"I didn't lie! YOU did, and you're just forgetting that you are!"

Can some rational people give me some feedback??

Okay, so, a couple weeks ago, while I was fixing the internet on my boyfriend’s computer, I noticed that, in his “recently opened items” list, there were a bunch of personal-ad webpages from this one site, having been opened within the last day or so from when I was there. Now, we happened to meet on that site, and a lot of it is simply women trolling for sex, so I got a bit nervous, even though our relationship is going relatively smoothly. Later that day, I asked my bf if he ever goes back to that specific site. “Never,” he said, “not in months. It’s disgusting.” I also noticed, at the time, that this site didn’t show up in his internet history- therefore, it looked like he went there and opened them up, and deleted it from his browser. He’s not too good with computers, though, so he wouldn’t even think to check his recently-opened items folder- he probably doesn’t even know it exists.

Anyway, I came up with two explanations for why he was lying: a) he’s cheating on me, or planning to, or b) he’s browsing around for some pornographic pleasure but embarrassed about it (as he’s very outspokenly anti-porn, and I’ve never been able to figure out why- he just insists it does nothing for him and all the women are ugly). Since there was absolutely no other evidence for choice “a”, even after I kept my eyes open for the next couple of weeks and paid extra-close attention to everything, I decided to choose explanation b, and not to confront him about it.

So, the other day, we were having a talk about our relationship, and discussing a lot of things, so I decided to bite the bullet and get this out in the open, partially because I was feeling guilty and spy-like for having kept it a secret. I said something like, “honey, the other day when I was fixing your computer, I saw internet history about you going to X site, but when I asked you, you said you hadn’t, and it made me a little nervous, I don’t understand the discrepancy”.

Him: “I have not been on that site in months.”

Me: “Well, there’s a file on your computer that keeps track of everything you open, which you probably don’t know about, but not only does it tell me you went there, it tells me you saved pages from it to specific folder, and then deleted them afterwards.”

Him: “It must be a mistake. I’ve had that computer for four years and I dated from that site a lot a couple years ago. It must be those old records you saw, because I don’t know how to delete those computer records, you know that. There’s four years of junk.”

Me: “It’s pretty clear that they’re recent…”

Him: “I haven’t been on that site in MONTHS. Since we started dating. Since about a year ago.”

Me: “Your computer says differently.”

Him: “I haven’t been on it in months. It must be a glitch in the computer. I am not seing anyone but you, I don’t want to see anyone but you, blah blah blah.”

So we were at an impasse. I said, fine, okay, maybe I did misread it. And we moved on.

Fast forward to yesterday, a day after our discussion, and we’re rehashing a few of the points on the phone. He brings up the website, and I say, “I thought we’d gone through that already…”

THEN he proceeds to tell me, “Actually, I have undeniable proof that YOU went on that site, on my computer.”

Huh? I didn’t. “Huh? No, I didn’t.”

Him: “Yes you did, don’t lie.”

Me: “No, I didn’t!”

Him: “Yes you did, don’t lie. YOU went on that site, and I have PROOF you did, and THAT’S why it was in the internet history, and you have such a bad memory that, when you noticed it in the internet history, you forgot you had gone on it, and automatically blamed me!”

At this point, I’m completely floored. No protestation of mine that I didn’t go on this site will be entertained. He’s convinced, or convinced that he’s convinced.

I finally give up denying it, b/c he keeps insisting he has proof, and say, “Okay, it’s possible I forgot, next time I come over, I’d like to see the proof.” He says, “That’s not the point, I’m telling you it’s there, and I never lie.” I say, “Okay, but I still want to see this proof.”

Him: “No, that’s not the point, you don’t need to see the proof, I’m telling you it’s there.”

Me: “Okay, but I want to see it anyway.”

Him: “It’s there, you don’t need to see it.”

This back-and-forth goes on for about 10 minutes straight.

So now… I’m beyond confused.

This isn’t the previous, “I’m not lying, trust me, you made a mistake,” which is a normal thing to say.

This is, “Not only am I not lying, but YOU’RE lying, you’ve only forgotten that you’re
lying!”

This sounds absurd! Loony! Absolutely nuts! Who the hell could possibly do this?

Has anyone EVER heard anything like this?

I don’t buy any of it, not for one second, and especially because, if this was actually true, he would have brought it up when we first talked about it (“I went on this site? I thought YOU went on the site!”). Instead, he spent a whole day concocting this bizarre theory and then presenting it to me as undeniable
gospel. The whole of the above? It sort of scares me shitless, because it seems like only someone mentally-disturbed would actually come up with a story like this, the “you actually did exactly what you’re accusing me of, only you’ve forgotten about it”.

Does this mean he’s psycho? That he’s cheating on me? That he actually did lie and now he’ll come up with ANYTHING so as to get out of it? Am I right that this explanation is more disturbing than the possibility of him cheating on me?

How should I react?? Does this warrant an immediate dumping?

Is this the same guy who didn’t buy you a Christmas present? WHY oh WHY are you putting up with this kind of shit?

Yes. Unless you enjoying going through things like this.

Women shouldn’t date men who aren’t as good on the computer as them.

Psycho, controlling mind game. Danger, danger everywhere. I’d cut your losses.
You did say you met him on a less-than-savory website. Maybe it’s a lesson learned?

It sounds like a clumsy attempt to turn it around on you, by a person who doesn’t understand how the “evidence” works.

He’s got 'proof" but he isn’t going to show you the “proof”? Cut your losses and run.

**Does this mean he’s psycho? ** No. But it shows he doesn’t respect you.

That he’s cheating on me? Not necessarily, but he’s feeling real guilty about something.

That he actually did lie and now he’ll come up with ANYTHING so as to get out of it? Yes.

Am I right that this explanation is more disturbing than the possibility of him cheating on me? Absolutely.

How should I react?? See below.

Does this warrant an immediate dumping? Definitely.

Sweetie, no matter how scary it might be to dump him and be single again, it’s a hell of a lot less scary than being with this shithead for any longer.

You know, this story reminds me of a guy I used to date. We only dated a few months, but looking back, I can see that he was…pre-abusive? I don’t know the right way to say it, but he was working on breaking me down so I could be emotionally abused and manipulated. And it was actually a similar issue that made me dump him. This was in the days before caller ID. He accused me of calling him repeatedly. I denied it, because I hadn’t. He said that he knew it was me and he had evidence–his phone kept track of who had called. So I must be lying or just not remember. I asked to see this evidence from this magical phone. He couldn’t produce it. So I dumped him. Whatta shmoe!

Oh, yeah. In the other thread I said that I thought the Christmas present thing must be a misunderstanding. Scratch that. It was a psycho mind game.

People who are guilty of something expect that others do the same thing, so they accuse others of their own faults/misdeeds. A cheater assumes everyone cheats, and accuses his or her lover of this out of suspicion - and often to misdirect attention from his or her own cheating.

He’s feeding you this story to try to cover his tracks, and maybe to make you feel bad enough to not question/check up on him.

Wouldn’t you prefer a boyfriend smart enough not to ask you to work on his computer where he’s got all sorts of incriminating evidence he’d rather you didn’t find easily? I’m just saying.

You gave him a rather simple IQ test, and he failed miserably. I’d break up with him for that alone.

As someone who has been in two abusive relationships, reading this (and even the Christmas gift thread, where I thought he was simply a clueless dolt or there was maybe something we weren’t hearing) - it sends shivers down my spine.

While I still respect that there may be a side of this we’re not hearing, if what you are telling us here is the truth, the absolute truth, and nothing but the truth, my only advice is this:

Run.

Yeah, he’s nuts. Run.

There is a pretty easy way to check this. Log onto the site using your username. Check his profile. It very likely says when was the last day he logged on (okcupid does this). If the site popped up due to some sort of spyware (these sleazy sites often do this… Adult Friend Finder hijacks my friend’s browser all the damn time) but he didn’t log onto his profile, then he will be shown to be innocent. If he’s logged on more recently than he says, do a screen capture and print that shit out. Bring it to him and show him. See what happens.

Just my two cents, but scratch the above idea, dump his arse and RUN! Don’t look back, and count yourself lucky to have found out his true colors so quickly. You don’t need those kind of head games, and they will only get worse over time. If you stay, you very well could be worn down to the point that breaking free is much harder. Cut your losses and RUN! comfort

He sounds like a fellow either cheating on you, or considering it. Even if he isn’t, that conversation just makes him seem nutty and not too swift.

It reminds me of the ridiculous lies small children will tell to get out of trouble, when they haven’t yet learned how things work.

This struck me as inordinately funny, but, nonetheless, good advice.

It may not have been a mistake on his part. He may have wanted her to find out what she found out, so she would do the breaking up. When she chose to give him the benefit of the doubt, he then chose to escalate.

Get out now, before you find someone else’s panties in his bedroom. Which he will then claim are yours. Or accuse you of having planted there.

If the relationship is going so smoothly, what were you doing visiting it a few days ago?

I think by “there,” she means his apartment. Meaning, he accessed the site when she was not around.