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BadTimes
04-10-2009, 11:42 PM
My wife and I are in our mid 30s, have been together for about 8 years, lived together for 7 years, and got married in August 2008. We were very happy together for 6+ years. But then we got lazy and allowed our relationship to wane a little; took each other for granted a bit.

To cut a long story short, we have been seperated since Christmas 2008. This was my wifes idea ("she needed some space") and although I didnt want to, I went along with it. It was a great shock for me as I still loved her dearly, and the feeling of rejection was terrible.

But as months passed, I was living at a friends house, I got used to it and decided I could manage on my own; although I had dark periods where I missed her. Over the last month or so we had very little contact. My thoughts were "if you dont want me, then stuff you, its your loss, etc".

Fast forward to the present. My fit, healthy Dad, aged 60, took ill and died within a week (died Saturday 4th). My wife is back on the scene and has been very supportive and helpful to me and the family. She now says she has finally realised (after all this time!) she does want to get back with me.

I felt like we should give it a go (although I must be careful I get what I want out of it and be 100% happy with it) for the sake of the marriage, family and friends. I am wary, and its going to be hard to rebuild trust, but thought we should give it a shot.. We got married!!! Surely now that we know what caused our problems, we could correct the mistakes, and could be stronger than ever before??

But then yesterday I found out that she had had sex with someone else about 3 weeks ago. She was really upset when I found out, claims that it was a one off thing that she regrets, and she realised straight after that it was a big mistake.

My first reaction was to walk away and have nothing to do with her. But today, added to the pain of Dad passing, the lack of support from her is making me feel worse and lonely. I dont have the energy to deal with Dads death and the wrecked relationship at the same time.

I'm thinking we can get some level of a relationship back at this stage, get the help and support from her that she wants to provide, then properly address the relationship issues later, when the issue of Dads death is less raw.

She sort of tried to excuse the infidelity by saying its while we were seperated, and it was triggered by us having a bit of an argument on the phone. But that doesnt fully wash with me; and I know it could really nag at me that she did what she did.

So what does the forum think? How much of a pathetic soft-touch am I being, giving her a chance? Or am I right to give her a chance?

Any advice or comments gratefully received.

Cheers,

BT.

Tony
04-11-2009, 01:58 AM
welcome to the ATLF
first of all sorry to hear about the passing of your Dad
I lost my Mother not long ago so I understand where you are at

OK it sounds to me like your wife wants you she made a mistake and regrets doing that you need to ask yourself can you trust her if you love her with all your heart I would say forgive her that happened while you were separated try not to let that eat you up
focus on your wife because I think she needs you and you need her
I don't think that you are a soft touch by giving her a chance

**Sapphire**
04-11-2009, 02:01 PM
Welcome to ATLF, glad that you joined us here.

For myself, if my fiance slept with another woman he would be OUT!

You have to ask yourself if you can trust her & if you think she can build the trust back up in you.

MickeyDeanEveryone
04-11-2009, 05:19 PM
Hey BadTimes,
Sorry to hear about these turn of events and the loss of your farther. As much as I believe that you need the support, for me cheating is something you can never come back from. I know it sounds amazing that has said that she 'truly wants you' now etc etc, but of course she said that right after she cheated on you. Same thing happened to me about a year ago, my ex decided she wanted nothing to do with me and we separated for about 3-4 months. Then randomly she barged back in my life saying she realized what she truly wants and it's me etc etc....not too long after that I found out she slept with someone else a couple weeks beforehand. I came to the conclusion that I could no longer trust her no matter how hard I tried, so I broke contact with her.
I'm not saying you have to do just that, but for me it ended up being the best thing that I have done in the long run. I recommend you really take your time with this, take a step back from it all and analyze it from the outside. From there you should be able to decide if you can trust her or not and want to be with her again.
Best of luck, and keep us updated!
-Mickey

BristolFan
04-11-2009, 06:07 PM
Guess all I can ask is..

In that period, did you count yourself as being together - AT ALL? Could you see it starting again.. Was it obvious it might (like that was left as an option)

Did YOU get the chance to do anything with another woman? And if so, would YOU have?

if you would have, and you would have thought it not wrong then, you can't blame her

Otherwise.. i wouldn't get back with her..

I doubt you'll ever be able to trust her fully again and it'll always bother you and make you more suspicious in the relationship

BadTimes
04-12-2009, 11:23 AM
Thanks for all your replies. Yes I guess I like the advice to take time over this and not have to make a decision right now.

To clarify the facts a little, our seperation had got to the point where I had regretfully come to terms with it and thought it was going to end in divorce. We went through counselling together; this helped me sort my head out, but my wife still couldnt decide what she wanted at the end of it. She is now currently having counselling on her own.

The thing is, when we were/ are happy together we get on so well, we are great together. So I was thinking that if she could sort herself out, we could be great again, even better than before. But now a lot of water has passed under the bridge..

After the whole Dad situation has calmed down a bit, I think my wife and I will need more time apart, for me to think things through. Maybe the answer is staring me in the face, but I just dont have the spare energy to deal with it at the moment.

Thanks again,

BT.

**Sapphire**
04-13-2009, 11:46 AM
Sounds like you are making a very wise decision BT. Take the time you need to get yourself back on track. Losing your father & then dealing with your wife's cheating does put alot on you.

Take that time & I bet the right answer for you will come to you when you least expect it to. :)

lisa843
04-13-2009, 04:20 PM
first of all....
sorry for your loss...

To answer your question....YES I can forgive, I have been there done that.
Sometimes it works out...others not so much.

You have to put the work into this either way...if you decide to forgive...do so earnestly and wholeheartedly....and don't keep holding it against the person. If you don't think you can forgive right now...be honest about your feelings and tell them you're just not ready to let all that go right now....

I agree with the others...take your time with all this. Don't rush into anything. You need time to heal and think things through. You need to ask yourself can you forgive her....and was what she did really cheating/trust issues (since you were not really together, right?)
Everything is out in the open now, and you know where the relationship went wrong before. Learn from those mistakes, have open and honest communication.

I hope things work out the way you want and need them to....

good luck and take care.

BadTimes
09-19-2009, 02:49 PM
Thanks also for your advice Lisa. Sorry I've not been here and not replied for ages; life and work have kept me very busy.

Things did not work out and we are separated again. I could have forgiven the cheating thing if I had felt 110% commitment from her, to feel assured that it would never happen again, but I never really got the feeling of commitment/ reassurance I was expecting. I didnt get to a point where I felt comfortable enough with our situation to move back in with her.

We went to look at a new house together, talked about going to New York for Christmas, went on a mini holiday together. But on the mini holiday the writing was on the wall. It felt like we were there as friends rather than a married couple.

At present we have not spoken for 3 weeks and most of the time I am quite comfortable about it and dont think about her, but occasionally she comes to mind and all the questions "why?" and the "what ifs?" come to the fore. Most of the time I am positive about things, but sometimes (like now!) it just gets to me and I think why are we not trying to make it work again?

But we've been there and tried that, I wanted to make it work but she didn't, so I dont want to waste my time and energy and just get rejected again.

I know I've got to move on but its easier said than done! I know time is supposed to be the great healer, but not enough time has passed yet..

_____________________________________

Just wanted to say, having read a few threads here and there on this site; the regulars on here do a great job and give some great advice, level headed and full of experience. Hearing from people who have been through the same/ similar things and moved on from them is very helpful.

Cheers,

BT. :o)

**Sapphire**
09-19-2009, 03:31 PM
Welcome back & thanks for the update.

Sorry to hear that things didn't work out, but I think in the long run it might be for the best for you.