A WOMAN has revealed that she was left distraught after discovering that her boyfriend was having an affair with her own mother.
Brooke, now 26, was just 17 when she started dating her first boyfriend, who she referred to as M when recounting her story.
Brooke’s family life was shattered when her mum had an affair with her boyfriend[/caption]
M, 18, was a friend of her brother’s so was often at the family home, which Brooke loved, as she felt lucky to have a boyfriend who was close with her family.
However, looking back Brooke believes that she ignored a lot of red flags in the relationship.
“My mum was like immediately very attached to us,” she told the We’re All Insane podcast.
“She would be very supportive of me like wanting to go do things with him and hang out and stuff like that and sometimes would even like offer to come along and take us.”
Brooke began getting concerned when her mother began buying similar clothes to hers, and started making an effort to look younger.
“She was highlighting her hair so it was bright blonde like mine and just like like acting and kind of putting herself out there as looking younger”, she revealed.
Brooke’s mum then began seeking approval from M on her new look, and acted as if she was a friend to the couple, rather than an elder.
During this period, Brooke’s mother began going on outings “to the store” or “for a run” and would come back in a “completely different mood.”
The mother was also having marriage troubles at this time, but Brooke didn’t put two and two together.
The fair was finally exposed just a few days after Christmas, during Brooke’s final year in high school.
“I get home and I’m in the garage and my brother opens the door [and] he’s just staring at me, and he goes ‘M had sex with mom,’” she revealed.
“I was like ‘you’re joking’, and I looked at him and I’m like ‘don’t say that,’ and he looked at me again and his expression didn’t change – it was just stone cold, and he says the same exact thing.”
Brooke refused to believe what her brother was telling her, so he told her to call her dad, who corroborated the story.”
Recalling what happened next, Brooke said: “I walked into that house and I ran straight to my parents’ bedroom where my mom was laying on the bed in the foetal position absolutely hysterically sobbing.”
Four red flags your partner is cheating
Private Investigator Aaron Bond from BondRees revealed four warning signs your partner might be cheating.
They start to take their phone everywhere with them
In close relationships, it’s normal to know each other’s passwords and use each other’s phones, if their phone habits change then they may be hiding something.
Aaron says: “If your partner starts changing their passwords, starts taking their phone everywhere with them, even around the house or they become defensive when you ask to use their phone it could be a sign of them not being faithful.”
“You should also look at how they place their phone down when not in use. If they face the phone with the screen facing down, then they could be hiding something.”
They start telling you less about their day
When partners cheat they can start to avoid you, this could be down to them feeling guilty or because it makes it easier for them to lie to you.
“If you feel like your partner has suddenly begun to avoid you and they don’t want to do things with you any more or they stop telling you about their day then this is another red flag.”
“Partners often avoid their spouses or tell them less about their day because cheating can be tough, remembering all of your lies is impossible and it’s an easy way to get caught out,” says Aaron.
Their libido changes
Your partner’s libido can change for a range of reasons so it may not be a sure sign of cheating but it can be a red flag according to Aaron.
Aaron says: “Cheaters often have less sex at home because they are cheating, but on occasions, they may also have more sex at home, this is because they feel guilty and use this increase in sex to hide their cheating. You may also find that your partner will start to introduce new things into your sex life that weren’t there before.”
They become negative towards you
Cheaters know that cheating is wrong and to them, it will feel good, this can cause tension and anxiety within themselves which they will need to justify.
“To get rid of the tension they feel inside they will try to convince themselves that you are the problem and they will become critical of you out of nowhere. Maybe you haven’t walked the dog that day, put the dishes away or read a book to your children before bedtime. A small problem like this can now feel like a big deal and if you experience this your partner could be cheating,” warns Aaron.
“I ran in there [and] every single cuss word was coming out of my mouth I was throwing hands I was cussing her out I was screaming at her.’
“I’d felt so destroyed and so betrayed and so confused and just every emotion that you could think of.”
“I just remember being so sad for my dad that he had to be in the position to not only address his own needs but mine.”
Brooke demanded that her mum give her details of the affair, and found out the pair had had sex in the park, in the car and in the family home.
Her mum even revealed that she had kissed when she was in the room, and had been recovering from having her wisdom teeth removed.
“She admitted to touching him and kissing him behind [me] while I’m on the couch. I mean, literally, like a couple feet behind me and I have no idea any of this was going on,” she said.
“He would leave my room say good night … and on his way out he would meet her at a location in my house and see her.”
Brooke was horrified after learning that news of the affair had quickly got around her school, and she and her siblings were relentlessly tormented about it.
Following the incident, Brooke’s mother began to see a therapist, who she claims told her she was having a dissociative episode and wasn’t aware of what was happening.
“I call complete bulls**t”, she said.
Surprisingly, Brooke’s parents are still married, and when she asked her father why he didn’t leave, he said that he had made a vow when he married her, and would do anything to make sure they stayed together.
Brooke’s relationship with her mother is still strained, but therapy is helping her to work through her trauma.
“I don’t think I will ever truly lose the scars that I’ve gotten from her and that situation, but I’ve learned to make peace with a lot of things I’ve learned to accept a lot of things and find the positives in them,” she said.
