r/Bestof: A Man's Marriage Spirals After Allegations of Infidelity and a Surprise Pregnancy

Initial Suspicions and Wife's Denial

• ❓ A 40-year-old man (OP) receives an anonymous Instagram message accusing his 36-year-old wife, Sam, of flirting and leaving with a male colleague after work drinks.
• 📱 Sam, claiming to be too drunk to remember after 8 PM, admits to talking with the colleague but denies flirting, stating they are just friends with common interests.
• 📍 Phone location history confirms Sam and the colleague visited a bar near the train station, but Sam insists no suspicious messages exist and the sender is a jealous coworker.

Escalating Doubts and Confrontations

• 🕵️ OP replies to the anonymous sender, Helen, who claims Sam and the colleague flirt at work, that the colleague helped Sam keep her job, and that Sam complains about OP to the office.
• 🚗 Helen reports Sam and the colleague arriving together at a second bar after the company Christmas party, and OP's phone location data shows Sam visited the colleague's house for 30 minutes before going to the bar.
• 💔 Sam angrily denies cheating when confronted about visiting the colleague's house, accuses OP of spying, and leaves to stay with her sister, later demanding a divorce, citing OP's jealousy and lack of trust as the reasons.

The Divorce and a Surprise Pregnancy

• 🚫 Sam blocks OP on social media and ignores his attempts to contact her, later taking more belongings from their shared home while OP is away for Christmas.
• 🏥 OP learns from the IVF clinic that Sam had their final frozen embryo implanted without his explicit consent, leading to a settlement of £80,000 each and updated clinic procedures.
• 👶 Sam, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, reveals she used the settlement money to proceed with the embryo transfer, seeing it as a sign, and wants to reconcile to raise their son together.

Cohabitation and Further Complications

• 🏠 OP agrees to live with Sam and their unborn son in his hometown, purchasing a house together, despite his parents' reservations.
• 💔 Therapy reveals OP's withdrawal and inability to communicate led Sam to believe he wanted out, contributing to her actions and the relationship's breakdown.
• 🙏 OP accepts responsibility for his role in the marriage's end, realizes he still loves Sam, and they agree to try again, canceling the divorce proceedings.

Postpartum Issues and International Move

• 🍼 Their son is born, but Sam, suffering from severe postpartum depression and untreated bipolar disorder, leaves to stay with her mother and shows no interest in her son.
• ✈️ OP is offered a year-long work assignment in Sweden and considers taking his son without informing Sam, who he believes would obstruct the move.
• ❓ OP questions whether he can legally take his son out of the country without Sam's permission and how to manage their jointly owned house.