Hopsichord
Member
Im going to say some things different than what others have.
You can mend a broken relationship, and it can work. The key is making sure that you actually resolve ALL of the problems, not just one of them. The issue isnt just her (probably) cheating. She is (probably) stepping out for a reason. If you both want to be together, there is nothing that says you cant, but you should respect yourself enough to make sure you are comfortable with that outcome. If you cant see yourself fixing it, then call a divorce lawyer now, dont draw it out for the drama. If you cant fix it, you dont need answers, you dont need her side of the story, you just need out. That is okay.
Now if you do want to fix it, you need to actually fix it. You need to be upfront with her. Ask if she still wants to be married to you. You can ask if she cheated or not, it really doesnt matter. Accept whatever she tells you and believe it. If you are committing to this, then that is the only truth that matters. Talk about your relationship, ask what you can do to make it stronger. If you can stomach counseling, go for it. Make your expectations of the relationship known. If you want complete honesty, tell her that is what you require. If you want her to do what she wants to do, and you just dont want to know about it, that is fine too. Dont let people sway you, this is your relationship and if you can live with it, then it is a good solution. On the same hand, ask what she needs. Basically rewrite or at least review the rule book for your relationship, and establish clear lines of communication. She needs to know that you would rather have her tell you to your face "Im unhappy, and we need to fix this" than her step out. Or, if it comes to this, she should know that it is okay to say that she wants to end it.
If you can establish ground rules, and get past the original issue, you can definitely make it work. I went through a similar thing, and this is exactly what we did. Seven years later, and we are still together and very happy. Our relationship is built on trust and absolute honesty now, which is more than it ever was before.
Only the two of you can make the decision, and it is your decision to make. Getting advice from friends, family, and the internet is great, but at the end the day you have to live with it. Do whatever will make you happy.
Agreed.
If it's over for you 100% now or based on what you learn, then it's over. Accept it, and begin the healing process. And yes, children make this a whole different ballgame.
If you do want to TRY to make it work, then give it absolutely everything you possibly can summon. You'll 99.9% never regret trying your best to make it work, even if it fails. If you haven't already, be prepared to ask yourself some really tough questions about your contributions to any communications and/or relationship breakdown. This certainly doesn't make what she did or might have done excusable in the least, but it may shed light on what could have led to her being inappropriate, or not being strong enough to say to him that something is inappropriate and unwanted, or weak. If she needs attention or to be heard or affection and she's not getting it from you, she may not be strong/emotionally developed enough to deal with it in the way that she should have from the beginning: talking with you about it and how to work together to meet the needs each of you have.
Wherever possible, listen and talk with compassion. That doesn't mean that you have to accept anything she's done as right, and depending on what might have happened, you should say it's wrong or wrong for you as a team if that's what you feel. But it does mean accepting that it happened, period.
No matter what happens from here, holding on to the negative energy is only going to eat you up inside. If you split up now or if you consider staying together, try your best to find inner peace.