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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Cheating success stories

213 replies

Bexxe · 15/11/2021 18:06

Has anyone been cheated on and the relationship has gone on to be successful?

By cheating, my situation is a very drunken one night stand that lasted 10 mins.

I really don’t want any judgemental comments or ‘once a cheater always a cheater’ crap - I am wondering if there is any stories out there of people who have forgiven their partners and have gone on to have a successful relationship?

OP posts:
Allsortsofroses · 17/11/2021 14:02

i feel a distinct split of opinion between those who have been through this experience, and those who have not.

Several people who've been through this have told you they left/it didn't work out etc.

VitalsStable · 17/11/2021 14:04

Also remember if you keep asking questions to get the gory details you can't unremember the answers. And he won't ever have any excuse which will be good enough because there isn't one.

The counsellor asked what was the one thing I wanted and I said for it to not have happened. Obviously I couldn't have that so you have to go for the next best thing. Figure out your next best thing and this should include sorting out the alcohol issue and try to get there.

Good luck OP. X

VitalsStable · 17/11/2021 14:09

@Allsortsofroses

Also you're already heavily locked in with your cheater; married, kids (and btw all the childhood, parents, I'm a perfectionist etc stuff is bullshit, you know; he did it because he wanted to) .....

op is not locked in; this is a crucial junction of her life. I actually think it's irresponsible verging on cruel to encourage her to continue investing given what we know of his background and behaviour.

From your point of view. But from mine. I haven't said this is her only option.

And it wasn't my only option. I wasn't locked in. We could both live comfortably apart and if I didn't think I could forgive him he would leave. I know though that I'd be more unhappy without him than with him.

OP asked for experiences, this is my experience, it may not be yours, but it's mine, even if you don't like what I have to say it's the OP that has to make the decision and she sounds perfectly capable of doing that.

Allsortsofroses · 17/11/2021 14:17

And it wasn't my only option. I wasn't locked in.

By locked in, I did not mean only option.

I meant heavily invested, legally married, with a family . ... that's a massive amount of ties (and consequences and changes if you separate & divorce). That's That's ops situation, she's potentially as free as a bird, ending the relationship is not the much more complicated, onerous thing (with an impact on children) it would down the line.

Allsortsofroses · 17/11/2021 14:19
  • that's not ops situation.

That why I'm arguing that if it might not work out, better to end it now than be forced to end it later with a pregnancy, children, assets etc in the mix.

Bexxe · 17/11/2021 14:33

@Allsortsofroses

* that's not ops situation.

That why I'm arguing that if it might not work out, better to end it now than be forced to end it later with a pregnancy, children, assets etc in the mix.

So by that philosophy, if we are unsure about a decision we should never do it because it might not work?

I see what your saying, to an extent. it of course would be easier to leave now with no ties, but thats not what my dilemma essentially is.

I could walk away, with no ties, deal witht he paina nd accept what has happened and choose to move one.
i dont know that is what i want. I am throwing up the options of walking away, or taking the risk to end up with what i have wanted for the past 2 1/2 years. Whether he would be your choice in partners doesnt matter, I would like to think i have shown myself enough to know i would not put myself or any future DC at a disadvantage due to my partner choice.

Do i for 1 second believe he would put alcohol before any future children? Not a chance, he is laser focused on giving his DC the life he never had growing up.
Do i believe he is impulsive? Yes, he can very well be.
Has his made impulsive decisions without alcohol being a factor? Not once, he is the most cautious thinker i've met when sober.
Is alcohol going to be a factor in our future? From what hes said, No. No its not.

Can i trust him again? That is the million dollar question i am trying to figure out.

OP posts:
candlelightsatdawn · 17/11/2021 15:39

For the love of god.

If you haven't had lived experience of this type of situation aka partner cheating can you just shuffle on and not give your two pence worth of unhelpful and often incredibly unempathic advice.

The OP has been crapped on by enough people of late. Let her pick up the parts of her heart and assemble what she can without judgement.

Only she has to live with consequences of her choices.

Allsortsofroses · 17/11/2021 16:13

So by that philosophy, if we are unsure about a decision we should never do it because it might not work?

No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying that if someone is showing you negative, unstable behaviour and mistreating you (some people think cheating is a form of abuse, even if the abuse is unintentional as it were, and I'm inclined to agree) ......

That the likelihood of that behaviour disappearing and never affecting you again (and don't underestimate the longer effect of the original cheating; many people try to work through it but find it sinks their relationship over time for various reasons) should be realistically considered; and the impact on you and dependant others if you invest further weighed.

While a bit trite and not true in 100% of cases, the phrase "past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour" has some merit, its true in many cases. See the posts on here. It is quite rare for posters on here who are at breaking point in a relationship ship to not cite past incidents when they fill out the picture of their relationship.

Allsortsofroses · 17/11/2021 16:18

Alcohol/substance abuse and infidelity are not good indicators for a happy, successful, fair, stable etc. relationship & family.

You deserve better and you can get better. Times 100 for your potential kids. What if your pregnancy had continued and he'd still done this, with his "outer body experience" - you'd be in this situation with a baby or little child.

I don't think I'm alone in worrying about your future with this guy.

And I have a feeling your family and friends would feel similarly if you told them, you've said as much (I think?).

MariaAngustias · 17/11/2021 16:21

yes you can get over it... depends on many things. Everyone is different and I understand for some its a deal breaker but i forgave my DH and rarely think about it - happened years ago. He finished it so OW sent a graphic letter to my work - was shit at the time

Allsortsofroses · 17/11/2021 16:23

he is laser focused on giving his DC the life he never had growing up.

Yet he got you pregnant while not having sorted his issues out.

He's only going for counselling now he's cheated, and if I recall correctly he tried to.change it to joint counselling, like it's a couple problem (?)

Allsortsofroses · 17/11/2021 16:27

Also his issues aren't magically sorted because he says he'll go tee total and isn't hanging out wity those particular mates anymore (if those two things even stuck, they may not).

It wil be a long time before they are, if they are.

Anyway, the very best of luck whatever you decide op.

VitalsStable · 17/11/2021 16:34

@candlelightsatdawn

For the love of god.

If you haven't had lived experience of this type of situation aka partner cheating can you just shuffle on and not give your two pence worth of unhelpful and often incredibly unempathic advice.

The OP has been crapped on by enough people of late. Let her pick up the parts of her heart and assemble what she can without judgement.

Only she has to live with consequences of her choices.

Here here.
ESGdance · 17/11/2021 16:53

“Do i for 1 second believe he would put alcohol before any future children? Not a chance, he is laser focused on giving his DC the life he never had growing up.”

He is has continued to do this day in day out throughout your 2.5 year relationship. Things haven’t got better - his addiction and behaviours have got worse in that time frame.

He got you pregnant early on in a relationship when he was only 22, when he was hanging with criminal violent, drug dealers and addicts (which he exposed you to in an violent knife incident) ….. he goes on drink / drug benders and puts the sexual health of the mother of his babies (and their health if you had been pregnant at that time) behind a drink/drug shag.

This is what he has been DOING for the duration of your relationship. I wouldn’t concern myself with his WORDS and self serving histrionics.

TotallyWipedout · 17/11/2021 17:14

OP, I apologise if this has been asked already (I have read the full thread, but might have missed it) - but how, if he was so drunk, did he manage to have full sex with this other woman? I can imagine drunken fumbling and pretty useless attempts to perform - but having full sex and remembering that you didn't use a condom, whilst simultaneously being so drunk that you can't remember anything about it? That would trouble me.

FWIW, I have never had a ONS - have had two partners in total, and both were long term relationships (I married one of them), so I'm no fan of casual sex.

You list lots of lovely and caring things your partner does for you. However, you do know, don't you, that you are only young and you could go on to meet a man who does all those lovely and caring things - but who doesn't come with all this baggage; who wouldn't have a ONS and put your sexual health at risk; and who would be a good father to any potential children that you might have? Not that your partner would necessarily be a bad father - but he is obviously mixed up about all sorts of things, and parenthood is very hard even for the most well balanced and untroubled individual. Crying may be a sign of true remorse, but it may also be fear/shock/manipulation. And even if it were true remorse: if he is truly remorseful, why did he do it at all?

There are endless posts on here by women who have married men who held out the possibility of change which has then been unrealised and, in fact, made much harder by parenthood. These women invariably feel trapped. They have mostly taken a big financial hit by pregnancy/motherhood/'wife work'. There really isn't much space in a relationship for the adults to be dealing with their own problems, once children come along.

I don't believe at all that a cheat is always a cheat, or that it's impossible to get beyond a "meaningless ONS". However, you should think really carefully about your particular situation. You sound like a lovely and deeply caring person - but you need and deserve someone who cares about you in just the same way. You are not much older than one of my children, and I know what I would be feeling if that child were in your situation.

Flowers
AngelBe · 28/01/2024 16:27

Hey there! I seem to be late to this thread, but I read it in it's entirety! Not sure if you'll even see this since its been so long now but i thought id try anyway. I'm going through it right now with my partner. Your experience was the closest I could find to mine and your mindset is almost exactly mine. I was hoping to get an update and find out if you decided to work it out. If so what struggles have you faced in doing so? Or if you two are even together anymore?

Random12340 · 05/10/2024 21:04

AngelBe · 28/01/2024 16:27

Hey there! I seem to be late to this thread, but I read it in it's entirety! Not sure if you'll even see this since its been so long now but i thought id try anyway. I'm going through it right now with my partner. Your experience was the closest I could find to mine and your mindset is almost exactly mine. I was hoping to get an update and find out if you decided to work it out. If so what struggles have you faced in doing so? Or if you two are even together anymore?

Hey! Me to, just wondering if you ever got a response or how your situation is now? I am 3 weeks into finding out this from my 5 year relationship 😔

Bexxe · 06/10/2024 07:53

Hi everyone,

For those wanting an update - we are still together and if I’m honest, happier than ever.

we now have a daughter, have brought our first house together and have had no more instances since.

all the issues that were in our relationship before that seemed to mainly focus around alcohol/ going out are no longer an issue.

I of course still think about it now and then, but it honestly is only ever now and again. It still hurts to think about, but it’s easy to forget now when I think about how wonderful he is and how much time and effort he has put into making it right.

I know many will disagree, and think I should have left. But personally, I am so very glad I didn’t.
I am so sorry to hear others are going through the same. Please PM if you want, if I can help in any way I will xxx

OP posts:
Thewookiemustgo · 07/10/2024 15:49

That’s great to hear @Bexxe! I’ve been through this too and we are five years out now.
I found the Surviving Infidelity and Affair recovery websites useful, lots of free stuff on there. Michelle Mays The Betrayal Bind is an excellent book, also Out of The Doghouse (written for the unfaithful who want to know how to try to reconcile) by Robert Weiss, it explains well what an unfaithful person needs to do and the mindset they need to have in order to be considered a safe partner to try to reconcile with after infidelity, but is a useful read for the betrayed partner to see what remorse and contrition should look like. Also happy to answer questions if anyone has any.

RedHot22 · 09/10/2024 06:43

That’s so good to hear @Bexxe and @Thewookiemustgo

We’re many years on now and still good.
It was a complete relationship shift/shakeup for us and our marriage is so much better.

In many ways I feel our relationship is stronger, but possibly more fragile. That doesn’t make much sense written down.
i can explain more if anyone is interested.

Bexxe · 09/10/2024 07:43

Thank you @RedHot22 - I’m glad your going well too!

I agree that it was a relationship shake up, we only ever used to argue about his drinking, and that just doesn’t happen anymore. The things I disliked about our relationship have now gone away.

OP posts:
HazelPlayer · 09/10/2024 08:19

He has said he will happily go to couples therapy as it will help us

Couples therapy.... Have you.cheated too?

Joint therapy is not recommended with abusers and cheating is very much a form of abuse.

His suggestion of couples therapy, when he has cheated on you, drunk, without even using a condom ..... Makes me think there is more than just cheating abuse going on here too. Somebody is good at deflection, smoke & mirrors, and shifting responsibility.

No, he needs to get therapy.

Don't fall for the "cheating doesn't happen in a vacuum, we both contributed, blaming the victim, trumping up ordinary issues and challenges in a relationship as semi excused, when they're not BS .... Sometimes cheating really does happen "I'm a vacuum" and there is no blame attributable to the victim. They might be human, everyone is. Sometimes it's just a reflection of the cheater's character, that is all.

Remember the reconciliation industry is an industry, it makes people money. They are motivated to feed people BS. Doesn't mean they're right.

HazelPlayer · 09/10/2024 08:25

we only ever used to argue about his drinking, and that just doesn’t happen anymore.

He has an alcohol problem no matter how often he drinks or not.

Has no stop sign/binges.
You've been arguing about it repeatedly.

That's a big issue, aside from the cheating.

HazelPlayer · 09/10/2024 08:26

we only ever used to argue about his drinking, and that just doesn’t happen anymore. The things I disliked about our relationship have now gone away.

No, your issue with his behaviour around alcohol had just been superceded by something much "bigger". It has paled in compared to the bomb he threw into your relationship, in comparison to the disloyalty and betrayal.

Both issues are still there.

And he has the gall to suggest couples counselling (!), and say therapy didn't really work for him before.

No, I can't see therapy working for someone who kept on binge drinking, even when it was causing arguments in his relationship... To the point of fucking someone else, without a condom.

Do you have any kids yet?

Is this really the sort of life you want for yourself and your kids?
Are you and they not worth better?

Thewookiemustgo · 09/10/2024 10:31

“Sometimes cheating really does happen "I'm a vacuum" and there is no blame attributable to the victim. They might be human, everyone is. Sometimes it's just a reflection of the cheater's character, that is all.”

Victims of infidelity are never “sometimes” to blame. There is never any blame for infidelity attributable to the one who was cheated on. The victim is responsible for their 50% of the relationship, not how their partner chooses to react.
Nobody causes somebody to cheat. Cheating is a personal choice made through weakness of character and an ability to lie to yourself enough to override your conscience and integrity.
The couple share equal responsibility for the state of their relationship, that is all. The choice to cheat was the unfaithful person’s decision alone. Cheating is never an inevitable outcome caused by a particular person, or set of circumstances, or the actions of another, those are what they trot out as their excuses for their appalling behaviour. Nothing external causes cheating, no matter how bad the relationship. The cause is the purely the cheater’s decision to do it, instead of being honest, speaking up and airing their grievances, or leaving the relationship. There is never a “sometimes”.

“Remember the reconciliation industry is an industry, it makes people money. They are motivated to feed people BS. Doesn't mean they're right.”

So far I have not come across the ‘reconciliation industry’, because none of the sites I have visited push it. There is an infidelity recovery industry, which offers help for victims of infidelity with the personal / mental health issues they face after being cheated on, whether they want to stay in their relationships or not. The two websites I have quoted never actively recommend reconciling as the goal. What they offer is help for those who do want to try to reconcile (with many, many caveats) and help for those who want to leave or have already left. Their aim isn’t reconciliation, it is to help people heal from the trauma caused by infidelity. Reconciliation is never pushed or recommended and it is actively discouraged unless stringent criteria are met. In that case not reconciling at all is recommended.
Their goal is for people to be able to move on, whatever their personal choice, either together or apart. They give people information to help people to decide whether or not to leave, but warn that it is their choice. They offer personal mentoring and counselling for a fee, yes, but a lot of their resources are free and extremely helpful with issues like self-esteem and trust going forward, whether in your existing relationship or a new relationship in the future.
All the resources I used and joining their chat forums were free of charge.
There will no doubt be ‘rogue traders’ and some very religious-based sites where reconciliation will be pushed at all costs, I agree, but to say that they are “all motivated to feed people BS” is a very broad brush with which to tar what can actually be incredibly helpful to some people at a time of crisis, and adds another layer of shame to the victims who are seeking out help for the way they are left feeling, especially those who can’t afford counselling. I used it extensively and it didn’t cost me a penny.
No advice is ever necessarily “right”, things are right and would work for some which would be wrong for others, advice is simply that: advice. Everyone has to decide for themselves what resonates with them and whether they think it’s good advice or not.