she's willing to have half a man, that's her problem. But that's not what you want.
      At this point, I would make it clear that he has a place in your life as father of your children but that's as far as it goes. It will be hard, I know. But do your best to put up a wall around yourself that he not welcome to pass unless he's willing to do the hard work of figuring out his own stuff...and coming to you as a husband who's worthy of you.
      Let go of any feelings about her. She's nuts. And he's clearly a bit crazy right now too. If they choose each other, then trust that their crazy will carry on and be glad you're not part of it.
      I know it hurts. I know how excruciating it is. But at a certain point we have to choose ourselves and our children and our own self-respect over participating in crazy.

      Elle

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  49. In my case the OW and I were friends for 2 years. I even remember having a conversation with her about why would a woman want a man who cheats on his wife - he'll do the same thing to you. Yet several months later that's just what she did. All marriages have problems. But if there was any moral fortitude in this country, women would consider married men off limits. PERIOD! Then maybe the men would be forced to deal with the issues rather than escaping them.

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  50. Just a long story short,in 2008 I discovered my husbands affair by finding a motel reciept on our bed one day. I confronted him and he denied it just saying she was a friend he was helping out. She knew he was married and that I (the wife) was very real, he had convinced me to let her move in at some point and he introduced us. That lasted one night, the following night I came home early from work and kicked her out while he wasn't there. He did a lot of shady stuff and it's too much for details but basically years after being caught 3 times with her and with multidudes of evidence against him he continued to see me all the while denying he was ever with her. I know he has been with her this whole time, we seperated in the end of 2008 because I left our home the last time I caught him and last year after my son was born I told him not to ever come around me again, his chance was over and I wasn't going to allow my son to watch him jerk me back and forth. To this day we are still not divorced even though I told him to file the papers 2 1/2 yrs ago, I refuse to file because I'm not going to pay for his adultery...he caused the break in the marriage he should pay.I know they're still together and he still denies it, of course I'm sure she doesn't know we slept together around the time my son was conceived and when I was 4 months pregnant, my son thankfully is from a 6 month relationship I had shortly ended before hooking up with my husband. I'm seeing someone new and it is very good, he treats me way better than the ex ever did, yet I still find myself angry at what my husband did,the fact that they're still together, and that he still lies about it. The girl is not attractive and as far as I can tell very boring, she puts out that she's a fashionista but anytime I or anyone I know has seen her she's very plain and not put together. I want to get past it and stop obsessing but I don't know how and feel that I can't without him actually being man enough to confess it and give me a divorce.

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  51. I have been married for 19 years and found out 6 weeks ago that my husband has been contacting and meeting up with escorts. He claims there were 5 in total over the past 18 months, but no way for me to know for sure. He says he is being totally honest in our discussions. I thought we had a very good, solid, happy relationship. Good communication. Spend quality time together. Enjoy each others company. Etc.

    He has been very stressed at work for the past 2 years. I have previously been in a work situation which was very stressful and led to depression. So I understood and was trying to be very supportive of what he was going through. However, I had zero clue anything was going on with other women. Really out of character for him.

    With the confrontation he now realizes that he is very depressed and has been for a long time. He just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide from everyone. He is a very logical person. He knows this behavior is wrong. However, he says he has no rationalization or reasoning for his actions. This seems odd to me, as when you do something you know is wrong, you generally have to rationalize those behaviors to yourself. This piece seems to be missing for him.

    During the past 2 years he has also been drinking excessively. We talked several times about his drinking, but it would never stop. Coping mechanism.

    He believes he was in a "downward spiral", and engaging in "self-destructive behavior". But no rationalization. And he doesn't seem to think he should have any rationalization for it.

    He is now seeing his Dr. and is on an anti-depressant. He has stopped drinking. He says he wants to work though this and heal our marriage. But, I just don't know if I can do it.

    There was a incident a year ago where I found he had been on Adult Friend Finder and I found some incriminating selfies he took. He said nothing had been going on with anyone and that one of the guys at work had a log in and shared it with a group of them. At the time we had a huge "trust" talk and I was repeatedly assured it would not continue. He also agreed to do research on being emotionally supportive of me. He tried for a while and then he seemed to believe that his good behavior at home and helping with chores was being emotionally supportive. I tried to explain that for me I don't take that as being emotionally supportive.

    I feel like I am rambling.

    I have done a lot of research, but have not clearly linked cheating as a result of being depressed. Is that possible?



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    1. It's absolutely possible and even likely. Many people "self-medicate" in a number of ways -- booze and drugs, gambling, shopping, and sex. Anything that offers an escape from feelings that are unmanageable for the person experiencing them. And that's what cheating usually is, a distraction, an escape, a fantasy world.
      If you want to rebuild your marriage, it sounds as if your husband is doing all the "right" things in order to understand why he did what he did...and put new coping strategies in place.
      That might be the best he can do right now. With time and more therapy, he might get to a deeper understanding of why he finds certain feelings impossible to manage. But he's probably telling you everything he knows right now. He probably is confused as hell. The short answer is, sex feels good. It makes us forget life's problems. Even the thinking about getting sex -- where, when, how -- distracts us.
      You certainly have every right to just say you're done with it. Getting over betrayal is a long, tough process. It will take time whether you're with him or not so it really is your choice whether he's worth giving a second chance or if you're not interested/willing to do that.
      I hope, however, for his sake that he addresses his issues. We imagine that sex must be exciting and romantic. But for a lot of these guys who use it as self-medicating, it's shameful and something they mostly just want to compartmentalize.

      Elle

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  52. My husband and I have only been married for 1&1/2 years, together for a total of 3 years. He recently confessed to having sex with a coworker a handful of times the last couple months. I had known he was friends with this coworker since she started working with my husband 9 months ago, and knew that they were getting closer and closer. I warned my husband the effects of creating a bond with someone of the opposite sex when he first started talking to her, and asked him not to share personal things with this girl, only work related things. Of course, just like telling a child not to touch a glass vase, he was too tempted to do what I asked him not to. He has formed an emotional and physical bond with the coworker, and is now torn between the two of us. At first, he just said they shared an emotional bond, that they hadn't had sex. He went to two counseling sessions with me with our Pastor, but declined to go after the third session. I believe the reason for this was that he felt guilty about lying to both me and our Pastor when asked if he had been physical with the OW in our second session of counseling. He confessed to me the week after our second counseling session that he had been physical with the OW and was feeling guilty about it. Since starting counseling, the OW stated she did not want to have anything to do with my husband, but he is still pining for her. He knows that only 1% of relationships started as an affair actually work out, and yet he is still torn. I still want to go to counseling, I truly want to make it work, but I don't know how long I should hold on. As hard as it was to learn of his affair, I know that we can make it. He is trying to set up an appointment to see a therapist to work out his issues, and I want to wait until after his therapy for him to truly decide. He says that he is afraid that if we get divorced, it will be the worst mistake of his life, but that if we stay together he is afraid he will cheat on me. Which makes me think he is always thinking of the worst case scenario instead of making the decision to fight against tempations. He knows all the statistics, he knows what the right choice would be, so I don't understand why he would have such a hard time deciding.
    I have also talked to the OW, just to see what she says about everything that has happened. She states that she told him to leave her alone, but my husband says she still texts him every once in a while. I have no doubt that he talks to her at work also, instead of them just avoiding each other like I would like them to do. She says my husband pressured her into having sex with him, and she felt bad about it but didn't say no. That she told him that he needed to be sure that's what he wanted. Like, what kind of guy is gonna say no to sex when they are in the thick of it? It is so hard for me to understand how people are ok with having an affair?! And this is the second marriage the OW has torn apart, which my husband was well aware of. I work with the other girl whose marriage was destroyed by this same OW four years ago and have gotten conflicting information from her and the OW. Which makes me question the OW's credibility.

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    1. Quiet Thinker,
      Let's start by leaving the OW out of your healing. Anyone who will sleep with your husband (knowing he's your husband) does NOT have your best interests at heart. She's not honest, is without integrity and should, in no way, be given any more access to your life. Shut her out. These women feed on attention like it's oxygen. Cut it off.
      Now...you simply can't rebuild a marriage on your determination alone. Until he's willing to recognize that he's violated your trust and wants his marriage, then there's one too many people in your relationship. I know how desperately you want this to work out. I know how hard it is to give up. But I'm suggesting that at this point in his emotional life, he's incapable of being a healthy, respectful partner to you. He's simply incapable (and, it seems, unwilling to learn).
      What can you do? You can start creating boundaries around what you will and will not tolerate. As long as you're loose about what you'll accept with his behaviour, you give him carte blanche to bleat about "confusion" while he keeps two women on the hook. Demand respect. Demand honesty. He'll either smarten up quickly, or it'll be clear that he's not in your marriage, that he's not willing to rebuild and you can move forward knowing that.
      But start by cutting this OW out of your life. She's toxic. You deserve better than this mess. Demand better.

      Elle

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  53. My story is very similar to the other courageous posters on this site. I am sharing my story in hopes that I can gain a little more insight on my situation and continue on my healing journey.

    My partner and I became pregnant unexpectedly. The choice for me to continue the pregnancy was a decision I made, and my partner openly stated he was spiteful with me about me voicing my continuation of the pregnancy. He chose to stay in our lives and shifted to wanting to be a father. A few months before I delivered our beautiful little girl, I had suspicions that he was not being truthful with me in regards to a woman he trains with (he competes in triathlons). This woman never liked me from the first time I met her – she was cold, aloof and always paid too much attention to my partner in my presence. Needless to say, 3 weeks after my daughter’s birth I found out that he was spending time with her (going to lunch with her when he said he was at a client lunch; going out with her at night when he was supposedly ‘out with the boys’ celebrating our daughter’s birth) and text messaging intimately with her (often about details of our relationship and relationship issues). He would sign these messages, “XOXO” and “you are an amazing woman”. I confronted him on all fronts. He denied everything but then broke and told me he had been spending time with her and lying to me about it, but that nothing ever happened between them. He said that he didn’t do anything wrong, that I never liked her and he was just being there for her as a friend (she was going through a bad break up). Which I called BS on. I do not know if I believe him that they never slept together, but regardless he had an emotional affair with this woman. He betrayed me at a time that I was most vulnerable and was in need of his support. I had been going through a difficult time prior to our daughter’s birth as well. I was taken care of my very sick cat who had been with me 17.5 years. He passed away only three days before my daughter was born. I was devastated and I needed my partner’s love and support. He was not there for me. He left the hospital the night our daughter was born and stopped by this woman’s house. The list could continue… sadly.

    I told him she needed to be out of our lives. He promised she was. He also promised he would ever tell me if he even ran into her (since he has the potential when training). Well, 1.5 years later this woman is still reaching out to him and he is still lying to me about it. I just found out a few days ago. He sees her at the pool where he swims, and she sent him a birthday message recently. I am on my way out the door, as I cannot and should not tolerate this behaviour. I have been so angry this past year. I take responsibility for the damage my anger has done to our relationship, but he is not showing me that I can trust him or that he values me. I am trying to heal and move forward and forgive him. It is so hard though when he continues to lie. He has lied about a few other major incidents as well over the past two years, which he does not see as a problem. When he lies he tells 6 different versions of the story before he admits the truth (or what I hear as the final reason). We are in therapy. We have been for the past 1.5 years, but nothing seems to be helping this. He is a good father to our daughter. I am so confused, and angry at both him and myself. I feel like a fool for tolerating this behaviour – though I know it is his to own, not mine. I am trying to find strength for my daughter, as she is the loveliest and dearest thing to me. How do you know when enough is enough? Or maybe I know, but I don’t have the strength to act on it.

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  54. Guess to start we tried to start a horse business 13 yrs ago that didn't go well and used up nothing but energy and money. I had a heart attack in 2010 and just couldn't do as much. After the heart attack I started having problems with walking. After about 10-15 ft I would be in extreme pain. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction, Still having some problems but much better. My husband took Chantix to stop smoking which lead him to start having to take antidepressants and sleeping pills. He also started smoking pot daily along with who knows what. Many days I couldn't even get him awake for him to get up and go to bed.He took a lower paying job a little over 5 years ago that is less physical since his job was causing him problems.
    Well, things starting changing with him about August last year. Yeah we notice these things. Then it started that he just had to stop off and do some things before coming home. That worked up until November then I looked at the phone records. . Then in November presented him with I know you are seeing someone I have the information. He wanted to know how I knew and of course he changed his phone carrier. Changed our checking account to his not ours. Cashed out all the cd's. But, I have copies of everything, which he doesn't know about. Pictures of him at motels. I get a small disability and opened a checking account and put it in there. He has continued to pay the bills but complains. Told him I paid the cable and insurance and doctor bills and everything for myself. And didn't get enough to pay anymore. He said he doesn't want a divorce. Said he would never apologize for what he has done but he was taking back his life. Found his pot, found where he is growing some. Pictures of course of everything. I was told that what he is doing I brought on myself. I thought how, getting sick. OK he has a history he did this to his first wife. Oh how they can make a case. So it has been a long hard 5 years for me. He comes and goes as he pleases. He stays closed up in his bedroom if he is here. Sometimes stays gone for days at a time. Has purchased a travel trailer that he doesn't know I know about. I dont have any family except for my daughter who is living with her boyfriend who is an alcoholic. And a friend from the past that I didn't know well but is being there for me 100 percent. I have found you cant change stupid (husband) and being under so much stress is not healthy for me. Yes scared of what will happen with me with no money and no where to go. I have to leave that in the lords hands and just do what I can do. I am 60, have had to go rounds with my heart. Diabetics, high blood pressure and high cholesterol on top of the walking issue. I need dental work and put it off over the years because of the shortage of money but he has gone every six months. Again women need to look out for themselves and stop doing for everybody else first. I worked so hard sometimes only 2-3 hours a day for years and now it was in vain. One of those time if only I had know moments. Cant change the past but hoping I have a much happier less depressing future. Although I have all paper work and copies of documents to go to the attorney with today in a safe place, not here my mammogram came back with issues on both sides so tomorrow I go to get that taken care of. And I finally made an appointment to get checked for STD's tomorrow as well after the other test. Yes, I tried to make this right. I told him I was sorry for anything that I did to cause this and would do anything to make it right. He doesn't want to make it right. But, he doesn't believe in divorce, and doesn't want one. At least probably not until he is sure he has everything totally covered up. Funny how there is always a paper trail and how stupid men think women are if the women are smart enough to keep their mouth shut most the time and only ask the right questions.

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    1. Honey, you've got enough to deal with. It's time to get him out of your life. You say he "doesn't believe" in divorce? So what! You don't believe in staying with someone who won't respect you or treat you with kindness. Seriously, dump him. I suspect some of your health problems might just go away once you unload a nasty husband.
      Focus on your mammogram results (which, let's hope) come back with good results. And then get yourself to a lawyer to make sure you get every cent you're entitled to.
      Please. You deserve so much better than this. Show your daughter what it means to stop holding on to dead weight.

      Elle

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  55. Mammogram came back good today. One less thing to worry about. He again told me he wasted his life on me last night. And came in today and said lets sell the house and you can buy a new car. I said what and sleep in the car. Getting paper work together tomorrow and going to try to get to attorney tomorrow. Heartbreaking but this man has a serious problem.

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    1. You have been given a second chance with your mammogram results. I'm so glad you're seeing an attorney. You don't deserve this abuse. Wasted his life?? Puh-leeze. You're about to get your life back. Yay for you. Won't be easy, I know. But that doesn't mean it's not absolutely the right thing for you to do. Treat yourself with the respect and dignity that he's incapable of.

      Elle

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  56. Hello all. I'm new to this and can relate to so many posts. We have been married 12 years and have 3 children. I felt uneasy and had a gut feeling something wasnt right, i asked and he denied anyone else.. Dec 2012 I discovered an email n confronted my husband n he denied anything but a friendship. He provided all her information and I confronted her and she claimed the same as my husband. For the following year I felt uneasy but I seen his efforts and never felt that ugly gut feeling I did the day I found the email. So fast forward to January 2014. I asked a friend who worked with my H and she said the OW just came back to his department and she was working night for the last 9 months. My friends she never seen them talk but that they do work with one another again. on a wim I emailed the OW and asked her if she wanted to tell me anything, she said no. I told her my husband admitted everything and that day has now changed my life forever. She admitted they had been friends for 9 months and had sex 5-6x and she gave him oral sex 9-10x. They always met 15 min before work n parking lot of work place and twice at park out of work and once at hotel. The OW claims she lied to me because my H begged her and told her he didn't want to lose me or his 3 children. Both my H and the OW claim it was solely sexual however the OW claims she discussed caring for him a few times and he said he felt the same but she said she knew he was just blowing smoke because on several occasions she asked him his age, date of birth, children's names, to see his tattoos, what he did for fun with his fam, where he lived and he would never open up to her. She would open up to him bout her problems with her bf but was after while she said the conversations were solely bout work since she was no longer going to open up to him if he was not doing the same. Since finding out we have been in couple counseling and I have had her confront her and tell her with me on phone that she never meant anything and that he hates her. I hoped this would make me feel better but since they both lied I don't trust their words. Since i made him confront her and tell her off she emailed me and told me that although he never talked to her again since the D in 2012 and he asked her to lie to me she said in january 2014 the first day she came back to day shift and in his department he siad hello to her and that he hasnt seen her in a long time and that a week or so after tht she said she approached him to ask him if he was applying for the upcoming sup position. My H admitted those conversations but denies that it was with mail intent. He claims that for three weeks n January they had same breaks and lunches and they only spoke 2x and had he wanted more he would have talked to her every opportunity but denies ever having urge again. That hurts so much.. So I contacted her bf and met up with them both and told him everything and he said she admitted it all and since it happened in 2012 and he cheated on her in 2011 he was going to forgive her and try and work it out.. Mind you they have two children and our 9 years younger then my H and I. The bf claims he believes it was all sexual becuase he knows she would never have left him for my H. Im so angry that her life goes on and my H life goes on and here i in so much pain n disbelief. I feel conflicted and I cry daily. I felt above this and better then this and since my H claims it was all sexual I feel insecure and inadequate. My baby was only 5 months when their affiar started, I was working full time and raising two other children. I know that I wasn't fulfilling my duties I literally would pick fights jus to avoid sex but I don't feel lying and cheating is fair. I needed him emotionally and financially and he needed me sexually and we failed one another however I could n would never have a sexual affair much less for 9 months.. I love him and I see his effort but I don't understand how someone can lie to your face and be stabbing you in the back. Any advice please.....

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    1. I just saw this post. This section is "full" so I can only see comments when I delete earlier ones. I'm sorry.
      Please know that his affair isn't about you. He had the chance to tell you if he needed more from you. He chose to lie and cheat. That's on him.
      How are things with you now?

      Delete
  57. Hi , My head is so worked up right now so please excuse me if I stop making any sense.Here is my story of my husband betrayal.First of all, he is having emotional affair, which by his books is "nothing" and "he dont know why he did all the things". My husband was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 1 year back and in that state he told me he was having sexual dreams about a colleague.He used to make fun of her earlier so I thought patience and love will cure all.I took care of his medications, counseling, meditation, setting up routine. At the same time I had quit my job because I thought I had "everything" and my hubby was my world and I would focus on having baby (also getting out of shitty office). He recovered well and then started this behind my-back-texting.Phone/sms/watsapp became my worse enemies. He was advised to keep distance from her , which he did for a while but this woman was in his team at office. She used to come up to him and cry for hours about her problems, unfair bonus and whatnot.I warned him again and again to not get involved.I always wonder does telling me everything makes it okay, sending forwards, discussing interests etc. We used to have fights about this everytime I see his phone .He still argued he loved me and I was the best thing that has happened ,kissed me,hugged me etc. Its been going on like this for a while and I think why cant he see my tears ,my pain.We seriously tried for baby IVF failed.No job , no baby, lying husband I was on verge of killing myself. I used to have pangs of pain in my heart when ever we used to fight. But since last 4-5 months things were improved though he was still in touch with her but seemed it was from her side , so I cared less. Then suddenly he went for China 2 weeks back and came with little awkward expression.I immediately know something was off and took me 2 days to get a confession.While he was in China she texted him to bring purse for her , so he went shopping! He got me a nicer one for me but sent a pic to her asking if she wanted the same( the audacity). She of course said yes and he bought her one same color ,same brand.He then had realized what a big mistake that was but did not return the purse though he had 5 days left. He came home with mine , gave the other one to his friend to hide and confessed.Next day I told him you are a pig and I am confronting that bitch for sending out shopping list to married men. He kind of warned me.I gave him 2 options: Give her the purse and I will talk to her ,2: Dont give her the purse and you talk to her. That night he came home with a bag in hand, I thought its the other purse and found out NO, its the gift that she has given him with warm wishes( his bday). I went mad and yelled and called him names pulling his family and told he is a bastard. How could he do it, was he waiting for my reaction like this?It seems its well over between us , not talked since 7 days(except needful). My mom says I should be patient , she had talked to him ( on which he shamlessly said there's nothing going on) .My friend says I should leave. I have a long awaited interview planned in his office where they work. I am numb and cant think straight,its affecting my health,started smoking and stopped exercising.I am devastated, I just want to go and sleep with someone random , I am sure he would not bat an eyelid as his love/conscience is dead. I just cannot handle immorality. I have nothing to live for... I want to confront that bitch telling her ow inappropriate this gift thing is and also returning her gift with letter.I want to hold doing that until my interview happens. I want so badly for him to love me , have babies (no matter how late) , see future but all dreams are shattered. He shows no remorse just doesnt look me in eye,comes late in night just to sleep. Please advice what to do.? Would some time apart would help?I am dreading going on official trip we had planned earlier, him in same room for 2 weeks.How do I get my life back.

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    1. Just saw this. I'm sorry.
      If you're even considering suicide, please call someone. There are hotlines, there are counsellors. You want the pain to stop -- I know that feeling so well. And it will. I promise.
      But you need to focus on you. He was violating your boundaries at every turn. That's NOT okay. In order to have a healthy relationship with him, he needs to understand that texting other women behind your back (or in front of you!) is absolutely NOT okay.
      You get your life back by finding yourself a good counsellor who can help you heal from his betrayal. You get your life back by refusing to tolerate his lying and cheating. You get your life back by treating yourself with the respect that you insist others treat you with.
      You can do this. You're stronger than you know. And you get your life back by not ending it. Please. You're worth so much more than this.

      Delete
  58. Hello,

    For the last few weeks I have desperately looking for some where I could let all what's
    inside out, as I explain you will see why I can't talk to any one I know.

    My first marriage was a nightmare, he was
    very violent and I went though many years of
    abuse before I broke free. It took me 11 years before I could even think about letting another man into my life. When I met my as of now husband I thought I had finally found someone I could trust and be safe with.
    Four weeks ago I found out that in the whole sixteen years we have been together he regularly has visited prostitutes. Six or so a year, the last being July this year, two days before our holiday.

    I'm still in a state of shock, I can't sleep, constantly feel sick, feel totally broken.

    I have been trying to find a way of ending this post on a positive note but it's not coming.

    Thank you for listening

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    1. You've been through hell. And I'm sure you're sick to death of having to be strong to survive...but your ability to survive will serve you well.
      You need to focus right now on getting through the shock and figuring out what's next. Do you have a good counsellor who can give you a place to cry and rage and heal? I urge you to find someone who can assure that none of this is about you at all. You've been involved with two damaged men. Whether or not your husband is worth giving a second chance remains to be seen. I'm sure the betrayal must cut to the bone. But your focus needs to be on yourself. And please know that you're always welcome here to share your feelings, get support and learn from those of us who've been in your shoes. No need to be "positive". Just be honest and kind.

      Delete
  59. Last year just like these days, we found out that we were pregnant in our second planned baby. Days go by and doctors suspect she has a birth defect. We decide that I should travel to my parents since my father is gynecologist and he'd be the best to take of me and my baby. During the 7th month of pregnancy I hop along with our 5 year old on a plane. I felt lonely and needed support, he called every now and then and visited twice, The first time was during the 8th month and it was alright but he did not touch me once, I did not want to fight about that especially that I know that he does not feel comfortable around my parents. The second time was when my labor was induced. Since the day I gave birth and he has been extremely rude and insensitive. He refused to help with the baby and he moved out of our room, he was silent and he made me cry for 7 continuous days. He leaves on the 7th day. Although the crying stopped, I felt lonely and neglected, I was overwhelmed with my 5 year old and the new baby and my pain... the happiest moments turned into the ugliest. Then he disappears, I try to call and he does not pick up , after 5 days he calls and says the he did not want this baby and that we were about to get our lives back but now with this baby it is like going back 5 years in time. I felt disappointed and confused. This was a planned baby... anyway by when my baby turned 3 weeks I traveled back home. He was always silent and barely helping although he know I have to go back to work. I kept asking what went wrong and he kept on manipulating me for 4 months. I was miserable for 4 months just because he not brave enough to admit he fell in love with another woman while I was away. First he said he does not want the baby, then he said it is about his work (he is not happy and wants to quit but he cannot because of the baby. Then he said it is because we are not on good terms (not up to my knowledge) he said I do not inspire him anymore and I do not share with him the same interests.... a chunk of non sense that did not convince me, Two weeks ago I kept pushing, until he admitted that he has feelings for someone but he did not act upon them. I showed understanding however he said he is thinking about leaving us. But then 2 days later I asked him why he would risk destroy his family for a relationship that does not exist, he tells me it does exist and that he lied to me again. The manipulation continues: he wants to stay, he doe snot want to stay, he is confused about staying.... I am so tired, lonely, upset, angry... I keep saying to myself: "I have not done anything, I was just pregnant"... I am hurt. Finally he decides to stay and we are going to see a couple's therapist soon but it is me now who does not want him anymore, I feel he has caused me enough pain I do not want to deal with this further. But on the other hand I do not want my kids to grow without their father around and I do not want to shoulder all responsibilities by myself. I feel oppressed

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    1. You aren't oppressed unless you allow yourself to be (and he's trying). He has put you through hell and despite his desire to seek counselling, he seems to be showing little effort to make up for all the pain he's caused.
      I would urge you to go to counselling so that you can ensure a healthy parenting relationship for your children. I think you should see a lawyer and make sure that you are financially secure. And then I would ask him to leave. That might give you the space (and security) to realize that you will be just fine without his insanity in your home. But, as noted, counselling can help you both create a good co-parenting relationship because you want him in your children's lives and of course, he has right to be.
      In other words, give yourself space and time to sort through this on YOUR terms. You must be emotionally and physically exhausted.

      Delete
    2. Hey Elle. I got a divorce 2 months ago. It was over long time ago but I guess I was in denial. I know I did the right thing. Sometimes I feel tired and overwhelmed but it is better than rejection

      Delete
  60. lying . But i feel so hurt i can never trust him ever again

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  61. We've been married for over 25 years (together over 30). How many women have dealt with their husbands continuing to work with their AP? It's been 9months since D-Day and nothing has changed. He didn't leave, she didn't leave. BTW --- he is her boss on top of it all. He tells me it's over but the lies and the many ways he deceived me about his "friendship" with her are images/feelings I have a hard time letting go of. We would fight about her constantly because I had a gut feeling something wasn't right. I repea tNever, Never, Never ignore those gut feelings. He made me feel that it was my fault because he thought I had a problem with him being friends with women, etc and so many other gas-lighting manipulations to justify her in his life because she is a "good person" and "a good friend". Well all those things he made me believe were made up in my head turned out to be right about both of them. Now 9months later, they still work together, he's still her boss and how I feel about it is irrelevant because "he doesn't have feelings for her anymore". That last comment was no comfort to me. I have gone into a full-on destructive depression and he thinks I should be over it by now and try to put it in the past so we can rebuild. How can I rebuild if one of the first important factors after infidelity is cutting off all contact with the AP. I don't know what to do or if I'll ever be able to trust him again. Please, any feedback would be welcome. I'm so lost. The love of my life gave another woman his time, affection, attention, and made me invisible no matter how I tried to get through to him to stop allowing this woman to hurt our marriage. I feel he made a choice to continue on wiht her after all my attempts to get him to stop. He feels he made a "mistake" as he likes to refer to it.

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    1. Anonymous,
      I'm so sorry -- your post was dropped off the bottom of the page because this section is full. Just found it.
      Your husband's response to this is typical...but damaging. He needs to understand that if you could just "put it in the past" you would. It's not that easy. Ask any therapist who's worked with betrayed wives. Post-traumatic stress is common. Depression is common. Our whole world has turned upside down. Our sense of safety has been destroyed.
      Read this post and ask your husband to read it too. And then see if he can open his mind, just a sliver, to the possibility that you're in pain and need his emotional support.
      http://betrayedwivesclub.blogspot.ca/2014/04/my-letter-to-husbands-just-talk-about.html

      Delete
    2. Hi. I am in the same exact position that you are in. I just posted my story this afternoon. Please read my post. I think that we can truly relate to one another.

      Delete
  62. I'm 2 months into my situation and desperate for some advice from someone who understands what I'm feeling. My husband and I have been together 6 years married for 1, we're both really young (early 20s), and I VERY unexpectedly got pregnant (8 months along now)! When we found out about the baby we were both shocked but so excited. Then in December he got distant, just not speaking as much/asking for some space so I was giving him space thinking that he needed some time to himself before the baby gets here. Then in January things got really bad, he wanted nothing to do with me at all and I noticed he was constantly texting this girl who was "just a friend" I ended up figuring out his password and looking through his messages to find he was emotionally cheating with her. Taking her out to eat, to the movies, texting her constantly, saying I love you, flirting, everything. I was devastated. He figured out I had been through his phone before I could confront him so I ended up confronting him without knowing what to say or do. I had my father with me when I confronted him because I was worried I would get so upset I'd have a severe panic attack and not be able to leave if I needed to (I know this probably wasn't the best idea and have apologized for it to my husband). He was so angry at me he immediately said he wanted a divorce, I told him I didn't want one but I would give him space and go to my parents house for a while. I stayed with my parents for 2 weeks during which he verbally abused me through texts and Facebook messages when I would try to talk to him. When I finally came home he agreed to try but then took it back the next day, three days later he told his parents he wanted a divorce (they, however, are on the same page as me). That was a little over a month ago. Since then he's become less angry and hasn't mentioned divorce. But I get mixed signals constantly. He still wants to have sex, the other night we were talking and he called me his woman, he will sometimes come to bed and just hold me for a bit, but if I ask him anything about us his answer is always I don't know. He still talks to the girl but not as much and from what I can see when I can catch a glance it's not romantic anymore (which I still wish he'd drop her all together but I'm trying to be wary of what I ask of him at this point). I'm just not sure what to make of all of it and I want so badly to fix things. It's so hard to know what to do and with this baby coming in just a few weeks I'm terrified. Any advice would be great.

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    1. Sweetie, I'm so sorry about all that you're going through. Especially at a time when you should be taking such good care of yourself and your soon-to-be baby.
      You need to stop letting this guy call the shots in your marriage. You are both going to be parents. If he's having trouble with that scenario then he needs to deal with it. Cheating on you is not dealing with it, it's avoiding it.
      And you need to get absolutely clear on what you expect of him as a husband and a father. Cutting off all contact with this woman should be the very first step. If he won't do it, then he's giving you the very clear message that your needs and wants and feelings simply don't matter to him.
      Focus right now on keeping yourself as safe as possible. Eat well, get sleep, try and relax (I know, I know...not easy). And take this pre-baby time to seek out a therapist who can support you as you prepare not only for motherhood, which is wonderful but exhausting and emotionally fraught.
      But mostly...make it clear to baby daddy that he needs to get his head out of his ass. Consider doing the 180 -- I'll post a link here. It's about setting clear boundaries and making it clear that you're not going to tolerate disrespect.
      https://beingabeautifulmess.wordpress.com/the-180/
      Hang in there. Again, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this at what should be a time in your life when you can focus on becoming a mother. But please know that you're going to be just fine. Maybe not right away. But you will be fine.

      Delete
  63. I am so grateful for finding this site, I literally feel I am losing my mind. I have been married for 5 years. My husband is a bodybuilder and I am a fitness competitor. Two years after we got married, my husband stopped, and I mean stopped making love to me. I tried everything. Nothing was wrong physically with him or me. I went to him on several occasions crying and wanting to fix things. He told me that "I should masturbate". He kept the same routine with work etc. We just lived like roommates. I was incredible lonely but I used that trusty vibrator and somehow stayed 100% loyal and faithful because I love this man. Then just this past December, I went on his FB page to post happy birthday. There I found "xoxo love Alana" and my heart fell to my knees. I instantly thought, who is this heifer? I went down her FB page and my husband was calling her beautiful and liking every single thing this woman did. Meanwhile at home, I am a sexually frustrated mess, wrapped in an ultra fit body. I asked him about her. He said she was a long time friend of 10 years. Strange, in 5 years I never heard her name before. I said how close was the friendship. He said they were close friends but would not elaborate on "close". He then changed it to it was just "social media". I asked to see his FB and he refused. He kept refusing for three months until he deleted his page and then he gave me the passwords but it was too late. He then told me over the course of three months that he knew and works with her uncle who keeps him informed about Alana's dating status. He said that he has called to check on her and her kids. He said that he cares for her but not like me. I asked to meet her out of respect to me if she was just a friend and he refused. Since then, I have gone through two months of crying hard every day and a month of just being numb to it all. At this point, he now claims his stake with me and wants sex all the time, he said he never had sex with her, but he sure wasn't having it with me, ever! He says he wants to try and has "found God", which is funny because he would pray, listen to gospel, and wore a wrist band that said "faith" the entire time he acted like an idiot. I am confused. And to top it off, professionally, I am a paralegal and work in family law doing divorces. My brain says get out because he would not come to the table open up and tell me all and work with me to correct it. My heart says believe him. I am living in fear of change and moving in either direction. I obsess over this female so much. I even reached out to her at one point and tried to have the "woman to woman" calm talk. Not recommended by the way. I thought I would be fierce and bitchy, no, I was so hurt I coward down. She said she has known my husband a lot longer than we have been married. It crushed me. I am at a loss and can't find my way through this. In the meantime, I have met three very nice gentlemen who would jump at the chance for a date and I can't even consider moving on. It's a respect thing for my husband and myself. What do I do? Am I unreasonable? Why did I let him deprive me of sex for 3 full years. and ladies, I can tell you, this was soooooo hard for me. I feel I need to grow a pair and cut ties and then then I feel guilty and scared and just stay stuck. Please send me some advice.

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    1. Fitness buff,
      He's cheating or has cheated on you, whether emotionally or physically or both. So...the question is, do you want to give him the chance to come clean and rebuild a marriage? Or have you decided that you don't want to stay married to him regardless? In the meantime, do NOT get involved with any men. You're not emotionally available in any sense of the word. You are legally married and emotionally wrought over your husband. Any relationship with you right now is doomed. Save yourself the complication.
      If you want to give him the chance to come clean, then that's what you demand. You give him the chance to tell you everything about the affair and to give you all access to computers/social media/phones/whatever. If he has nothing to hide, this shouldn't bother him in the least. If he refuses, then it's clear he's more interested in protecting himself than saving the marriage, which is hurtful but good information to have so that you can make your own decisions. If he chooses to come clean, then your new motto is trust but verify. Check in on him. Vet his "friends". Get a marriage counsellor who can help you through this. If he doesn't, then you need to create very clear boundaries about what comes next. Either you ask or a separation or a divorce, or you give him a deadline by which to begin being honest and transparent. I would go for the separation, frankly, if he refuses to come clean.
      It's like this: you've been ignoring your gut feeling for WAY too long. You know what's going on. Every part of your being is telling you that things are NOT okay. Pay attention to that. Respect yourself enough to listen to that intuition. Respect yourself enough to refuse to tolerate his disrespect. You deserve better than this.

      Delete
    2. I am so sorry for your pain. If your husband has emotionally disconnected, it does not matter what you do, he has checked out of the relationship/marriage. Life Is meant to be joyful and happy. Leaving is difficult but for your mental and emotional well being, do what is best for you. If I was 35 years younger and in competition shape, my suitcase would be packed and the divorce petition signed. Another thought: are you sure your partner is straight?

      Delete
  64. Hi there. I found out my husband has been having an affair with his former student (she's an adult when the affair began, by the way). She has always obsessed about him even during her teenage years. She stalked him for quite a few years. And then last year, she got him! Oh the pain. I feel like slapping her and punching her in the face. When she was 16, I told her to back off and move on with her life. She said she would. But when she was 19/20, she got her way. The affair lasted a year. It ended when I found out almost 4 weeks ago. After I found out about this, my husband confessed that he had encounters with prostitutes as well for the past couple of years. This is to fulfill his sexual needs and loneliness. By the way, we have been separated for 7 months now. My husband moved out 7 months ago. The only reason I still call it an affair was because my husband and I never did get a divorce. We were "working" on our relationship. We were also still having sex. (And yes, I saw my doctor to get myself checked for any possible STDs..)

    So the above is just a very brief description of what happened in terms of infidelity. You should also know that before we got married right after college, my husband confessed, while we were engaged, that he had cheated on me with his ex-girlfriend. This was during college. I chose to marry him regardless. I thought since he (we) was young when that happened, I could work through it. True enough I did. But little did I realize that I had become cold during this 12 year marriage. I was angry, bitter, and resentful. I had trouble saying "I love you" and I had trouble showing affection. So when this young lady showed my husband the attention that he had been craving, what was he to do? I guess he fell for it. She gave him what I didn't give him for 15 years. She adored him. She was obsessed with him. She was stalking him! He even admitted that. Yet, he fell for it. Yikes. How messed up. But that's not all. I had affair myself in 2010 that lasted for one year. My mother had passed away, and my father was diagnosed with cancer. I was a nervous wreck. And my marriage was in shambles. A guy came along and gave me the attention that was much needed. And I took it.

    So anyway, when I found out about my husband's affair (and the prostitutes), I was shocked that I decided to give him a chance - to give our marriage a second chance. I realized I had ignored him this entire time. I had withhold affection and love from him. But this was all clear to me after the affair and confession. I felt a surge of love and affection for him almost immediately. I truly love this man. He was speechless. A few days later, we started dating again. We are experiencing love and closeness like we've never had before. It's like falling in love again. I am not sure if this is going to last. But it is an awesome feeling. We are going to see a marriage counselor before we decide to move back together. We have children. Yes, I am hurt. But I love this man, and I can see that this man loves me. But here is where the real problem lies. I didn't tell my husband about my affair. I felt justified. Now do I even belong on this page because I had affair myself? Maybe that's why I am able to accept my husband. Because deep down I know why he did it. I did it. I regretted what I did. I wish I could turn back the clock. But what's done is done. I am hoping that my second marriage to this same person would work. So far it is looking good. But it's only been 3 weeks. So we'll see.

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    1. Oh what a tangled web we weave.
      I can't imagine how you can have a deep, lasting relationship with such a huge lie in the midst of it all. What's more, you've had the choice of whether to give him a "second chance". Doesn't he deserve that same choice?
      I honestly hope that you two can forgive each other and use this as a chance to build a marriage on mutual respect and kindness and generosity and honesty.
      I would go to a counsellor to talk over how to tell your husband. But I, for one, think it's necessary.
      And then, it's clear that both of you need to learn how to communicate your needs and desires to each other in a healthy way.

      Delete
  65. My husband had an affair 2.5yrs ago with a co-worker that reported to him. It had been going on for 3 months before I discovered it. He said that she meant nothing at all to him and that he loved me very much. We went to marriage counseling. We both feel that we are closer than we have ever been in our relationship and have been quite happy until the other day. You see, this OW still works in the same facility as my husband and still reports directly to him. There was nothing that I could do about it at the time out of fear that my husband would loose his job. I couldn't even tell her husband (although she says SHE did???) because I was afraid of him going to my husband's boss and getting him fired. I set lots of ground rules such as no texting between them, only work phone and email only to be used when absolutely necessary, and no physical meetings EVER! I tried to get my husband to hand that department over to someone else. He tried, but noone wanted to take it. So, this is the situation that I have been stuck in. I check up on my husband from time to time and have found nothing that he is doing wrong until the other day. I discovered that her cell # was back in his phone after I had deleted it and had given him strict instructions that he could only call her on the work phone if a call was necessary. I confronted him and he said that if he had to call it had to be on her cell # because she wasn't always in the ofc....which is true. So, I checked his phone bill and I found multiple text msgs from her on his phone. I went into a fit of rage, screaming at him, calling him terrible names. I even called her with some angry words. They both strongly denied texting each other. As it turns out, someone else from work had sent a group msg out that included her. When she responded to the group message it showed up on his phone bill exactly like the other coworkers that responded in the group message. I just flipped my switch so fast, going from 0-120 at the snap of a finger. Does this happen to anyone else? Does anyone know what causes this, how long it may last, and what I can do to help myself so that I don't look like the crazy person? My husband thinks that I should be well over this since it has been 2.5yrs. I keep telling him that it would be a lot easier if he wasn't still working with her. Thanks for your help.

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    1. I'm always amazed when someone thinks we should be "over" this because it's been x number of years, or x has happened since then, or whatever. Our response to betrayal isn't logical, it's reptilian. Our survival feels at stake, the world feels completely unsafe because someone we chose to trust has revealed himself to be untrustworthy. Our brain responds from that reptilian place, not our executive functioning place.
      For him to expect you to respond rationally to something that LOOKS like he's cheating again after he's already been revealed to have cheated in the past is simply crazy. And shows that he has never been cheated on or he'd understand just why we respond quickly and strongly.
      In order to ensure this doesn't happen again (and you're right -- her constant presence in his place employment is going to keep you from healing as quickly as you otherwise might. She's constantly in the back of your mind...) he needs to tell you quickly and clearly just what sort of contact they've had -- even if it is a group message. He needs to let you know exactly what's going on before your brain has time to jump to conclusions about what's going on. And he needs to absolutely minimize contact with her. Perhaps he should try again to be moved into another department.
      In the meantime, I'm so sorry you're going through this. I know how hard it is...harder still when she's still part of his world.

      Delete
  66. I had my first taste of infidelity on June 19, 2015. It is the hardest situation i have ever been faced with. MY husbands father was just hospitalized with heart conditions and had been there for a couple of days. I knew my husbands high school girl friend worked at the hospital but as far as i knew i had nothing to be concerned about. That Friday changed my entire life and it has been a living hell ever since. My husband, myself and my mother-in-law were in the waiting room when this girl walks in and sits and starts talking to my mother-in-law. I notice the tension in the room instantly as she nor my husband would look at me and no one bothered to introduce her to me. Needless to say i had already figured out who she was. That made the rest of the day awkward. My husband and i didn't even talk for the rest of the day. Being that his father was in the hospital i really didn't want to bring it up at this time. I was desperate to say something so i decided that i would go shopping for a few hours to calm down. I told him i was leaving for a few hours. When i returned.....he was gone. I assumed he had gone to get something to eat or run an errand or something. It became late so i sent a text and he told me he was at "Wal-Mart and would be home soon. A couple of hours later he said he was eating and would be home soon. Well at about 11:00pm i texted his mother and all she told me was that she had told him to go home. I later found out that he was at this girls house and that is why he didn't come home. They had been talking to each other via Face Book. On June 19th they took it to the next level. I just kept asking myself why was i so stupid. All the typical questions going thru my mind. How could they both face me knowing what they were doing? He got his belongings and left the next day.I could have handled the situation easier had it been just me involved. I have two boys from a previous marriage that just adored this man. Once he left all communication ceased. He wouldn't talk to me or the boys. He was all involved with her and her daughter. My boys witnessed his truck at her house. We were tossed away like yesterdays trash. About a month had passed and i get a phone call from my husband. He is asking to come back. It was the happiest yet most terrifying day of my life. I decided to let him back into our lives. Well that proved to be a mistake yet again. He was there 2.5 days and then gone again. All the same emotions came back all over again. My boys were devastated and our trust had diminished. We picked up and moved on once again. We were actually moving on and doing fine.

    Oh but yet again in mid August i get another phone call from him and yes again he was wanting to come back. I have one failed marriage under my belt and i told myself when i married my husband that this was forever.

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  67. I agreed to let him come back with conditions or promises. He promised he would get me a new ring to signify our new beginning. We had a camper that he had an affair in as well and he agreed to sell it. Lastly, while we were separated, he had bought a boat. I requested that he sell the boat as well. I wanted no reminder of this incident around me.

    Needless to say our relationship is still on the edge of a cliff. It is day to day. One promise has been kept and that was to sell the camper. He sole the camper and the next weekend he told me he had to work that Saturday. I texted him about lunch later that day and he kindly informed me that he wasn't coming home and he was going out of town to stay with a friend. That was about 3 weeks ago. That Sunday he came home with a brand new Harley. He had taken the money from the camper and purchased himself a Harley and lied to me about the entire weekend. I still do not have a wedding ring and the boat is not sold however he has his Harley.
    I struggle every day with trust. I struggle to forgive. I struggle to live. I do not believe he is fully committed to the marriage and i feel like i am punished for his actions. He checks my phone constantly as if i am doing something wrong. He feels i deserve nothing. Sometime i just want to give up and walk away. Being that we work in the same place it is so difficult. Everyone knows our situation and we are the joke of the office.I pray for those of us that are strong enough to try and work it out.

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  68. On August 25, I found my boyfriend of almost 10 years - also the father of my two girls; having a conversation via FB with an old fling from the past. Even though the conversation started out pretty innocent, but immediately I knew it wasn't. It went from small talk of work to him being unhappy with me, and our relationship. And wanting to "hang out" with her. A little back story: the 2 months prior this day, I knew something was wrong. He was cold, mean, and distant. The real give away was when we were intimate, he couldn't "finish" or keep it up. This has never been an issue. In that moment my heart dropped and I knew what he was calling me being crazy was anything but. My gut told me something was off. I tried talking it out, but he always got mad and said that I was way off everything is fine etc etc. So I decided to go looking. And literally watched this conversation unfold. He referred to me as his "baby momma" which broke my heart because even though we are not married, I'm more than that. And then for him to tell her that is unhappy and only staying for the girls, shattered my heart. He asked her to meet up in the next few days, abd she agreed. I left work and came home and packed my things and went to my moms. When he tried to call me, I told him what I saw and swore I was done with him. In that moment he said that he was sorry, that he loved me but was not in love with me. He said that we have nothing in common. That put me in a rage and I screamed at him. I asked him if he thought I was madly in love with him at all times? No! I told him it takes work and wanting to. We're in our 30's trying build a life and struggle financially. (As everyone does) and it makes things hard, and adds stress. But I never gave up or stepped out or attempted to. After I said that he went silent. Fast forward 2 weeks, after him begging and pleading I came back home. He said that he can show me better than he can tell me and is going to prove to me that he loves me and that he is sorry he felt confused. And for the most part, I see his effort. My problem is 1. This girl lives 2 blocks away! I've seen her on numerous occasions and it just brings that gut wrenching feeling. 2. I can't seem to stop wondering and questioning thigs in my head. Even though I didn't catch him physically cheating, this ripped my whole world apart. He still can't tell me what he was unhappy about. He says he tried to answer that himself. He just felt unhappy. Which I can understand. my fear is that he wasn't able to communicate with me and after all this time he reached out to another girl?? He says that his intentions were to sleep with her when he was talking to her on fb, but doesn't know if he could really go thru with it. It all just makes me feel like I don't know him. He is terrible at communicating feelings- always has been. But I feel like at this point he needs to open up. I don't want to continuously bring it all up and like I said I do see effort on his part, it just hurts. And Questions keep popping up that I want answers to. I have this timeline in my head and I think of moments we had and wonder was he unhappy then? Was he talking to her then? I forgot to mention that by the conversation they were having, it was clear to me that thy had talked before on there. I'm scared. And still hurt. And angry. I guess I just needed to get that out. I have to be honest and say that there is fear of bringing it up to him because he doesn't get mad, but talking about feelings or if I start to cry he shuts down. I just want to understand. Why wouldn't he just be honest with me? And what happened for him to be ready to give up on our family. That's what hurts. After all of the compromises I've made and work and effort I've put in our relationship. It's like a punch in the gut. It feels good to put this out there. Maybe some feed back would help, but if not I'm glad I got to share this.

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  69. Hi dear
    I just gone through your site....i want someone to understand my pain and help me out ti get rid of...i m starting my story
    I got marrieg in 2009...i had love marriage....my husband loves me alot as he always says....even before and after marriage i didn't knw dat he like drinking and smoking...one day i got surprised wen i found dat he had drunk.Then he accepted dat yes he like to drink occasionally....it was shock for me for d first time....drinking alcohol is not a big thing...but hurt me was dat he never told me about dat....he played with my feelings...anyhow i acceptted it bcz he loves me....
    This year we went Australia to celebrate new year eve....we had great time...dere he enjoyed his drinks and smoke...i tried to take it easily...as it was his life everybody need space....After coming back to hometown.i found him upset and more restless...i asked him calmly to tell everything....Then he told me dat one night in Australia he met a girl....he was looking sexy....we just met and exchange kisses and played wid each others private parts...dats it
    Dese words ruined my life....i am feeling helpless....i hav one girl child...he says dat he is ashamed of what he had done...wants me to forgive and forget...he is swearing of god dat it won't happen again...but i m emotionally totally destroyed..what should i do...how can i forget dat he cheated on me...he was not too much drunken on dat night...he done everything in his senses...then hw could i forget and forgive him...plz advice me...i can't share it wid anyone else...plz guys help me out....my life is shattered....i m thinking of finish off my life....should i take dis step....or give him chance...for dat i hav to forget everything but how it can happen...plzzzzz plzzzz help

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    1. For a start, everything you're feeling is absolutely normal and to be expected when we're dealing with a partner's betrayal. Of course, you're upset. Of course, you're scared and incredibly hurt. But please, please don't do anything that you can't take back. If you think you might hurt yourself, call a suicide hotline or go to your nearest hospital. Nobody is worth dying for. And you have a daughter who needs her mom.
      If your husband wants a second chance, you get to decide whether to give it to him. And you get to decide what you need from him in order to give him a second chance. Why did he cheat? What was he looking for? How can he be sure he won't do it again? How will he handle it should he start feeling the same way again? Will be agree to give you total access to his phone, his computer? Will he promise to be available any time you need him to be in order to assure yourself that he is where he says he is. without him figuring out why he cheated and how he'll ensure he won't do it again, there's not much reason to forgive him. And you simply can't "forget" it. It doesn't work that way. You need to process the pain and the disappointment and the fear in order to get past it. And you'll need him to support you through your healing - by answering your questions, holding you when you cry and making changes in himself to ensure he's learned how better to handle things.
      It's not impossible to move past an affair but it takes a lot of work. And it takes a lot of time.

      Delete
  70. Needing some advice. Its been almost 10 years since my husband had a one night stand with a girl 18 years younger than the both of us. He was very remorseful and I loved him so that I decided to try and work thru it. Many tears and up and down emotions and I thought I had myself in a good place. I thought we had ourselves in a good place. He recently retired from the military and has taken on a civilian job. Requires him to travel. On one of his recent trips he ran into two female employees of his company that had recently been fired. He decided to sit down with them and ask what had happened. He came home and told me of this meeting and what they all discussed. A few weeks passed and I am having to help him send a photo off his phone to a friend and I see several photos of two women. Nothing erotic. They were just smiling and laughing in the photos. I did not quite understand why he would have photos of these ex-employees. I asked and he said they asked him to take their picture. I again asked why. He said he did not know why...they just asked him to. I remembered they night he was with these two girls and he had rang up a tab of almost $100. So I knew they were drunk. Alcohol was a big factor in the one night stand and being away from home. I instantly was put back 10 years ago and was very hurt and angry. He as first could not understand why I was so angry. Nothing happened. He had told me that he saw them and spoke with them. I explained my hurt and he understood. But I cant seem to get it out of my mind. I am remembering the hurt from the one night stand. I am feeling like I was made a fool by these girls having their pictures taken on my husbands phone. Why would they want to be on my husbands phone and why would he want to have them on his phone? Questions I proposed to him with an answer of "I dont know" I need help on trying to deal with this and not bring up the past. We are leaving on a trip to Costa Rica that we have saved for over a year. I am afraid that this will be in the back of my mind the whole time and ruin this time.

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    1. Broken hearted,
      Many, many of us experience post-trauma in the wake of a spouse's betrayal. I suspect that's what happened to you. You see something and it takes you right back to that moment when your world was shattered.
      Did his reaction seem cagey when you asked him about it? Was there anything in his reaction that made you think there's more to the story? Given that they were drinking, I'm not sure the idea of him taking a photo with his phone is so strange. One of those "who knows why" things that is likely innocent but kinda stupid.
      Might be time to just revisit how you're feeling in your marriage and what happened a decade ago. Talk over with your husband what's changed, find out how he's feeling about the whole thing. Might help you put this to rest so you can enjoy your holiday.

      Delete
  71. I first met my husband about 17 years ago and started dating then. Two and a half years of courtship, things changed and relationship was somehow rocky. He meant everything to me and i felt that he did not love me anymore. I ended up talking to a friend his as i was not getting through to him explaining how much he was hurting me. The friend unfortunately ended up telling me the truth about my boyfriend's affairs. i was shattered. Shortly thereafter, i caught him with another woman half naked in house.I used to cry and beg him to spend time with me but to no avail.
    He then got promoted at work and had to leave the country to go on training for a couple of months. Just week after he left, i met someone who asked me out for lunch. I accepted the invitation. This was someone i knew from varsity, my part-time lecturer. I never had contact with him outside of class before, this wad really the first time we had an informal talk. After the lunch, i confessed to my boyfriend that i had been to lunch with somebody else. I did not hide anything from him. I then suggested that we rather break up. I was very young then and felt that deserved better treatment than how my boyfriend was treating without having done anything wrong to him. This other man was older and well established and i felt that i was just an ordinary girl from the township.After a couple of months we started a relationship. My boyfriend begged me to stay but i was stuborn. This went on for close to 5 months when i realised that i still loved my boyfriend and decided to end it with this new man. I went back to my boyfriend and apologised and asked him to take back. It did not last long when he dumped me saying he could not forgive me for i treated him. Knowing that i was wrong, i accepted all. Since then, our relationship had been on and off. He was so bitter that he would insult me almost everyday. I have apologised countless times and explained why i did what i did. I had no real reason. I was just frustrated and felt unloved, this new guy came along amid these frustrations and doubt and i went for him.I have told him about my boyfriend and troubles we had and he knew that i still loved my boyfriend. After i ended it with him, i never went back to him.
    I suffered insults and confrontations from my boyfriend since. He was very bitter and angry and could not forgive me. Three years ago we got engaged, married for close to two years now.
    After 15 years, my husband still is bitter and angry. He keeps telling me how unhappy he is and how he regrets marrying me. He refused counselling. He still insults me and questions me about why i left him then.I have told him everything but he still insists that i am a liar. I have everything he had demanded from me.
    My despises me. We hardly talk to one another. There us no intimacy. He is in contact with several other women. I can never talk to him about his behaviour without him bring up the past issues. He says i am the one blame for his behaviour. It is torture leaving in this house.I want to give up and walk out with my 9 month old baby.He is unbearable and he refused counselling.He would rather be with other people and chat to these women all the time.

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    1. Anonymous,
      You are living in an abusive relationship. You can't win with him. You are his dog to kick.
      Please...seek counselling and gather the strength to walk out with your baby. You don't want a child to grow up in that environment believing that's what love looks like. Please. You deserve so much better than this. If you don't believe that then believe this: Your baby deserves so much better than this.

      Delete
    2. I am so glad that I came across this site. My husband and I have been married for 6 years and together for 8. He was married previously and has 2 much older children. While I was pregnant with our son, I found out he was talking to an old GF and having a very inappropriate conversation. I called him on it and he told me he was just helping her through a difficult time since she was going through a divorce due to her husband cheating on her. They talked a lot about sex and being together. He apologized and deleted her contact info and all text messages so that he couldn't contact her again. A couple months later, I found messages on his phone and FB from yet another past GF that was also inappropriate and discussed things that you would only discuss with your spouse. I called him on that one also and sent the OW a message. He claims that he was only talking to her and she was an old friend...nothing more. She told me that they did in fact date for a long time a long time ago. He did stop talking to her and I thought had deleted her from his FB. Fast forward 4 years to yesterday morning while I was caring for our son while he was sick, I found messaged from yet another past GF and found out he had been talking to her since 2011. Many times he told her that she was still very beautiful and he wished that they could have tried again, she agreed and said that she would have been willing to move anywhere for him. He told her that he still had feelings for her and if they did hook up for a drink he didn't know if he would be able to keep his hands to himself. She told him he was married and his reply was "I'm just a man" When I called him on it he claims that it was just a stupid conversation and didn't mean anything. I told him that while he may not have actually physically done anything, he still betrayed our vows and me. He says that he is sorry and yet I am having a real hard time accepting this and believing that he won't contact her again. She lives in a city that isn't far from where he sometimes has to go to for training for work. From the conversations they have had I am having a hard time moving past them and believing that he won't contact her if he has to go there. Am I overreacting or right in feeling betrayed??

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    3. I've never commented before but your story is similar to mine. My DD was 5 years ago, when my husband sat me down and told me about his affair. It started like yours...connecting to past girlfriend's on fb. I knew about one but not the other until later..trickle down truth...sigh...
      Anyway I expressed my concerns very strongly about being friends with her on FB.He would get angry and tell me I was being irrational and jealous for no reason. You have a right to be concerned and feel betrayed.
      My husband made me feel so guilty about questioning him that I told him to stay friends because I trusted him.
      Fast forward 9months and I find out his "friendship" progressed to emotional affair then physical affair.
      She was also married.
      I wish I had stuck to my original feelings. In hindsight and confessions from my husband,he was angry and lashed out at me because he was already progressing to the emotional affair and didn't want it to stop.
      I would start couple counseling now. He obviously has something missing in his life to keep seeking out these women in his past. Don't let him tell you otherwise.stay firm and don't feel guilty for wanting a committed spouse. I've endured so much heartache and pain...and would not wish that on anyone.
      My marriage survived in the end..and I hope yours does too. Good luck.Please know you are not alone. Kris

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    4. Looking for Help,
      You are most definitely NOT over-reacting. He is engaged in emotional affairs and many women on this site will tell you it's just as painful as a physical betrayal.
      He seems to think that the only line he shouldn't cross is sexual. But affairs are about secrecy. They're about deception. They're about turning to someone outside the marriage for something that should be within a marriage -- sexual (even just talked about) intimacy. He's dancing really close to the fire and he's doing it repeatedly. And he's asking you to believe him when he clearly has a pattern of deception and secrecy and lying to you when caught.
      You need to make your boundaries really clear and, frankly, I would insist he seek help to figure out why he's risking his marriage for these online flirtations. What story is he telling himself that makes what he's doing "okay". I suspect he'd be devastated if you were doing this with old boyfriends. It's betrayal, pure and simple.
      I would also insist on having access to any and all devices, accounts, etc. Not to police him but to allow him to earn trust back by NOT deceiving you.
      There's clearly something going on here that's going to eventually cross the line, if it hasn't already. You're giving him the chance to figure out why he's doing this before he loses everything that matters to him. If he's smart, he'll take it.

      Delete
  72. Looking for a little advice (or maybe a shoulder to cry on aha). Elle, I read your story on a different site and it really struck a chord with me. I'm so thankful to have come across it because it really opened my eyes in so many ways. I recently found out that my husband has been having multiple affairs and "flings" over the past year, and then he later confessed to me that it's been going on throughout our entire relationship. (As ugly and shocking as the circumstances have been, I won't go into detail at this time.) I had suspected it so many times but he always denied it profusely, and having such a deep trust in him I put my suspicions aside and believed him. I see now that he was too ashamed to come clean. He hated himself for it and at the same time he couldn't stop. He lied because he couldn't bear the thought of me seeing who he really was, that he wasn't the person I believed he was for so long. After reading through some of the earlier entries it became clear to me that my husband is dealing with sex addiction. He hates talking about the things he's done and it's like he's so disconnected from the sex that he's had with these other multiple women. Alot of the the "why" questions that I've asked him are responded to with an "I don't know." He breaks down and tells me he never wanted to hurt me or break us apart, and I just want to say "then WHY DIDN'T YOU THINK ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS??" But for some reason it's almost like he was in a detached state and for him it was "just sex." I know that he's had issues dealing with things he's gone through, a rocky childhood and not having a decent father, so I can see that this would be a type of escape for him. I want to feel like this is no excuse, and I desperately want him to have to pay for the way he's hurt me and betrayed my trust. Part of me wants the world to know what a liar he's been, but the other part of me wants to love him and accept him if it means it will help him through it so that we can rebuild our marriage. He's my husband, my best friend, and I just want that back.

    I know it will take a lot of work and healing. I also know that he needs to seek out professional help, but I haven't talked to him about it yet. That's where my problem comes in: He's in the Navy, so he's often gone for long periods of time. He left on orders very shortly after everything came out, and we can't always speak often. Our communication hasn't been great because it's mostly 5-10 min phone calls, and I hate to argue on the phone so I try to keep it light. His job is stressful and he's already so depressed about the situation he's put us in. He'll be coming home for a while in 3 weeks, and I want to talk to him then about seeking therapy...but how do I breach the subject to him? How do I tell him that's what he needs in a way that will make him believe it? How do I tell him that's what has to happen without sounding unreasonable? He hates it when I bring up the subject, he completely shuts down. He tells me it's never going to happen again, but I don't know what to believe anymore because I know he has a problem.

    Just wondering if anyone can offer some advice. I feel very alone in this and there's so much that I've never been able to talk about to anyone. I really haven't told anyone about what we're going through, I feel like I'll be judged by the other wives that I know. I haven't told any of my family members for the same reason. I can't possibly explain to them why I'm staying with him to try and fix our marriage without them criticizing me or hating him for what he's done. Reading through this blog has made me feel much less alone and has given me new hope that better days are still ahead.

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    1. Jasmine,
      I think you're asking for the impossible. You know he needs help. But you want him to want to get help. You can't control him. But you can control you and your actions.
      Get clear on what you need from him in order to continue in this marriage. He's asking for something huge from you. He's asking you to trust him when he has revealed himself to be entirely untrustworthy. So I he's going to ask you for that, then he needs to show you that he's committed to becoming trustworthy. And he does that by seeking help. Frankly, I would make that non-negotiable. If he wants a marriage with you, then he needs help. Period.
      People don't just stop without understanding how they were using sex to essentially medicate uncomfortable feelings. Or to escape. He needs to understand why he was willing to risk his marriage for "just sex". And what is he going to do when he's tempted again. His absences, again, require incredible trust on your part.
      He needs to step up to the plate, be willing to make himself uncomfortable in order to help rebuild trust and a marriage. If he's unwilling to do that, it reveals an unwillingness to support you and an inability to truly understand the pain you're in.
      Jasmine, I'm so sorry you're going through this. But your desire to not rock the boat by making demands is worrisome. You have every right to make very clear demands about what you need to even consider giving him a second chance.

      Delete
  73. I found out my husband was cheating on me four months ago. I thought I'd forgiven him but each time something pop ups that reminds of that dark day I begin to visaulise what lies he may have told the OW. I didn't suspect a thing. How I found out is that he left his phone on the ottaman and when the children were watching TV the phone fell I picked it up and noticed that he had a text from a name I didn't recognise ( he had no lock on screen) and a message that revealed her love to him. It was the day after Valentine's. Turns out the OW works for the same company I work for. I work remotely but flew into the main office during the time the affair was at its peak so she knows me, knew of me before she took up with my husband. Uber annoying is the fact that while I was in the office she called to tell him that she'd met me but that I hadn't reacted ( he told me this as part of the forgiveness package I offered, every detail, no stone unturned) As we mend ( I've decided to try and forgive) little bits pop up that sting almost worst than the reveal. Only because they casually draw an image of intimacy that should have never happened. An example, she told him that she felt that together they could accomplish anything. I guess that meant kicking me and his children out of the equation. More recently, three months post d-day she came into the city we live in ( this was a long distance affair, my husband made several business trips over the course of three months that were actually to visits her). She was in town for a conference, the two work in the same industry. After d-day he initiated no contact and has kept his word and didn't attend the event. However she sent coded ( not so coded) tweets during the time about the man that she loved the time they had and finally at the end of her trip stopped by his office. He called me immediately and said that he was away at the time and that she'd left a package that he immediately disposed of. Funny that its me who was dying to know what she'd left behind. It feels like its behind us and yet sometime I linger. I feel fractured.

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    1. Anon,
      Four months might feel like it has been an eternity but it's really still such a raw time. Your brain is still processing what was a huge shock and you're likely going through grief stages, including a bit of post-trauma. You might find yourself needing to ask the same questions because you can't recall the answers (or even asking them). You might find that you need more information about something you've already talked about. It's all "normal" under the circumstances.
      Your husband sounds as if he's done with the affair, which isn't surprising. While we imagine the type of affair we see on TV, the reality is often far less romantic, exciting, interesting. Once the initial attraction wears off, a cheater sometimes realizes that the potential cost (losing what really matters) is too much. This woman sounds manipulative and not nearly as clever as she thinks she is. Neither is particularly attractive.
      So...NO CONTACT has to mean for you too. It's tempting, I know. After all, this woman tried to exclude you from your husband's life. But it gets easier with time. Render her something like a cancerous tumour that's been removed from your lives and let her fester somewhere outside of your sphere.
      Focus on rebuilding a marriage with your husband, carrying the hard-won lessons he's learned into a new future.

      Delete
  74. I found a picture of "Just-henna tattooed hand" (with orange colored manicure) on my husband cell phone during Memorial day gathering at my house. He was showing my niece's picture to his friends, then his phone came to my hand and I found it. My instinct just worked fast and I asked him, "WTF is this?" He first said its his co-worker's wife who just got this done. After everyone left the house, I confronted him again. He changed his story (after making up some name as his co-worker), to his old Rock band(he was a singer) friend who understood him(this hurt), then I finally found that it was a some random girl who he found on Craigslist on April 17, 2016.
    We physically fought, I grabbed his phone, smacked his face (wished I had hit him harder to break his face/nose), broke his glasses(all 3 pairs), and then he pinned me down to get his cellphone out of my hand. All this time, my 11year old son watching. (its his step son. He raised him since he was 3 years old) He paced back and forth, while I yelled at him to get the fuck out of this house. I grabbed trash bags, threw his clothes, collectibles, everything and threw them to front yard. I also threw many things over from upstairs and I'm sure my neighbors heard our commotion/troubles. (it was around 10-11pm)
    I just knew it was more than just texting or emailing. Sending someone a picture of "I just did something to make me feel pretty. look at it(henna tattoo)" to someone is personal. Its something you will do to get someone you like arouse for you or sharing your desire. (I'm sexy and I want you)

    Memorial day was Monday. My H was such an asshole throughout(like 3hours) of fighting, him getting ready to leave the house, me yelling at him, and throwing things out. I also called his mom from his phone (when I still had it) and told her that "I'm just letting you know, because I'm freaking out, that YOUR son is cheating on me". I wanted to destroy him and expose him to his family. (my bad) I also broke so many picture frames. He left around 11:30. I found my son, in his room and was hiding....then he was asleep. (Glad for that)
    Tuesday was a blur. I really don't remember what happened. My son went to school and came home. I think H texted me to come home to pick up some contact lenses because he couldn't see anything. I was laying half asleep while he came to garage (where his belongs were), but we did not speak and he left. Wednesday, we started to text, him-apologizing and me-berating. That night, I had to work, so I arranged someone to sleepover (I work night shift from 7pm, 12hrs) but I realized I couldn't go to work. Thursday, he texted and asked to speak with our son and wanted to apologize. He came in and we finally spoke face to face.

    continue sorry i'm kinda long...but lost. needed to vent

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  75. He said that he's addicted to Pornography. He casually met some women for sex through Craigslist before we got married(we met 2007 and got married in 2009), so he knew where to look for this type of things. He said that he started to browse casual connection ad in Nov 2013 and stated to connect with someone who was looking to text/email, exchanging private and private(s) pictures and videos, dirty talks, and called her "slut". He told me she wanted to meet him after a month of email exchanges, but he refused and deleted his account. But then he quickly went back to collect emails/text/picture/video from both female/male and couples. He created 2 email accounts, downloaded a text message app Kik. He deleted his app everytime I had a chance to look at his phone.
    The one I found (the hand) is a woman, he claimed, that she lived in a different city and is also married. He said this was his way to believe that he wasn't a cheater. and so that he would not attempt anything physical, he would stop himself. She answered his ad that he was looking for an intimate good chat through kik/email, but not wanting to connect personally in case things get too hot. ( He added "lol". so stupid) I found pictures of this woman(I don't even want to call her "woman".), touching her vagina, spreading it, her squeezing her tits, and her hand picture finally on his phone. No face. Her left hand did not have any ring on it. Her pinky somewhat little crooked and tanned. Her kik name was "sunkissedkay" and her "supposed" name was Katherine.

    Okay, its been almost little bit more than 2 weeks. He's back home now and I'm sleeping with him. I was so sure I was done the day I found out. I don't need him for money (I can make it on my own) and I'm still okay enough to go out and find someone. (I hope.... agh, this insecurity is getting me.) But now, I'm going crazy when he's not with me because I can't help thinking that what he was doing when I wasn't watching him. He wrote me a letter (and he also sent a copy to his brother) stating that he never did anything physical, no connection with any of these women, he never met anyone, (although he MET someone online), never real conversation. Just really dirty talk and nasty pictures/videos. (Yes, I found it and saw it. I'm so appalled how anyone can do this, take pic and send them to strangers) I want to believe that he is telling me truths. I really don't know if I can trust him that he is telling me everything. He promised that he's going to change and will do anything to win my trust/love again. He thanked me for giving him another chance. He went back to his church, confessed, and seeing therapist since last week. He's never been this kind and loving, (maybe first few years of our marriage....) but I'm just afraid that it won't last and I'm going to be fooled again.
    I'm walking my dogs this morning and felt foolish giving him a second chance. How am I going to trust ANYONE ever again? I don't know if I can EVER be truly, without worry, Happy again. I can't laugh freely, find anything lightly, I'm skeptic of everything now. I was never like this. I miss my free/happy/loving self again.

    Lost. Thanks for reading.

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  76. Hi there,I'm am so thrilled to find others who feel my pain,others who understand how difficult this process is! I need to make one of the biggest decisions of my life and my heart is breaking!! I have been married for 23 years and we have 2 boys aged 20 and 16. 8 years ago hubby had an affair and I found out he was addicted to pornography. We went to marriage counseling for 6 months and the first year after his affair was amazing,our marriage felt stronger than ever. However 1 year later I caught him watching pornography again. I was heartbroken as he had made so many promises to me,he knew how it was affecting our marriage. Our marriage has been difficult since his affair. I stayed with him because I love him with all my heart,I don't believe in divorce as I had faith that God would restore my marriage.I forgave him,but it's so hard to forget. Some days he treats me like I had an affair,it's as if he has a vendetta against me,because I caught him and found out about all his dirty little secrets. I've begged him to go with me back to counseling and he always refuses. All his mood swings,short temper,coldness towards me and snotty remarks was used as an excuse to say he is stressed at work. Every time we argue he refuses to apologize if he is wrong,and he ignores me for weeks. We have decided to move to the UK,we have sold just about everything. My husband is already in the UK and is working and I stayed behind to wait until he is financially secure enough for us to join him. We have not seen each other for 3 months,it's so hard I miss him terribly!! Since he's been away we still argue so much. Last couple of weeks he's been a bit cold towards me so my instincts kicked in and I did something AWFUL!!!!! I pretended to be someone else on Facebook and sent him a friend request,he excepted. I asked him a few questions and he was very friendly and we got chatting,I invited him for coffee and he quickly agreed. I asked him if he was single and he said he would be soon,he said he and his wife had been having problems for a long time and he's divorcing her. I asked if his sons were joining him and he said he didn't know,(he's such a good dad) The coffee date was then set up. He somehow figured out after I confronted him that I was behind it all...and has now said I need help,and he's disgusted that I would do such a thing and is once again completely ignoring me! I know this was WRONG and maybe I was asking for trouble.I'm SHOCKED that he would go down that road again. He tells me I'm his soul mate and he loves me with all his heart and this move abroad is for a better future for all of us and for our marriage! Now I need to decide,do I join him or do I finally move on,I'm tired of living a life of misery. BUT....I still love him so much it hurts! I asked him about the messages and as usual I heard all the excuses in the book...moment of weakness,lonely etc. He is now wanting to go back to marriage counselling and wants us to start all over again. He is promising to change and deal with his issues. I have realised that I never forgave him,I have so much anger and bitterness towards him and it's been 8 years. I feel he butters me up with promises and as soon as he sees I'm starting to soften he falls back into his unloving and uncaring ways,which immediately gets my back up. What do I do,should I forgive him again and leave my family,friends(support system) and move to the other side of the world?? I'm SO afraid and confused? Is it possible for me to let go of all the inner feelings of hurt and pain and feel safe again in my marriage?? Any advice?? Thank you and sorry this is such a long post��

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  77. I'm in need of some advice, and really have no place to turn. I had suspected my H was having an affair for awhile now, and found a text exchange that confirmed it about 3 months ago. I confronted him and he admitted that it he had been having an affair with his co-worker. We've been going for counseling, and some times it feels like things are improving, but a lot of the time not so much. His head is in the fog, and he still doesn't really know if he wants to be with me. Part of this, I believe, is due to the fact that he still works with the OW. Supposedly she's looking for another job, but it's taking a lot of time and I know he still feels strongly for her. I'd very much like to separate, but the trouble is that we have a 3 year old daughter, who it will be very hard to explain everything to. I know she is why he is trying at all, but it's very half-hearted, and I'm tired of the roller coaster. I think he needs reality to smack him in the face, but it will impact more than him and that's where my hesitation lies. What do I do?

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    1. I don't think there's ever a good time to tell a child that her parents are separating but at the age of three, your daughter is relatively unconcerned about the details and focussed on just what this means for her. If it means that daddy won't be living with her but will see her and spend time with her and love her, then that's not such a bad thing, from her perspective. She'll be sad but will accommodate pretty quickly.
      And given both of your hesitation re. committing to rebuilding your marriage, I would suggest that a separation might be a good thing. Gives each of you time to see what being apart is like and gives him a better idea of the cost of his cheating. He might decide it's worth it...which is valuable info for you.

      Delete
  78. In August my husband of 23 years revealed to me he has a child 24 years old. He said a month before our wedding a woman he was seeing told him she was pregnant. He never disclosed this to me in our 23 years of marriage. He has been sending child support payments for the entire time but, has never seen, interacted or talked to her. They live about 20 hours away from where we live. He also disclosed he is a transvestite and the icing on the cake is he has been having an affair with a coworker for three years. In His effort to come clean and have "radical honesty" he laid all of this at my feet. I feel someone has taken a sledge hammer to my head. I daily feel like I need to be admitted to a hospital psychiatric ward. I have cried every day for three months. He says he is extremely remorseful and he had moved away from God. He said the cross dressing started as a child and as an adult escalated to pornography and phone sex. He "says" he has given his life to Christ. He prays and contacts me throughout the day. He has given me his passwords to email and cell phone accounts. He still works in the same place as his affair partner though not in the same department. He got busted when he sent me a text message meant for her discussing renewing the cell phone he purchased for their communications. She is a married woman with several children. I found poetry he had written her and the nude pictures they exchanged with one another on a regular basis. Her husband is unaware of the affair. He called her in my presence and ended the affair and asked for return of the phone, which it was. The cell phone records showed that the two of them would text and talk constantly. He would take off from work and they would spend the day in a hotel. He claims it was four times. In our 20+ years of marriage he never took a day off to spend with me. I am beyond the realm of hell. The level of betrayal feels like a Ponzy scheme. I have given my life to God, him and our children. I tried to be a God fearing loving wife, mother and friend. My whole life was sacrificed for his career. We have moved four times. I gave up my hopes and dreams so His could be fulfilled but, there was never anything for me. He treated me over the years with increasing disdain and contempt. I feel despair, I am angry, I am lost. I don't know this person who would do this to someone. I am hanging on by God's grace and mercy.

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    1. Anonymous,
      The only way to understand this is to accept that your husband is a very very sick person. His ability to lie and deceive over such a long period of time -- and to marry you without disclosing something as crucial as another child -- is staggering.
      I'm not sure what your faith is but I don't personally believe in a God that sentences anyone to a lifetime of pain. His "radical honesty" has come pretty late. What is he doing to deal with his issues? I certainly hope he's in some kind of therapy. He needs tools to manage his compulsions or he needs the freedom to be able to come out and be who is openly. What he doesn't need is to white-knuckle it another few decades and neither do you.
      What do you want going forward? Are you in any kind of therapy to help you process this incredible pain? Your description of a Ponzy scheme sounds pretty accurate. This is a betrayal that spans years and crosses into all sorts of territory. It has affected you physically, emotionally, financially. He has essentially removed you from any decision making within your marriage.
      Please start by finding yourself a good therapist who can help you process your pain and grief.
      Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself.
      And...one more thing...consider telling the other husband so he has the chance to decide if this woman is someone he wants in his life. We each have the right to know exactly who we're married to.

      Delete
  79. Hello everyone,

    I don't know where to start. I came to know about may husbands affair with his collegue on the fateful day of 10th July 2016. I was completely blindsided, I thought we were in love for a decade and planning to start a family soon. He came out and told me that he wants to tell me everything I wish to know and then put it behind us so we can move on.He did tell me a half cooked BS story that night emphasizing all the while how she was just an emotional support for him from past 3 years and nothing else. He has no physical connection with her and it was all an emotional affair. He even went ahead and said that he knows that if he spends one full day with her he will not be able to stand another! I asked him to break it off, to which he said he needs 1 week of time to end things with her. After a week he said its done and no more of her in our lives.

    I tried to process my pain and heart breaking truth of his betrayal, shared with my sister. My sis advised me to give him another chance and try to rebuild the marriage. I did the same because I still loved him and in my society life after divorce for a women is not a good way to go. It went okay for a while..

    Then in September I found out that he is still going behind my back and is in touch with her. When I asked about it he got angry and defensive against me for checking up on him. He said he needs her in his life even if that means leaving me. And suddenly things turned all haywire from there. From saying I love you a minute back it changed to I don't see a future with you and I think I never loved you blah blah.. You were never good for me our marriage wasn't good. You never tried to understand me how OW does, You took me for granted and OW never does that, You didn't had enough time for me... and I behaved like a classic idiot and told him that I am ready to work on what was lacking in our marriage and myself and want to be with him. In-short I agreed to be his doormat I think :) . In October he took an assignment which takes him to another country and hasn't been back yet. We had limited contact during this time.

    This gave me a chance to step back and realise that I need to take care of myself and focus on me, rather than praying him and forgiving him for everything he has said and done. I need to accept the emotions and not fight them. Not easy but without this it wasn't possible to even breath and go about the daily routine. Since November end he started initiating contact through calls/messages once in a while. He would say things like its all his fault and he has messed things up, I have always been good and why do I want to live with someone who cheated on me, I deserve better and should leave him so I can find a better person for myself. He cannot see a happy future for both of us together as I will never be able to trust him. P.S he is still in contact with OW and thinks he loves her ,ha ha ha.

    I have been doing good for myself in these 2-3 months of separation. Started yoga classes and meditation. Started taking more interest in my hobbies, spa treatments ;). I am a very joyful person usually so just trying to find happiness within me was helping a lot.

    He is coming back in 10 days and I don't know what I am supposed to do, say or act. The thought of him coming back and living in the same house sickens me and brings me back to Dday and all the healing I have been through is slipping away...

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    1. Anonymous, I think you've re-discovered your backbone while he was away and that's a really good thing. I think you stated in your letter how things need to proceed. Whether or not you decide to rebuild your marriage (though it sounds as though he's squandered the chance you were willing to give him), you now realize that you get to set the rules. Regarding what to do, say or act, I think you tell him exactly what you've told us: that upon consideration, you've realized that you gave up your self-respect in order to give him a chance and he blew it by continuing to deceive you and betray your trust. I'd be curious to know how he can possibly defend that.
      Anonymous, you get to decide what your life looks like from here on in. I won't be the least surprised to hear that he's realizing what a stupid mistake he has made. Whether it's too late for your marriage, I don't know. But I do know you won't go back into a marriage like the one you had.
      Your healing isn't slipping away at all. The pain of his betrayal might feel more immediate when you imagine facing him again. It can feel a bit easier to avoid that pain when he's been gone. But facing that pain is part of your healing. It's moving you forward because you'll realize that you can be hurt and still defend your boundaries and self-respect. That you can be hurt and still make the choice to move on.

      Delete
    2. Thank you Elle for your kind support. The feelings and advice shared by all people in this group are keeping me going.

      I don't know if I have it in me now to give him another chance. I think will have to take it one day at a time and see how it goes. Just worried to get caught in the same whirlwind of emotions and go the same path. I need all the strength..

      Delete
    3. Stone Hearted, Keep both your heart and your eyes wide open. You're nobody's fool.

      Delete
  80. HI. I'm Marti and I am new here, though I am just over two years out from my D-Day. I never thought I would be here and yet, I am. this is a 'club' I never wished to join and I do so now because this is one of the most helpful and positive sites I have found.
    Here is my story.

    I have been married for 26 years and on 26th September, 2014, as I worked on our new computer, messages started opening on the screen. It was a new computer and my husband had a new mobile phone, which was linked to the computer. He was at work, I was on holidays. I went digging, just as the Ester Perel TED talk scenario outlines, and hundred of text messages opened in front of me, photographs, desires expressed, intimate moments shared. As she says in her talk, it was indeed 'Death by a Thousand Cuts'. When I confronted my husband the trickle truth started. He and his AP immediately ended their Affair and she disappeared back into the arms of her unsuspecting husband and family (two children). Eventually, the truth revealed a NINE year affair, initially characterised by an emotional component and then for the final six years or so, a physical component as well. Her children were just 1 and 3 when it began. It continued even when we moved away from the state in which she lived and my husband would see her when he travelled for work and they were in constant contact during the working week via text, phone and email. My world was shattered. Pain like I had never known filled my days, and yet I continued to work, to function and to hide everything from my family and friends. Eventually I told one friend, who immediately assumed I would leave. My husband attempted suicide two months after D-Day and spent a weekend in hospital. This was the loneliest I had ever been - all home alone, not able to tell a soul where he was or why - I was so ashamed.
    Since then, his genuine remorse, compliance with new boundaries and immediate ending of the affair have all been positive. But I have struggled with the length of the affair, the fact that they both ended it immediately (It mean nothing - they both walked away from it immediately. They risked everything for NOTHING! It still drives me nuts thinking about it!).
    My obsession with the AP has been a problem, especially as I chose not to tell her husband and know that he is still ignorant of the whole affair. Some days I am a mess and some days are good. Some days I punish my husband mercilessly by rehashing the whole thing. Some triggers blind me with pain and send me into a spiral and sometimes I get a phrase or image from the texts I read and photos I saw so stuck in my head I cannot function for a while.
    I had heard the 'two years to recovery' so often that I expected to be 'better' by now and I have been struggling with what 'healing' means.
    This is by far the hardest 'healing' I have every done!!

    Thanks so much for your wonderful site!!

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    1. Marti, I am so so sorry for the pain you're in. What agony to discover your partner had been living a lie for so long. But please know you're among women who know what you're going through and how it feels. Nothing prepares us for the pain of betrayal.
      You sound actually pretty good for just over two years from D-Day. I'd always heard two to five years until you feel truly past it and, honestly, I was far closer to five. That doesn't mean I was in agony every day until suddenly I wasn't, it just means that it was close to five years of slow healing until I really felt it was behind me and that I had emerged whole.
      That idea that we're not getting over it fast enough can sometimes get in the way of appreciating just how far you've come. As you no doubt well recall, it's hard to believe we were upright at all during those early days. That we were still breathing. And now, here you are, actually having some good days. Unbelievable huh? Maybe not all good days but some. And that's huge progress.
      You have a ton of pain to process. Nine years is a long, long time. And even with a remorseful husband who clearly regrets what he did, it's hard to move past that level of betrayal. A lot of us experience post-trauma -- a sense that world can't be trusted, that we're not safe, that anything could happen at any time and blindside us. If that describes you, then it's hard to heal without professional help.
      In any case, I hope you'll continue to share here. It's amazing how healing it is to be among people who understand what we're going through. Even more amazing is how often we laugh -- each at our computers -- at something another said. Just as often, of course, we cry for each other's pain. We support each other. We root for each other to get through another day without killing our spouse, the OW, or some random person who gets in our way.
      Welcome to the club none of us ever wanted to join. You're among friends.

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  81. Thank you so much for not telling me to 'tell her husband'. I have posted on two other blogs and that is the first piece of advice I received. "Tell him. You are obliged to... she should have to face the consequences of her actions... you are complicit in a lie.' In truth, part of my healing journey has been not to tell her husband. To hold myself more accountable for my actions than did she - not that I am accountable for the affair, but I am accountable for the aftermath. There are children involved - mine and hers, and I do not know how her husband would react, I do not know him very well and could not predict the consequences if I revealed her deception - which went on for half her marriage. My goal is to have her gone from my head entirely and to live each day as best I can (thanks so much for that wisdom).
    I think of her often and will try your red stop sign to circumvent those thoughts. I have asked my husband why it went on for so long and he replied that it became like a relationship and he felt he was supporting her emotionally as the years passed... Not a very good answer really.

    What bugs the hell out of me is that on at least two occasions (once when it was still an emotional affair, and once about 6 years into it), I had clear evidence of the affair, he lied and I believed the lie - instead of trusting my instinct. I have learned to listen to the whisper of intuition now and trust what it tells me. I felt ashamed of how gullible I was, but then I read on this site about self forgiveness. I have a lot of that to do.
    Thanks again.

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    1. Marti,
      So so many of us realize in hindsight that we weren't paying attention to our instincts. And learning to trust ourselves again is a big part of healing from this. It's also key in learning how to live -- in learning that we hold what we need to keep ourselves safe. Don't look at it as gullibility so much as loyalty.And someone you trusted took full advantage of that. The shame is his.
      As for telling the other husband, I do think that he deserves to know who he's married to. But I also think we each need to approach this in the way that's healthiest for us. If simply cutting these people from your life is the best path for you, then that's what you do. There is no "right" way through this. There is what's right for you, and you get to determine that. We're about to run out of space on this thread so you might want to post on one of the more recent blog posts, or on one of the other forums. For some reason, this blog platform stops publishing when I hit 200 comments. Sorry about that....

      Delete
  82. I have been in her husband's shoes. The truth always comes out. Because no one told me right away it went on for 18 months instead of just a few weeks (when OW's H found out and confronted my CH). 11 years later OW x-husband told me. My CH had another internet affair a few years ago. All of this pain would have been minimized. I would have had a chance to say "her or me". We would have had a chance to go to MC and have a better marriage the last decade. Please reconsider - insist OW be the one to tell her H or threaten that you will. I know you think telling them will hurt him but he might just get hurt worse by being in the dark. Just another perspective and not one coming from a place of revenge, but one of compassion. I would give anything to go back in time and know the truth of my own life and have a fighting chance at taking control of my/our destiny.

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  83. I would like to offer a different perspective. THe truth has a way of coming out eventually. And often the longer it takes to be revealed the more damange it can do. My CH, the OW, the OW's H, and several other family members ALL made the decision to keep the A from me. I learned about it over a decade later. So, I had no opportunity to say "her or me" I have no access to any documentation so I am left searching for answers after phone records, emails, bank statements have been long destroyed. I had a decade of a roller-costar marriage because he was living with the guilt and all the marital problems we developed before the A were still there. So we never went to counseling. I never had a chance to fight. Our marriage never had a chance to improve. My H went back to her for a 2nd time 18 months later - that never would have happened if I had known. I think you should insist that she tell her own husband and don't back down on insisting that. Her husband WILL hurt when he learns, but he may hurt even more if he doesn't learn...

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  84. I had posted a comment earlier but not sure if it went through. My husband and I have been together since 14 and married for 11 years have 3 children now. In 2008 I found out he had cheated and lied and I had a one night stamd and realized it was wrong. My husband told me he was going to go break it off with her in person and I let him go do that. Once he left I was upset and called which he didnt answer so I knew he wasnt planning on coming back. So I went to the ER and was about to be sent to a mental hospital bc I wanted to hurt someone, who wouldnt. But I went AWall bc I had one son at that time that needed me. We eneded up getting back together and strugglimg with that issue badly for a year bc he still communicated with her but has finally stoped now and for a great while. He was on steroids that he used which was gave in shots and he doubkled the dose and got his sex drive all messed up so we think that had something to do with it. Anyways I was getting over that issue and feeling comfortable with myself and our marriage.
    My best friend since 7 th grade and my husbands ex from middle school. When he broke up with her to go with me I talked to her about it and said if it bothers her I wont date him she said no go ahead so I did. so in 2014 she and her two kids came to stay with us for a week and when she left my husband was acting strange, drinking and being physically amd emotionally abusing to me which was not like him at all. In 2015my hisband and I were fighting about his drinking during a fishing trip and that night after he passed out something in my gut told me to look at his phone and when I did I found an app called KIK which he was hiding and talking to my friend saying he loved her and was coming to get her and he used his last name after hers. So I woke him up by slapping him and asking what was going on. He then told me that when she stayed with us she had kissed him. I asked why didnt u tell me and tell her to leave, this happened while I was picking up my kids from school and I trusted both of them together, whixh I shouldnt have. I know its just a kiss but they both decided to lie and keep communicating on this app behind my back talking personally about stuff that they shouldnt have. My husband always told me he couldnt stand her and her ways so I trusted that nothing would happen with them. I confroted her about it to and she told me she let it go way to far and she was sorry. He said he was sorry for not telling me and making her leave. I just have a gut feeling that something is happenimg again bc once I start feeling comfortable something happens or im just afraid to let good happen and am living in the past. I miss my friend but cant trust her and I have hisband trust issues and not sure how to deal with it. I look forward to your comments. Thanks for listening.

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  85. I have been with my 1st love since shortly after my 15th birthday, almost 27 years now, never had any other boyfriend. Gave birth to our child at the age of 17, we moved in together a few months later. Years ago when we were 21 & 23 he cheated on me & threaten me terribly, this went on for a few years. I wanted to leave him so bad but couldn't 'cause I loved him. I suffered from anorexia & depression. I overcame my eating disorder in my late twenties. In my thirties I went back to school & obtained a nursing degree. In my mind I was leaving my life preparing myself to leave him the minute his bad behavior returns. For the last years he has been complaining about my long work hours & feeling neglected. He has been trying hard to get me to spend more time with him. 3 weeks ago he told me he was unhappy & wanted to end our relationship. I taught that one day I could just move on but I fell devistated, a rollercoaster of emotions just came back, I could not sleep & cried a lot. So I told him I'll make time for him & this made him happy. He's been trying hard to please me & he now is & has been for years the man I wanted him to be back then. My problem is that I love him but my scars are run deep. I wish I could turn back time & change the past but know this is impossible. I go from been happy to getting a flashback, this flashbacks make me feel so betrayed & angry at myself for allowing this to happen. I don't know how to achieve peace & happiness.

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    1. Emi,
      What you describe sounds like post-trauma. You likely even see that sometimes in nursing -- when your brain gets locked onto a moment in the past and it affects how you live in the present. It's important to get counselling to help you "unlock" your brain and work through the trauma. I would really urge you to find a counsellor who can help you with this. You've experienced a lot of pain and it sounds as if you've never really healed from it. Please find yourself the support you need. You don't need to live like this. You deserve peace and happiness -- yo've worked so hard to educate yourself, to overcome your issues, and to try and create a good marriage. Please do this for yourself.

      Delete
  86. My H & I will be "celebrating" our 30th anniversary in August. Everyone including me loved this man. So nice, laid back, do anything for anybody. I have to admit our sex life came to a screeching halt about 3 years ago, but he told me in the very beginning sex was just not a priority. We got married when he was 30 & I was 31. I know God had a hand in this as I had several dreams in a row he had a girlfriend. My H never so much as flirted or even commented on other women. He had hired a young woman to be a caregiver to his elderly mother telling me he hired her thru one of our local tribes. 12/30/16 he was unusually flirty with this woman so after he went to bed I did some snooping. Nothing abnormal, conversation between the 2 of them were strictly about his mom, but I continued to look thru his texts & found a contact "Goodyear Tire". I only read 2 weeks worth of texts of how much he loved her, words couldn't express how much, couldn't wait until they were together, the mushiest talk right out of a harlequin book. My H has never been very affectionate & the most romantic thing he said to me was " Love you dear", compliments were " you look nice dear". I sent copies of a couple of the texts to my daughter as he was refusing to tell me who it was, just friends, just talk, blah, blah, blah. The lying sack of crap said never had sex with her "swore to God" even. He had no clue if she was on Facebook. Well my daughter was there 1st thing, put her phone # in Facebook & boom! There was one of the most unattractive women I had ever seen with his comments on how stunning & gorgeous she was on all of her pictures beginning February 2016. He has lied about every single detail. Finally confessed he slept with her once but not until end of September 2016, yet after diligently digging this began relationship began at least April, going to her house & occasionally sleeping with her around that time. I spoke with her via text and she said they weren't intimate very often. He said 4 times with several attempts but he couldn't get it up. Yet he would go fishing 2-3 times a week, only his pole wasn't dipping in the lake. In April this year I ran across emails he had written to her regarding his painful marriage & plans to leave me for her. He promised her the world and admitting to me he never loved her & had no intention of ever leaving me. 12/31/16 when I found out all this disgusting crap he immediately dumped her & fired the caregiver who just happened to be his girlfriend's daughter, who he hired because lover girl asked him to. No background check, nothing. He has been a model husband, very affectionate, begging me to stay, active sex life. But he lies constantly about the details saying he doesn't want to hurt me more than he already has. I've never been hurt so much in my life. I feel destroyed. We've been going to therapy for several months. 6 months out from discovery. We go on dates, only time we're apart basically is at work, which he works about 25 miles away. I want to trust him but I'm so hurt & angry. He's taken her to Tulsa ( over an hour away)3 times for Dr appointments, he couldn't get away to take me to mine, but I'm a big girl. He's given her $100 twice (from our joint account). Texting her during our Christmas gatherings telling her how much he loved her, how I didn't matter to him. He quit going to see her in November & Dec. saying he didn't want to be around her anymore & was trying to figure out how to get out of that situation because she was expecting them to be together after first of the year. He was afraid to break it off worrying about retaliation & her showing up at front door telling me everything. He said everything he told her was bulls**t and got caught up in it, ego, turning 60. Yes he met her on Facebook. How do I ever trust him, ever.

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    1. debaw, I'm so sorry for what you've gone through and glad you found us. Your story, sadly, is a pretty familiar one. These guys get swept up in some fantasy world, promising the moon to this Other Woman, and then, when reality crashes in, they throw her under the bus because they never really believed all the crap they were dishing out. It was fantasy. It was an escape from a life that was predictable. It was a reprieve from some uncomfortable feelings -- like realizing he's getting older, wondering is this all there is, etc. Ideally, these guys would find a therapist, or delve into some reading, or find a spiritual counsellor or whatever. But no, they cast themselves as some Lothario and act out a drama with any woman who sees them as interesting, sexy, exciting, romantic. When they realize the price they'll have to pay for this fantasy -- losing the family they've build over three decades -- suddenly it's not so appealing.
      In other words, his affair isn't about you at all. You're just collateral damage. I know that doesn't help a whole lot. But please don't blame yourself in any way.
      That said, you're the one devastated by this, of course. And he doesn't get to be the one who decides what will and will not "hurt" you. If he was concerned about that when he was screwing around, you wouldn't be in this position. So, nope. Not buying the "I don't want to tell you because you'll get hurt" nonsense. YOU get to decide what you want to know, not him. YOU get to determine which details you want, not him. You're a grown woman who's being asked to forgive a deep betrayal, to give him a second chance. You deserve to make that decision armed with all the knowledge you want.
      That's how trust begins. By him treating you like a grown up. With him putting himself in the humiliating position of having to tell you every stupid thing he did (based on what you want to know. You do NOT need to know everything and it's important to recognize when you're simply "pain shopping" -- ie. looking for information to confirm he's an ass). Trust begins when he's willing to take a hard look at why he did such a stupid, painful thing and risked what really mattered for someone who didn't matter.
      Trust begins when he starts telling the whole truth and stops hiding his own shame behind "protecting" you.
      Debaw, if you want to be with this man -- if you think he deserves this second chance -- then with all the stories I read on this site, I suspect he won't ever do this again. But that's not the same as healing from this. Healing for you means really letting yourself feel the deep pain of this and trusting that you're bigger than the pain. Healing means not blaming yourself. Healing means knowing your own worth, no matter what he did or said.
      I would insist on some conditions for reconciliation: 1. He gets therapy to sort out his messed up head. 2. He gives you access to any/all social media, phones, computers, etc. 3. He offers you full disclosure of what he did -- whatever you want to know and agrees to fully support you in your healing. That means answering your questions. That means never EVER having contact with this woman or her daughter again. That means making your feelings a priority over his mother's or anyone else's.
      You can do this, debaw. In the meantime, there are a zillion women on this site who can offer up support and compassion and "me too" kindness.

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    2. Thank you so much for your response. I wish I had you here in my living room to give you a big hug and listen to more or your knowledge. You were so right about so much! I love this blog site!

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  87. To add to my previous experience, the emails I found in April of this year were written in August the previous year. As far as I know, he's had no contact with the tramp( she has a reputation of liking married men, which my husband didn't know, he was just hit for her ugliness) she called one time to see why he fired her daughter & he hung up on her.

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  88. To add to the above, our daughter deleted his Facebook account since he obviously wasn't mature enough to handle it. I've always been an affectionate person, came from a loving family, where his is totally dysfunctional & even though he has told them it's entirely his fault, the family hates me & blames me because she lost her previous caregiver, who she cared a lot about. H & my daughter said there can be no connection between the two families. He has no idea what caused him to go against all his beliefs & morals, especially since his parents who divorced before he was born how pretty low morals & he swore he'd never be like that. He seems sincerely sorry, but how long does it take to stop hurting. I cry every day while I'm in my cubicle at work where no one can see. I'm not sure if therapy is helping or not. Sure not helping him be honest about what happened so How can I trust he's honest with current events.

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  89. My partner and I had been together for 7 years. 7! At this point I keep reflecting back to see if I can remember a time in 2010 when I broke a mirror because the bad luck is very evident. Now, I recognize this site is for "betrayed wives," and no we were not married, but it sure as hell felt like it. We were committed. Or so I thought.
    It's been 3 weeks since I found out he had been seeing another woman. They were in a relationship for almost two years. And I say relationship, because clearly it was more than just sex. I had a gut feeling since the whole "affair" started. I confronted him about 20 times and all he fed me were lies. I felt insane. I thought I knew myself better. All the times he hid his phone from me, the text messages that were meant for her but sent to me, waiting by the phone every night only for him to say he was out with his friends or his phone died, the mistress basically going into hiding when I'd come out to visit (we had been long distance for 2 years)...I knew, but I didn't have proof.
    Cut to three weeks ago when I was visiting him for the week. I was packing our clothes when I found an old Christmas card in his suitcase. It was from her that basically went "Let's do every holiday together. I love you..." blah blah blah. Well I felt like I'd been hit by a gong. I was a bit in shock. I decided to confront him about it and he finally said they were affectionate. Spent lots of time together, but no sex...right. I slept on it that night and the next day decided that if he could continue to be honest about things I could get past this. But for some reason, I felt the need to snoop. I had never done this before, but I felt like he was still being dishonest. I go to his computer and after a few minutes of searching what do I find? About 5 sex tapes between the two of them and FaceTime screen shots. Honestly, I was in more shock from the damn Christmas card. As I scanned through the tapes to make sure it was her in all of them I thanked the universe and God and packed my bags. Unfortunately this was the proof I needed. When he came home from work I told him that he has nothing else to lose, so he might as well tell me exactly what happened because he's already lost me. He lied up until the very last second until i said to him: "Well, the next time you talk to her, tell her I found the tapes." I took the dog and Ubered to a hotel. Got the first flight out in the am.
    I've never felt more empowered in my life. A weight was lifted off my shoulders and I recognized how co dependent the relationship had been. That's not to say I'm not grieving. I'm having a very difficult time getting those images out of my head. I think about the two of them all day. I gave him everything; A home, a companion, a best friend, a dog...he shat all over everything. I'm seeking a therapist now because I know I have a lot of work to do. I've never had so much hate in my heart; especially for a 21 year old (who is 16 years younger than him...BARF) I feel like i could write a novel, but you all get the picture. I would never wish this on anyone. It is however, comforting to know I'm not alone. Thank you for this.

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    1. Anonymous,
      I'm so sorry for the pain you're in but in awe at your resolve and self-dignity. You saw the situation clearly and took steps to remove yourself from a dishonest and disrespectful relationship.
      But, of course, that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Of course it does. And everything your'e feeling -- the shock, the deep deep hurt, the grief -- is completely normal. Betrayal shatters us, it shatters our feeling of safety in the world.
      Keep doing what you're doing. Work through the anger (which usually is a mask for deep hurt and fear), work through the grief. You'll get to a place where you can leave this behind you -- as part of your experience but not the one that solely defines you.
      You're welcome, of course, to keep reading here. While many on this site have chosen to rebuild their marriages, the feelings we work through are often universal.
      I'm glad you found us.

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  90. I wanted to say thank you for this blog and thank you for everyone sharing their stories, I am glad to see that I am not alone. I loved reading your stories in the comments, it really has helped me a lot. Well here is my story. Thanks for reading.

    It has been 6 months DDay. I am completely heartbroken. I have not been able to share this with anyone. I can't, I know my family and friends would hate him and they would judge me for staying and see us differently. His family would be in shock and would be greatly disappointed as I was because cheating was never in his character and quite honestly I am ashamed that I was cheated on and would rather not make this public.
    My husband and I are high school sweethearts, we are each other firsts and i thought we would be each other's only. Together 15 years, married 10. He's all I have known in a man. He was my everything. My husband, best friend, my absolute everything. If someone would've told me to bet 1million dollars that my husband would never cheat on me, I would have done it with my eyes closed! The night I found out, I got a hold of his phone that he never leaves unlocked so I got curious and opened the text messages. I read as much as the phone allowed me to go up, he was having a full blown affair with someone for the past 3 months. I couldn't rap my head around the fact that He had sex with someone else! I recall my body got so hot, i felt as though I couldn't breath, i starting crying. I tried to calm down so I could confront him. First thing I did when I saw him was slap him in the face. I started crying hysterically demanding answers. He tried to hide it, but he couldn't. Next 3 days I was totally depressed, cried all day and night, I couldn't sleep or drink. I had never felt such sadness and I really wished I would just leave this earth.

    On day 4, I realized my life and heart had been shattered but I needed to keep it together for my kids. My husband said he wanted to stay and work on us. I needed answers, I needed the truth and it was like pulling teeth with him about anything. Every answer was either he didn't remember or very vague in response. I've been to hell and back and hell and back and hell and back during these 6 months and I desire this to get better but as soon as it gets a little better, I find something else that he has done.

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  91. Part 2
    1 month post dday, I find out he's the one that desired to be with another women in bed, he's the one that did everything possible for her to fall into his arms and have sex with him. He says it happen twice. She wanted something serious, she wanted them to each leave their spouses and make a life together but my husband said no so she ended it. Had she have accepted to be the OW, they would've continued, I'm pretty sure. In fact 2 month post dday, I checked our phone records. After me finding out, they had a lot of text communication for 2 weeks. I was so fragile during that time and he was still texting with her? He says he was ending things but it shouldn't take 2 weeks to end something. I have become numb at everything.
    3 month post dday, I check his solo bank account and see he's sent money internationally quite a bit, $1,600 to be exact. I ask him what that is about. And as if I'm not broken enough, I learn of a long distance emotional affair he's had for a year! 1 full year! Why, how? Omg all the feeling I felt on dday come back. He brushes it off by saying it was like a friend to him. I look her up on Facebook and it's a very ugly lady about 15-20 years older. Made me sick to my stomach. He said he had been cat fished and when he found out the truth, it was too late. On the phone records, I learned he still talked to her up until I caught him. After finding out of the catfish, that was his opportunity to end I would tell him. But his response was that he was scared that she'd tell me.
    Just recently last week I found a receipt of lunch for 2, I ask him and he denies and tried to lie about it. Turns out he saw an old coworker at the store and he invited her to have lunch, they drove 30 mins away to have lunch together because they knew what they were doing was bad. I felt everything all over again from dday. He was someone I didn't know. He had entered the cheating world and he liked it and I felt like his old self was gone forever. I cried for 1 whole week, as if grieving him. He, the man I thought I knew, had died, the husband next to me was someone new, someone I didn't sign up to be with. I wake up thinking about what he has done, think about everything throughout the day and my last thought before going to sleep is him and his cheating. I don't know how long I can take this pain. I feel as though my heart and soul have died, my body is the only thing living. He says he wants to stay, and I love him and don't think I could love without him but I do know I will not be able to take another blow to the head.

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  92. No one, your story breaks my heart. It sounds like he has a serious problem and definitely leading a double, or triple life, but guess most of us have been hurt by our H's leading double life. I'm 7 months Dday & like you I would have bet a million dollars with my eyes closed my husband of 30 years would never cheat. As far as I know it was one affair last year that lasted 10 months. Luckily our one child is grown so I can't imagine having to take care of your babies & dealing with this grief. But out children is the reason we have to go on. I like you wanted to leave this earth, but all I could think of was my daughter & grandbabies. Everything I've read says it takes 28 months to 2 years for the pain to subside & it gets better, but I don't see how sometimes. We're in marriage counseling plus beginning counseling with our pastor & his wife who is a pastor as well & around our age. I work in a clinic & one doctor told me when her husband cheated on her, that there was so much pain in her heart that she' expected to see blood pouring down her shirt. I agree. Definitely the worse pain I've experienced. The best of luck to you sweetie.

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  93. I don't even know where to start. Ive been with my fiance for almost 5 years now. Everything was great in the beginning, just like it is in 99% of new relationships, then things took a turn about 7 months into our relationship. He used to watch porn in the bathroom of our apartment, which was right next to our bedroom, that i was willingly sitting in. I could hear the videos, and him doing his thing. I confronted him about it, and he was embarrassed, i felt bad, but i couldn't just continue to let this happen. He promised he would stop, and he did for a while, to my knowledge anyway. Lately our sex life has sifnificantly decreased from 7-9 times a month, to maybe once or twice, keep in mind we are only in our late 20's. So when he sleeps i go through his phone to see who or what is getting the attention that i so badly crave. Porn. Now i know everyone has their own opinion on porn. Heres mine: yes its a normal man thing to do, but when you start choosing it over sex with your willing partner, its a problem. Hes addicted, and in denial, and he is not who he was when i first confronted him 7 months into our relationship. If i bring up what i find now, its always an argument, and im crazy, threatens to leave me, calls me every name in the book, physical abuse, etc. He looks at it daily on his phone, and will deny it to the grave. I have anxiety, depression, and ptsd to begin with, so add this to the mountain of mental problems. I feel ugly, not attractive, etc. I cant talk to him about it because then id have to admit i went through his phone. Which i dont even like doing, but my anxiety gets me and i feel the urge to. When we by some miracle do have sex, most of the time he cant even stay hard, he takes rx medicine and drinks, and gets hot very fast, but i dont know if its actually that, or the fact that his brain is wired to seeing perfect fake pornstars. I just feel so alone and depressed. I wish that i could comfortably talk to him about this and see if hes willing to seek help, but unfortunately that is not the case.

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    1. Anonymous,
      Are you in any sort of therapy for your mental health issues? If not, I think you could really benefit from it and it would also be a good place to begin to learn how to assert yourself in your relationship in a way that's healthy.
      In any case, your instincts re. your fiance's porn use are right, I think. He's using porn because, frankly, it's easier than a relationship. There is no shame, or worry about not pleasing your partner, or genuine intimacy. It's a one-way street. But you're right -- when it's no longer simply something that adds to his sex life but rather IS his sex life, then it's a real problem.
      But please PLEASE know, this isn't about you at all. He isn't using porn because there's something wrong with you. This, honestly, has nothing to do with you. You're just collateral damage and, like any real-life partner, you challenge him to actually show up and engage in intimacy. It sounds like that's more than he can handle, which is HIS problem.
      I'm curious why you can't speak with him. If you're planning to marry this guy, you absolutely need to learn how to have tough conversations. Can you tell him you're aware of the decrease in your sex life and ask him to tell you how he's feeling about it? Is he happy with the frequency of love making? Being able to discuss your wants/needs/desires, is crucial.
      But I know how hard (and scary!) that feels especially when you have anxiety and depression and PTSD. So I would urge you (if you aren't already) to seek treatment for that. You deserve to be in a relationship in which you feel respected and valued.

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  94. I have recently found out my husband has been having an affair. We have been together about 22 years, we have a 19 year old in college. I happen to see a text from the OW, that's how I found out. My husband has been on a downward spiral, he lost a 100,000 a year job due to his drinking. He also went to jail twice on felony DUI, charges, he's currently unemployed, on probation, and will probably never be able to legally drive again. The OW would actually pick him up, and they would go screw in the the back of her SUV, while I was working nightshift. I feel as if a bomb has went off in my life. I was actually considering divorce because of the alcoholism, prior to finding out about the affair. Now it seems, the pain of all this makes me realize how much I love my husband. In spite of it all, we have maintained a good relationship, we are like best friends, we laugh a lot, and sex has always been good. The OW even told me that he had said he loved me, and wouldn't ever leave me, (since he was saying this to her, and screwing her at the same time, doesn't mean much to me !)
    On one hand, I feel like this is my guilt free ticket out of the marriage. On the other, I really feel I will never let anyone this close me, and I hate to lose the positive aspects of out marriage. But HOW can I ever trust him again??? I told him he has made it, so splitting or staying are both choices that have pain involved, whose to know which is worst ?????????

    ReplyDelete
  95. Hello,

    I have been married for almost 18 years and have three kids under the age of ten. My Dday was Dec 23rd, we were away visiting his family.I was helping my son setting up my husband's old phone to play games when I saw a text setting up something with a woman, he was asking her to wear the cocktail dress from the picture and high heels. My world beneath my feet shattered to pieces and felt so shaky that I could not even hold the phone right . I wanted to check further as I had never ever checked his phone, I could not believe what my eyes were reading, I still get a flash image of that text in my head, my heart racing like crazy and the shaky hands, my legs were weak and I just wanted to die. I got really impatient and confronted him right away and he tried to deny it making up stories till he realized I was not going to give up. It was a hell of day.

    He was so remorseful and sad and asked me to forgive him and do whatever it took to save our marriage. He did not want a future with anybody else .

    Later on, we came back home and I still was not satisfied with his story and decided to look further, checking his wireless bills, I saw tons of calls to a particular number that happened to be a escort agency, once again I demanded an explanation and thats when he told me he had paid an escort for a 1h session, again I wanted and did hit the heck out of him. He kept crying and saying he did not want to loose me and that back in Dec, he had stopped all subscription to this site and was not even watching porn any more. I was crazy hurt, upset, insecure, felt stupid and naive and thought he should just leave. He kept talking on and on of all the good things in our life, of all the love that there was and the fact that he had no emotional connection to any woman but rather was looking to satisfy his needs and fantasies as I had been very unapproachable and he unable to communicate. In other words, it was easier to pay somebody for what he wanted than get into a difficult conversation with his wife.

    A couple of days passed by and kept nagging at him and asking him for all the small sordid details you would not want to know, from what the ow was like, to what he asked her to do to what she was wearing etc...more truth came out, he paid another woman on a separate occasion.

    We talked and talked and talked. We both are responsible for letting our marriage deteriorate to the extent that we could not satisfy each other's needs and that porn movies were his inspiration in bed. I refuse to be responsible for his actions, for his choices that he planned and carried out. I feel he is truly remorseful that he loves me and wants to save his family but another part of me seriously distrusts him, because he did not admit at once and tried to sneak out with stories and excuses and because the truth had to treacle out creating an unnecessary amount of pain and distress.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Hello,

    I have been married for almost 18 years and have three kids under the age of ten. My Dday was Dec 23rd, we were away visiting his family.I was helping my son setting up my husband's old phone to play games when I saw a text setting up something with a woman, he was asking her to wear the cocktail dress from the picture and high heels. My world beneath my feet shattered to pieces and felt so shaky that I could not even hold the phone right . I wanted to check further as I had never ever checked his phone, I could not believe what my eyes were reading, I still get a flash image of that text in my head, my heart racing like crazy and the shaky hands, my legs were weak and I just wanted to die. I got really impatient and confronted him right away and he tried to deny it making up stories till he realized I was not going to give up. It was a hell of day.

    He was so remorseful and sad and asked me to forgive him and do whatever it took to save our marriage. He did not want a future with anybody else .

    Later on, we came back home and I still was not satisfied with his story and decided to look further, checking his wireless bills, I saw tons of calls to a particular number that happened to be a escort agency, once again I demanded an explanation and thats when he told me he had paid an escort for a 1h session, again I wanted and did hit the heck out of him. He kept crying and saying he did not want to loose me and that back in Dec, he had stopped all subscription to this site and was not even watching porn any more. I was crazy hurt, upset, insecure, felt stupid and naive and thought he should just leave. He kept talking on and on of all the good things in our life, of all the love that there was and the fact that he had no emotional connection to any woman but rather was looking to satisfy his needs and fantasies as I had been very unapproachable and he unable to communicate. In other words, it was easier to pay somebody for what he wanted than get into a difficult conversation with his wife.

    ReplyDelete
  97. A couple of days passed by and kept nagging at him and asking him for all the small sordid details you would not want to know, from what the ow was like, to what he asked her to do to what she was wearing etc...more truth came out, he paid another woman on a separate occasion.

    We talked and talked and talked. We both are responsible for letting our marriage deteriorate to the extent that we could not satisfy each other's needs and that porn movies were his inspiration in bed. I refuse to be responsible for his actions, for his choices that he planned and carried out. I feel he is truly remorseful that he loves me and wants to save his family but another part of me seriously distrusts him, because he did not admit at once and tried to sneak out with stories and excuses and because the truth had to treacle out creating an unnecessary amount of pain and distress.

    I am happy one moment and terribly jealous and insecure the next, it makes it very difficult to move forward. He keeps telling me that I need to look forward and ask myself if he is the person I want to spend the next forty years with and that if the answer is yes, concentrate in that and in becoming more emotionally strong and attached.

    I must also say that it has brought us closer in the last few weeks and that sex has never been better. We have become totally open about our fantasies, needs and wishes and have made changes in the way we organize our family duties, time spent with the kids and ourselves.

    It all sounds as if we are doing great and on the right track but my level of trust is so low that little things send me over the edge. Just when I think I am doing well, I decide to check if he has another email address or check his location and wonder why he is there.....the emotional rollercoaster is hard to handle. I want to save my marriage because I love him and think he also loves me and is telling the truth about his feelings but can't fully trust him and that gives me a lot of anxiety.

    Thank you for reading, I hope we find the way to move forward.

    ReplyDelete
  98. I found out 3 weeks ago that my husband was having a long term affair with his Executive Assistant. This has been going on for about 15 years! He wouldn't have confessed if I didn't find a pile of love letters in his stuff. I actually knew about the emotional part in 2012 and we went to counseling about it. But I allowed them to continue to work together and he "promised" to tone down the relationship. Well, I was a total fool which makes this even harder. I can't say I'm surprised by everything I'm finding out. But I really didn't want to believe that anything physical happened. Now in bits and pieces I'm finding out. And it is lie on top of lie. "we kissed once" "ok, maybe it was more than once" "we had sex a few times but I wasn't attracted to her" "we had sex until xx date" "ok, that was incorrect, we had sex after that but I don't remember when it stopped, it was years ago". That's where I'm at now. Still trying to find out how long their physical relationship lasted. They were on the phone and texting pretty much all day long, every day, until 3 weeks ago. They haven't seen each other in person since Dec. 2019 ( I don't think) so that is the latest date of the physical part, although I'm not sure it matters. The depth of the lies is exhausting.

    I don't know what I'm going to do. Too exhausting to think about splitting up 25 years of stuff and memories at this point but maybe someday I will have the guts to leave. Thanks for reading my story. I'm interested in anyone's thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so profoundly sorry for your pain. And yes, the depth of the lies is exhausting.
      You are three weeks in from this incredible shock. I would urge you to give yourself time to absorb this. Trying to make a big choice now will feel daunting. It will feel overwhelming. You have spent much of your life with this person.
      However, I would also urge you to get a therapist, if you don't already have one. You need an objective person to help you process the pain. And I would also encourage you to see a lawyer. Not to make any big decisions but to get a clearer picture of your options. Again, I wouldn't make any big decisions. But having a number of options might make you feel a bit less overwhelmed. It might remind you that have choices. In the meantime, I would absolutely demand that he seek therapy too and prepare for a "full disclosure" in the presence of a therapist so that you can get a picture of the entire truth, though I suspect you know. Still, it's important, I think, that he come clean -- for your sake but also his own.
      You'll notice that the thread you've posted on is somewhat dated. You'll find, by posting on recent blog entries, that you'll get more people reading your posts and you'll also find that there are so many women here who absolutely understand what you're going through (many MANY have also been in longterm marriages) and who will extend compassion and wisdom and kindness.

      Delete
  99. A few weeks ago I have found out that my husband has cheated on me. Well.. I can't say it was typical cheating, but still hurts as hell. He was depressed for a while and then got interested in photography again. He had a serious photography hobby before we have met and came back to it from time to time. His topic particularly was boudoir, but I had a complete trust in him and didn't mind. Plus I really liked photos he was taking.
    So, about a year ago he started to shoot again. First it was our friends in light boudoir style. Then he found occasional TFCD models here and there and then someone offered him to try monetize his hobby. So he did. Then he has found OnlyFans web site and opened a profile there. Quickly after he started working with models who were willing to go for more open (legged) shoots. I was frustrated by that and asked to return back to more soft style. He pushed through, persuading there were only money in question and he doesn't like those women and doesn't think about them in any other way than just money-making. He was excited things are going well and he started to earn there. I was devastated and tried not to think about this. Then I have learn he started to shoot porn videos (as a director and operator). I asked him to stop again. He didn't pay much attention to that, to my anger and emotions. We started to have fights quite frequently, as my mood was down all the time. I became very jealous even though I have never been before. One day after a big fight I decided to take a look at his messages and found quite emotional conversation with one of the models I had even seen a few weeks before that. They were chatting about how he can get out of our relationship by just doing nothing and how fun it would be to live alone and have a sex cave (that girl even wrote they could have it together), he could try some action camera for his videos with first person view and other dirt in this way. It was very hurtful for me to see that.
    I confronted him, as a result got blamed for ruining his personal space reading his messages, as in the end it was "just fantasies" and he never planned on acting on them. I think he didn't get it that girl was flirting with him, and he was really responding.
    After that I demanded to stop communicating with that model and stop to shoot her. He tried to start conversations with her several time after that. He was all flirty when talking to her, and same was she (Yes, I started to read his messages after that). I didn't confront him anymore directly but found ways to make him tell about that and we discussed those so eventually he stopped. He continued shooting quite pornographic stuff (no videos, though), so I kept feeling angry and frustrated all the time. I have gotten my bulimia back at its worst and quite heave anxiety.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous, There is so much wrong with what your husband is doing. What worries me is that you don't seem to see it. Yes, you see that the conversations are inappropriate. But this sounds like an emotionally abusive relationship. One in which you don't make choices as a couple about what's best for your marriage but one in which he decides what's best for him and you're expected to go along with it, without questions or concerns.
      I'm also concerned about your bulimia and your anxiety. Are you in any sort of treatment for that? You need support and you need to understand that you deserve to be treated with respect and honesty and compassion. But it starts with YOU treating yourself that way.
      I'm not confident that this guy will stop lying until you make it clear that you won't tolerate it. And even then...
      Please take care of yourself.

      Delete
    2. Thank you, Elle for replying and support! Below is the second part of my story, where I tell about getting a therapy for myself and pair therapy as well. I am working on learning on treating myself with respect, loving myself and learning to not playing the emotional sabotage game my husband likes to play. He is trying that quite hard and it is difficult for me not to react the way I used to, but I hope it is working.

      Delete
  100. Part 2.
    At that time I decided nothing bad happened yet and we need to start doing something before it is too late. I have started my own therapy, found a family therapist, tried to make this photoshoots work (wanted to participate as an assistant, started to pose as a model myself). Therapy seemed to work, we started to get out of that hole little by little. My husband agreed not to shoot porn anymore, and not to shoot open legged stuff. Things were getting better little by little, it worked well for our trust and communication that I became an assistant. It was even fun for me to keep spending time with my husband like that and most models were quite nice and chatty people.
    In the beginning of March I have booked a photoshoot with another photographer. He didn't know that most of my previous shoots are done by my husband, as he worked under a pseudo name. There are not so much boudoir models around, so I had met a few models that worked with that photographer before. During his photoshoot he started to ask if I would be interested in more "open-minded sets" where that photographer would be present in photoshoots. Pretty much meaning me and him naked and he would touch me in different ways. I told him I don't to such stuff and why he got an idea I would. He told that I had many sets with XXX (my husbands pseudo name). I asked "So what? He doesn't do such things", answer was "Really? I have heard otherwise."
    Here my heart dropped. I tried not to show anything and asked for more info. He told me that one of the models who worked with him and my husband, told about that she has done such shots with my husband. He hadn't seen any photos from that shoot though. I thought "ok, she probably was talking about the videos he was directing (she was there)".In the evening I told my husband what I have heard. He confessed it happened once. He decided to try such photos but "nothing happened". He said he touched her, his dick was out but nothing more. I pushed. He then said "she had my dick in her mouth". I really pushed if there was more but he told that not. He told it was just for a photo, he never had any feelings about that one (I know that is not true, as in the "fantasy" conversation he mentioned her name that he liked her as a person and her body).
    I think smth in me died then. It was not just the dick in the mouth episode, it was all those lies that were afterwards. That happened in late November, in December I had a clear feeling something was going on. My husband told me I was imagining stuff, I didn't trust him for no reason, I valuated his privacy, he blamed me I tried to control him. I really felt guilty I didn't trust him! It was pure gaslighting! He told me he felt guilty afterwards, but I don't believe it! I have checked our conversations at those dates, yes he was angry and much more distant. But he kept flirting with those two models! He did a porno shoot with them (the one who had his dick in her mouth and the one he talked to). He called them "loves" when talked to them (as he told be later, it was just a joke). He told that I and our 2 kids mean a lot to him, that he doesn't know what he was thinking etc etc. I can't completely buy it as he didn't really show it afterwards!
    I decided to go on. He quit shooting, as I can't stand that anymore. But he is depressed now he can't do what inspires him. He just watches TV, eats and plays PC. Helps with kids, a little around the house. But I can't see a lot of effort to fix things. It is me who is pushing the therapy further, looking for workshops and more ways to patch us up.Right after I confronted him he was much more dedicated, but now he is distant again. He can postpone our therapy just before it should start. I need to ask him to do tasks from the app for couples I have found.I feel quite lonely now and I don't want to talk about that to our friends and family.I don't want them to know, but I needed to vent out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you're seeking therapy for yourself. It's crucial that you heal yourself without waiting for him to want to rebuild your marriage.
      And you're absolutely right. What he is doing is total gaslighting.
      At this point, I hope you'll continue to take care of yourself. His job is to fix himself.

      Delete
  101. I’m so lost I just don’t know what to do who to talk to at this point. Me and my husband has been together for 15 years. We have 3 beautiful girls and I thought we were good I thought everything was fine typical problems here in there as far as some finances and such. My husband is 45 I’m 34. 2 years ago I don’t know why but I just woke up I felt just sick it was strange but I just had this urge in me saying go through his phone, I’ve never had that before but the feeling inside me was so strong, and so at 2 am October 23rd 2019 I grabbed his phone while he was asleep and of course I find snap chats and text messages to and from a 23 year old girl and married 27 year old girl he had been talking to and my heart sunk my husband was having not one but multiple affairs. There’s so much in a short time we went through with all that but after about a month we decided to work it out and go to marriage therapy. He swore it was never physical with anyone I was never sure I believed that but I knew I loved him I wanted us to be saved and happy he said he didn’t know why it happened why he ever did it but between our kids him going back to college and working 2 jobs he was so stressed he just snapped he was sorry he ever hurt me he loved me he’s never hurt me again we successfully went to our council if appointments amd things seemed better than ever, until..... 9 months later I found he had a secret name and account on a meet locals account I confronted him and he apologized I found it but didn’t know why or how he must had been hacked, I believed him and carried on I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt I wanted to trust him but then 2 weeks ago I find a trac phone with nothing but a fake profile and name and the only contacts is 5 call girls and two of his co-workers numbers and I am positive of the call girls I googled the names and number and it took me straight to their more less prostitution web pages. I felt sick. He told me he didn’t know why he got a phone he dosent know what made him save the numbers but he never contacted anyone from it I searched all the history on it I even downloaded a phone sync to be sure off of it and there were no calls or texts made to any of them from it but why do that? Why make a fake name with an intractable phone with call girls numbers saved if there was no intent to do something so vile to me? I asked him all he could say is he didn’t know and apologize a million times and tell me he is so happy with me and our life and us but I’m sitting here thinking to myself for how long though? I have loved this man through anxiety through his addictions and now this shit? And it’s like I can’t let him go amd I don’t know if he really means what he says but he’s just fucked up or if I’m fucked up for wanting him to mean it and just walk the straight path. I don’t understand any of it and I don’t know how to deal with it anymore I just wish I knew what to truly believe nobody I know has went through anything like this and I’m heartbroken but scared and I’m love him so much I’m just so hopeful this stops but I’m also so tired I know me not does anybody deserve that kind of mess what can I do? I have hoped I have prayed I have forgave and he puts in the effort and the work like he really is apologetic and means it and cares and loves and then it’s like months down the road my gut kicks me for believing it because I find something else? What do I do?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous,
      What do you do? You start by breathing. Just keep breathing. You will get through this, as hard as that is to believe.
      And then you absolutely insist that your husband seek therapy to help him understand why he risked everything he says matters to him for people who don't matter to him. You say he's had addictions in the past? Is he in any sort of 12-step groups? If not, he needs to be, if only to understand how addictions take different forms, how they can transmute if the underlying driver of the addiction isn't addressed.
      And Anonymous, you, too, seek counselling because you need someone who can help you process this pain and help you chart your path forward. Because you need help learning how to trust yourself again. That's one of the worst parts of betrayal is we no longer trust anyone, including ourselves, to keep us safe.
      And keep reading here. There's a ton of information and support and compassion here. If you want others' to weigh in, it helps to post a comment on one of the most recent posts because those are the most read.
      And, again, you will get through this. It hurts like hell but give yourself the time and space you need to figure out what to do going forward. But therapy for him? Not negotiable. He goes.

      Delete

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