Infidelity Support Group
Any relationship in which one partner engages willfully in sexual relations with another outside of the partnership is considered to have experienced infidelity. This breach of trust is often traumatizing for the faithful partner as well as the relationship, and support is often needed to heal emotionally and to decide whether or not the relationship should continue after...
I am so lost... I cheated on my husband for two years, mostly through texts, pictures, sexting and 5 times in person physically. My AP was somebody i knew from 10 years ago.
The Story:
10 years ago my husband and I were in a very bad place. i left my country and moved to be with my husband. He is a wonderful human being and a man with integrity. I couldn't find a job in my field, and took a job that I was way over qualified for. I was depressed, sad and almost suicidal. To add to this, my wonderful and loving husband was working as a consultant and had to travel every week and sometimes, for weeks at a time.
I met my AP at my job and he was sweet, and kind and caring. He took interest in my wellbeing and lonliness and tried to be a shoulder to cry on. Before i knew it, i was in bed with him. We had a 5 month affair. I slept over at his place once and we went to work together. It felt like a relationship and a partnership.
My husband then stopped travelling as much as his project moved closer to home. We started talking about starting a family. I ended it with my AP and it was an easy transition. I was ashamed of what i had done and swore that i would never do this again. My husband found some emails that consisted of pictures that I had sent to my AP. I lied to him and swore that it was just pictures. I rationalized it to myself because the affair had ended for a while now when the discovery of the email was made.
A month after that, my AP contacted me and tol dme that his wife (girlfriend at the time) was uneasy about our relationship and wanted him to stop talking to me. I was ok with this and we lost all connection.
I got pregnant and we now have two children (9;6).
In 2015, my AP contacted me (after 7 years of no contact) and asked if we could connect. I asked him if his wife knew that he was connecting. He said he would tell her but he needed to find the right time. I told my husband right away and asked him multiple times if he was ok for me to re-connect (I wish I had made the right decision myself, since I knew more of the truth about my relationship with AP than he did. I know it wasn't fair to leave the decision to my husband. It was selfish). My husband, who is a fantastic person, said that it was not his place to tell mne who I can or cannot be friends with. SO... i accepted the offer to connect and went to see my AP. I had ZERO intention of having anything more than a friendship. He admitted to me that he has tried to connect in the past by using fake FB accounts, but I have never accepted requests.
We ended up having sex... and it could have ended there, but i didn't. I kept the 'relationship' going over texts. In total, we were physically together 5 times in the span on two years (2015-2017), including in motel room.
We were texting recently and he took a screenshot of something to send to his wife, as my text was coming in. She found out and thretened to tell my husband. Out of fear, I told my husband. At first, I lied. I told him about the time that i wasn't expecting it and it happened in the car.
Since then, my husband, who is suffering so much, begged me to tell him everything as he is in constant state of dread. It was the hardest thing i had to do, but i told him. He is hurt about the times that sex was planned. He is plagued by the thoughts of me leaving our home, him, my children, knowing that i was going to sleep with another man.
I am embarrassed, humiliated and so ashamed of what I have done to us. I cannot explain why i did it. I wish i had an answer. Everytime I was with my AP, i cried on the way back home, but i always went back for nore, be that in the form of sexting or sex. I can't look at myself in the mirror without hating everything I see.
My husband wants to work at it and i am so afraid that he won't love me the same way. I want him to be well...I am here on this page, fully knowing that i will probably get hate for being a cheater and a homewrecker, but I need help in knowing what I can do to help my husband in this process. I am fully willing and able to be patient through all his hurt and sadness and even hate towards me from time to time.
I feel like a bad person, even though I always try to do the right thing. Well...Almost always. I am so sorry!
In order to make your marriage work, you have to cut of all communication with the AP. You also have to be willing to look at why you cheated and take ownership of it, not blaming your husband. What needs were you looking to have met through the affair? You have to be accountable to your husband concerning your time and relationships daily.
You and your husband can not get through this without professional help whether a marriage counselor or a pastor. Can your marriage be saved, yes it can.
You have to get to the root of the problem because if you don't you will do it again. Stop beating yourself up, and get the help you need to save your marriage. The counseling will help your husband work through whatever he is feeling as well. I have no rocks to throw at you because I've been cheated on and I've cheated (before marriage), but from now on you have to do whatever is necessary to guard your marriage.
Temptation is all around and you have to make up your mind that whether your needs are met or not that you are not going outside of your marriage. You have to let your husband know when you need more attention, etc from him. I don't go around other men when I am feeling vulnerable, and I avoid those men where there seems to be an attraction. We don't have to play with fire to know that it burns. Know your triggers. Run for your life because it could cost you everything. DO NOT SHARE THINGS ABOUT YOUR MARRIAGE WITH ANOTHER MAN!! because you are setting yourself up for FAILURE. Communication & money are two reasons people cheat. It is going to take time for the trust to be restored.
I really appreciate it...all of them...Even the ones that are hard to hear.
You have to get to the root of the problem because if you don't you will do it again. Stop beating yourself up, and get the help you need to save your marriage. The counseling will help your husband work through whatever he is feeling as well. I have no rocks to throw at you because I've been cheated on and I've cheated (before marriage), but from now on you have to do whatever is necessary to guard your marriage.
Temptation is all around and you have to make up your mind that whether your needs are met or not that you are not going outside of your marriage. You have to let your husband know when you need more attention, etc from him. I don't go around other men when I am feeling vulnerable, and I avoid those men where there seems to be an attraction. We don't have to play with fire to know that it burns. Know your triggers. Run for your life because it could cost you everything. DO NOT SHARE THINGS ABOUT YOUR MARRIAGE WITH ANOTHER MAN!! because you are setting yourself up for FAILURE. Communication & money are two reasons people cheat. It is going to take time for the trust to be restored.
I don't think it would be unnatural to feel elsewise. Certainly the BS will never love you the same but as someone else had mentioned it does not mean he will not be able to grow in love for you over time.
The innocence of the relationship and honor of a faithful spouse can't be restored but you can develop a new mature relationship as someone else had also mentioned.
There are so many CSes and even some Bses that believe you should not disclose your affairs to your spouse. The ones that continue to lie to their spouses never really learned their lesson and your story is cautionary tale regarding this.
Going forward you need to practice radical honesty without fail if you want any level of trust and respect for your husband.
While your husband on the surface does not appear to be angry and seems supportive be sure that he his harboring some intense anger and pain inside even if he decides to hide it.
I'm just about 2 years from Dday and I can say that our marriage is relatively stable. My trust/respect/love for my wife are not high but high enough not to end the relationship which is influenced by the fact we have a young child.
My wife understands the gravity of her actions and the consequences of them in terms of how I view her. She has accepted that she may never be held in high esteem for those who know but is still determined to gain back as much ground as she can muster through hard work.
That in itself is deserving of some mention as there are multitudes of CSes who don't even take the first step in that direction.