My Partner Is Still Married to His Wife and Has a Daughter with Her

Author Emily TaylorReading 3 minViews 2

My dear is still married to his wife and has a daughter.

I love my husband very much. We’ve been together for over seven years now, and we have a six-year-old son. My husband spends a great deal of time with our boy, often taking him along to the garage or out for little day trips. He looks after me as wellsometimes hell bring home flowers just because, or plan a romantic evening for us in town. We enjoy a pretty normal lifewere a happy family. Family games and all.

Only recently, we borrowed a bit of money from our parents and managed to buy our first flat. I take great pride in being a good homemaker; I love it when our home is cosy, tidy, and filled with the scent of a freshly baked Victoria sponge. I do some cash-in-hand work, but it brings in enough for us to live comfortably. I have big plans for our placeI want to bring all of them to life!

I work in a beauty salon and take on a fair few private clients as well. My husband earns a decent wage. We dont live extravagantly, but were good at setting goalsif we want to buy something or go on holiday, well save up and make it happen. We did consider buying a cottage in the countryside, but decided to hold off for now.

I genuinely enjoy my life and my relationship is solid. We met later in life, but I always tell everyone I was waiting for a man like him.
My partner gets on well with his daughter, helps out financially, and stays in contact with his wifes parents, since his daughter lives with them. What happened to his wife and where she wentI’ve honestly never been interested.

I didnt break up his familyhe was on his own when we met, living independently. Yet, whats increasingly on my mind is the fact that hes never actually divorced that woman. At work, when someone asks why were not getting married, I just say were putting it off for now. Everything feels right; marriage is just formality, really.

Recently, my mum told me I ought to give my partner an ultimatumif were going to stay together, he really should propose soon.
She thinks its odd that he remains married on paper to someone else. Apparently, that woman has all the legal standing, and Im left with all the responsibilities. Even though weve just moved into a new place, legally, it belongs to her. What do you even call this sort of marital triad?

The Girl Doesn’t Know Basic Things… What Should I Do? My Mother-in-Law Passed Away a Few Years Ago, and After the Funeral, I Swore I’d Stick to the Rule: Speak Fondly of the Dead or Not at All. I Also Made Another Promise—No Matter Who Married My Son, I Would Never Become the Kind of Mother-in-Law She Was. But Good Intentions Are One Thing, Life Is Another. My Only Son, Alex, Turned 25 and Brought His Girlfriend Home at the Start of Summer. True to My Promise Not to Interfere, I Welcomed the Girl Warmly but Kept My Guard Up. I Told Myself I Wouldn’t Look Down on Her, Wouldn’t Nitpick, and Wouldn’t Give Unsolicited Advice—All Things My Late Mother-in-Law Did until We Ended Up Loathing Each Other. I Don’t Want to Push Away Either Alex or His Girlfriend. Truthfully, I Enjoy Making Them Both Coffee, I Know Their Breakfast Preferences, and I Like Spoiling Them on Weekends—During the Week, I’m Too Busy for Such Little Extras. So, I Try to Give Them Space—Heading Off with My Husband to the Lake, Visiting a Friend, Popping Round to Mum’s to Make Chutney and Pickles—Leaving Them Alone in the House. Still, Something Surprising Happened That I Felt Compelled to Share. One Evening, My Son’s Girlfriend Showed Off a New Top She’d Bought on the Way Home from Work. It Wasn’t Expensive, Made Cheaper Still by a Missing Button. She Tried It On—It Looked Lovely and Suited Her. The Next Day, Friday, I Suggested She Wear Her New Top on Our Outing… But She Didn’t—She Couldn’t Sew the Button Back On. “Oh, Really?” I Blurted Out, Surprised That a 22-Year-Old Didn’t Have a Needle, Thread, or Knack for Basic Simple Fixes. How, I Wondered, Will She Manage Tomorrow? How Will She Look After a Home and Family or Make Important Choices? Family Dynamics and Dilemmas. Now, I’m Not Sure What to Do—Should I Just Sew the Button On, Show Her How, or Leave It—Her Choice: Wear the Top or Let It Languish in the Wardrobe? One Thing’s Certain—I Don’t Want to Be a Difficult Mother-in-Law. I’ve Seen That Role and I Don’t Care for It.

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The One-Woman Man On the Day of His Wife’s Funeral, Fyodor Didn’t Shed a Tear—”You See, I Told You He Never Loved Zina,” Tosia Whispered to Her Neighbor. “Hush Now, What Difference Does It Make? The Children Are Orphans Now, with a Father Like That.”—”You’ll See, He’ll Marry Katie Soon Enough,” Tosia Assured Lelya. “Why Katie? She Wants Nothing to Do with Him. Glafira Was Always His True Love, Or Have You Forgotten How They Used to Sneak Around the Barns? Katie Has a Family and Moved On from Him Long Ago.” Zinaida Was Buried. The Children Clung to Each Other. Misha and Pauline Had Just Turned Eight. Though Zina Married Fyodor for Love, No One, Not Even She, Knew If He Truly Loved Her. Rumor Had It She Married Him Because She Fell Pregnant. Their First Child, Klavdy, Was Born Premature and Didn’t Survive; For Years Afterwards, There Were No More Children Until God Granted Twins—Pauline, Who Took After Fyodor, and Misha, Gentle Like His Mother. Fyodor Was Stern, Called “Lone Wolf” By Villagers for His Silence and Lack of Affection. When Zina Died, She Entrusted Misha With Protecting His Twin Sister. “You’re the Man of the House Now, Promise Me You’ll Care for Her,” She Said Before Passing. Fyodor Sat Wordless at His Late Wife’s Side. Life Slowly Settled—Pauline Tried to Manage the Household, But Needed Aunt Natalia’s Guidance. Villagers Whispered: Maybe Fyodor Would Marry Again, Perhaps to Glafira, His Old Flame—though Such Gossip Was Met with Chiding from the Parish Council Chairman, Maxim Leonard. Glafira Had Loved Fyodor Once, But Married Mitya Instead; Still, Old Sparks Began Rumored to Fly. Yet Fyodor Stayed True to Zina’s Memory. Even When Glafira Approached Him With Homemade Pies, He Refused, Remaining Loyal to His Wife, Even After Death. Years Passed, the Twins Grew Up. Aunt Natalia, Still Helping Them, Maintained That Her Brother Had Only Loved One Woman. When Pauline Confided She Loved Grisha Voronin “for Ever,” Natalia Cautioned Her That Sometimes Love Lasts a Lifetime—and Sometimes, If Betrayed, There’s No Loving Again. On Fridays, Pauline Secretly Followed Her Father to the Cemetery, Where He’d Whisper to Zina’s Grave All He Couldn’t Say in Life—For Fyodor, the Lone Wolf, Had Told Her Everything with His Heart.

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How My Son’s Mother-in-Law Stole Him Away from Us Ever since our son got married, he refuses to visit us—he’s always at his mother-in-law’s house. She always needs urgent help. I can’t even imagine how she managed before her daughter married our son. Our son has been married for over two years. After the wedding, the newlyweds moved into the flat we bought for him when he started university. He’s always had our support and understanding. Even before the wedding, he lived on his own since his flat was close to his work. I won’t say I didn’t like my daughter-in-law—she just never seemed mature enough for married life, despite being only two years younger than our son. She often acted like a child and was quite moody at times. Our son is such a kind soul, and I always wondered how he’d manage life with someone so childish. After meeting her and her mother, I realised what kind of people they are. Despite being my age, my son’s mother-in-law acts like a child herself. Maybe you’ve met people who behave like children even when they’re older? They’re very immature and helpless. When her daughter got married, she was already on her sixth divorce. We never had much to say to each other—she was in her own world, though she didn’t try to invade ours. Our communication rarely went beyond the polite congratulations at the wedding. The warning signs started even before the wedding—the daughter-in-law would constantly drag our son over to her mum’s: a leaking tap, a socket to fix, a kitchen shelf that had fallen down. The first time, I let it go—there wasn’t a man in the house, so of course, an extra pair of hands would help. But the issues at her house never seemed to end. Our son started ignoring us, always saying he and his wife were off to her mother’s. Soon after, they began spending every holiday at his mother-in-law’s, leaving only me, my father, and my mother-in-law alone here. It was bad enough when our son stopped coming to all family celebrations, but it hurt even more when he started ignoring our requests for help. When we bought a new fridge and asked our son for help moving it, he agreed at first, but later he called to say he couldn’t because he and his wife were going to her mum’s again—this time about a leaking washing machine. When my husband rang him, we overheard my daughter-in-law saying, “Couldn’t your parents just hire movers?” Our son did turn up, but he was in a vile mood. “Dad, couldn’t you have just booked a removals team? Now I have to lug this thing myself!” That’s when I lost my patience. Why couldn’t his mother-in-law just call a specialist herself? Is she living in a parallel universe where those don’t exist? My son said the poor woman needed help because everyone tries to cheat her nowadays—they’ll take her money and not fix a thing. At that point, my husband snapped and said, “Maybe your mother-in-law doesn’t know much about appliances, but she’s certainly a skilled shepherd—she’s managed to lead one sheep perfectly.” Our son stormed out, furious with his dad. I didn’t interfere—as much as I agreed with my husband that our new in-laws had made themselves very comfortable on our son’s back, he could have put it more gently, and now our son refuses to see him and is upset with me too. After that row, our son hasn’t spoken to his dad for more than two weeks. His father won’t be the first to make amends. I feel torn—caught between a rock and a hard place. Of course, my husband is right, but he could have put it more kindly. Now my son is offended, and I risk losing him altogether over something so petty. Neither will give way—they both say the other should apologise first. Meanwhile, his mother-in-law seems to be having the time of her life! — **How My Son’s Mother-in-Law Took Him Away from Our Family: Ever Since He Got Married, He’s Always at Her House—Now There’s Always an Emergency Needing His Help, and He Hardly Sees Us Anymore**

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📌 Useful Social Services & Contacts in the U.S.

Stay informed and get help when you need it. Below are key national services with direct contacts that may support you or your loved ones:
🏥 Health & Mental Support

SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

What they do: Free and confidential help with substance use and mental health disorders.

Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) – 24/7, anonymous support

Website: samhsa.gov

🧒 Support for Children & Families

WIC – Women, Infants, and Children Program

What they do: Nutritional and healthcare support for pregnant women, new mothers, and young children.

Federal Info Line: 1-800-522-5006

Find local WIC office: fns.usda.gov/wic

My Partner Is Still Married to His Wife and Has a Daughter with Her