“Prank” him by leaving divorce papers out where he can see them..see how he likes that. What an a$$hole

Oh my lord. This man is definitely not mature enough to be a husband and father. What a truly twisted, cruel thing to do and then to gaslight her over her reaction as well? I would be seeing a lawyer.

This kind of prank is incredibly dangerous. Let's say that the "cheated" person went completely the opposite way, went mad and violent, and accidentally hurt (or worse) the partner... Or, in a moment of desperation, decided to kill themselves... It wouldn't be the first time that happened... Same as those pranks where you scare the other person to death; what if they get so scared they get a heart attack?

It was an utterly cruel & immature prank that was totally uncalled for! The worst is, he still doesn’t get how much hurt he has caused his wife. Idiot!

Heartbreaking and cruel. If you've been cheated on before, this can send a person into a panic attack. When you've built a life together for years, and see it crumbling down, it's devastating. This is behavior people do so they can say "it's a joke, it's a joke." And then go on to cheat. If he's being defensive instead of sorry, I don't think I would be able to continue a marriage with someone who gets enjoyment out of my suffering. Stand up for yourself. Also, I would bet that he's done other behaviors that are red flags, too.

That is not a prank. That's a need for counseling. And a lawyer, b/c if he can't cope that she's upset, then he's an immature twit, IMHO.

Also Team Divorce. In recent threads about ignoring red flags and having shitty friends, I mentioned the abusive ex I was with for way too long, and the red flags I ignored. Some of the first were these kinds of "jokes" and "pranks," where he'd tell me he had another girlfriend, or a kid with an ex, or was dating ___ at his old school, too, because he wanted to see my reaction. He wanted to see if I'd be jealous or hurt. He enjoyed my hurt confusion. And at the time, I'd fall for the "it was just a joke!" gaslighting and feel bad that I made HIM feel bad about his oh-so-hilarious pranks.. What it let me know long-term is that he'd happily manipulate me and my feelings, and would without compunction build on the abuse I'd already experienced, to feed his own pathetic ego. Unless her husband apologizes and commits to at least six months of therapy, there's nothing here to salvage. He doesn't love nor respect her, and his actions made it clear. Get out now, because it ain't getting better.

This guy sounds way too immature to be married. His reaction to her reaction makes absolutely no sense. First of all, it was a very cruel prank to play on someone you claim to love. Secondly, it is ridiculous to be angry because her reaction was to consider being separated and how this might affect the children. Thirdly, it is ridiculous that he is expecting her to apologize for his sick joke. She needs to divorce him immediately and make sure that she gets the children. What he did was not a prank, it was just plain mean.

Where does your husband work? I just wanna talk. I swear.

Your kids will be way happier without him! I hope you ind someone who actually appreciates you and your kids.

Huh? Obviously she thought of the kids first. That's the normal thing to do. I wouldn't want to stay in the relationship either if that happened so obviously I would make a plan for the future. Seems very reasonable. I mean, if the damage is done what else can you do? If you know you won't forgive that there's really nothing else to say except figure out what to do with the kids. What did he want? A big cry party? Her apologies for not meeting all of his demands that "forced" him to cheat (I've heard that one before...)? Let him feel "hurt" all he wants. He was in the wrong here, don't put the blame on her(And he seems more like a teenager.)

well good news is she's already prepared to divorce him. "nothing has changed. whether you cheated or not, your actions have definitively ended our marriage"

That's disgusting. He played with your feelings and also had the nerve to be mad at you for not putting up a satisfying show for his entertainment.

I feel like he wanted her to be mad at "Eve". Tell her off through texts, tell her to leave his husband alone. Idk, like he wanted to see if the wife would always trust and believe no matter what he does? Show her devotion and loyalty towards him? And when the wife just accepted that he "cheated", he got mad that he didn't have a loyal, submissive wife. Idk, my writing may be a bit hard to understand but that's my thought.

This is the worst yet. Boredpanda is getting to upsetting to read. I’ll take a break for a bit

speaking as a man, i would have taken that ipad, put it over his head, then put his a*s on the street. 'men' dont act like this, teenage boys do. my heart goes out to the op. his actions were stupid, juvenile, abusive, inconsiderate and the complete opposite of what a loving partner would do. real men support there partners, not try to tear them a new one. its tw*ats like this that give our sex a bad name. this was in no way a joke or even a prank, it was just cruel and nasty. OP, get a new life with someone who actually appreciates you.

His man is ashamed of his actions and is covering his shame up by gaslighting the OP and denying the impact of this cruel and sick "prank" on her and his children. Her reaction was within the normal range feelings - gutting pain, hurt, and shock, She pulled herself together to put the the needs of the children above her despair. He is horrible and I hope she and the other wife get a group discount from a divorce attorney. For me, there would be no return from this.

How do psychos like this and his buddies find women to marry them????

OP"s reaction was fine, and the fact she is trying to figure out what's wrong with her reaction instead of considering that her HUSBAND is wrong for blaming her reaction, is a big red flag of a codependent mindset. He's been abusing her before this, which is why she's blaming herself for her reaction instead of recognizing his toxic, horrible behavior. Furthermore, the husband is refusing couples therapy, and no decent partner would refuse that. I bet that if we heard more stories about their relationship, his abuse and lack of love would become clear. I hesitate to suggest ending marriages with kids, but the fact is, if this is how he treats his wife, he's not going to be a healthy parent to the kids, either. OP needs to be firm that it's counseling or divorce.

If it was me I'd simply ignore all the "it's a prank -HAHA!" from him and his friends. I'd go on with separation and divorce. Call his parents and inform them that he's coming home for a while. All that. If someone played a fool on me like that I'd be so furious! I don't like any sort of "testing" in relationships. It's immature and completely unnecessary in an adult relationship.

Get a Lawyer

One very real possibility. . . ALL the guys were doing this as a test . . . Of their wives. Exactly how would their wives react when one of them gets caught really cheating. Some wives are more forgiving, might suggest therapy, working it through, others want to divorce or chop something off!! They were all testing the waters. Absolutely , at least one of the guys is already cheating and the others all know. More test than prank. Ladies make your decision before it happens and plan to follow through.

With the women I know, the reaction would have been quite different. "Hey, honey! You're awake now!" "How long have I been sleep? And why does my head hurt?" "Oh, about 5 months; you hit your head a few times on my frying pan. Let me let the doctor know you woke up."