A lot. It's a wonder I didn't drown in my own tears.
I never believed anyone who said I would get over it. We were together over 30 years.
I sought the counsel of women who had been through it and all had been cheated on and they were all coping. One even had a new man aNd like me she was out of a Long marriage ....so yes , she was mid fifties.
I was lied to for about 10 months. I know you are hurting now but by prevaricating my husband twisted the knife.
You've had a nice clean cut and your healing time should be quicker. I still have flashbacks of scenarios to this day because of his prolonged lying and cheating. I never got the full truth and never will now.
The sad thing is people fall out of love. The worst thing is how they treat the other partner , lying to cover their tracks, or lying to have their cake and eat it.
All of this messes the other person up no end. My friend was given the brutal truth by her ex. Sit down. I'm leaving you for someone else, you'd better see a solicitor.
Then he left. She was devastated but she felt it was far kinder than what I was put through.
I know you won't feel it now. You are in shock. You feel bereaved but no one has died. There's no closure. No funeral. But you know the truth and with the truth you can make decisions about your future.
Let her go. Take time to heal and concentrate on yourself.
Maybe there's something you always wanted to do. You don't mention children. If you aren't tied, now is the time to indulge in hobbies or maybe retrain for another career.
Whilst trying to pick myself up I had a blast and did lots of travelling and new pursuits, like sailing.
I reckoned the only way to cope with the mess was to live well. And did I!
My daughter was very encouraging. I said to her that I fancied going skiing, she said go for it mum, so I did.
I didn't particularly like the skiing but the mountains and scenery was something else.
So, yes there's a big wide world out there waiting for you to dip your toe into.
Good luck.