Fury as Man Confesses to Cheating on Wife Every Day After Child's Death

The internet has sided with a woman who shared her heartbreak online after learning that her husband had been cheating on her since their 3-year-old son died.

In a post on the Reddit forum r/TrueOffMyChest, user u/Dawn-Side3267 said: "My husband confessed to having slept with his female friend every day for two months after our son passed away."

The heartbroken woman reached out to share her anguish in a post that has since received thousands of upvotes and comments.

Licensed professional counselor and clinical director of Black Female Therapist, Jenine Lowery, told Newsweek: "A lot of grief comes with the loss of a child, and it can take years to get past the pain. The child's death may lead to arguments between spouses, divorce, or even neglect of other children in the household. A child's death may make you question your own mortality, which can cause anxiety, depression, or even suicidal thoughts."

The wife explained: "Our son passed away when he was 3. It hit my husband hard and he isolated himself from everyone around while shutting me out emotionally. Despite living in the same house we were so far apart," she wrote. "He'd leave to go and hang out with his female friend who he knew for 13 years. I never suspected anything off about him spending time with her because she's always been his comfort person."

As her husband spent more time with his female friend, the mother spent time working through her own grief. But one day, he stopped seeing his friend.

"I noticed a change in behavior and him lashing out at the mention of her name," explained the poster. " I thought they had a fight or something but days ago, he sat me down, started crying and confessed to me that he slept with her every day for almost 2 months. He said he didn't know how it happened or why. But mostly blamed it on the wrecked emotional state he was in."

"Many parents notice a dramatic difference in their relationship with their spouse after a child passes away," explained Lowery. "Parents may feel overwhelmed by the abrupt change in their lives. They may feel guilty for not being able to prevent their child from dying or resent their spouse for not doing enough."

Lowery added: "If one or both parents are struggling with feelings of guilt, resentment, or blame, it is important to talk about these feelings with your partner so that you can work through them together. A child's death could increase the strain on the marriage, increase conflict within the relationship, and affect the couple's sexual life. However, some couples end up stronger. Most of this would depend on the couple's overall marital satisfaction before they lose their child."

In 2020, 21,430 children died aged between 1 and 19 years old in the U.S., with firearm-related injuries recorded as the leading cause of death in children.

In what she called a "state of disbelief," the wife explained how she did not know how to react: "He said it just happened and swore he never in a million years thought he'd do this, not with her but it happened. He did it every day for almost 2 MONTHS," she wrote, furious. "And not once has he stopped to think about what he was doing. He didn't speak after that. After I pushed him and started screaming at him that he made my grief worse and hurt me in my darkest days. Just kept looking down crying."

After the truth was revealed, the husband had gone to stay with his father and the poster shared how her heartbreak was now at an all-time high.

"I'm too exhausted I spend most of my days in bed," she said. "I feel like my life is over. Everything just seems to be falling apart."

Meanwhile, her husband was asking for forgiveness due to what he called a "unique circumstance," but the betrayed wife was finding it difficult to forgive.

After reading the post, other Reddit users shared their thoughts and reactions in the comments. One commenter wrote: "Losing a child kills a part of you as well. But no matter how big a grief it is, you BOTH lost the child. Coping by cheating on you doesn't justify his actions at all."

"I am so sorry for your loss. And I am sorry you are being put through even more because of your husband's selfishness and thoughtlessness.," said another reply.

"He did the worst thing ever and you have every right to not forgive him," said one Redditor.

After such an emotional life experience, Lowery suggested that the couple get some extra support both together and separately.

"This couple is in high distress. It sounds as if the husband has had an unhealthy emotional connection with his female friend for many years, which needs to be dealt with and processed in addition to the couple's grief. Whether they stay together is an individual choice," she said. "I would recommend that they find a couples therapist trained in Emotional Focused Therapy (EFT)."

"It's hard to imagine life without a child. It's even harder to imagine how you would feel if your husband had an affair immediately after your child died," explained Lowery. "When a child dies, it is important to remember that you will never forget them. The pain of the loss will eventually start to lessen over time, and you can learn to live again."

Newsweek has reached out to u/Dawn-Side3267 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.