How Infidelity Can Spice Up Your Marriage

Late-night meetings, out-of-town business trips, text messages day and night—the writing’s on the wall—your man is having an affair. Instead of rushing to judgment or breaking up with him, think of this as a once-in-a-lifetime golden opportunity to have your own affair. This could be the best thing to happen to your relationship in years!

“If you find out that your spouse is cheating on you, what better way to respond than starting up an affair yourself?” advises couples’ therapist Dr. Naomi Childs. “The most common complaint that I get from couples is that they no longer feel the spark that healthy competition can bring. Think of it as a chance to indulge all those fantasies you’ve had about other men for years—his best friend, his brother, his boss—just go for it.”

Susan Winters found herself in a stale, sexless marriage, and eventually discovered her husband had been sleeping with one of her best friends for the past five years. “The minute I found out, sure, I was mad—at myself! I felt so dumb, like, why didn’t I think of that!?”

Susan grabbed the opportunity and ran with it, sleeping with any man who showed even the slightest interest. “We live in a pretty small town,” she remarks, “so it wasn’t long before this all got back to my husband. That felt like a real victory to me! I’ve never won anything—not a raffle, nothing. So it felt so good to beat my husband at this. And we now have something in our marriage we didn’t have before—respect.”

Natasha Baumgartner had a similar experience: “It felt like after so many years together, my husband Brad and I just ran out of things to say to each other. When we started having sex with other people, it became an instant conversation starter! We talk all the time about the other sex we’re having. It’s great! Infidelity saved our marriage!”

“It came out that my husband was getting it on in secret with my cousin Gina. So I started sleeping with his cousin, Roger,” says Shelley Burke. “Since then, our marriage has thrived on who can land the more forbidden affair. I think we’ve stayed together way longer than we would have otherwise.”

When asked if this makes her happy, Shelley paused; “I think what we have is more complicated than just being happy, you know?” And with that her cell phone lights up with a text from her 26-year-old stepson. Game on, Shelley.