Relationships, while wonderful, can also be incredibly complicated.
Issues between two people can grow and deepen until one person crosses a line they might not be able to come back from.
We’re talking, of course, about cheating.
It’s a heartbreaking violation of trust and yet many people do it to the ones they love – but why?
Women on Reddit have been opening up about the various reasons they cheated on their significant other and it’s eye-opening.
Here’s a look at some of the explanations they gave.
(Image: Getty Images)
I didn’t break up with my partner when I should have
One woman said: “I used to have a bad habit of letting relationships drag on far past their emotional end.
“I would fall out of love with these men, but I didn’t realise it until I had fallen for someone else, and by that time I was contemptuous and disillusioned enough with the relationship that I didn’t really care how it made the guy I was dating feel.
“I would end up kissing the new guy, and breaking up with the old guy immediately after. Essentially the cheating served as the catalyst for ending a relationship.
“I finally recognized this habit, and now I pay more attention to how I feel in a relationship and break it off once it’s clearly over instead of hanging on out of routine and comfort.”
(Image: Getty)
My boyfriend’s controlling attitude drove me into another’s arms
A different user admitted: “I had a boyfriend who attempted to control me from afar. If he didn’t know what I was doing or where I was 24/7, he would spam call me and ‘like’ comments/photos/etc on Facebook and message my friends.
“In addition, he was a loser who lived at home with his mom with no job, while I was working and going to school. I always had to drive to him (an hour + drive) because he had no money and no car. I broke up with him several times, only to get suckered back in because he would threaten to kill himself.
“Basically, his controlling, psycho-mindgame attitude drove me to cheat on him. I have nightmares about him still.”
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I didn’t actually cheat… but I understand why people do
Someone else revealed how they came very close to having an affair.
They said: “I didn’t actually cheat… but after a close call last year I finally understand why people do, or at least why I would.
“It was upsetting at the time, to know that I could be that tempted, but in retrospect I’m glad it worked out the way it did because I have a better idea now what situations to steer clear of in the future.
“For me, it was mostly because I love that intense energy that comes from clicking with someone new. No matter how many other wonderful things you can get from a long-term relationship, you’ll never again get that delirious feeling of first falling for someone once you’re married.
“And the reason I let it get as far as it did is that it’s pretty similar to making a new friend, only you also want to rip their clothes off, and there’s the deeply flattering knowledge that they feel the same way about you.
“I hadn’t seen my husband for a month at that point, and it was in a foreign country where there was truly no chance in hell he would ever find out, which was also tempting.
“It’s uncomfortable, but hopefully it’ll help me make less risky choices in the future.”
I needed multiple sexual partners
A fourth woman added: “I was a chronic cheater. I was acting on my needs for multiple sexual partners, but I didn’t have a model of how to do it ethically until I was in my 30s.
“Once I discovered the polyamory model and began to live it, all of my cheating stopped. That’s part of the reason I’m so open about poly now and why I talk about it so much – I wish someone had told me about this model when I was 17.
“I could have saved years of heartache! Alternatively, I suppose I could have thought up the poly model on my own, but I don’t consider myself intelligent enough to do that.”
