This last message feels so similar. I share the same pain and bad feelings.
My partner & I have two little girls. She's played away from home before and last november we split.
No matter how hard I tried, not one single day passed without thoughts of her going through my mind.
The anger had stopped and I seemed to be picking up the pieces and rebuilding my life.
Even so I still had this emptiness. Two months ago it was fathers days and my little girls were with me.
They had been bought a bottle of wine to give to me for fathers days. Like a fool, while thanking my ex for her present I invited her round to share it with me.
This was on the proviso that she would be serious, no more games or playing around and that I would end it again if she did. She agreed and seemed so sincere.
In the last two months things seemed ok.. We all seemed like a family again, she wrote little love notes, hugged me when I came home from work, told me over and over how much she loved me and of course, my feeling of love for her were soon as strong as ever.
We would go shopping and I would by her clothes, gifts and presents. I tried very hard to be caring and understanding.
She told me how nice it was that I was being this way. Three weeks ago I had to work long hours. She popped round her parents, asking if i'd mind if she stayed over a couple of nights.
When we next met she said she was not sure if this was what she wanted.
It was just like a re-enactment of a horrible play.
I had an email the following day. She wrote:-
******************************************
***************************************
what I was trying to tell you was that all these years I have wanted so much to be with you, which has been misinterpreted as me wanting your assets instead of you. Over time the little chips have been cutting away and now I don't know if I can get the feelings back to the intensity they once were, repair the damage. My backoff seems to make you closer towards me and I think about the impact of that for the future.
I didn't want to end things but to take the opportunity to tell you, honestly, how I was feeling. A relationship doesn't just fix itself overnight, although it seems that it somehow has for you, because you sense
that i'm not after commitment from you and that for once you feel able to let down your barriers with me.
The last thing I wanted to do was hurt the kids either, i'm worried about that very much.
I just wanted you to understand my feelings. Your reaction confirms that I cannot speak honestly as its not what you want to hear, its 100% or nothing.
There is no middle ground with you and middle ground is what a relationship like ours needs right now.
You're now going to put up a brickwall and shut the door to me completely as you are feeling hurt and upset and that upsets me greatly. I understand that you don't want to waste time with me if i'm not going to be a long term investment.
I didn't want a situation of you taking me on holiday, paying for it and then throwing it in my face if and when it falls apart.
******************************************
***************************************
true to my word I broke it off. Since then our little 9year old daughter has called me ever day. Last week my daughters stayed with me. That was when the eldest told me how she watched her mummy and grandma put a profile on datingdriect and how my x posed while grandma took the picture and that mummy had now met a man called peter.
She went on to tell me how she was too scarred to tell me before in case it broke the family up again.
She cried and cried telling me she didn't want him to be her daddy and why can't we be a real family like all of her friends.
I tried and tried to be a good dad, but it's not easy after going back and trusting her again and again. I've lost count how many "peter's" there have been in the past 10years and how many times, when these relationship fail, I take her back.
Over the years I have grown much, much stronger and cuss myself for repeatedly inflicting this pain on myself. But i'm back here again.
I have a good job, nice home and just emptiness. Reading, once again, all about how to get over pain, distress, depression and relationship break-up.
The thought of her being with this other man warring the clothes i'd bought made me feel physically sick.
I have spoken to her over the telephone and put a very convincing face on everything, pretending I don't care.
She told me this guy is her "future".
She will never know the pain she causes every time she does this. Or the damage and distress "we" inflict on out two little girls with this endless make and break-up routine.
But it's my fault for allowing her too.. I even asked for the clothes back. Guess I will have a little pleasure selling them on ebay.
I much rather show her a picture of a drop dead gorgeous woman warring them. But that's just my pain.
A long reply.. But it helps just to share.