It is with a heavy heart that I post to this forum. I am currently 9-months pregnant. I got married to the “love of my life” last July after 3 ½ years of dating. His co-worker, and our “friend” served as our wedding Officiant. I found out I was pregnant in September, and noticed that my spouse started to withdraw immediately. By November, he was verbally and emotionally abusive toward me, citing that he felt “misunderstood, unheard, unappreciated, and criticized” in our relationship. He also stated that he was he didn’t feel as though he had a choice in us getting pregnant (despite us buying a house in which to start a family, a “kid-friendly” car, and texts from him regarding us having children together). I had access to his email and started to notice odd correspondence from his co-worker (my friend, who had been contacting me for some time about our marriage). I also caught him on the phone late one night speaking to her after we’d gotten into an argument (we started arguing on an almost daily basis). He started spending more time with her and less at home. He was also hard to get in touch with and used work as an excuse (even staying overnights). He found fault in everything I did and said suddenly. He seemed cold and detached when we’d have sex. He left me one week before Xmas, stating that he needed “time and space.” I was devastated, but thought he was depressed and going through some sort of early mid-life crisis. We went to 3 counseling sessions in January, and he stated that he had “one foot out the door” the whole time. I found a pack of condoms with one missing, and he used the excuse that he masturbated into one while watching a porn DVD (which I also found with the condoms in his backpack). I knew it was ridiculous, but wanted to believe him. All the while, our “friend” kept contacting me to ask about our marriage. He left our home at the end of January, and filed for divorce at the end of February. Meanwhile, he wanted me out of the house by the start of April. I was forced to relocate to another state (where I cannot ever get a license in my profession due to restrictions). So, now I am unemployed, and due to give birth to our child in the next couple of weeks. I am living with family, but don’t really know anyone in my new state and am trying hard to do things to keep me from getting depressed.
I am focused on being the best parent I can be, but am worried because my husband has been so cold toward me. I'm not sure how he expects we will co-parent together...especially because he hasn't even adequately addressed what he's done to me. He has only emailed me a few times in the last month, and is using it (I’m fairly certain) for purposes of documentation only regarding his “concern and interest” in his unborn son. I am so hurt by the way that this once (not long ago) loving and caring man could do all of this to us. I miss him terribly (though I wish I did not).
I went back to our home (which is in his name) one month ago, and found evidence (sexually explicit love letters…dated in Dec and Feb) from our “friend,” also mentioning their “future and family” together. I was shocked, because despite my gut feeling that their relationship had crossed a line, I thought that my husband was in a "crisis" of sorts. I never thought him capable of an affair. I contacted his mother and told her, as she had wondered if there was another woman in the past. It seemed like she actually became upset with me. I have not heard from her since, and she accused me of being “vindictive” for taking our dog and my furniture. I was shocked to say the least. I received an email from my spouse the next day stating that he thinks our relationship was “negative and unhealthy” and that he and his “friend” have a “loving, supportive, respectful, and healthy relationship that is a model to our son.” He also wrote that I need to look at “my role” in this situation. I was more than insulted, to say the least. I believe he intends to marry her, and she seems to have practically moved into our home. I’ve seen pics of them on Facebook volunteering for an organization and he looks so happy. I also saw one of her holding her daughter that I believe he took while they were on a hike together. They have each since deleted their accounts (My spouse did so the day he said he wanted a divorce in Feb, and his mistress deleted her account after my best friend decided to post one of her letters on FB…to which I had no involvement in. Needless to say, his siblings deleted me from their list of friends, without even contacting me about anything.). I love his family and can't believe they haven't even contacted me. I can't imagine how they expect they will be involved in my child's life at this point.
I can't believe this has happened. We just got married and were in love (or so I thought). I had no indication that he may have been unhappy. His co-worker also used to supervise him when he was a student 5-years ago. I really believe he looks up to her. I know she was unhappy in her own marriage. She ended up leaving her own husband (who served as an usher in our wedding) at the start of Nov. It was the following week that my husband came home and told me how unhappy he was in our new marriage. I suspect their physical relationship started sometime in Sept (which is awful to know because he was still loving toward me). She has 2 small kids who I have babysat in the past and we used to vacation together. She even offered to throw me a baby shower and lent me maternity clothes.
I feel so sick to my stomach this happened. This should be the happiest time of our lives. Now I am 2000 miles away from my husband and he wants nothing to do with me…and we are soon having a child together. I would never even have planned to get pregnant if I knew this was possible (though I am happy to be having this child). I believe this woman has a tremendous hold over my husband. He has a history of dysthymia (large amount of low self-esteem) and has been taking Prozac for years. I am beyond heart broken. As pathetic as it sounds, I would want him back if he wanted to move close to me, sever contact with her, and work on things. I’m wondering if anyone thinks there would be hope? I can’t understand how he doesn’t love me anymore. He thinks he was “codependent” with me, despite me having a job and supporting myself…and trying to have an “equal” relationship with him. Doesn’t his relationship with her seem “co-dependent?”
I’m not sure how to handle interactions with him now. I sent him 2 email responses that cited his lack of morals, my concern about his judgment related to our son, my concern about "her" depravity, and my desire for him to be an active parent to our child. They were fairly emotional emails (though not threatening in the least, because that's not me), and he just responded in a businesslike manner--only addressing our son in his responses, but nothing about our marriage. He wrote that he no longer thinks it is “productive” to discuss our relationship. He has closed the door on us entirely to be with her. Again, I know it’s probably pitiful, but I do want my husband back. This is just not him and I don’t understand any of it. (FYI—his father left his mother for a couple of years because he developed an “emotional” relationship with another woman when my husband was a child…his parents worked through it and are still married. My husband thinks they should have divorced to spare him and his siblings any pain.)
How could he cut me out of his life so easily? Is there any hope at all? How do I manage his email correspondence (should I be businesslike, or caring…which is all I know to do with him)? How do I handle him being around when our son is born (he is coming to visit soon)? Should I confront him (we have not spoken since I found evidence of his affair) or be cool toward him? What if he decides to bring her? How can I co-parent with him in 2-weeks after he has been so cruel to me and lied to me so much? I am so used to loving this person and fully was committed to spending our lives together and caring for him. How do I start to heal from this when I will soon have the child we planned together and he will likely be contacting me more (fyi…he has not called me in a month)? I am so scared that he will ruin the joyous birth of our son for me as he has ruined my pregnancy with stress due to his either cruel or cold demeanor (I went to the ER 3x). I do not want anything to adversely affect our child--or interfere with my husband's relationship with our son. But won't our son grow up seeing how his father treats me, as well (if his treatment of me remains the same)? Worse still, what if he DOES MARRY this woman? He's known her years and I suspect he will try to legitimize their relationship by doing so.
I apologize for the length of this post and if I skipped around too much. There’s just a lot here, and I am looking for a local therapist to help me work through this pain. Thanks in advance for any feedback you may have to offer!
[This message edited by tulie at 3:53 PM, April 25th (Thursday)]
