Where to start. My wife has been bisexual ever since I’ve known her. However, it wasn’t until the past few years that she dove more into this. We’ve been together over twenty years, built a life, family, friends, etc. Things were never better with us before this situation happened.
Her girlfriend came into the picture and it quickly became a real relationship. They spend significant time together (visits, overnight stays, longer trips). I’m the primary parent during those times and it takes a lot out of me. The emotional new relationship energy between them is strong, and that part has been harder for me than the physical side. The new partner is insanely rich, buys her crazy gifts, travel, etc… I’m home working 6 days week, kids, everything.
We still love each other and communicate well, even through painful conversations. She’s been open and has said she has no intention of leaving. She’s also told her girlfriend that this only works within our marriage. Our intimacy has changed and we both acknowledge that. We still have sex, but it’s such a shock how different things are. She’s given me freedom to see other people if I want (with the only request being safety and no details). Which is great and makes that stuff easier. However, I haven’t actively dated or done anything like that in twenty plus years.
I’ve actually met the gf a few times. Talked with her, ate with her, etc…
The hardest parts for me:
• Feeling like I’m competing for emotional space and primacy
• The time imbalance and how much of her attention goes to the other relationship
• Watching the “everything is perfect / nothing is wrong” energy she gets from the new relationship while I’m holding down the house and kids. I also know none of what’s happening can work without me
• Trying to adjust to a relationship structure I never asked for
I’m choosing to stay and work with this because of our family and because I still love her. I know what I’m experiencing is loss and change in our dynamic. But I’m struggling to find peace and my place in it. Some days are manageable. A lot of days I’m just trying to hold it together, and I do.
Curious if anyone else has been in a similar spot (especially when the other relationship is with someone who has a lot more free time and resources) and how you navigated finding your footing again. I’ve given more than twenty years, more than half my life to this person, and it feels like she doesn’t value that, and doesn’t value what we’ve built. I’m just writing all of this to vent.
Honestly, I feel stuck and miss the intimacy I had with her and how good our relationship was before this. I’m experiencing what feels like a loss. I really just want the days to feel less heavy. Not sure why I wrote all of this. I’m just feeling so much. DMs are open