Staying single forever suddenly sounds like a great idea.

"She called our house all the time (before she knew we had caller ID) because she was so convinced my father would cheat on her, too. She developed problems with alcohol and eating disorders, just trying to keep him 'interested.' They never had kids, and now they live in the middle of nowhere and seem very lonely. 

He wants to have a relationship now, but he’s just not part of my life. My stepdad is wonderful, and I consider him my dad; my stepsibling is my full sibling as far as I’m concerned. I think it’s occurring to my father and his wife that they won’t have anyone to care for them in old age…"

"They got married, bought a house together, and we all ended up accepting the new family arrangement. After a year, he ended up cheating on her with his secretary. Now he pays a ton in child support and has to pay spousal support to the woman he was with for one year. Fast forward another year, and he got his secretary pregnant. They just bought a house together. 

Meanwhile, my mom is happy and thriving in a new relationship. My stepdad is kind and so so loving! Couldn’t be happier for my mom. My dad, on the other hand, seems miserable."

"They were both fired for the secret affair taking place at work (especially because they work with kids). She blew through the equity payout, bought super-expensive cars, and is now facing bankruptcy from the credit card debt she racked up. 

The two that were cheated on are just fine, have their homes, and are focused on the kids. The cheater keeps trying to sue and take her ex to court over every little thing and cries about how unfair it all turned out. She texts him weekly, either begging to get back together or cussing him out, saying she doesn’t regret a thing. I’m only shocked by the lack of accountability and growth this person has displayed over the years. She keeps putting her kids through all of this instead of just owning up to the mistake."

"He slipped perfectly into the second family, and now he acts like he never cheated. His last kid is 20 years younger than me, and he only talks to two of his seven kids."

"She told me her husband was abusive, that she was leaving him, and that I was the one who got away. The contrast between that 'affair energy' and my failing engagement was intoxicating. I blew up my life: I ended the engagement, quit my job, and moved halfway across the country to be her 'support system' through her divorce. I spent 18 months as a secret. Eventually, she chose the house, the finances, and the status quo over the fantasy. She stayed with him for her son's 'stability.'

The aftermath: I had on massive rose-colored glasses. I feel slimy because her husband still doesn’t know, and, while I think he deserves the truth, that’s her cross to bear. However, blowing up my life forced me to rebuild a better one. I’m back near my family, I have a job I actually love, and I now have the chance to date someone who treats me like a priority, not a hidden convenience. The Verdict: 0/10, would not recommend the affair. 10/10, would recommend leaving the wrong person before you have kids with them."

"He also got another woman pregnant (not the new girlfriend), but she's still with him, and they're celebrating two years together even though our youngest is only a year and a half old, so I guess it worked out?? I'm just glad we never have to see his ass again."

"I'm no longer with my affair partner, but am blissfully happy with my now-husband and all our kids. My ex has a new wife and seems more aware of what it actually means to be a partner. 

Should I have just left instead of having the affair? Absolutely. Was I in a place where that was going to happen? Never. It was a shitty way to end a marriage on both our parts, but in the end, it was the best thing for both of us. We are far better as friends who share children than we ever were as spouses."

 "Anyway, he and that woman are still together five years later, as far as I know. I’ve never met her and don’t intend to, but she keeps stalking my social media profiles, and it’s creepy."

"My dad ended up marrying my stepmom when I was 3, and they’ve been together over 30 years now and are very happy. My mom, on the other hand, has been married and divorced four times now."

"I wish them nothing but good things. Our marriage was toxic and terrible, and now I’m married to an amazing person, and my life is great!"

"We both separated from our spouses and started the divorce process. We dated each other through our entire divorces, both much happier than we were when we were married. We’ve been married for eight years, and while we have had our struggles along the way, we are happy and healthy together."

"They met up and liked each other enough that they were pushing for the divorce even faster than the cheaters. Now, 40 years later, everyone is still together, and I, as the oldest grandchild, was none the wiser. I can't imagine the original pairings now; they are so different from one another.

The point of this little sordid tale is that, while it sucks that it involved infidelity, I am obviously glad that things swung out this way, as I would likely never have been born...plus the extra Christmas and birthday gifts growing up were nice too. TLDR: my grandparents swapped spouses."

"He had heavily implied that open marriage was the best option. I felt stuck where I was and figured it was all I had going for me. One of the rules was 'don't fall in love.' Well, I started talking to this one guy, 'R,' and my life fundamentally changed. 'R' was everything I had dreamed of having in a partner and relationship. I fully disclosed my situation, and he didn't care because he was in the midst of finalizing his own divorce. I spent more time with him than with my husband. We would talk for hours on the phone, and I took every chance I had to meet with him. 

My husband started getting jealous, and he tried to forbid me from seeing 'R.' I was supposed to move across the country with my husband; I made it about halfway to the destination and said, 'Fuck this.' I moved back. Got a place for myself and the kids while regularly seeing 'R.' It's been almost foiur years since I met 'R,' and we've moved in together and have been happy ever since."

"It was hypocrisy at its finest. She seemed to forget that she was the other woman at one point, that didn’t matter because 'they were meant to be together.' They are a terrible couple."

Disclaimer: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.