*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a friend who experienced them firsthand; used with permission.*
I think we can all agree that infidelity in relationships is a downright terrible thing. The general consensus seems to be, if you are going to cheat, if you want to cheat, you should just leave the person you are with first. If you don’t leave them or tell them first, you aren’t giving your partner a chance to have a say in what goes on in their relationship. Unknowingly, the cheated-on partner has another person to contend with in their lives, and they are at a terrible disadvantage.
I feel terrible for cheated-on wives and partners, and certainly think they are the party that should garner the most sympathy in an infidelity situation. If my partner ever cheated on me I would hope that he understands our relationship would immediately end because that is not something I would tolerate.
I know this woman named Leah who is in a very strange situation with her husband and has been for years. Leah and Paul share two young sons together, have been living in a large house on only Paul’s income so Leah could be a stay-at-home mom, and then Paul had an affair. Not only did Leah find out about this affair, but she found out because Paul had no choice but to tell his wife that he’d gotten his affair partner Isla pregnant, and Isla expected Paul to support her and their child.
Leah was devastated but wasn’t ready to split up her family. If you ask me, I think she also wasn’t ready to be faced with the fact that she would need to finally get herself a job.
Paul was relegated to a twin mattress in the finished basement to live out his weekdays playing the perfect father and husband to his kids and Leah and then going to spend the weekends with Isla. It was an impossible situation for everyone but the oblivious children who wouldn’t keep their innocence for long.
Paul and Isla’s baby was born, a daughter they named Rose. This added insult to Leah’s already considerable injury, as she had always wanted a daughter and had been trying to conceive one with Paul when he’d gotten Isla pregnant.
Rose’s arrival meant that Paul was spending even more time over at Isla’s apartment, and spending more money on her and the baby as well. This had Leah inching closer and closer to wanting to ask for a divorce. She didn’t think it was fair that she and her sons were missing out on things while Isla and the baby were being spoiled with Paul’s time and money.
The last straw came when baby Rose was about nine months old. Leah got a call from Paul and was told that Isla was in the hospital having emergency surgery for a burst appendix, and asked Leah to please go pick up Rose from daycare.
Something in Leah snapped inside, but she kept her cool on the phone as she told Paul that she absolutely would not be picking up his affair baby from daycare and that it was time he moved his things to Isla’s apartment because she wanted a divorce.
I couldn’t believe that it took Leah so long to see the light and realize that her living situation was intolerable and impossible to maintain and still remain in good mental health.
Though Leah did struggle financially at first, having to get a job and move into a small, two-bedroom apartment with her sons, she was much happier and better off being free of Paul and Isla’s drama.
What would you have done if you were Leah?
Hi, I hope you enjoyed this story! I am a freelance writing single mom trying to create a better life for me and my daughter through words. If you enjoyed this, please consider leaving a small donation: https://ko-fi.com/maryduncan
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