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Wife Ghosts Husband Of 17 Years And 3 Kids After Her Lover Passes Away, Husband Is Shocked
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Wife Ghosts Husband Of 17 Years And 3 Kids After Her Lover Passes Away, Husband Is Shocked

Interview With Expert
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I find the story of high school sweethearts quite endearing. I mean, think about it: these two people know each other so well because they survived puberty together. Sometimes, their bond is so strong that they spend decades loving each other and even grow old together, but sadly, that’s not the case with every such couple.

When it came to Reddit user DontbeaDumbbell, his high school sweetheart-turned-wife that he was with for 23 years suddenly ghosted him and his 3 kids. Obviously confused by this behavior, he vented online, but the events that followed turned completely tragic for the original poster (OP).

More info: Reddit

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    The concept of high school sweethearts living happily ever after sounds dreamy, but it doesn’t always work out

    Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    The poster’s high school sweetheart-turned-wife of 17 years suddenly came home in tears, packed an overnight bag, and disappeared, leaving her husband and kids confused

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    Image credits: DontbeaDumbbell

    Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    The husband found out that she was at her parents’ house and they asked him and the kids to be “patient and understanding” and that they would call and update later

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    Image credits: DontbeaDumbbell

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    Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    Out of extreme confusion, the man posted the story on Reddit and many folks said there were signs that she was having an affair and he should get a lawyer

    Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    As the poster didn’t hear anything from his in-laws, he called the cops and later found out that his wife had indeed been having an affair for quite a few years

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    Image credits: Nathan Stein / Pexels (not the actual photo)

    Her affair partner had passed away from a heart attack and as she was grieving, she ghosted the husband and kids for 3 days and stayed with her parents

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    Image credits: DontbeaDumbbell

    The poster was devastated to find out about the affair, but things took a turn for the worst after his wife returned home to them

    Today, we dive into quite a tragic story about the poster and his family and how the events unfolded due to his wife’s infidelity. He tells us that they were high school sweethearts who had been together for 23 years and married for 17 years with 3 daughters. One day, when the wife came home distraught and crying, things went southwards.

    Their eldest daughter was at home when the wife came in this condition, packed an overnight bag, and left without giving any information. The husband and kids were naturally confused as they didn’t know anything and couldn’t even understand the situation. When he called his in-laws, they finally told OP that she was with them and they should be “understanding and patient” till they got further information.

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    When he posted the story on Reddit, quite a few people pointed out that she might be having an affair, while others said that the lack of concrete information was suspicious, whether she was safe or not. Just being kept hanging must’ve been terrible for him and the kids, but when he didn’t hear back from the in-laws, he called the cops to do a wellness check. 

    This brought up some issues, but he eventually found out that his wife had been having an affair for quite a few years and she was grieving because her affair partner had a heart attack and passed away. That must’ve really shattered the poster, and what’s worse, his sister-in-law knew about it and had been covering for his wife.

    Folks were, of course, furious with the wife’s actions and they expressed their sympathies towards the poster and his daughters. To understand the situation from an expert’s perspective, Bored Panda reached out to psychologist Nishmin Marshall for an interview. She explained that one’s first reaction after finding out about a spouse’s affair is usually shock and saddened surprise as their trust has been broken.

    “Mental trauma, pain, feeling betrayed, loss of self-respect and self-esteem are the other emotions that can follow. The spouse is likely to have a lot of unanswered questions as to why this happened, and they might also develop disgust towards the cheating partner,” she added.

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    Folks also expressed concern towards the daughters as to how it would impact them if they found out about their mother’s affair. While many said that they had a right to know about it as they were mature enough to understand, others expressed that it would just further add to their misery after finding out.

    According to Nishmin, “Children, however big or small, go through emotional distress after finding out about a parent’s affair. They are confused and hurt and don’t know whose side they are on or should be. As they are caught between their parents, they might feel resentful, betrayed, lost, and alone.” 

    Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    She also explained that this can affect their academic performance and behavior in school, or they might develop trust issues and feel ashamed of their parents. She mentioned that they might even feel guilty and think that they are the cause of the rift between their parents.

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    OP later gave an update where he mentioned that his in-laws dropped in to make amends for their daughter before she finally came home. The couple had a fight as he asked her about the affair and she mentioned she wasn’t ready to talk about it. Now, the kids heard everything and things got really cold after this, as nobody spoke to her much in the house and even she kept to herself and visited her sister on the weekends.

    Things must’ve been really tense in the household, and folks also expressed their concern about how the family must be struggling through it all. One day, she came completely clean to him and they spoke about the situation. She explained how it had been going on for over four years and she had tried to end it many times but just couldn’t as she was more attracted to what he had to offer.

    She confessed that she had fallen for the other guy, but said that she still loved OP and that she would do anything to make things work. “Boredom in a long, stable relationship, trying something new and exciting, showing impulsiveness and lack of self-control are some reasons why a person might cheat even when they are in a happy relationship with their partner,” Nishmin informed us. 

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    Even the wife admitted she was bored of the routine so she had started the affair, and of course, OP was extremely hurt by listening to everything. He stressed that they were definitely getting a divorce, no matter what she said, and left while she was weeping. 

    Tragically, OP later informed us that his wife took her own life and it further broke the family as it definitely must be a shock for them. Nishmin said that if an affair partner passes away, a person can feel tremendous grief, sadness, and numbness. She narrated that they can also experience anger and disbelief that the person is gone forever and they are left alone. 

    The wife was already mourning the loss and then the thought of divorce might have been too much for her to handle, which might have led to her decision. Folks were stunned after hearing this and they showered OP with all their empathy and sent their condolences to his daughters as well. 

    It was quite a heartbreaking story, wasn’t it? Even our hearts went out to the poster and we wish the family the strength to survive it all. 

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    Folks were heartbroken to read the poster’s tragic story and they expressed their sympathies to him and his daughters, while also sharing similar experiences of infidelity

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    Rutuja Dumbre

    Rutuja Dumbre

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Hey, am Rutuja! A storyteller at heart and a writer at Bored Panda. I have a strange love for words, and I mostly survive on coffee which is the driving force behind my writing. I enjoy working on articles that purely entertain our readers. When am not writing or trekking, you can find me staying up late and watching all the matches of Football Club Barcelona!

    Read less »
    Rutuja Dumbre

    Rutuja Dumbre

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Hey, am Rutuja! A storyteller at heart and a writer at Bored Panda. I have a strange love for words, and I mostly survive on coffee which is the driving force behind my writing. I enjoy working on articles that purely entertain our readers. When am not writing or trekking, you can find me staying up late and watching all the matches of Football Club Barcelona!

    Denis Krotovas

    Denis Krotovas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. While studying at Vilnius Tech University, I learned how to use Photoshop and decided to continue mastering it at Bored Panda. I am interested in learning UI/UX design and creating unique designs for apps, games and websites. On my spare time, I enjoy playing video and board games, watching TV shows and movies and reading funny posts on the internet.

    Read less »

    Denis Krotovas

    Denis Krotovas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. While studying at Vilnius Tech University, I learned how to use Photoshop and decided to continue mastering it at Bored Panda. I am interested in learning UI/UX design and creating unique designs for apps, games and websites. On my spare time, I enjoy playing video and board games, watching TV shows and movies and reading funny posts on the internet.

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    Just stopping by
    Community Member
    2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This whole thing was absolutely tragic. I read the other posts on reddit. I feel bad for all involved.

    Ben Aziza
    Community Member
    2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    God dam. I never understand how people can have 2 families like that... Not just that but have their families and friends cover for them... My only explanation is that they also want to be that evil and surround themselves with ppl as evil as them... I would take my kids and move on distance myself from those evil creeps and the woman who abandoned her own children... "patient and understanding" = Accept our evil family without question... If it was my son or daughter cheating like that... I would be the first to out them. Blood means nothing to me only good and evil does.

    Tabitha
    Community Member
    2 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    IF you don’t have the wherewithal to resist temptation and not have an affair, then don’t start acting irrationally when something like what happened in this article happens. You are/were the affair partner of the deceased. You just stay put, don’t do anything, don’t say anything, don’t act differently, don’t disappear without telling anyone why, don’t leave your family in limbo by going 100% incommunicado. Don’t do anything different. You just keep it locked inside yourself. You never tell anyone about it, including people you think you can trust. You do not go to the funeral, you do not go anywhere near your affair partner’s house or business or family. You do not make some grand confession to anyone, thinking that they have a right to know, because that is as selfish a thing to do as having the affair in the first place. Why destroy your family, who I would hope you still care about, just to ease your guilty conscience? Your conscience shouldn’t be eased, you should lock your feelings of guilt inside yourself and make them your cross to bear, instead of dumping everything on the people you betrayed—-BETRAYED—-just to make yourself feel better. You don’t get to feel better, because you did a bad thing. So keep it all inside yourself, do not let it out, even as a deathbed confession. You just take it to your grave, regret it immensely but keep that as your own private burden to bear and not share, and leave your family TF alone.

    Kit Black
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If they had the ability to do all that, they'd have had the ability to resist the affair...

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Just stopping by
    Community Member
    2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This whole thing was absolutely tragic. I read the other posts on reddit. I feel bad for all involved.

    Ben Aziza
    Community Member
    2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    God dam. I never understand how people can have 2 families like that... Not just that but have their families and friends cover for them... My only explanation is that they also want to be that evil and surround themselves with ppl as evil as them... I would take my kids and move on distance myself from those evil creeps and the woman who abandoned her own children... "patient and understanding" = Accept our evil family without question... If it was my son or daughter cheating like that... I would be the first to out them. Blood means nothing to me only good and evil does.

    Tabitha
    Community Member
    2 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    IF you don’t have the wherewithal to resist temptation and not have an affair, then don’t start acting irrationally when something like what happened in this article happens. You are/were the affair partner of the deceased. You just stay put, don’t do anything, don’t say anything, don’t act differently, don’t disappear without telling anyone why, don’t leave your family in limbo by going 100% incommunicado. Don’t do anything different. You just keep it locked inside yourself. You never tell anyone about it, including people you think you can trust. You do not go to the funeral, you do not go anywhere near your affair partner’s house or business or family. You do not make some grand confession to anyone, thinking that they have a right to know, because that is as selfish a thing to do as having the affair in the first place. Why destroy your family, who I would hope you still care about, just to ease your guilty conscience? Your conscience shouldn’t be eased, you should lock your feelings of guilt inside yourself and make them your cross to bear, instead of dumping everything on the people you betrayed—-BETRAYED—-just to make yourself feel better. You don’t get to feel better, because you did a bad thing. So keep it all inside yourself, do not let it out, even as a deathbed confession. You just take it to your grave, regret it immensely but keep that as your own private burden to bear and not share, and leave your family TF alone.

    Kit Black
    Community Member
    1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If they had the ability to do all that, they'd have had the ability to resist the affair...

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
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