I Was Cheated On

Once upon a time, I discovered my spouse's double life. There was no warning. People say "there are always signs," but those are only obvious in hindsight. The air gets sucked out of your lungs, and everything you know is wrong. It's so disorienting.

And then those ugly, empty words "I never meant to hurt you." Could anything more irrelevant and insultingly cliche be spoken in those moments? They turn your world upside down and then say, "Wups."

I'm often amazed how that event, years ago, still taints my current ability to trust and connect.