My husband has rejected a coworker's advances but continues to engage with her. Should I consider leaving?
Hello. I’m a 29-year-old woman, and I’ve been married to my 30-year-old husband for two months, although we’ve been together for seven years. I’ve always struggled with his friendliness towards other women. I admit I can be a bit jealous at times, but according to him, no one has ever set boundaries with him in his past relationships. Three years ago, we broke up because he lied about something that was almost an emotional affair with a female friend. He later confessed that during a trip with friends, he hugged her tightly while having a deep conversation. I believe him when he says nothing happened, but something in my gut suggested he had feelings for her. For three years, he insisted I was just being "paranoid," which ultimately led to our breakup because I felt gaslighted. After a month apart, we reconciled; he assured me nothing had happened, and I chose to trust him. My condition for getting back together was that he wouldn’t lie about his female friends and wouldn’t engage with anyone who showed an interest in him. Things went well after that, leading to our engagement and marriage. However, last week, I felt compelled to check his phone—something I know isn’t right. My instincts pushed me to do it, and I discovered that earlier in 2023, right before our engagement, a coworker had confessed her feelings for him via text. He rejected her, stating he was in a committed relationship but continued texting her, despite knowing my boundaries. She had his personal and work numbers, as well as access to his social media, although he hadn’t accepted her on some platforms. After her second confession, he blocked her and she left the company. When I confronted him about the texts, I admitted to snooping, but when I asked him to show me the messages, they were gone—he had deleted them. He also saved his text history, so I couldn't retrieve what he erased. Additionally, I found he was frequently texting and calling another female friend—someone he had previously been attracted to. Many of those messages and calls were also missing from his phone. He’s never been deceitful before, but I feel like he’s changing into someone I don’t recognize. What should I do? Am I the problem here, and is this relationship worth saving? Edit: He never mentioned the coworker before I confronted him, and while his texts weren’t flirty, hers were. He cut off all communication with her and blocked her just before we got married.