Not quite a typical “wife catches husband cheating” story, isn’t it? A woman from Orlando, Charity Craig, claims that catching her husband, Matt, cheating saved their marriage. In 2012, after being apart for eight months, she found text messages from another woman on Matt's phone. At first, Matt left the house to find the other relationship. But after therapy, they decided to try again with their marriage.
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"At the time, my husband's affair felt like the end of the world, but it turned out to be the best thing for us as we've come back so much stronger," said Charity, a jewelry company founder.
They had been together since they were teens and got married when they were in their early 20s. When they had four kids in 2012, things got hard for them. Charity began to doubt Matt's behaviour as he worked.
"I was working over 60 hours a week in a high-stress position. I spent more time at work than with my family," explained Matt, now a chief marketing officer. "I was struggling between my family and my dreams of pursuing a musical career."
Charity's fears were confirmed when she discovered text messages from another woman. Confronting Matt led to the revelation that he had been dating someone else for two months. The couple decided to take the path of divorce.
Mrs. Craig sought counseling, discovering that Matt's affair was not the sole reason for their marital problems. "I started therapy, and I realized that I was no longer the woman he'd married, and he wasn't solely to blame for the breakdown of our relationship," she shared.
After eight months of self-improvement and couple counseling, they got back together in February 2013. Matt, remorseful for the affair, gave Charity access to his social media and phone passwords.
"Matt was incredibly sorry for the affair, but I was also sorry for my part in the breakdown of our marriage," Charity acknowledged. "We had to completely start again, but it was worth it."
Now, Charity works as a marriage counselor to assist other couples navigating challenges after an affair.
"Yes, that's strange, but cheating on your partner can sometimes be positive for the relationship. Charity and Matt's story shows that couples can get stronger after going through hard times if they work at it and go to therapy," says Wilda Harrison, a relationship psychologist.
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