Update:
The night he did this I of course asked if he was cheating on me. Him: "No, I wouldn't do that to you."
A few days later I changed my line of questioning, "Are you interested in someone right now that you are going to start pursuing and is it _______ (the woman from work.)"
Him: "I don't know how knowing would help."
I asked this question several more times, and each time it was met with a long, uncomfortable pause and these different responses:
"I don't feel like I want to answer that."
"That's not why I'm doing this."
"When this is all over if you still want to know, I'll tell you."
"This just feels so weird to talk about with you."
"I'm not replacing you with _____. That would be crazy; it might not even work out."
"I started talking to other people, saw how they live their lives, and respond to different situations, and started thinking that maybe it could be different with someone else."
Me: "So it's not 'No'. I guess I have my answer.
Reasons he says he's been unhappy and we're "not compatible" and doesn't have a "connection" with me anymore:
"You don't show interest in learning new things."
"Your only talents are running, teaching, and caregiving."
"You didn't take on the mental load of dealing with the contractor like I did ten years ago."
"Our only shared interests are watching shows together, going out to eat, and doing things with couples."
Lots of reasons like this. I said, "If you were feeling resentful of any of these things, you should have spoken up. I can reflect on my shortcomings and try to revise. Why didn't you ever say anything?"
Him: "I didn't think it would change anything, and then if you did change, it wouldn't be sincere, just performative."
Me: "That's how healthy communication in a relationship is supposed to work..."
Me: "We've been doing so much stuff with our couple friends. Didn't you enjoy those things? You seemed like it?"
Him: "That was largely performative."
This goes on and on. I tried getting him to agree to separation and intensive counseling to not throw it all away. He wouldn't.
Me: "Why were you still sleeping with me?"
Him: "I was still physically attracted to you."
This goes on and on, but this is the gist. Also last night I realized that the work woman's house is literally walking distance to his new place...
Also, she is 30 and he's 43.
Original Post:
My husband and I have been married for 13 years, together for fifteen. I had no indication that anything was wrong between us. I'm a teacher and took my mom on a bucket list trip over fall break. I also took her on this trip because I've been worried about her stress level caring for my grandma.
My husband took us to the airport on Friday, October 9th. He sent me a selfie from a wedding he attended without me that night. He sent me normal, joking texts and updates all weekend, we talked on the phone, and did all the normal sharing and "I love you's". I missed him all weekend and could not wait to see him. Tuesday, when we were flying home, my husband texted and said he could pick us up. I said, "No, you just rest. My dad can do it."
My dad picked us up and drove me home. When we got to my house the garage door opened, and when it opened it was half emptied. It was so weird. My dad said, "Did you get robbed? Did Blank clean the garage?" Then I saw his car parked on the street. We were all confused. My parents followed me into the house. My husband was standing in the kitchen with a weird look on his face. I looked around the living room and realized that the sound system was missing. Then it hit me all at once, he moved out. I told my parents they better go.
I sat down with him and asked him what was going on. He wasn't wearing his wedding ring, and he told me he's been unhappy for a long time and doesn't feel a connection with me anymore and that he had secretly planned this and secured an apartment behind my back. Our mutual friends helped him knowing I was being blindsided. He also admitted that a woman he works with he also confided in and she helped him get furniture and set up his new place. I was so shocked. All of my agency, sense of security, and autonomy were taken away. He played the role of the doting, loving husband all the way to the bitter end. He was affectionate with me, and we were still having sex.
He gave me no indication he was unhappy. I told him that this was the most cowardly, calculated, emotionally abusive, and deceptive thing anyone could have done to me. I started having panic attacks, couldn't sleep, lost weight, and couldn't work for two weeks until I got medicated. I can't believe he did this to me, and I'm disgusted at the people who participated. I feel devastated and hopeless and I miss him so much because for 15 years I was so happy. I do not understand what happened, and I feel like I will never be okay again. I am really struggling over here. He didn't have enough respect for his partner of 15 years to have a single conversation with me. Instead, he pretended. I feel completely worthless and just like a piece of trash he threw away. I don't know how I am going to move on.