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Generally, our societies condemn cheaters. But we still usually give them the opportunity to explain themselves, which can impact how harshly they are judged. Take responsibility, show that you understand the effect your actions had on others, and you might be forgiven faster. However, some excuses raise more questions than they answer. So, we searched the internet far and wide, and compiled a list of the most ridiculous arguments people used to justify their infidelity. Were any of these legit? Perhaps, who knows? But they sounded weird nonetheless.

#1

"If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated How about “ it’s your fault cause you haven’t been meeting my needs” and you know he wasn’t working and I was working 2 jobs and pregnant with his baby.

Christie , Dương Nhân/Pexels Report

To learn more about how to look at these (and other similar) statements, we got in touch with marriage and family therapist Dr. Talal H. Alsaleem, PsyD, LMFT, also known as the Father of Modern Infidelity Counseling.

"Many of us have heard the phrase, 'once a cheater always a cheater,' and many of us believe it to be a fact of life," Dr. Talal told Bored Panda. "This can be attributed to our false belief in the idea that all unfaithful partners are immoral individuals who are incapable and/or unwilling to abide by the social contract they have with their partners and society."

"This is especially true when considering that infidelity is considered a taboo behavior across many religions and cultures," he added.

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    #2

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "I just haven't been in a good head space since my grandma died" we were 21 his grandma died when he was 7

    broken_but_okay , Amir Javadzadeh Report

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    Dr. Talal acknowledges that engaging in affairs is an immoral act because it violates the societal agreed-upon standard in behaviors as well as the relationship contract.

    However, "it's also true that good people with a long history of moral living are capable of making awful, immoral choices like engaging in affairs," said the author of the books Unfaithful & Unrepentant: Affairs Beyond the Hope of Repair and Infidelity: The Best Worst Thing that Could Happen to Your Marriage: The Complete Guide on How to Heal from Affairs.

    "So, what does this mean for the betrayed and the rest of the world who sees the cheater as a bad person due to choosing to commit a bad deed? Should we separate people from their actions and the devastating destruction they cause? And at what point can we fairly label someone as an immoral human being? These are all fair and important questions to ponder. There is no simple answer to these questions," the therapist said.

    "The next best thing I can offer you is two observations I have encountered in my clinical experience."

    #4

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "We're engaged, but it's not like we're dating" 35 yrs later and I'm still confused by that statement.

    ~☆•M•☆~ , Gift Habeshaw/Pexels Report

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    #5

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated Mine cheated on me cus he didn’t want to ask for money and was hungry and the girl worked at little Caesars. I replied so she was also hot and ready?

    Meg , Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels Report

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    Elio
    Community Member
    6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So he wh*red himself out for pizza? If I was gonna do that, it would have to be Oregano's or better.

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    Dr. Talal's first observation is that many people have the potential for change if they have these four ingredients: awareness of the problem and its impact on themselves and others, healthy motivations for making the changes, the knowledge and tools needed to make the changes, and the opportunity and patience to put the new skills into practice to achieve competency.

    #6

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "I forgot we were exclusive" we lived together

    Ky , Getty Images Report

    #7

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "You were holding me back from the navy" after we broke up he didn't join the navy... He started working at a SMOKE SHOP

    vomitous , Michael Afonso Report

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    "The second observation is that there is a small segment of the population who are unable and/or unwilling to change their behavior even when you provide them with an ideal environment and the ingredients needed to be successful," the therapist said.

    Who are these individuals, and why are they like that?

    "It’s the unfaithful partners who cheat because of individual factors that cause infidelity such as in the case of individuals with antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder. This statement should not be interpreted as 'personality disorders are not treatable.' It’s merely a clinical observation of how these disorders can be very resistant to treatment and clinical interventions," Dr. Talal explained.

    #8

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "You stopped doing my laundry", well, I was in a car accident and had back surgery, the doctor told me not lift, bend, or strain for 6wks post op.

    Belle Karlsson Report

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    #10

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "If you saw her you would understand"

    Вивиан (Vivian) , Andrej Lišakov Report

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    MotherRobinson
    Community Member
    Premium
    6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Just WTF. That's such a great self esteem booster. What a Douchbag

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    The important thing to remember is that just because some people cheat repeatedly does not automatically mean that all cheaters are incapable and/or unwilling to change.

    "What we are forgetting to ask when we hear about those stories are two important questions: why are they continuing to cheat, and are the reasons behind the infidelity behavior the same with every affair?" Dr. Talal said.

    The most common scenario the therapist sees in his own practice that contributes to multiple incidents of infidelity is the failure to appropriately address the first occurrence of infidelity.

    "This does not simply mean failing to seek counseling. Many couples waste a lot of time and money in a generalized therapy process that doesn't get to the heart of the issue," Dr. Talal highlighted. "Failure in addressing the first occurrence is the failure in engaging in a therapeutic process that would help the unfaithful and the betrayed take the crucial steps needed to achieve full recovery. Those steps include identifying the type of infidelity that took place, the factors that contributed to it, taking accountability and acknowledging the impact of the damage, and implementing a concrete action plan for change."

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    #11

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated He told me "well you were at college doing better for yourself so I did better for myself too!" we were done right then

    Crippling-mortality Report

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    Petra Peitsch
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    At least, he didn't succeed talking out you of college. I had a friend (girl), whose boyfriend did this. She was in her 3rd year, just one more year to graduate.

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    #13

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated My ex husband said he was stressed because I lost my job. I was out of work for one month! I had been back to work for months!

    Samantha , Getty Images Report

    A failure to complete one or more of these steps, according to Dr. Talal, often leads to the continuation of infidelity behavior.

    "This is especially true when we consider that without identifying the type of affair and the factors that contributed to it, we won't know what needs to be fixed," he said. "This means there is a high potential for relapse and/or an inability to rebuild trust."

    "Failing to rebuild trust after the first affair can cause the unfaithful partner to cheat again. It goes something like this: 'If I am always going to be seen as an untrustworthy cheater no matter what I do, then I may as well do it again.' More importantly, if we know what happened and why it happened and we don't hold the unfaithful accountable for the damage and/or do not require changes in behavior, then we are simply giving them a green light to reoffend. This statement should not be confused as blaming the betrayed for the affair. The statement simply highlights the betrayed partner’s responsibility in advocating for what they need from the unfaithful in order to heal and rebuild trust."

    #14

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated He resented me for being loyal during his low point in life. Didnt blame me. Just resented that I was simply there, being loyal. Being supportive or understanding or loving. He hates me for that

    I'm just Kit Report

    #16

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated He said I kid you not "I lost my sock and I was in distress"

    Renee.blaires , Lallaoke Report

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Losing a sock meant you lost some traction and fell penis first into a woman? Could happen to any of us.

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    #17

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "It was the devil trying to break us up"

    Jana , freepik Report

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    Jaya
    Community Member
    6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That pesky little bastard, always trying to make us break up

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    The second most common scenario of repeated offenders that Dr. Talal sees are unfaithful partners who are unrepentant after the discovery of their first affair.

    "Their lack of repentance about what they did and how it negatively impacted their partners can obliterate any chances for healing from the trauma and rebuilding trust," he said.

    Scrolling through the list, we can likely notice this manifestation

    "The cause of the lack of repentance is varied and manifests differently from one person to another based on which archetype of unrepentant unfaithful partner they fit into.

    #18

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated “I was bored and you live too far away” we lived 5 minutes apart, the girl he cheated with lived further away than me

    Trina Report

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    #19

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "There was a tornado near us and my anxiety was up" so I responded with "so you took shelter in her kitty cat?"

    M , Greg Johnson Report

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    Jaya
    Community Member
    6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hmm, I must try that strategy next time I'm anxious because of a tornado, lol

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    #20

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "It's your fault for not checking my location"

    Ab , Iliya Jokic Report

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    Hill Branda
    Community Member
    5 days ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Translation: It's your fault for being a decent human being while I am an immoral scumbag.

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    #22

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated My ex said he was messaging the hook up ads on Craigslist because he wanted to see if they were robots. Lmao

    Jean bean , Nathan Dumlao Report

    #23

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated mine told me it didn't count because he couldn't finish because he was thinking of me the whole time

    krisco27 , Andrej Lišakov Report

    #24

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "You were crying and that made me upset so I wanted to feel better"

    k , Getty Images Report

    #26

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated “I was upset and needed someone and you weren’t there” I WAS AT A FAMILY MEMEBERS FUNERAL!

    K8 Report

    #27

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated “If you think about it I did it for us, that way I don’t get bored of you and we can stay together for many years”

    Anely Antelmo Report

    #28

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "Bro, I was gonna break up with you a few days ago and I forgot"

    no , Andrej Lišakov Report

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    Just me, Happy Flower
    Community Member
    6 days ago

    This comment has been deleted.

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    #29

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "you did everything for me... I think you're my soul mate. but you were more like a maid and cook"

    🦋✨️🪷 melli 🌸🪼🩷 Report

    #30

    "You treated me too good and it made me feel bad about myself"

    nobody Report

    #31

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated He said he wanted to cheat on me before I cheated on him… I’ve still to this day never cheated on anyone before

    KJ Report

    #32

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "I have split personality. That was my other personality Derek"

    heyitsjess800 , Getty Images Report

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Derek conveniently appears when I see attractive women. My other personality, Lance, appears when I see hot men.

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    #33

    "I forgot you said she was off limits" we were in an open relationship and my only full stop was my sister and bestfriend.

    jessUwU Report

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    Nice Beast Ludo
    Community Member
    6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My sister has a habit of tracking down and having sex with all my exes and male friends.

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    #34

    "You were too good for me so I cheated to feel better."

    GloriousJayceolution Report

    #35

    "I have rib cancer and I only have 2-3 years left to live" He told his ex 6 months ago yesr before that. it's been 5 years and unfortunately he's still alive and well and has 6+ kids with 5+ women

    https://www.tiktok.com/@b4tht04st3r Report

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    Belamy
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    “and unfortunately he’s still alive and well” 😲…🤭…😂🤣😂

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    #36

    “You changed” after I almost died having his kid

    Kayleigh Report

    #37

    Mine was “you were just too sad because so and so died” IT HAD BEEN 6 HOURS SINCE THEY DIED I DIDNT even tell him at that point

    berrichai Report

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    Petra Peitsch
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Feel yourself lucky - anyone in an alike situation. It rarely happens, that the trash takes itself out.

    #38

    Because the produce went bad in the fridge (that wasn’t cooling)

    MMHiker Report

    #39

    i didnt want to reject her....her feelings would get hurt....

    Crys Girard Report

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    Glen Ellyn
    Community Member
    Premium
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As if learning about his cheating is less painful than breaking up. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Sheesh.

    #40

    My ex said “I was deployed, I thought it was okay” like no????

    psyduck_migraine Report

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    #43

    He told me he was having a hard time… I had in two years; lost my dad, had a horrific pregnancy, remodelled our new home by myself, gave birth by c section, got postpartum depression, got scolded

    Anneleen Steurs Report

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    Nice Beast Ludo
    Community Member
    6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "got scolded"- one of these things is not like the other, one of these things just isn't the same

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    #44

    “Because you love Garrus Vakarian and Astarion more than me” my ex husband’s excuse. THEY ARE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS.

    Gothic Apothecary♡ Report

    #45

    You're guy's exes came up with excuses?! my ex-husband just said "Well I knew you'd be mad, but I didn't think I'd be this mad."

    Chastity Semmler Report

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    pug nose curly tail
    Community Member
    Premium
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She meant, "I knew you'd be mad, but I didn't think you'd be this mad."

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    #47

    "I just wanted to know if our relationship was strong enough to get over it."

    izzie Report

    #48

    The “you were pregnant & I was stressed about it”

    Kenzie Report

    #50

    mine said he thought it was normal because that's what he grew up seeing. i told him even young children know it's wrong to cheat (at games in my example, but point stands)

    it's not spelled hippa Report

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    #51

    My ex told me that his mom said me and the girl he cheated on me with look alike so he didn’t think it would count

    ugularjayne Report

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    #52

    A friends boyfriend told her “well you’re always busy with classes” HE HAD MORE CLASSES THAN HER

    why-did-I-find-this-again Report

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    #53

    “Well I was mad at you” we LIVED together and were ENGAGED

    Cara Sanford Report

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    #54

    when I found out my ex was still meeting women on dating apps at 9 months into our relationship, he swore it was for “business networking”

    IsofluraneVape Report

    #55


    “But I was thinking about you while I did it”

    Kirsten Trout Report

    #56

    "You were asleep and I needed someone"

    MMC Report

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    #57

    “The intimacy has gone”. I was grieving my father

    abs Report

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    #58

    Mine told our therapist during our 1st (& last appointment) he cheated on my behalf… apparently he dnt knw exactly what tht phrase meant but was trying to seem intelligent

    mimiclosel Report

    #59

    “You forgave your ex so I assumed you’d forgive me too” like what?!

    Colbi Faith 💜 Report

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    Nice Beast Ludo
    Community Member
    6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Great use someone's secrets against them while traumatizing them a*****e

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    #60

    Lol I got “she is softer than you” I didn’t know I was made out of granite

    Bongi Report

    #61

    mine said ive been with you since I was 17...i wanted to try something new. 27 years later

    The real Barbie Report

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    #62

    My ex said that he had to do it, bc if he didn’t he’d regret it for the rest of his life. Cool. We were engaged, together for 9 years.

    Trubaduuri Report

    #63

    Mine said ‘you didn’t tell me explicitly not to’

    Rowwie Report

    #64

    “Your anxiety is just too much” and “I told you if you kept questioning me…”

    FitMom Report

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    #65

    Relationship went long distance (internationally) but called twice a day: “We didn’t see each other for five months now.” When he told me of his “new” relationship of exactly five months

    Kyra Laurenz Report

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    #66

    "If You Saw Her You Would Understand": 50 Hilarious And Unhinged Reasons Someone Cheated "She looked like your bitmoji" HELLO

    temi , freepik Report

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    #67

    "I never told you about it bc you never told me you had an eating disorder" two decades later and I still replay that line in my head randomly ....

    xtwistedxgeminix Report

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    #68

    I once got from my ex ‘I just feel like there’s an evil spirit in the house the possessed me’

    NJ. Report

    #69

    Mine said he did it to protect me because she was crazy

    derekh Report

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    #70

    cheated on me for 5 months. found out a month ago his reasoning was “it’s the pc’s fault”

    *:・゚✧ toni*:・゚✧ Report

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    #71

    “Because I can” that was my ex’s response.

    🦇🖤Lilith 🖤🦇 Report

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    ZestyBison
    Community Member
    6 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not if it affects my health. The most basic, three disease STD test is aptly priced at $69.

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    #72

    ”i had a bad dream about my dad and felt stressed”…

    Baddyanki Report

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    #73

    “I forgot we were dating” 5 days after our two year anniversary

    Toast Report

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    #74

    I didn’t take the relationship seriously (we’ve been together for 5 years at that point)

    Dee Report

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    #75

    His excuse was that he wasn't ready to get married. Bro you proposed to ME

    Evie Report

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    #76

    I caught him talking to his ex when I was pregnant and he said because I was too hormonal and didn’t give him much attention mind u I had PPD I had just had our other son 5 months prior

    Maribel Beltran Report

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    Nils Skirnir
    Community Member
    6 days ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    That’s almost biologically impossible to get preggers so soon.

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    #77

    He wanted to make sure he really loved me (we had been together for 3 years and living together)

    Kenzie Smitty Report

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    #78

    "She just moved here and I showed her the city". and "I never cheated on you"

    Phine 🦝 | Booktok 📖 Report

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    #79

    "but her mom doesn't like her" bro what

    terminator Report

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