AITAH My ex-fiancee tried to get my wife to cheat on me?

In the midst of settling into married life and building a new social circle in an unfamiliar city, an unexpected twist upends the tranquility of a couple’s routine. A seemingly innocent invitation to join a painting and wine night turned sour when a familiar face from the past reappeared. The husband, still haunted by unresolved feelings regarding his ex-fiancee, Jess, found himself caught off guard when she emerged at an event his wife attended with her friends.

Despite the jovial setting, the atmosphere quickly grew tense. The husband recounts a night when Olivia received excessive attention from party-goers and noted that Jess, who surprisingly organized these gatherings, was keen on loosening everyone’s inhibitions. This led to an incident that now leaves him questioning whether he should intervene and request that his wife distance herself from Jess.

‘AITAH – My ex-fiancee tried to get my wife to cheat on me?’

I think my ex-fiancee Jess (31F) might have tried to get my wife Olivia (30F) drunk and cheat on me. My wife thinks I am overreacting and overthinking the whole situation. Can someone tell me if I would be an a**hole to ask Olivia to stop being friends with Jess immediately?. For context, Jess and I started dating during the sophomore year of our college.

We met through mutual friends and connected instantly. She was charming and outgoing and made friends instantly everywhere she went. I am more shy and nerdy, but I enjoyed going out to parties with her. We got engaged on our graduation day as both our families were attending. I got a job in a big tech company right after college and Jess moved in with me while looking for jobs..

That is when the relationship started going downhill. Jess was an art major and had trouble finding a stable job. She did a bunch of freelance work and mostly worked from home. I was o**rwhelmed with work. She always wanted to go out to bars and clubs and I wanted to rest in the evening after 10-12 hours of work.

I was ok with her going out with friends alone, and I would sometimes tag along on the weekend.. It bothered me that she was still in her party girl phase. She complained that I was becoming boring and should enjoy my early 20s before we settled down. I was also not happy with the friends she hung out with, as there was a lot of drinking and d**g use.

Even when I went out with her friends, she would be extremely flirty with guys in her friend's group. Her excuse was always that she gets flirty when she is drunk or she was just joking. I had enough and decided to call off the engagement after 2 years as we were just different people at that point. The breakup was messy and she kept trying to get back with me for almost a year.

There were some incidences where Jess may not have acted in her best judgment, and I blocked her from all my social media. I did not want to deal with the drama and wanted to move on. I also got a transfer to another town around that time and never heard from Jess again.. This is when I started dating my wife, Olivia.

My wife was the exact opposite of Jess. She was very soft-spoken and a homebody like me. She knew I was engaged before. We dated for 3 years and happily married for 2 years now. However, one of the sticking points we always had was my Thursday nights.

3 of my closest college friends are now scattered all across the country and we generally play a video game together on Thursday evenings since our college days. Olivia complained that she gets bored during that time..

About 6 months ago, Olvia told me she got a Facebook invite for a group where they had painting and wine nights on Thursdays. It was mostly 8-10 women who got together at someone's house and spent the evening painting, drinking wine and gossiping. According to Olivia, it was just a few housewives and divorcees and they welcomed her.

One of the women's name was Jess, but I did not think much of it.. Two weeks ago, Olivia told me it was Jess's birthday and they wanted to a ladies' night at a club. Olivia hates loud music, but Jess convinced her to come for dinner and some drinks. On that night, I got a call from Olvia at 10 pm asking me if I could come and pick her up.

I could tell something was wrong and immediately left to pick her up. I went to the bar and went in to pick up Olivia. I was shocked when I realized that her friend Jess was my ex-fiancee. She also looked surprised to see me there. I was polite and said hello to everyone, but Olivia wanted to get out of there as soon as possible..

After we went in the car, I told Olivia that Jess was my ex-fiancee whom I had not seen for almost 7 years. Olivia was shocked to hear it and she did not know about it. It was crazy since I did not even know she lived in the same city as us. Olivia told me Jess was the one who had started the painting group.

She had divorced her husband 2 years ago and moved to our city for a fresh start. The reason why she called me was because she was getting uncomfortable with the situation at the bar. Since Jess and one of the other women were single, they kept on encouraging guys hitting on them and inviting them over to their table.

Jess was trying to get everyone drunk and was asking Olivia to open up and have fun. She was constantly hyping up Olivia to two of the guys who bought them a round of drinks. At this point, Olivia excused herself to go to the restroom and called me to pick her up.. I am not happy with the situation, but I am also not mad at Olivia.

I am just uncomfortable with Olivia hanging out with Jess. I told Olivia about the same. Olivia told me that she was never going to put herself in the same situation again with Jess or anyone else. Also, this friends group is the only real social life she has since we both are in a completely new city. She does not want to stop going to her painting nights with her friends.

I brought up the thought that Jess could be acting in malice, but Olivia told me she did not think Jess would know I was her husband as Olivia never showed my picture to anyone in the group. She also said that it's been 7 years since we broke up. Jess is a kind person and I should not judge her based on one night when she was drunk. She still wants to stay friends with Jess..

On one hand, I do not want to separate Olivia from her friends. But, my gut feeling is telling me something is off in this situation. Besides, it feels weird to have my ex be friends with my wife. Am I the a**hole to want Olivia to stop being friends with Jess because of my gut feeling? Or, should I just let it go as it's Olivia's call to make?

The OP’s dropped an update on the saga—curious? Click here to check it out!

Relationship experts agree that trust and open communication form the backbone of a healthy marriage. When concerns about past relationships arise, discussing them candidly can help both partners understand each other’s feelings and intentions, preventing misunderstandings from escalating into larger issues.

Friendships with ex-partners can be complex. While some are completely platonic, others may inadvertently stir up lingering emotions or risky behaviors. Recognizing potential red flags early on—and addressing them together—helps ensure that past influences do not compromise the present relationship.

Dr. John Gottman often emphasizes that how couples handle conflicts—especially those rooted in the past—plays a crucial role in overall relationship satisfaction. He suggests that joint discussions, rather than one-sided decisions or silent resentment, pave the way for setting clear boundaries that honor both partners’ needs.

Ultimately, establishing healthy boundaries is a collaborative process. By defining which relationships are supportive and which might pose risks, couples can protect their mutual trust and well-being while still allowing each partner the freedom to maintain a personal social circle.

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

The Reddit community has been split on this topic. Some argue that the husband’s instincts are justified, highlighting that an ex-fiancee deliberately encouraging risky behavior is a red flag.

Others, however, maintain that Olivia demonstrated clear judgment by removing herself from the situation and calling for help when needed, insisting that mature women are fully capable of setting personal limits. The overall sentiment, though, leans toward caution when it comes to maintaining boundaries with those who have a complicated past with one’s partner.

CatEmpty9861 − INFO: Did Olivia tell this group that she was married? Because if Jess knew she was married and was trying to get her to cheat on you (even if she didn't know it specifically YOU) then that is really really scummy. She should not be hanging out with friends who encourage her to cheat on her spouse.

SKPhantom − NTA, though you really should call out Jessica for being trash. Even if she didn't know it was you, she was still trying to get a woman in a relationship to flirt with/possibly even sleep with random guys.

she_who_knits − NTA, but you need to remain low key and let Olivia process this information. The paint and wine nights are harmless and the birthday bar night could just be a one off and Olivia may choose to not participate in one ever again.

She also knew how to handle the situation on her own so she's not a vilnerable naive waif fresh off the turnip truck.. Trust your wife. If she gets any mean girl vibes off of Jess, she'll know how to deal.

boredathome1962 − Your wife called you to come and get her... I think that's a really good sign. And now you have warned her she can decide how the future pans out. However.... I'd ask to see the paintings from time to time just in case...

Away-Coffee-9438 − Have you tried to make local friends as a couple? It is easier to migrate to new friends than leave the only friends you have.

LadyBug_0570 − So Olivia

Because it seems to me Jess looked up your page, saw she was your wife, went to hers and invited her for painting and wine and more.. If so, Jess is p**cho.. Or I watch too much Lifetime.

Magdovus − Is your wife friends with Jess on social media? Could Jess have found who you were that way?. Regardless, Jess decided that she should try to get a married woman to cheat.  I think you need to give Olivia some room to decide how she's going to deal with this. Is she going to say something to Jess?

ExternalPractice865 − I don’t believe in coincidences. Something tells me she knew exactly who your wife was.

Adventurous-travel1 − I have different thoughts on this one. It seems like Jess is still the party girl and want everyone to party like her regardless if married or single. Sorta misery loves company type thing. She thinks everyone should want to party and h**kup like her due to that is how she has fun.

With that being said your wife seems very grounded and loyal. She went out to have fun (even though it was different) and was mature when she felt uncomfortable. She called you. This shows you she understands when it’s not a good situation. As an adult you cannot stop her from enjoying herself and having friends even when one or two are not people you like.

There are plenty of others that are good people that she enjoys and are not party girls.. She would feel isolated if you try to take things away. She needs to make these choices for herself. Maybe talk about compromise that she won’t go to bars like this again without it being more of couple. To keep the outings to paint and sip, dinners, etc.

this will give her freedom to enjoy her friends without putting herself in a bad situation. Jess would have set this up but I doubt it based on what your wife has said. Just keep having conversations about things and how best to handle them going forward.

[Reddit User] − NTa. Your wife would be very naive and dumb ) to remain friends with that group, they knew she's married and they still tried to get her drunk and cheat on you. Next time they might even spike her drink...

Don't be stupid, she has to cut off your ex and all of them, due to peer pressure, they'll transform your wife into one of them, a party girl and a drunk, they will destroy your marriage. Be careful.

This time your wife handled them all, but the peer pressure when wine is involved will get the best of her, sometimes is better not putting yourself in situations where you may get hurt, it's better to don't play with fire.

In the end, this situation shines a light on the ongoing challenge of protecting a marriage from the ghosts of past relationships. The husband’s worry about Jess’s potential influence on Olivia raises important questions about trust, personal agency, and the complex nature of friendship after breakup.

While some might see his concerns as overreactions rooted in lingering hurt, others view them as valid attempts to maintain marital integrity. What do you think? Should a spouse have the right to insist on cutting ties with an ex to prevent potential trouble, or is each partner best positioned to decide who stays in their social circle? Share your insights and experiences—let’s discuss how best to navigate these murky waters.

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