
I always thought I was the kind of person who’d leave if my partner ever cheated on me. I thought I’d pack my bags, jump in the car, drive off and never look back.
But I loved him. That’s why it hurt so much. I was in love and I really and truly believed he loved me too. So why did he cheat on me? Why did he hurt me so badly when we felt so lucky to have even found each other?
And was I willing to walk away from the best relationship I’d ever been in just because of one, meaningless affair?
Yes I yelled, screamed, sobbed and threw things but I still didn’t leave my partner after he confessed to an affair, partly because I loved him and partly because I didn’t want to leave until I fully understood why it had happened.
Affairs affect one of every 2.7 couples, according to counselor Janis Abrahms Spring, author of After the Affair, with approximately 10 percent of those lasting less than a month, 50 percent lasting more than a month but less than a year and 40 percent lasting two years or more. A lesser known fact is that the person having an affair rarely ends up with the person they were cheating with.
So why the hell do so many people cheat?
Mamamia Confessions: Relationship deal-breakers. Article continues after this video.