Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Woman's Boyfriend Lied About Being Married During Divorce Proceedings, And Wants To Know If She's Overreacting

Woman's Boyfriend Lied About Being Married During Divorce Proceedings, And Wants To Know If She's Overreacting
Photo via Wikimedia Commons

There's a huge breach of trust at work here, and one that also involves a little gaslighting. Ladies, if a man ever makes you doubt your trust in yourself....run the other way.


u/mizpinkie13 told Reddit her tale:

Found out my (28F) boyfriend (33M) was still married for most of our relationship

Relationships

My divorce was finalized last year. My boyfriend said his divorce was finalized a few months before mine was.

We're having some other issues currently, so I decided to do some digging because things just weren't adding up. Low and behold, on the county clerks website, their divorce final hearing was at the end of May and the judge didn't sign the decree until June.

We've been together for a year. He was married for 10 months of that.

I found out about 6 months ago that she actually lived next door to him, which he also lied about.

Am I overreacting? Is this a big deal or no?

tl;dr Boyfriend was still legally married to his ex during our relationship.

So some Redditors came to the rescue with answers:



One

Giphy

My partner and I have been together 2 years next week. He got divorced 11 months ago. I got divorced 2 weeks ago.

We were both absolutely clearly separated from our exes, we both separated from our exes like 8-10 years ago. We don't speak with them, and we live a long way away from them.

Neither of us were bothered that the other was still married because we both felt the same way about divorce - it was just a piece of paper.

The difference here, is that we both told the other that we were still technically married as we hadn't finalized our divorces.

Your boyfriend lied to you.

You need to get to the bottom of that in order to decide if it is a gigantic issue or not.

Maybe he filed, and thought that was close enough to divorce to say it. Maybe he deliberately lied because he knew you wouldn't date him otherwise. Find out why he lied, and you'll have your answer.

Blue-Princess

Two

Giphy

It wouldn't have been a big deal had he said "my hearing isn't until May. How do you feel about that?" Under the current circumstances, it's a VERY BIG DEAL.

RoamingAmber

Three

Giphy

It would have been nothing for him to be up front and say hey, we're in the middle of a divorce but it won't be final until xx date. There was zero reason he needed to lie about that. Divorce takes time, and plenty of people move on relationship-wise in the meantime.

What IS a big deal is that he felt the need to lie about it. This is not some little, white lie. This is a HUGE lie. It IS a big deal. You can't start a relationship on a lie like that.

reddittor783

Four

Giphy

Well, yeah. But at least you now know how he's going to treat you in the future when he meets his next partner. Seriously, this is the red flag you snatch off the pole and run away waving as you leave him in the dust and never look back.

And my *ss he didn't know. It's a f-cking divorce. You definitely know if it's final or not, plus how did he miss the now ex-wife living next door to him?

Nah, he pulled the old bait and switch on you. He's counting on you now being emotionally invested enough in him you'll let it slide and he can continue to lie to you.

landho54

Five

Giphy

Your boyfriend is a liar. It's a big deal. You can't trust his word, and without that, you have nothing.

jolie178923-15423435

Six

Giphy

I'd be really annoyed and would have a hard time trusting him after a lie like that. You know him best though and you know what you will put up with so ultimately the choice is yours. But you're not overreacting in my eyes, your feelings are very valid!

ohemshley

Seven

Giphy

The issue is that he lied to you and hid crucial details about his marriage from you. I dated a guy for a year who was legally separated, but not divorced, throughout most of our relationship. He was clear from the get-go that he was still married because they had to be legally separated for a year before being able to file for divorce and he never hid it from me. She had moved out to live with her new boyfriend and he remained in their house with the pets. All his friends confirmed it when they hung out with us by making casual remarks about his soon-to-be-ex-wife. In my case, it was not a big deal because he was honest with me. In your case, yes, it is a big deal and you are not overreacting. If I were you, I would have immense difficulty trusting him moving forward.

moosetopenguin

Eight

Giphy

Divorce lawyers heavily suggest you do not start a relationship until everything is done and settled. This is one of the reasons why.

On the flip side of the coin, many times when the divorce actually happens the person is actually checked out years before hand, and the divorce is just a formal acknowledgement. Following the lawyer's advice essentially condemns you to an interpersonal desert for 1 to 2 years. Imagine two years of not being able to get close to anybody at all. That is why some people ignore the lawyer's advice.

I'm not saying what happened was right or wrong. What I am saying is try to see it from the lawyers point of view. Then try to see it from his point of view and how desperate he might have been for human contact. Especially if the marriage ended in a dead bedroom of several years followed by two years of essentially social isolation. At that point you get desperate just to connect with somebody, anybody. And that would lead you to lie.

YeahOKWhateverDude

Nine

Giphy

I left my wife in 2010. Had a gf from 2010 to 2011, then another from 2011-2012. We finalized our divorce in 2014.

For the first few months, it was due to not being 100% sure. We both dated, though our partners knew our situation. After that, it was that neither of us wanted to cough up the hundreds for court fees. We had no disputes. We'd already peacefully divided assets. And we stayed friends.

Hell, after our final hearing my ex and I got lunch. (We stayed friends, but don't know about your bf)

It's.....paperwork.......legalese.....

I dunno why he lied, but unless he was involved with her, I'd say let it slide.

03throwaway03

Ten

Giphy

This happened to me. Met my husband Aug 2014. His divorce was finalized Dec 2016. For the whole relationship, all 3 of us thought they were divorced. It wasn't until his ex found out that they were still legally married.

We married February 2017.

longleggedgiraffe

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Split screen of a woman with a stern reaction and a man with a shocked expression.
@vanessa_p_44/TikTok

Guy Has Priceless Reaction To Learning His Mom Named Him After 'South Park' Character—And We're Obsessed

When it comes time for parents to name their soon-to-be-born child, they often cast a wide net looking for inspiration.

Many will name their child after a beloved friend or family member, while others might choose a name from a classic film, novel, or television series.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Expertly Trolls Trump Administration With Parody Spirit Halloween Costume Memes

California Governor Gavin Newsom had social media users cackling after he, in a series of photos on X, mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with photoshopped meme versions of Spirit Halloween costumes.

Noem, who has led the nationwide immigration crackdown that continues to tear apart families around the country, is the "Border Barbie" of one meme that pokes fun at her for shooting her dog, her penchant for bringing camera crews wherever she goes, and the way South Park writers lampooned her in one of its most widely-seen episodes this year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Ethan Hawke Shares Important Lesson He Learned From Robin Williams On Set Of 'Dead Poets Society'

Actor Ethan Hawke has become a Hollywood legend in his own right, but his career started with being a child actor learning from the greats, like Robin Williams.

The two co-starred in Dead Poets Society, one of the greatest films of the 1980s. It was a breakout role for Hawke and one that solidified Williams as a dramatic actor after a career mostly focused on comedy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Screenshot of California's statement
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; cdss.ca.gov

Blue States Are Taking A Page Out Of Trump's Playbook With Alerts About SNAP Benefits

President Donald Trump and his administration are facing criticism as blue states post alerts about the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as a result of the Trump administration's failure to spend contingency funds to feed people on the program, a decision that is resulting in a nationwide hunger crisis impacting millions of families.

State officials have announced plans to inform visitors that if they’re alarmed by the pause in SNAP benefits beginning November 1 due to the shutdown, they should direct their frustration at the Republican Party.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo of a female hand holding up a pink paper heart that is on fire.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Signs A Relationship Is Over Even If The Couple Hasn't Broken Up Yet

Love is a many-splendored thing... until it's not.

Not all love stories have a happy ending.

Keep ReadingShow less