At a crossroads
Two days ago I was helping my husband with his computer because it was slow. I came across some adult photos and while I didn't like it, no big deal. He said he was getting rid of them so I went ahead and deleted them. Then I saw a video with a thumbnail of our closed shower curtain. I didn't think much of clicking on it because he believes in ghosts so he has shown me videos of odd things around the apartment. But then I wondered if maybe he took a video of me in the shower and I was going to get rid of it and tell him to never do that again. So I fast forward some and find it's not me, but my best friend when she visited! I confronted him about it immediately. Told him it was sickening, that he betrayed her privacy, that he was perverted. He said he thought he had gotten rid of it, that he took it over 4 years and afterward he felt absolutely disgusted with himself and realized he was a rotten person and needed to change. I asked him if he did anything WITH the video and he said no. He really thought he had deleted it 4 years ago but it must have been saved in multiple places from moving files around. I told him I didn't feel like I could trust anything he said anymore because I didn't know I had married someone so deceitful. He said for the first two years of our marriage he was rotten: he'd look at porn all the time, checked out my sister, my friend, and women at his school, plus took spent gift cards from our wedding behind my back, and kept a secret bank account his mom opened for him. He said it was because he had always been bad in relationships and single for so long that he didn't know how to be married and that it took stopping so low to make him change his ways. I told him I thought even though we had rough patches with fighting, I didn't think he would ever be so perverted. He said he didn't think so either and that was his breaking point. He's told me he's spoken to his therapist and in group about what he did.
I kicked him out into our second bedroom and basically stays in there for the most part when I am home. He says he wants to make this right but I don't know how he can make it right at all. I feel like I let a predator loose in my circle. I told him today that I feel like there will be no consequences for him because if I tell my friend, the fallout will be more on her and me even though she is the victim and I had no idea. The knowledge her privacy was violated by someone she knew will destroy her and our friendship. She's already going through a lot of heavy stressors right now and that would only add to it. But I also don't know if I will ever be able to trust him again. I already don't want anyone to come visit anymore. Not a grudge holder so even the last two days have been emotionally draining and I have to compartmentalize just to function at work. He said he is going to prove to me he has changed by putting in the work with his therapy and staying up on everything around our place. I don't know if that is going to be enough though. And I don't know when I will know if it is or isn't enough. I don't feel like there is anyone I can talk to about this in my circle because I don't want anyone to judge me if I choose to stay with him.
@decisiveBike3155
It's very hard when there are secrets, hidden motives, unanswered questions, and unspoken feelings stuffed inside us. It's like we are afraid of their power, of what they can do to us or others if those things were to become known. The difficulty, though, is carrying these things inside will make us sick. I hope you can find a trusted advisor or professional with whom you can process things, for your own peace of mind.
At a crossroad indeed.
I think it is pretty brave to share all if that here. I wish I had the wiseness to share my struggles earlier like you do. Feel free to reach out if you feel so, I am not a listener but I would like to help. I also feel you should think about what you need as an individual and communicate with your husband to understand how you could both move forward and overcome all of that. Grow as a couple can be amazing and sometimes I think grow separately can be a more intelligent move.
Have a nice day.