Finding out that her husband was cheating on her was one of the hardest things a woman faced. However, she had no idea she was in for even more hardship when she had to blend her family with his secret life.
A mother of three was distraught to find that her husband of 25 years had been unfaithful to her for 17 of those years. The Reddit user and her husband shared three children, all almost grown.
The original poster (OP) was creating a new Facebook profile one day when she found out that her husband had been cheating on her and had a fiancée and two children in another state where he lived for a week at a time.
A woman looking confused and sad as she looks at her phone | Source: Shutterstock
The woman’s husband was an insurance broker and had different branches in many places. One of his branches was in Albuquerque, and he spent a week there and a week with his wife and their children. However, the wife found out that his work was only one of many things in Albuquerque for her husband.
What Happened Next?
Not only did the wife find out that her husband had been cheating on her for seventeen years, but he also had two teenage children and he was engaged to the other woman. He would spend a week there and a week with the wife and their children.
A woman looking upset as she holds her phone | Source: Shutterstock
While scrolling through the second Facebook page, she found her husband using a different surname and photos of him kissing the other woman and acting fatherly to the children.
A man and his wife reading with their child | Source: Shutterstock
The wife also found the Facebook pages of her husband’s fiancée and their children, where she saw further evidence that he had been unfaithful for almost two decades.
A woman holds a tissue to her eyes as she cries | Source: Shutterstock
“I am absolutely broken. Almost every part of me wants to scream in his face and reprimand him for ruining my life. But another part of me wants to pretend to be ignorant and let it be,” the wife admitted:
A woman packing a suitcase while she writes a note | Source: Shutterstock
The woman thought about not confronting her husband because they had been living an otherwise peaceful life, and she knew if she confronted him, she would be changing her life and the other woman’s life forever.
She didn’t know what to do about the situation. Her youngest child was on a graduation trip, and she was alone until her husband returned home from being with his other family.
A man trying to talk to an upset-looking woman | Source: Shutterstock
The woman hoped that her husband would return home and tell her it was a misunderstanding, but she knew that was unlikely. She thought about packing a bag and leaving their home, leaving him only a letter so she could hurt him the way he had.
How Did the Wife Handle the Situation?
After turning to Reddit for advice, many people advised the woman to find an attorney before telling her husband she knew. She updated her post, saying she had done so and that the lawyer had advised her on how to handle the situation.
A woman signing divorce papers | Source: Shutterstock
He told her to gather as much evidence as possible so that in the event that she decided to begin divorce proceedings, she would have everything she needed to prove that her husband had been unfaithful.
The woman also made contact with her husband’s fiancée and told her everything. However, unlike her, her husband’s fiancée was financially independent and could make a clean cut from the man who had been lying to them both. The wife also shared:
“My husband is aware of the fact I know and is currently staying in a hotel, but he is unaware the other woman knows.”
The woman had confronted her husband when he returned from being with his other family. He cried and pleaded with her, but she only saw him as pathetic. Although he moved out, he kept on phoning her to check on her.
Although their father had moved out, the wife had not told her children what was going on. She led them to believe he was spending more time away because of a problem at work. She didn’t know how to tell them about their other siblings too.
Later, she posted another update, in which she said she had already told her children about their father’s other family. In fact, the siblings had all come together to spend Christmas with one another. Although it was initially awkward for the wife, she and her husband’s other family got along fine.
She also confirmed that she had divorced her husband, as some people worried she might not. She also cut contact with him and only spoke to him through lawyers if she had to. She thought her children might have cut contact with their father but admitted that she wasn’t sure and hadn’t asked them to, as it was not her place.
After updating everyone on the situation, the woman said it would be her last update, and she would log off Reddit and continue living her life. She also thanked everyone for their love and support through the difficult time.
Another man cheating on his wife was caught in the act when he missed dinner with his children in favor of his mistress. You can read the full story here.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Anomama