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Reader Stories: Your Spouse Had an Affair -- How You Survived

By , About.com Guides

Readers share how they first learned about their spouse's unfaithfulness and what they did and didn't do to survive.

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Left to Pick Up the Pieces

I did not know what to do. I was shaking. I checked all his pictures with her. He has created a different life in her world. In her world my husband who never takes his wedding ring off is her boyfri…More

Serial Infidelity

Destroyed like I was going to die. Like I lost my bestfriend. My marriage has been a lie. I hate him most days. I can't cope with it usually. We are still married but he thinks I should be friends wi…More

Trust What Your Gut Tells You

So depressed I contemplated suicide, attempted same; felt worthless, a fool, the pain of betrayal overwhelmed. I wish i could say it was over; can't. Live day to day, hopeless. If I leave, I will be …More

STD Test Reveals Unfaithfulness

I couldn’t work and when I got home I confronted him. He admitted cheating in 2008 but never again. Later on that week I see a text sent to someone with the words “we need to talk”.…More

Cheating, Alcohol, and Spying

I felt betrayed. Obviously, the message she wrote meant that she had deep emotional attachment to her colleague. I started drinking and became abusive towards my wife. It happened for 6 months until …More

Cyber Sex and Later Forgiveness

I met my husband who was in the Royal Navy 24 years ago when his ship docked in Florida were I grew up, I knew the night I met him, that he was the one for me, we quickly fell in very deep love and m…More

No Remorse

My world as I knew it fell apart. I felt he was a coward, telling me over the phone while over there. He thought that was the best time and considered that as our separated time, so three months to g…More

Affair After Birth of Baby

I am still coping. After the initial talk where he said it was because he wasn't getting enough attention. We talked every couple of days which was hard since we had house guests for the holidays. Mo…More

Numerous Relationships

I am trying to feel happy just by looking at my children (we have 3 kids). I don't think I will ever recover. I was molested from 6 to 16 years old which I had admitted to him, and it was so difficul…More

Relationship With Neighbor

I've been seeing a therapist for 3 years. I picked a woman Dr. to help me understand more about the female psyche. Even though I am probably going to seek a divorce, I'm still feeling really hurt. My…More

Trust Issues

He lied to me when I asked who she was. It was only when I confronted him about my health problems which I think was due to the stress of that relationship when he finally admitted who she was. He li…More

Cheater Must Want to Save Relationship

We are still coping. We are working things out and getting stronger and closer than ever. He didn't tell me for so long because I actually suspected it and whenever even just generic topics about che…More

Still in Shock

I think I am still in shock. I am not sure if I should believe he still wants to work things out. I can't stop thinking about it. It consumes my every thought. -- Editor's Note: We hope D makes a dec…More

Broken Trust

Our marriage did not survive this latest and last affair. My wife now lives with her lover "Frank" and it's been about two months since she has moved out to be with him. It has been really hard knowi…More

Chose Wrong Spouse

My husband got violent with me for the first time after awhile and said he was moving to the housing. The supervisor had him moved in to the housing complex and I asked her what are you doing? So she…More

Worst Luck With Friends

I had to get past the feelings of being stabbed in the back. I'm learning to trust. In this I lost the ability to trust, because the two people he stabbed me in the back with were my friends. The fin…More

Didn't Bother to Question Her

I have filed for divorce but we are still months away from finalizing it. I talked to this guy's wife before I was able to pinpoint how long this affair had been going on (at least a year). The worst…More

Cheater Wants to Make Things Better

I'm just hoping I can change things and show her that I will change. I'm going to do whatever needs to be done to make things normal. I will give her space to think and I will listen to whatever she …More

Serial Cheater

Until now the pain is still here because my husband is still with the girl. He is not telling me the truth even though there are many people who testified that they were together. I always pray. I al…More

Cheating for 39 Years

I cope by shedding a lot of tears, praying and just refusing to let the other woman having what I considered to be mine. Now I wish to hell I had given him to the first woman and ran the other way as…More

Support From In-Laws Important

I was horrified and hurt to say the least. I emailed them both and told them to STOP. I called his parents and told them. I did nothing wrong and would not hide this for him. And I planned to leave N…More

Retrouvaille Helped Save Marriage

I was devastated and I was determined to keep this from my teenage children as long as I could while working to restore the relationship. I told my pastor of my suspicions and he told me I was wrong …More

Keep Your Self-Esteem

My marriage did not survive the infidelity because in his mind, he was already gone and nothing could be done in his eyes. I begged him to go to marriage counseling and he did but only to turn around…More

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