I expect to be flogged for this, and I'm sure I deserve it. For 11 years as a young woman I had a very intense relationship with a married man who was 13 years my senior. I was completely besotted. I still consider him the love of my life. I went on to marry a wonderful man and have 5 adultish sons. I have had contact with the other man over the last 26 years because we share the same hobby but it has all been casual and platonic. My husband knows him as well. My husband and I both know the his wife but have had very little interaction.
In the past three years my ex has been diagnosed with early onset alzheimer's and it has gotten progressively worse. Recently he has been asking for a person by my name and as his wife questioned him about it he apparently acts annoyed and has told her "I loved her". She originally thought he was talking about another mutual friend who has the same first name but once she realized he wasn't talking about her she quickly figured it out and has put two and two together. So, now this poor woman is taking care of her husband who is not in his right mind while knowing he had been involved with someone else (although she could have no way of knowing how long or how intense it was). She has told some mutual friends and the story is picking up steam among people we all know. I'm imagining that she will contact/confront me at some point. I deserve everything she can come at me with. I have no excuse and I feel terrible. But this isn't about how I'm feeling.