What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to say ‘no’ to?

The Discovery and the Bond

My husband betrayed me with his work wife, but he doesn’t know that I know. I’ve been letting him think everything is fine.

When in reality, I’m building my dream life behind his back and ruining his. My husband and I had been together for nine years when his female co-worker’s husband, let’s call him John, messaged me.

He was heartbroken, and he thought I ought to know. My husband had been sleeping with his work wife, and John had receipts.

I felt so stupid, especially because I’d always ignored my friends warning me that a workife was a red flag. On top of that, she had met me and was extremely nice and even doted on our six-year-old daughter.

I remember asking John what he wanted to do when he texted me, and he said he wanted to meet. I agreed and the meeting went very unexpectedly.

The only thing I planned was discussing the situation at hand, but before I knew it, I found myself breaking down. I told him I’m currently not working.

After the pandemic, I lost my job and now because of this terrible economy, I haven’t been able to find a job. I cried a lot to him, saying, “I’ve been studying so hard these past few years because I really wanted to be a hardworking, motivated woman for my husband.”

And he just spat it back in my face. But I can’t even divorce him because if I do it, I have no money to provide for my daughter.

If that happens, the courts will give our daughter to him because I don’t have any money to my name and I know him. He wouldn’t let me see her.

I cried while saying all of this and John J John just held my hand. I remember he wiped my tears for me with a napkin.

And after he did, I asked him for the world’s biggest favor if he could wait for a few months before divorcing his wife just to give me some time to figure out what to do. Well, he agreed without a second, though.

When I left the cafe that day, I thought I’d never speak to him again, but we actually kept in touch. He called me a few times over the next week to check in on me while both of our spouses were with friends.

Very soon, we started talking about things other than our failed marriages. We even started going for walks, coffee, and movies.

Before I knew it, I found myself thinking about him often with a smile on my face. He became the first thing I thought of in the morning and the last thing I thought of before going to bed.

And yet, even though my husband and I stopped having intimacy, stopped speaking much, and I distanced myself. I was happier than I had been in years.

All because of how amazing John once. And what really sealed the deal for me was that not once during this whole time where I distanced myself did my husband ask what’s wrong.

I hadn’t kissed him in almost a month, and he still said nothing. In my mind, I was with Jon and we hung out a couple times per week for 3 to four months.

And although we definitely flirted a little, made jokes about being into one another, and put whipped cream from our donuts on each other’s noses, it was never too serious. Until one faithful day two weeks ago, we were having a picnic, and he just blurted out, “I think that I’m in love with you.”

My jaw dropped, and he proceeded to tell me that I was special to him, and it’s thanks to me he’s not gone insane. He told me he thinks of me every morning and every night.

And it’s while I was listening to him talk that I realized I was also fully in love with him. He said that at first he wasn’t sure why he was feeling like this towards me.

But after some thought, he realized he wasn’t broken anymore, that he even thought of his wife’s infidelity as a blessing because it leads him to me. My stomach filled with butterflies because that was exactly how I felt, too.

But I didn’t know what to say. I told him that I was terrified of these feelings going away once we freed ourselves from those who hurt us.

I felt almost sad because of it, but he just beamed at me and said he was willing to take the risk to find out. He kissed my hand, but as soon as he did, I just pulled away.

I told him I wasn’t ready for this. I teared up and asked him how by sneaking around, by telling each other I love you.

How are we any better than our significant others who cheated? I told him I had no idea what to do because I too find myself daydreaming about him.

I want to introduce him to my daughter to kiss him and wake up next to him every morning.