If you believe statistics, in over half of all marriages, a spouse has cheated. And let's say in half of those marriages, the non-cheating spouse finds out. Then what? Can you ever get past an affair?

PAMELA: My marriage couldn't survive my now-ex-husband's affair because he said it was my fault that he cheated. I took the beatings and emotional abuse that he had handed out, but for me, his affair was the last straw. If he would have taken responsibility, I would have stayed. But as it turned out, I'm glad he didn't. He's been with his current girlfriend for 12 years, and she finally said to my daughter, "I understand why your mom left."

ROSE: I recently found out that my husband of five years has been having an affair with a woman he works with. I called her. She told me she loves him and hopes that I will divorce him. I thought I would throw up. When she told me all the times they'd been together, I realized that those were his supposed fishing trips with his brothers.

We're trying to get past it. My husband quit his job so he no longer works with her. He closed down his Facebook account and got a new cellphone number. We're in counseling. But the image of them is never far from my mind, and sometimes I think I'm going crazy. But I refuse to leave because I know he'd go to her, and I won't let that happen.

LISA: My marriage did not survive my husband's affair. In my heart, I still love that man, but he doesn't respect me and never really did. So, now I walk around with a broken heart. I smile and act like everything is perfect, but it's a lie. I cry every night while I'm in bed. Then I walk out the door every morning with a big smile on my face. What a phony!

KASSIE: I don't usually snoop, but I had a feeling that something was going on. I couldn't find anything, so I just let it go. Then one morning, I needed to go to my Facebook page. I decided to get to my page through my husband's Facebook page. The chat box popped asking whether he had been at a certain restaurant the night before.

I scrolled up the chat box and, to my amazement, all this "I love you" crap was there. It sounded like they were teenagers.

I called my husband and asked him how he could betray me like that. He was in total shock. He told me he would call me back because the girlfriend was calling him on his other line! She told him it was over and she didn't need the drama. (If she didn't need the drama, she shouldn't have started sleeping with him!)

We talked, and I forgave the jerk. We were going to make our marriage work. But he couldn't stay away from her. I blame both of them. Now we're getting a divorce and he's living with her. She can have him. Let her think she won, but she didn't get much of a prize. One day he'll do to her what he did to me.

Did you get over your partner's cheating? Send your tale, along with your questions, problems and rants to [email protected]. And check out my e-books, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front" and "I'll Call You. Not."

Photo credit: at Pixabay