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Sun 19 Jul, 2015 12:44 pm
I need your advice. I discovered my wife of 23 years was cheating on me about 3 years ago. Long story short, her behavior changed, she grew defiant, held phone conversations with "her friends" and family members that she refused to share with me, and started spending all of her free time in her hometown (1.5 hours away). I grew suspicious over time and began to question her and all of my suspicions were met with denial.
Eventually, I got the access code to her phone and discovered "texting apps" and conversations with her friends and family members that alluded to something more going on. Over time I continued to pressure her to be honest with me and she grew more defensive, secretive, and began accusing me of being controlling.
We agreed to go to counseling and after a few sessions she stopped going because she said she felt "pressured". Shortly afterwards, I gained access to her texting app and remotely witnessed one week in the life of her and her boyfriend that she'd been seeing for the previous 2 years. It was very difficult to deal with without letting her on that I knew what was happening…When confronted, she continued to deny it until I showed her the proof and she subsequently apologized and called him (upon my request) to end it on the spot. Over the next few weeks she displayed a lot of remorse and begged for my forgiveness and promised to change. Believe it or not, I stayed (I love her) and we went through the next very difficult year trying to repair a broken marriage. As you can imagine my trust was shattered and I felt like I needed to know everything so I could decide whether it was worth sticking around. Turns out she only confessed to the things I knew and swore it only happened "a few times".
Approximately a year after my initial discovery I found records on the computer that provided bits and pieces of conversations that she was having over the previous timeframe when she was cheating. Turns out, not only was she sleeping with her boyfriend on a regular basis, she also carried out a few flings with several other people over that period (including co-workers, customers, and even a blind date!). She also saw her boyfriend again during that year while I was gone. When I confronted her with the new proof she crumbled and told me "everything" (that I already knew). Once again stupid me decided to stay when I was on the verge of moving out and pursuing a divorce.
Although it's been difficult, we've managed to salvage our marriage and things have been good since the last discovery. We went to another counselor and for the most part it helped us find our way (although the counselor determined I had trust issues…you think?!). She actually changed her behavior and began treating me the way she should have all along. We actually began to fall in love again. However my trust was shattered and periodically I've felt the need for her to be 100% honest with me about her past and fill in all of the blanks for which she refuses…tells me I know everything.
Fast Forward again. It's been 3 years since the last known affair. Our circumstances currently have us geographically separated and she has begun showing similar behaviors that she has in the past. She's frequenting her hometown again, sometimes takes excessive time to text me back although she's supposedly at home in bed or on the couch and has password protected her bank account access (which I had previously), opened up a few new credit card accounts (password protected), and has maintained her own cell phone account that she refuses to give me access to (although we had shared accounts for 10+ years). Her recent behavior combined with her concealments forced me to give her an ultimatum. I demanded that she provide her account information to prove that she is not being unfaithful. She has adamantly refused and as usual, has turned the table by telling me that "there's nothing going on" and that I don't trust her and I'm being controlling and she will not give in to that.
I've explained my doubts and why I feel like I do and that if she was serious about rebuilding trust in our relationship she would provide the information to help put me at ease…especially since we're so far apart. She refuses and told me that she's not doing anything wrong and she doesn't need to prove it to me so it's not gonna happen…
I know I should have been gone along time ago but I'm still here. I'm now ready to move on but am reaching out to you all because I need your advice. I have no concrete proof that she's being unfaithful right now but our past combined with flat out her refusal to disclose her private information to me has me convinced. Do I really need to see proof to move on or am I a victim of my past and convincing myself that my intuition is real? Why won't she provide me access considering the future of our relationship hinges on it?
@HereWeGoAgain2,
It's all over but the shouting.
You don't need this affirmation.
@HereWeGoAgain2,
Quote:Do I really need to see proof to move on or am I a victim of my past and convincing myself that my intuition is real? Why won't she provide me access considering the future of our relationship hinges on it?
You said it here
Quote: she has begun showing similar behaviors that she has in the past
As an aside - for your own peace of mind, because you seem to be doubting what's happening, do a internet search on 'signs of cheating'...you will come up with many websites that list the signs of a cheating spouse. You can see which signs (and what percentage of signs) she ticks off. You could consider printing it out and showing the results to her....but really, once you know the results, I'd say you know the outcome.
@HereWeGoAgain2,
As hard as it might sound, it's time to move on. Based on this history, the chances of her being faithful currently or in the future are slim to none. If you're content sharing her, stay. If not, you need to cut ties immediately and move on with the rest of your life. There are plenty of people out there--people that will actually respect you.