8 Women Who Stayed Married After Infidelity Could You Do What They Did

Click on to read about marriage after the affair from eight real women (names changed to protect their privacy) who share the complicated, messy and even sometimes inspiring truth about their marriage now. You won’t believe what really goes on behind some of these closed doors! Would you stay married if your husband cheated? “I haven’t because my husband is so hugely trusting and I love that about him and I don’t want to mess that up. It’s made me really think about who/what I want. And again, he’s not everything, but I keep choosing him ultimately which says something. I think right now is just a tricky time. We’ve got two small boys who still don’t regularly sleep through the night. We are stressed and low on sleep and I just keep reminding myself that this here is the trenches. This is the tricky part and it’s gotta get back to good at some point … right? (Some days I believe that more strongly than others.)” — Kara M. “I truly believe there are unforgivables in a marriage. And infidelity is an unforgivable. You need to tear it all down and build it back up. Not just forgive. The first time he cheated, I stayed another five years. The second time? One month.” — Diane L. “The hardest time was when the babies were little. I got stir crazy and wanted to go out with friends constantly. I spent more time talking to friends than my husband. He hadn’t developed the male friendships he has now, and was just in provider mode. We were mostly connected by the needs of young kids. I’m not sure how, but we came to see we had to come back to each other. I stopped confiding in friends as much and really talked to him. I encouraged him to get out, go bowling, hang with buddies, and create space for himself.
“Timing was crucial because we had to embark on the next phase of child-rearing as a unit. The kids know we are on the same page, and when we aren’t, we don’t talk about it in front of them.
“We still bicker over stupid things and get in ‘moods’ but try to move on as fast as we can. Legs on the ground, eye-contact, balance the teeter-totter.” — Grace R. “For the sake of our son and our baby on the way, I agreed to go to couples counseling and eventually decided to stay and make it work. If I am being honest, I don’t know if I would have made the same choice if I hadn’t been pregnant at the time. I just couldn’t imagine being a single mom with a toddler and an infant. It has been several years now and we are basically back in a good grove but I don’t know if I will ever 100 percent trust him again. I still check his phone and email looking for suspicious messages.” – – Laura N. “We are not romantically involved, although outwardly we appear to be a family and only people who are in my everyday life know about the situation. I had a very, very, very traumatic upbringing, so it’s important to me that our son truly knows he has two parents who love him and support him. “My approach to my situation is this: My husband is not a bad person, he just makes bad choices, which means he’s not the right partner for me. But, he can still be a good father and it’s not my place to keep my child’s father from him. The living situation has been emotionally difficult for me at times, but our son has a wonderful relationship with his father, and that would not have happened if I had forced my husband to live somewhere else. Who knows — I might die tomorrow. If so, our son needs someone else in his life he can count on.” “I eventually cheated on him with an ex and didn’t really try to hide it. He found out and it shocked him into finally agreeing to counseling. We were in couples counseling and he went to individual counseling for years but made it through. Now we are happy and have a pretty great sex life. “I don’t really regret the cheating — it saved our marriage.” — Tamara W. “I was furious at first: that he cheated, that I had to get tested for STDs, that he lied to me about who he is. But I was also sad that he didn’t feel like he could be out and open about who he is. “It has been three years now and we are still together. For a lot of reasons, he isn’t ready to live as an out gay man and I still love him as my best friend, so we keep living together. We have a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy about dating other people and are still sometimes intimate with each other too. It doesn’t really make sense, I know, but it works for now.” — Autumn P.

title: “8 Women Who Stayed Married After Infidelity Could You Do What They Did " ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-26” author: “William Hill”

Click on to read about marriage after the affair from eight real women (names changed to protect their privacy) who share the complicated, messy and even sometimes inspiring truth about their marriage now. You won’t believe what really goes on behind some of these closed doors! Would you stay married if your husband cheated? “I haven’t because my husband is so hugely trusting and I love that about him and I don’t want to mess that up. It’s made me really think about who/what I want. And again, he’s not everything, but I keep choosing him ultimately which says something. I think right now is just a tricky time. We’ve got two small boys who still don’t regularly sleep through the night. We are stressed and low on sleep and I just keep reminding myself that this here is the trenches. This is the tricky part and it’s gotta get back to good at some point … right? (Some days I believe that more strongly than others.)” — Kara M. “I truly believe there are unforgivables in a marriage. And infidelity is an unforgivable. You need to tear it all down and build it back up. Not just forgive. The first time he cheated, I stayed another five years. The second time? One month.” — Diane L. “The hardest time was when the babies were little. I got stir crazy and wanted to go out with friends constantly. I spent more time talking to friends than my husband. He hadn’t developed the male friendships he has now, and was just in provider mode. We were mostly connected by the needs of young kids. I’m not sure how, but we came to see we had to come back to each other. I stopped confiding in friends as much and really talked to him. I encouraged him to get out, go bowling, hang with buddies, and create space for himself.
“Timing was crucial because we had to embark on the next phase of child-rearing as a unit. The kids know we are on the same page, and when we aren’t, we don’t talk about it in front of them.
“We still bicker over stupid things and get in ‘moods’ but try to move on as fast as we can. Legs on the ground, eye-contact, balance the teeter-totter.” — Grace R. “For the sake of our son and our baby on the way, I agreed to go to couples counseling and eventually decided to stay and make it work. If I am being honest, I don’t know if I would have made the same choice if I hadn’t been pregnant at the time. I just couldn’t imagine being a single mom with a toddler and an infant. It has been several years now and we are basically back in a good grove but I don’t know if I will ever 100 percent trust him again. I still check his phone and email looking for suspicious messages.” – – Laura N. “We are not romantically involved, although outwardly we appear to be a family and only people who are in my everyday life know about the situation. I had a very, very, very traumatic upbringing, so it’s important to me that our son truly knows he has two parents who love him and support him. “My approach to my situation is this: My husband is not a bad person, he just makes bad choices, which means he’s not the right partner for me. But, he can still be a good father and it’s not my place to keep my child’s father from him. The living situation has been emotionally difficult for me at times, but our son has a wonderful relationship with his father, and that would not have happened if I had forced my husband to live somewhere else. Who knows — I might die tomorrow. If so, our son needs someone else in his life he can count on.” “I eventually cheated on him with an ex and didn’t really try to hide it. He found out and it shocked him into finally agreeing to counseling. We were in couples counseling and he went to individual counseling for years but made it through. Now we are happy and have a pretty great sex life. “I don’t really regret the cheating — it saved our marriage.” — Tamara W. “I was furious at first: that he cheated, that I had to get tested for STDs, that he lied to me about who he is. But I was also sad that he didn’t feel like he could be out and open about who he is. “It has been three years now and we are still together. For a lot of reasons, he isn’t ready to live as an out gay man and I still love him as my best friend, so we keep living together. We have a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy about dating other people and are still sometimes intimate with each other too. It doesn’t really make sense, I know, but it works for now.” — Autumn P.

title: “8 Women Who Stayed Married After Infidelity Could You Do What They Did " ShowToc: true date: “2024-08-29” author: “Michaela Pettis”

Click on to read about marriage after the affair from eight real women (names changed to protect their privacy) who share the complicated, messy and even sometimes inspiring truth about their marriage now. You won’t believe what really goes on behind some of these closed doors! Would you stay married if your husband cheated? “I haven’t because my husband is so hugely trusting and I love that about him and I don’t want to mess that up. It’s made me really think about who/what I want. And again, he’s not everything, but I keep choosing him ultimately which says something. I think right now is just a tricky time. We’ve got two small boys who still don’t regularly sleep through the night. We are stressed and low on sleep and I just keep reminding myself that this here is the trenches. This is the tricky part and it’s gotta get back to good at some point … right? (Some days I believe that more strongly than others.)” — Kara M. “I truly believe there are unforgivables in a marriage. And infidelity is an unforgivable. You need to tear it all down and build it back up. Not just forgive. The first time he cheated, I stayed another five years. The second time? One month.” — Diane L. “The hardest time was when the babies were little. I got stir crazy and wanted to go out with friends constantly. I spent more time talking to friends than my husband. He hadn’t developed the male friendships he has now, and was just in provider mode. We were mostly connected by the needs of young kids. I’m not sure how, but we came to see we had to come back to each other. I stopped confiding in friends as much and really talked to him. I encouraged him to get out, go bowling, hang with buddies, and create space for himself.
“Timing was crucial because we had to embark on the next phase of child-rearing as a unit. The kids know we are on the same page, and when we aren’t, we don’t talk about it in front of them.
“We still bicker over stupid things and get in ‘moods’ but try to move on as fast as we can. Legs on the ground, eye-contact, balance the teeter-totter.” — Grace R. “For the sake of our son and our baby on the way, I agreed to go to couples counseling and eventually decided to stay and make it work. If I am being honest, I don’t know if I would have made the same choice if I hadn’t been pregnant at the time. I just couldn’t imagine being a single mom with a toddler and an infant. It has been several years now and we are basically back in a good grove but I don’t know if I will ever 100 percent trust him again. I still check his phone and email looking for suspicious messages.” – – Laura N. “We are not romantically involved, although outwardly we appear to be a family and only people who are in my everyday life know about the situation. I had a very, very, very traumatic upbringing, so it’s important to me that our son truly knows he has two parents who love him and support him. “My approach to my situation is this: My husband is not a bad person, he just makes bad choices, which means he’s not the right partner for me. But, he can still be a good father and it’s not my place to keep my child’s father from him. The living situation has been emotionally difficult for me at times, but our son has a wonderful relationship with his father, and that would not have happened if I had forced my husband to live somewhere else. Who knows — I might die tomorrow. If so, our son needs someone else in his life he can count on.” “I eventually cheated on him with an ex and didn’t really try to hide it. He found out and it shocked him into finally agreeing to counseling. We were in couples counseling and he went to individual counseling for years but made it through. Now we are happy and have a pretty great sex life. “I don’t really regret the cheating — it saved our marriage.” — Tamara W. “I was furious at first: that he cheated, that I had to get tested for STDs, that he lied to me about who he is. But I was also sad that he didn’t feel like he could be out and open about who he is. “It has been three years now and we are still together. For a lot of reasons, he isn’t ready to live as an out gay man and I still love him as my best friend, so we keep living together. We have a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy about dating other people and are still sometimes intimate with each other too. It doesn’t really make sense, I know, but it works for now.” — Autumn P.

title: “8 Women Who Stayed Married After Infidelity Could You Do What They Did " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-02” author: “Jeanette Gurnett”

Click on to read about marriage after the affair from eight real women (names changed to protect their privacy) who share the complicated, messy and even sometimes inspiring truth about their marriage now. You won’t believe what really goes on behind some of these closed doors! Would you stay married if your husband cheated? “I haven’t because my husband is so hugely trusting and I love that about him and I don’t want to mess that up. It’s made me really think about who/what I want. And again, he’s not everything, but I keep choosing him ultimately which says something. I think right now is just a tricky time. We’ve got two small boys who still don’t regularly sleep through the night. We are stressed and low on sleep and I just keep reminding myself that this here is the trenches. This is the tricky part and it’s gotta get back to good at some point … right? (Some days I believe that more strongly than others.)” — Kara M. “I truly believe there are unforgivables in a marriage. And infidelity is an unforgivable. You need to tear it all down and build it back up. Not just forgive. The first time he cheated, I stayed another five years. The second time? One month.” — Diane L. “The hardest time was when the babies were little. I got stir crazy and wanted to go out with friends constantly. I spent more time talking to friends than my husband. He hadn’t developed the male friendships he has now, and was just in provider mode. We were mostly connected by the needs of young kids. I’m not sure how, but we came to see we had to come back to each other. I stopped confiding in friends as much and really talked to him. I encouraged him to get out, go bowling, hang with buddies, and create space for himself.
“Timing was crucial because we had to embark on the next phase of child-rearing as a unit. The kids know we are on the same page, and when we aren’t, we don’t talk about it in front of them.
“We still bicker over stupid things and get in ‘moods’ but try to move on as fast as we can. Legs on the ground, eye-contact, balance the teeter-totter.” — Grace R. “For the sake of our son and our baby on the way, I agreed to go to couples counseling and eventually decided to stay and make it work. If I am being honest, I don’t know if I would have made the same choice if I hadn’t been pregnant at the time. I just couldn’t imagine being a single mom with a toddler and an infant. It has been several years now and we are basically back in a good grove but I don’t know if I will ever 100 percent trust him again. I still check his phone and email looking for suspicious messages.” – – Laura N. “We are not romantically involved, although outwardly we appear to be a family and only people who are in my everyday life know about the situation. I had a very, very, very traumatic upbringing, so it’s important to me that our son truly knows he has two parents who love him and support him. “My approach to my situation is this: My husband is not a bad person, he just makes bad choices, which means he’s not the right partner for me. But, he can still be a good father and it’s not my place to keep my child’s father from him. The living situation has been emotionally difficult for me at times, but our son has a wonderful relationship with his father, and that would not have happened if I had forced my husband to live somewhere else. Who knows — I might die tomorrow. If so, our son needs someone else in his life he can count on.” “I eventually cheated on him with an ex and didn’t really try to hide it. He found out and it shocked him into finally agreeing to counseling. We were in couples counseling and he went to individual counseling for years but made it through. Now we are happy and have a pretty great sex life. “I don’t really regret the cheating — it saved our marriage.” — Tamara W. “I was furious at first: that he cheated, that I had to get tested for STDs, that he lied to me about who he is. But I was also sad that he didn’t feel like he could be out and open about who he is. “It has been three years now and we are still together. For a lot of reasons, he isn’t ready to live as an out gay man and I still love him as my best friend, so we keep living together. We have a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy about dating other people and are still sometimes intimate with each other too. It doesn’t really make sense, I know, but it works for now.” — Autumn P.

title: “8 Women Who Stayed Married After Infidelity Could You Do What They Did " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-20” author: “Terri Rose”

Click on to read about marriage after the affair from eight real women (names changed to protect their privacy) who share the complicated, messy and even sometimes inspiring truth about their marriage now. You won’t believe what really goes on behind some of these closed doors! Would you stay married if your husband cheated? “I haven’t because my husband is so hugely trusting and I love that about him and I don’t want to mess that up. It’s made me really think about who/what I want. And again, he’s not everything, but I keep choosing him ultimately which says something. I think right now is just a tricky time. We’ve got two small boys who still don’t regularly sleep through the night. We are stressed and low on sleep and I just keep reminding myself that this here is the trenches. This is the tricky part and it’s gotta get back to good at some point … right? (Some days I believe that more strongly than others.)” — Kara M. “I truly believe there are unforgivables in a marriage. And infidelity is an unforgivable. You need to tear it all down and build it back up. Not just forgive. The first time he cheated, I stayed another five years. The second time? One month.” — Diane L. “The hardest time was when the babies were little. I got stir crazy and wanted to go out with friends constantly. I spent more time talking to friends than my husband. He hadn’t developed the male friendships he has now, and was just in provider mode. We were mostly connected by the needs of young kids. I’m not sure how, but we came to see we had to come back to each other. I stopped confiding in friends as much and really talked to him. I encouraged him to get out, go bowling, hang with buddies, and create space for himself.
“Timing was crucial because we had to embark on the next phase of child-rearing as a unit. The kids know we are on the same page, and when we aren’t, we don’t talk about it in front of them.
“We still bicker over stupid things and get in ‘moods’ but try to move on as fast as we can. Legs on the ground, eye-contact, balance the teeter-totter.” — Grace R. “For the sake of our son and our baby on the way, I agreed to go to couples counseling and eventually decided to stay and make it work. If I am being honest, I don’t know if I would have made the same choice if I hadn’t been pregnant at the time. I just couldn’t imagine being a single mom with a toddler and an infant. It has been several years now and we are basically back in a good grove but I don’t know if I will ever 100 percent trust him again. I still check his phone and email looking for suspicious messages.” – – Laura N. “We are not romantically involved, although outwardly we appear to be a family and only people who are in my everyday life know about the situation. I had a very, very, very traumatic upbringing, so it’s important to me that our son truly knows he has two parents who love him and support him. “My approach to my situation is this: My husband is not a bad person, he just makes bad choices, which means he’s not the right partner for me. But, he can still be a good father and it’s not my place to keep my child’s father from him. The living situation has been emotionally difficult for me at times, but our son has a wonderful relationship with his father, and that would not have happened if I had forced my husband to live somewhere else. Who knows — I might die tomorrow. If so, our son needs someone else in his life he can count on.” “I eventually cheated on him with an ex and didn’t really try to hide it. He found out and it shocked him into finally agreeing to counseling. We were in couples counseling and he went to individual counseling for years but made it through. Now we are happy and have a pretty great sex life. “I don’t really regret the cheating — it saved our marriage.” — Tamara W. “I was furious at first: that he cheated, that I had to get tested for STDs, that he lied to me about who he is. But I was also sad that he didn’t feel like he could be out and open about who he is. “It has been three years now and we are still together. For a lot of reasons, he isn’t ready to live as an out gay man and I still love him as my best friend, so we keep living together. We have a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy about dating other people and are still sometimes intimate with each other too. It doesn’t really make sense, I know, but it works for now.” — Autumn P.