Few things compare with the pain of betrayal.
When you love someone it feels like you’re in a nice, safe, love-infused bubble that no-one can penetrate.
Then, overnight, with a confession or a discovery, that bubble bursts. And boy does it burst with a bang.
Some couples do survive infidelity but only if both of you honestly think the relationship is worth it and the guilty person is prepared to do everything it takes to win back your trust and love.
This is a practical, step-by-step guide designed to hopefully help you through the process.
STEP ONE: Are they worth another chance?
Some cheating partners don’t deserve to be forgiven.
Ask yourself these five crucial questions.
1. Have they cheated on other people in the past?
If someone has developed a pattern of cheating over and over, they will continue to do it again (and again) until someone – hopefully you – dumps them brutally and they realise they can’t get away with it. No second chances in this case. Ever.
2. Why did they do it?
A one-off incident with seemingly genuine reasons to explain it is a lot easier to forgive than repeated slip-ups or a long-term affair.
Put yourself in his shoes: if you were him, feeling the way he did, in the situation he was in, what would you do? Can you understand it?
3. What do you think he will do if he’s in the same predicament in the future?