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Heartbroken2013 posted 7/1/2013 11:12 AM

Hi,
Ive just joined this site as i have found out my husband had an online affair with another woman. I found out last November and am STILL trying to come to terms with what has happened.

If i start at the very begining of our relationship, it maybe easier to understand. We met online 13 years ago, been married for 7 years and as far as i was aware, we were happy.

He was born with a condition called Bladder Extrophy, it has left him unable to have penatrative sex with anyone. He is able to ejaculate so we have our own way of touching each other etc. I am the only woman he has trusted with his body and he had never had a girlfriend for longer than 4 weeks due to the fact he would have had to tell them about his condition.

We got married and had 4 cycles of IVF treatment as we longed for a child - i became pregnant but sadly at 8 weeks i lost our baby. We then went donw the route of adoption, and were in the process of being matched with a child when i found out about his online affair.

I call it an affair because thats what everyone on here calls it. My husband used to go onto a chat room, and have cybersex with different women. He had a secret yahoo account and used to email women from that, when i found out, he deleated everything off these accounts bit i found sent messages that he had forgotten to delete. There was nothing weird about the messages, the usual hiya, great chatting to u last night, do u have a yahoo account i can add u to, here is mine etc .. there was one woman in particular who he added to his yahoo chat (there was only this one woman on his friends list) and she used to go on her webcam and touch herself while he watched! I KNOW that he didnt go on his webcam, 1: it wasnt working and 2: he would NEVER show his body to someone else. I beleive that he didnt show himself to her. He did send her a picture of himself (a normal one) and he showed me the one he used. Again i beleive him. But this is beside the point. The fact of the matter is, he did this with this woman, who was also married. He would log on to talk to her, and the chat would get flirty, and she would eventually strip naked and touch herself! When i found out he came up with the usual excuses, i dont know what its like to be with another woman - im stressed at work, bla bla ... but the one that really got to me was ... that he wanted to know what it was like to be able to have penatrative sex with someone!!! he said that with the cybersex, he could be who he wanted to be, he could do what he wanted to do. he felt he couldnt do those things with me because in reality he physically couldnt. I DO understand that need ... BUT i still feel betrayed, i feel hurt, im still devastated 6 mths on.

He was remorsful, he was sorry, he was devastated at the way i reacted. He begged me to forgive him, told me that i was the only one who understood him (almost made me feel that he is only with me cos i accepted him for who he is) he said he didnt think he was having an affair, because there was no physical touch etc. We went to marriage guidence and she told him 'YOU HAD AN AFFAIR' it shocked him, and me too if im honest. he also used a different name in the chat room, and lied about his age. Said he was single and 20 yrs younger etc ... created a whole new life! like he was a different person. During this time (about 6mths) i had noticed his usage on the internet, but it never entered my head that he could that to me.

I dont even know why i am here today. I still find it difficult to come to terms with. Im jealous that he went to a chat room to get what i have always wanted to give him.

Since then, we have talked and talked about everything, about our fantasies, about what we want, what we like (i guess i used to say just touch and no penatration was ok, when really it wasnt, i had needs too but i shut down for fear of hurting his feelings)

Anyway, the thing is, i cant stop looking for this woman online and on facebook etc. I know her real name and her user name on the chat room they used, but there are so many same names on facebook, that i really wouldnt know where to start. i know she lived across the water from us, so no way of meeting up, and that ties up with the times he was online etc. But i still cant stop myself, 6 mths on i type her name into google and look for her! When will it end, does this ever get better ...

Jrazz posted 7/1/2013 13:23 PM

Welcome to SI, Heartbroken2013.

I'm so sorry about what has happened. You are definitely not alone here. It DOES get better, but it takes a long time.

Is your H open to any type of counseling? Obviously his medical condition has had a big effect on his outlook regarding sex, and I'm really sorry that after all your love and compassion he couldn't keep it together to be faithful to you.

I truly hope that he shows real remorse and works to help heal your heart and show you that he can be faithful moving forward. You deserve so much more.

(((Hb2013)))

tushnurse posted 7/1/2013 13:24 PM

While your situation is somewhat unique it still is what it is, an A.
The pain that comes with ones spouse finding whatever it is they are seeking from someone other than their spouse is painful. The lies, and the cheating, the betrayal of trust it all hurts. It all takes time to heal from.

You do realize that if you did manage to touch base with this woman she would most likely lie, deny, or be hurtful to you. You would not gain any insight, or real peace from it. It is normal to search for her, and to want to contact her. My H's AP was from another city, and I never met her, and I never talked to her, and I really really really wanted to for quite some time. I found it helpful to write the horrible nasty things I thought of her in letters to her, and then burn them or shred them, it was cathartic, it allowed me to get my anger out, but didn't create any new drama. It took me long enough to get he to leave my H alone, the last thing I needed was to open that door.

It takes time to heal. IT sounds like you two are working together to get through it, and working towards making your relationship more open, and honest. Communication is key. He needs to know that he can share all his fantasies with you. You should be able to do the same as well.

Keep coming, reading and posting.
(((and strength))))

Heartbroken2013 posted 7/1/2013 14:49 PM

Hi Both,

Thank you for your replies. We did go to counselling together but to be honest, I think the woman who counselled us was a bit loopy herself! He is very sorry for what he did. Im not sticking up for him, but he has shown me time and time again, he lets me talk about it when I want to, lets me rant about it and answers all my questions … sometimes too honestly, I asked the usual questions, what does she look like, is she pretty, was she thinner than me etc etc … I didn’t really like what I heard, and he knew he was hurting me by telling me, but I needed to know. I’ve cried lots of times since, and he has cried with me. He hates what he has done to our marriage, and I believe him. But im still hurting, why is this so …

I did confront this woman … but never got a response from her. I told her who I was, that my husband wasn’t who she thought he was, and that I knew what had been going on between them (altho admittedly at the time I didn’t) I never got a chance to tell her I knew that she stripped naked for him, because as soon as I sent her the first message, she deleted her email account so I couldn’t contact her again! In all fairness (an I hate saying this) she didn’t know he was married, he lied about that too. So not only did he lie to me, he lied to her too.

I asked him if he felt guilty for lying to her, and he replied ‘yes’ so must mean he had some sort of feelings for her, otherwise he wouldn’t have given a shit would he!!!He told me it was all about sex and that they didn’t talk much about normal things. She never spoke about her husband or her family life. I saw one conversation on his yahoo chat, and it was normal things, she was going to pics, he was going out with boys that evening, he was having salmon an garlic mushrooms for dinner … not even kisses when they logged off, just said … maybe catch u later! He said that’s what they relationship was like .. if they saw each other in the chat room, they would chat, if not they didn’t go looking for each other! I think he was more addicted to the chat room if im honest. He would talk to other women in there about sex and stuff. Hurts like hell that he couldn’t talk to me about it tho and im jealous about that. Is that normal, to be jealous? I dunno?? I don’t know whats normal anymore.

Our sex life now is so much better than before! We have enhanced it by using different toys etc … I wont go into detail but its helped us both a lot. I do love him, so so much. But I wont stay if im second best! Ive been married before to a man who preferred using his fists on me, and I was a punchbag for 10 years and along my now husband who was wonderful. I just cant believe he did this to me. Im so sad that our marriage isn’t what I thought it was … im so disappointed that everything I thought we had is gone. We are rebuilding and he knows when I get moments like im having today, he lets me talk … even tho he’s prob heard it a thousand times now, I need to keep talking. Is 6 mths a long time, should I be over this now, I don’t know whats right or wrong …

tushnurse posted 7/2/2013 07:50 AM

Dont pressure yourself, the timeline for infidelity varies in each case, on average though they say 2-5 years. I can tell you that at 6 months I was just getting my feet back under me. We were heading in the right direction, but I was still pretty broken down.

You need to know that the woman he chose he chose not because of how she looks, but rather the positive ego strokes he got when he was with her. It's all about how they the wayward feels that gets them into trouble. It's not because you aren't pretty or any of that. Do NOT compare yourself. She is a very broken person. You are a loving wife who has offered the greatest gift possible to her spouse.

You are right, what you thought you had is gone, but that does not mean it can't be better than it was before. You have the right to mourn what you have lost, but you also need to see the positive things that are going on now. His willingness to be open and share with you, his real remorse, his willingness to hear you grieve, and help you through.

My R was what I felt pretty fast tracked, and I can say I didn't feel that I was really truly R'd, and healed for a full 2 years. It's ok, It takes time. Keep focusing on the good stuff, work on the stuff that isn't great, and rebuild it from there.

((((and strength))))

brkn_heartd posted 7/2/2013 21:41 PM

Heartbroken,
I am so sorry you find yourself here. He did have an Affair (A). Anyway you package it, wrap it up and present it, he betrayed you and your marriage. If it was behavior with another person that he was embarrassed to share with you, he betrayed you.

I know it is hard not to track the OW down, it will only make you miserable. While she didn't know he was married, she also stooped to a low level by striping for him and touching herself for him. She doesn't care if he is married or not...it is her own kink. You will only make yourself crazy.

The increase in sex is called hysterical bonding (HB). It is very normal. Unfortunately, it also tends to end later as the reality of the A comes crashing down. Right now, it is still a shock for you both.

I would also recommend finding another counselor for marriage counseling (MC) and you and your husband may need an individual counselor (IC). I would imagine he has issues he needs to resolve, as you do too. This is a very long road if you chose to reconcile (R). For a couple committed and a wayward spouse (WS) that is remorseful it is possible to R. If the WS is not remorseful it is incredibly difficult.

Demand transparency in all of his electronic devices. You would be surprised how creative a WS can be. Talk openly and honestly.

Hugs to you. Take care of yourself through this all.

Heartbroken2013 posted 7/3/2013 04:24 AM

Hi Brkn,
I know he had an affair. He knows he had an A. Although we both didn’t realise that until we went to the MC. We went to see her a week after I found out. She let us talk, but we had already done lots of that. I think she thought she couldn’t do any more with us and after about 6 or 8 sessions let us go, although she tried to get us to go on holiday APPART!

She reckoned that my husband needed to find some things to do by himself and suggested a walking holiday for him, and for me, to concentrate on my business that I had recently started up! She said that as I was busy with starting up my business, I neglected my husband and that he felt he needed to turn to chat rooms, which then led to the other!!!! Oh and something else she also said too … we had spoken about my miscarriage, and my husband always felt that maybe I miscarried because the baby had the same condition as him, so kind of blamed himself. She said that in most cases of miscarriage, it’s the woman’s fault because it’s her body rejecting the child! Great, I felt wonderful after that!!! Why we kept going back god only knows!!!! Even my husband said she was crap and that it wasn’t my fault.

My husband had always been very supportive of my business (which I run from home) and still is. My husband has never once said any of this was my fault, has never said, well u was busy and I felt neglected etc. He is totally ashamed of his actions, and knows it was his entire fault that our marriage isn’t going to be the same as it was. I do grieve for my marriage. I grieve for the man I thought I married. I look back at pictures and memories we had taken during this A, and I feel sick, because we both look so happy, but I know we weren’t (if that makes sense) ive told him how I feel about looking back over the past 10 mths and he denies that he was unhappy with me … but he must have been to do what he did.

There are days when I don’t think about the A, but on the days I do, I end up looking for her on the internet, driving myself crazy. On days when I am completely glued to the internet looking for her, I don’t get nothing done at home, and sit on my lap top most of the day! Ive been into the chat room and given out her name and her user name so people would know what she is doing, most of them came back and thanked me for the heads up, they would look out for her when they want a bit of fun … I’ve probably given her lots of new fans! That’s the type of chat room it was! When I come across this site. I couldn’t believe the amount of people on here, the amount of people this happens to, and the amount of people who actually do this sort of thing (cyber affairs etc)

The day I found out that he was chatting in these rooms my world fell apart. I had teased him about the length of time he would spend online, but never in my wildest dreams did I think he was doing what he was doing. I used to go to bed before him and leave him downstairs, surfing!! I actually loved going to bed by myself, I could read in peace, fall asleep in peace … I guess looking back I don’t suppose I did help my marriage and we got into a rut (I’m not taking any of the blame, I know this is his fault, he chose to go into a chat room, he chose to have cybersex with this woman time and time again) But I thought my marriage was happy. He showed no signs of having an A. He was his usual loving self to me, to our family etc. But the fact that as soon as he got a chance, he logged on!! Duh! How thick was I !!!

Anyway, the day I found out, I happened to get out from the bath and came down the stairs and into the living room where his laptop was open, and on the screen was the chat room, and also a yahoo chat box! I knew straight away what was going on and he didn’t deny it. There was no point, I could see he was talking to a woman, so I took the lap top from him, and spoke to her. I told her who I was and what was going on with her and my husband. She never replied, went off line and when I tried to contact her again, her email address was non-existent. She had deleted it. I’ve tried (many times) emailing the address via different accounts in case she had just blocked my husband’s yahoo account, but she has deleted the whole thing. I KNOW she didn’t know he was married, but I believe it wouldn’t have mattered to her. I cant believe how stupid she was to strip naked in front of a computer screen to (what she thought) was a 24 yr old single guy (she was 46 and married!!). She had no proof who he was, no webcam of him, all he showed her once was a picture of himself (face) and that was it!! I cant believe this woman was so bloody stupid!!! He could have been anyone! Hell he was anyone. He was a 24 yr old single guy with no ties …. Only he wasn’t in real life. In real life he was my 44 yr old loving husband – the sad b*****d who thought he could get away with watching her touch herself for fun!!

As for his electronic devices … ermmm - he has no lap top anymore. When I found out what he had done, I threw it at him! Not just once, but until it was in pieces on the floor! I also slapped his face at least 6 times. I threw a cup of tea at him, I punched and kicked him!! Im not proud of it before anyone tells me I have issues, but it made me feel a whole lot better at the time! Now when I look back, I cant believe the jealous rage I had and never believed I could such a thing. I also took our framed pictures off the wall and smashed them into pieces. I told the MC this and she said, I don’t blame you, get it out of your system! Let’s all be honest, she was shite at her job lol!

I have a lap top, but it is password protected, and he never goes on it, if he needs anything, he will ask me to look for him. His phone is a work phone; he doesn’t have a private one. I see his bank statements, his pay slips etc. That’s not because I’m looking for things, but because we have a joint account and his payslips are kept in his drawer beside the bed. Talking about beds, I even asked him where she used to strip for him, in her bedroom, in the living room etc … sometimes the conversation started in the living room, patio/decking and she would lift her lap top and walk into her bedroom, place the lap top down and strip!!! Then turn the laptop out of his view to get dressed again! Then make an excuse that she always had things to do, and log off!!
And again, this is how stupid this has affected me, the night I found out, I had read a conversation they were having, and my husband had told her he was having garlic mushrooms for dinner (which was the truth lol) with salmon. Now every time I cook mushrooms, I can’t – just CANT bring myself to put garlic in them, because it reminds me of HER!!!!! How stupid and sad is that??? I love garlic mushrooms, but so did she, so I now hate them, they make my stomach turn. I feel so childish even typing that!!!!

Anyhow, I don’t know how many of you picked up on my first post about looking into adoption, but 3 mths after the A, we adopted a little boy and his little sister. We had waited for this for three years and I thought long and hard about it before deciding to go ahead with the placement. My husband is a different man! He adores the children, and he adores me. He doesn’t spoil me with flowers, or gifts, I think I would suspect if he did … he adores me by the way he is with me. I know he loves me, and I know he will be eternally sorry and remorseful for what he has done. Yes I still grieve for a marriage I have lost, but I still have the man I love who is doing everything in his power to help me gain his trust again, to show me how much I mean to him. Our sex life has completely taken off since the A. we have been more open with each other about his condition, Im not saying that everything is perfect and it’s a garden of roses, I wouldn’t be here if it was … I have good days, and I have bad days, I’m just hoping that the good days outweigh the bad ones!

My marriage will work, I know that … I just need to vent now and again, and there is no one else I can turn to (I did tell my best friend, but all she tells me now is he is a good man, he made a mistake yeah yeah … she doenst get it, she’s not walked in my shoes – most people here have and im grateful to have found this site, only wish I had looked 6 mths ago!)

Thanks for reading x

UKlady posted 7/3/2013 04:42 AM

(((Heartbroken2013)))

Sorry that you have to be here but glad you found us. I have read all your words and there's one section in your last post that I felt I wanted to address:

I do grieve for my marriage. I grieve for the man I thought I married. I look back at pictures and memories we had taken during this A, and I feel sick, because we both look so happy, but I know we weren’t (if that makes sense) ive told him how I feel about looking back over the past 10 mths and he denies that he was unhappy with me … but he must have been to do what he did.

This is the way it is and I've totally BTDT (been there done that). I used to have a screen saver on my computer which showed random photos from over several years and I would have to stop them from coming up because I was categorising them into 'before the A' and 'after the A' and I used to get so sad looking particularly at the 'before' ones because that was the life I loved and that is the life that I have grieved/am still grieving for. Anyhow, I changed my screensaver to nothing - maybe I'll change it back in time, maybe not I think I still have some grieving to do which has to be tempered with looking forward to the new life we are creating. And, for you, with your lovely new little family, this is your chance to look forward to something new especially as your WH is showing remorse.

The second part of that quote:

he denies that he was unhappy with me … but he must have been to do what he did.

No - absolutely not. I also believed this and beat myself up constantly thinking if I had fulfilled him completely this wouldn't have happened but it is NOT the case for me or for you - please, don't think this, don't go down this path. Through IC (individual counselling) that my WH is having he is unearthing some startling facts about how broken he is and how his childhood coping mechanisms have been carried into his adult life in an unhealthy way. Your WH will also have issues that have affected the choice he made in being unfaithful. You could never have had any bearing on that aspect.

Sending you positive thoughts x

brkn_heartd posted 7/3/2013 10:31 AM

Heartbroken,
It actually sounds like some things are on track for you and your husband (H) which is good. It also sounds like your counselor was pretty crappy. First, NONE of this was your fault. Your business, your time away, your miscarriage, his A...NONE of it was your fault. He actively chose to have his A. It is good that he acknowledges that. That also goes a long way in healing.

Expect the triggers. I am sorry you are having them. The simplest of thing can make you trigger that makes no sense until you start thinking about it and digging down. The mushrooms are a perfect example...it might be the salmon next time. It might be a location you had a picture taken in that had great memories, now you realize he was having an A during that time, and the memory is no longer as good. Things along that way might result in triggers. It is normal and expected. When you have the triggers, talk with your husband. Explain it too him and talk it through. It takes a while to resolve them, but they can be better with time.

I would encourage you to find another counselor. One that is better than your first! Unfortunately, they are not always easy to find. We had 2 MC counselors and neither were great. Our IC counselors ended up being the best for both of us.

In some ways, an A makes a marriage start over from the beginning. As we discover we do not "know" are partner like we thought we did. It is expected and understandable. Once again, it takes time. Time to get to know them and time to rebuild trust. That rebuilding of trust is dependent upon the WS and the efforts put forth to help the betrayed spouse (BS) heal.

Be patient with yourself. I realized that was one of my biggest mistakes. I was not patient with my own healing time line. Once I realized I could not rush it, I started feeling better about myself. The hurt will not go away like a flip of a light switch. Depending on how bad things got, love can not be just turned back on. For us, my love for him as a husband was destroyed. It is still redeveloping and he knows it.

Take care of yourself and him. Personally, I think if your WS is remorseful, the healing is a two way street. I have worked hard to also help my WS heal. He is remorseful and 90% of the time I believe he would never do this again...but like any human having gone through this, I have significant doubts at other times.

Hugs to you.

tushnurse posted 7/3/2013 10:43 AM

WOW - Your counselor, she needs to find a different job, like flipping burgers.

NONE of what he did is your fault. Know this.

From what you have described you both seem to be on a good road to recovery, and healing. He needs to have a good understanding of why he chose to do what he did, and fix that. You alluded that he seems to be getting it.

It is completely normal to have triggers, and if you can't make garlic mushrooms ever again, so be it. There is a particular city that even still when I hear it's name I cringe. I know it's silly, but it's a trigger even still.

Congrats on the Adoptions. Make sure that with all the newness of having kids, and all that comes with it, that you two are still taking time to focus on each other and your relationship.

((((and strength to you both))))

Broken0915 posted 3/15/2014 10:37 AM

This forum looks pretty old, but I might as well vent here...also looking for advice.

My boyfriend and I have been together for 5 years. I fell so hard for him. He made me feel safe because he is so sweet and loving. I moved in with him in May 2013. A couple months after I moved in, I noticed he was sort of distant. He would barely look at me when I undressed. He wouldn't have sex.

Well, towards the end of last summer I found out that he had been flirting and chatting with several girls on his phone. He was also using a different phone (that I didn't know about)to text and have short phone conversations with these girls. When I confronted him, he told me he downloaded a chat site on his phone and met these girls thru that. He broke down in tears, saying that he was depressed and he used this as a way to pretend he was someone else. I felt bad for him. He swore that he was willing to put a stop to this.

In the first week of March 2014, I felt like I should check his laptop, to be sure he was keeping his promise. I found at least a hundred pictures of nude girls (some looked young,like barely 18). I also found a video he had taken of his erect penis and a downloaded sex chat site. I was disgusted and hurt. I broke a picture frame and tore up our pictures in front of him. Then, I left. I immediately regretted it because I love him so much.

He said he wants to try therapy and thinks we should be distant until he figures things out. I moved out, reluctantly. I look at my phone every day hoping to see a text from him. He barely contacts me at all and I'm so sick with worry and depression over this. I barely eat. :( I want things to work out, but I don't want to be waiting on him to figure things out. How long should I wait? What should I do? I feel so betrayed and heartbroken.

About us:
Him: 38
Me: 23
Not married, been together 5 years

[This message edited by Broken0915 at 10:51 AM, March 15th (Saturday)]

Skan posted 3/15/2014 10:50 AM

Broken, first off, welcome. I'm glad that you found us for support.

Listen, at the bottom of the forum, on the right hand side, is a blue box that says "post new topic." Please click on that and start your own topic. This way we all know that you are new to the site and people can come directly to you and your story, to give you support. I clicked on this thread because I wanted to see how Heartbroken was doing and then found you.

You deserve your own thread for support. So please start one so that we can get to know you and help you out. (((hugs)))

Broken0915 posted 3/15/2014 10:52 AM

Thank you Skan, I will do that.