Facing Infidelity: My Struggle for Empathy as a Non-Monogamous Woman
My husband of 2O + years has left me for another woman. Cue the outrage.
Over the last few months, I have shared my story about my husband’s decision to move forward with a relationship with another woman and to leave me. I’ve already shared why I feel this was a case of infidelity — he broke my trust and the boundaries of our non-monogamous arrangement. I am therefore living through the typical trope of having been left for the younger woman…
Not to state the totally obvious, but infidelity and the end of a long-term marriage are a devastating experience.
I have been feeling an incredible combination of emotions — from gut-wrenching anger to deep grief and all kinds of emotions in between those two extremes. Quite honestly, I’ve been a hot mess for several months now and have needed the comfort and support of family and friends to help me through these rough times.
But amidst the shit-show of my situation, I have found myself confronted with a unique challenge: What do I tell my friends and family about what happened?
As someone who had chosen a non-traditional path, I have always known that some of my friends and family would struggle to understand why my husband and I opened up our relationship. This is why I only told a…