6 Heartbreaking & True Stories About People Cheating In Relationships
What's that old saying? Cheaters never win, and winners never cheat? Though every relationship is different, there's no denying that navigating infidelity can be totally painful. In fact, these heartbreaking and true stories about people cheating in relationships will have you reaching for the tissues.
Of course, no one knows your relationship better than you do. And if you and your boo can work through cheating and move forward with trust and open communication, you know what feels right for you. Of course, if you never want to see your partner again or if cheating is an absolute deal-breaker, it's always OK to say goodbye. There's no one way to navigate your romantic relationship, and you get to call the shots when it comes to how you and your boo do your thing.
At any stage of a relationship, hearing stories from others that have been through similar experiences can be incredibly healing. Whether you want to feel less alone or need some advice, talking to people who have been through the emotional labyrinth of cheating can help you carve your own way out.
Here are six true stories about cheating in relationships to help you figure just what it is you're feeling.
01They'd been seeing her the whole time.
Last summer, I started seeing someone who I'd been crushing on for a while. Before we hooked up, I knew he had been seeing another girl, so I was a little suspicious. But he told me that they had broken it off and that he wasn't with her anymore. After the summer, he moved down to Austin for work. We definitely weren't exclusive, but I thought we were still kind of a 'thing.' I was at my job one day when I looked at Instagram and saw a pic of them together in Austin — like, living together in Austin. I realized that he had been with her the whole time. He had been seeing me in the time in between her moving to Austin and him following suit.
— Chloe, 27
02They told me they wanted to break up.
A few years ago, my ex and I went to dinner with a big group of our friends. I realized my boyfriend was kind of flirting with a mutual friend of ours that neither of us had seen in a while. I didn't think all that much of it, but it was a little weird. A few weeks later, he told me he had been seeing her and wanted to break up so he could be with her. It was so hard and tore the whole friend group apart.
— Mia, 24
03I learned that they were married with kids.
When I studied abroad in Rome, I was really feeling myself and was on Tinder a lot. I hooked up with a couple of super cute dudes. But then I found someone I thought I could really fall in love with. We went out to these amazing meals, and to concerts and museums and held hands in the street while eating gelato. When I had to leave, he offered to drive me back to the airport. I got in his car, and I saw that he had two car seats in the back. Two. It turns out he was married with children.
— Tiana, 25
04They sent me a text meant for someone else.
I found out my ex was cheating on me when she accidentally sent me a text asking to 'meet up while in the bathroom' of this party that we were at together. It literally said, 'Allie always goes home early, she'll never know.' If only I didn't know. If only.
— Allie, 21
05I found a stack of love letters.
I once went to visit my long-distance boyfriend, and he went to work, and I was in his apartment alone. I'm kind of a neat freak and was trying to tidy up the place when I found that he had a bunch of love letters from a bunch of different long-distance girlfriends. I read, like, two letters from one girl and got the picture.
— Hunter, 23
06I found them in our bed with another person.
I came home from work early one night and found my boyfriend of five years in our bed with another girl. They didn't see me come in, so I quietly left and just completely cut him out of my life without saying anything to him. I deleted his number and blocked him on every social media platform. Thank god I had another place to stay for a while and friends to get all of my stuff from our apartment.
— Aimee, 27
There's no way around it: Cheating can be heartbreaking. Whether you find out your boo has been lying to you or realize something shady has been going on, infidelity can be super disorienting. Of course, only you and your boo know the ins and outs of your relationship. If you both want to work through infidelity, you know what's right for you. Whether you block their number or talk through it all, living your truth means never cheating yourself.
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