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A woman has taken to Mumsnet to share how she has been having an "emotional affair" with her colleague, only to find out she was the "other woman," and the internet has rallied around her in support.
In the post shared to the discussion-based site by an account called Tripizie, she revealed that she joined her company when she was 21, three years ago, upon completing university.
She then revealed: "My manager at the time was a 27-year-old man who I quickly came to rely on. He was charismatic, charming and extremely supportive."
The two quickly progressed to spending "all day chatting about life" and he made her "feel special."
"Over time he started texting me every evening and all day at the weekend about topics nothing to do with work.
"It would be photos of the lunch he was eating, or the show he was watching, or the park he was at. But it was constant," she added.
Through the years she "fell deeply for him," admitting: "I turned down other men who've approached me because none matched up to him."
However, she explained that he invited her for a drink with his friends and they started "asking about his girlfriend. They've been together for over 2 years and are about to buy a house together."
"He has outright lied to me this whole time about her. He told me he spent Christmas alone but he was actually with her.
"He said he went on holiday with 'a friend' but it was with her. He told me he was buying a house for 'me and my cat'—aka no mention of the girlfriend."
The woman then ended the post by explaining that she is "devastated" and is now ignoring his messages "but we still work together so it will be tricky."
According to a 2019 survey conducted by Vault.com, more than half of employees (58 percent) have been involved with a colleague romantically. This jumped to 72 percent in people over 50 years old.
The post, which was shared on January 23, has garnered hundreds of comments online, the majority outraged at the man's actions.
One Mumsnet user, Allsorts1, wrote: "That's so horrible! What a hideous man. Luckily you found out before it turned physical. You're good to block him, never speak to him about anything except work and move on with your life."
Another person, MumofPsuedoAdult, added: "On no what an awful situation for you. Thank goodness you found out before it became a physical relationship.
"The only thing you can do now OP [Original Poster] is pull right back and only engage with him in a professional environment and on work-related topics. And take some time for you. I feel for you."
Spotcheck typed "He's a snake. I would reply to his text by saying 'Congratulations on the new girlfriend—it would be lovely to meet her sometime smile '."
GentlemanJayFab stated: "I think you've been completely hood winked. He's a twat. I'd have nothing more to do with him."
SalsaLove revealed: "I'm so sorry OP [Original Poster]. This happened to me in the late 90s. It's truly devastating and hard to believe someone could be so cold. Be kind to yourself."
NickiMinajerie opined: "Well, at least his friends weren't in cahoots with him. They must have thought it was weird him bringing you to drinks or caught on that you were not the platonic work colleague he was introducing you as."
DiddyHeck asked: "You've been turning down men for 2 years on the off chance this guy might ask you out?"
