There are zillions of stories about cheating, but lots of cheating stories end in second (or third, or fourth) chances. Have you ever given someone another chance after catching them cheating? How did it work out?

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#1

This is extremely complicated. It is the right thing to do. Forgive, and work on the relationship for the rest of your life, or until you absolutely know it needs to end. Whichever happens first.

You have to know you tried everything possible to fix it so you don't look back and wonder.

I forgave, worked for two years, learned very clearly that it wasn't salvageable, and ultimately experienced a huge relief when I told her I would no longer stay married to her. I didn't waste two years. I spent two years learning. It was the best education life can offer.

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Ryan Nelson
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Caro Caro
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You have to know you tried everything possible to fix it so you don't look back and wonder. BEST attitude you can possibly have.

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#2

I'm the partner that cheated and was forgiven for it. I'm so thankful. That was 9 years ago. Our 11th anniversary is coming up and we're doing great, so I think it worked out well, thankfully!

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Emie N.
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why did you cheat in the first place? Did you actually regret it and love your partner?

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#3

My former husband.
I forgave him the first time…. it morphed into constantly.
He may have been a sex addict.
He was a raging womanizer, developed or had a closeted drinking and cocaine problem that only emerged AFTER we were married.
Was likely a narcissist- everyone loved him!
He was very charming, our courtship was a whirlwind and he wooed me.
I was utterly head over heels in love, he became Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Hyde.
I wasted so much time trying to understand him, help him to get help and despairing.
Moved to another area entirely, had to end friendships because he would somehow be ‘in the Neighbourhood.’
I was so traumatized afterwards that it took me years to heal.
Was utterly destroyed, terrified of intimacy and men.
When I met my now husband it took a very long time for me to trust him.
Trust is earned before it is given became an adage I began to live by.
I used to blindly trust others, rationalizing that when reasons not to presented themselves I would heed them.
Sadly, I never knew if it was the drugs, his mental illness or which version of himself was real.
Am so grateful I got out when I did.
Love is such a beautiful thing with the right person and such a tragedy with the wrong person.

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Jane Cortez
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Smorescout
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is so sweet and horrible at the same time. I’m glad you found someone you trust.

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#4

I have, but I had to let her go. She is a narcissist, had mental and alcohol issues. Cheated with my cousin. I was in denial. Went on for a while until I actually caught them. But once it was thrust in my face, I was done. She wanted forgiveness, but I asked her a simple question. How many times...more than once, twice, three times? "Yes" So then you weren't sorry you did it, but that you were caught. She couldn't reply with a coherent answer.

Still love her, but sometimes you have to let them go and respect yourself, if they won't. I gave her an ultimatum, at one point. Give the meds a chance, stop drinking and if still doesn't go well, we leave amicably, as friends....she walked out without saying a word. Mental issues and substance abuse issues are insidious.

Months later, after we were separated she told me she was taking her meds, but didn't say anything about not drinking, had to have a friend mentally slap me to realize, it's all or nothing. Funny thing is both (cousin and her) were accusing me of letting the other off lightly.... I have since disowned the cousin. Another friend told me, he knew what was going on....I asked him why didn't he tell me? He replied, "would you have believed me?". I had to honestly answer, "No".

I divorced her, even though she didn't want it. Essentially, she wanted to have her cake and eat it too. Literally she wanted an open relationship. "NO!"

I still get snail mail from county and state agencies telling me that she's financially broken. HOA suing her (she owns a separate home), lawyers trying to find her, etc. Fortunately, I had always insisted we separate our finances. I realized that I got off lucky, because in hindsight, I couldn't see myself growing old with her. I still think about her from time to time, but I realize that trust is everything and once that is broken, it's almost impossible to re-establish. Eventually, I believe she realized she made a huge mistake (always trying to contact me/re-establish any contact), but it was too late. She kept push the line until she crossed one, I couldn't ignore.....

Forgive, yes. Forget, no. I am stronger for it.

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#5

I have! I shouldn’t have. It was a physically and mentally abusive relationship already. And I wasted a few more years on the guy before we ultimately broke up. I found out years after the breakup that he had never really stopped cheating, even though I thought he had.

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Sarah Richardson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have been in the same boat. Thought my first boyfriend was cheating, he said he wasn’t - she was just a good friend and was going through a tough time. After I left him several years later I found out he had cheated with five other women- all of whom I knew. And had fathered a child with the first one, even though her partner was also unaware.

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#6

I was the one cheated one. Took him back and accepted his child from the affair. We worked hard for almost 10 years to keep it together. We just decided on divorce.

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Hellome
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Lauren Wilder
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This happened to my sister. I finally lit into him when he tried to come cralliing back. Truly disheartening to see his gaslighting behavior on full display, still.

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#7

he cheated. i tried to forgive him after 4 years of being together, but we broke up. right call- still single, however ;0

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#8

I was the cheater, albeit I was manic at the time so easier to forgive. 3 years later, all good

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#9

Not me but my husband's first wife. She was his first GF. He asked her to marry him; she disappeared for the weekend, then said yes. They were together 12 years. Within the first year he knew she was cheating. They went in therapy, etc. She always cried and apologized. Then she brought in 2 guys and did it in the guest room, the next one was a guy 20 years younger. He put his foot down. She chose the other guy. When we became a couple, she called him back to say he was making a big mistake and needed to take her back. He didn't even hesitate and just said goodbye. In retrospect he thinks the weekend she disappeared she probably went on a sex spree. We've been together almost 34 years.

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#10

Hell no, and never will.

I made the engagement ring myself, she broke the date with me on Valentines day to go out with another guy (we were together for 2 years before this).

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Leslie deBrun
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hope you kept that ring (which I am sure is beautiful) for a deserving woman.

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#11

He had been friends with her for years before we met. She hung around a lot. So eventually they did, once.
However, once...and we all stayed friends. I was with partner 43 years, until he died. We had a good life. Sometimes drama isn't needed.

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H M
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#12

Here is my situation, the lady I love, has told me only recently that she doesn't want a relationship, prior to this, we dated and she left me for someone else, that didn't work out, came back to me as friends type of thing, she knows that I want a life and relationship with her, she has a daughter whom I adore and will take as my own, she currently moved to a different city to rebuild her life and I have done what i could to aid her, please note my aid and anything I have done is to make sure she succeeds and makes a better life for her and her child, I have told her this and that I'm prepared to wait, couple of weeks ago I sensed a complete change with her, she blamed it on work and I accepted it, because she is going through a whole lot of s**t at work and can't afford to lose her job, but I went to see her and as I said I could tell there is something wrong, I we t through her phone and I will admit that I was wrong for doing so, but after asking and telling her, that if she finds or of there is someone else tell me so I can leave without a fight, anyway I find out she is talking to that guy again...confront her and in the end, she tells me that I am more than a friend but less than a couple/relationship...I really don't know what to do at this point?

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Moosy Girl
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m afraid it sounds like you’re gonna have to take the hint and either commit to just being friends and stop hoping for or expecting more, or move on altogether. In any case stop going through her phone and consider that you can leave without a fight even if there isn’t someone else, no amount of ‚fighting’ is gonna ‚win’ you a relationship if she doesn’t want one, sorry. :/

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#13

No way! She is an ignorant, selfish slob!

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DV Zara and Headless lesbos
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#14

15ish years ago...A serious gf (bi) of mine (lesbian) checked her email on my laptop, then forgot to log out. A few days later, I got on my laptop to check my email, saw something that looked personal from a contact I didn't recognize, so I started reading.

I realized after a few confused moments that it wasn't my email, but my gfs, and even though I knew I should have stopped reading, by that point I'd seen enough to think she was either cheating with the guy or about to.

I read most of the email exchange. The affair was in it's early stages, hadn't gotten sexual yet, but they were talking about taking it there.
I logged out, contemplated everything, then approached my gf and told her that while I was comfortable with our monogamy, I was wondering how she was feeling about it, and that I'd be open to other options if that was something she wanted. She confessed she might be interested in being open, but still primarily being a couple. We talked, outlined rules for what that would look like, and yeah, it worked. I knew she loved me, and I wanted her to be happy, but also very much wanted to stay a significant part of that happiness. I never even considered breaking up. My first thought was how to make things work better for both of us.

She never acted on it with the guy from the email, but we both wound up having separate relationships with the same woman, who had been a long time friend of ours. I never told gf I read the email exchange, I felt bad for reading it, but also felt like I could release her cheating/planning to cheat without a confrontation. I figured confessing/accusing would just make her both upset and defensive, and probably end up with me feeling that way too.

We did break up, much later, over totally unrelated stuff. I've mostly been poly since, because that aspect of my relationship with her worked really well, so I learned from it and carried those lessons with me.

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Ray Arani
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#15

I forgave once after he promised me it was over, that he made a mistake, etc. Later I found out that he never ended that affair.

It's not so easy to answer the question, I think. Was it a one-time thing because your partner was weak, drunk or whatever, or did he have a long-term affair behind your back?

In most cases, my experience has shown that if someone cheated once, it can happen more easily another time. And even though I might understand some cases with my mind, I know I couldn't handle it emotionally, so I think I would leave another time.

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Ninja Nonna
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For me there is no going back after trust is broken.I won't forgive what I can't forget.

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#16

you ask, i answer. no. i have not

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#17

No. She missed her period for like six months. denied it persistently. But was suddenly interested in gym after office hours and was messaging her friend about abortion clinics.

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censorshipsucks
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#18

I found out my ex-boyfriend was constantly cheating on me AFTER I broke up with him for other reasons. (My guy best friend and I had fallen in love) it was a true cluster from the get go but had I known he was a serial cheater, I would have gotten out a lot sooner.

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#19

Freshly divorced. She cheated in the first year. She had N other option except me. Someone that loved her also. She said she needed to try to be sure if she decided right. Sche said she did the right decision. Friends warned me, they said she will do again. We worked very hard. Changed the continent and had kids. Right after that she decided to be free or divorced. I accepted since I wanted to keep the mother of the kids around. Now 8 years later we celebrate together Christmas. Recently divorced, if it would not be for the children I should pulled the line in the first year. Kids stay with me now. She will move on to another country. Resumen cheating is involved, get out. I will finance her some years and she cashed out good. The kids are great.

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#20

The love of my life was a serial cheater. The last time I happened to be in the middle of a serious depressive episode and asked him to leave. (This was after 20 years of marriage and raising my 3 boys and his 2 together.) He told me later that he never thought I'd ask him to leave. Our relationship never really ended - he bought several sailboats and we sailed together. He as VERY generous with presents and played a huge role as grandfather to my grandchildren (he had none of his own).
After his death I got a box he'd set aside for me. It was filled with every letter and card I'd written him, pictures of us together, his wedding ring, things he'd bought that reminded him of me, other such things and a letter of regret and apology to me.

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Penny Hernandez
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