I’m 41 and honestly, I’ve never cheated on my wife. But before I met her, I wasn’t exactly a saint. I never had a real girlfriend or anything serious back then. I was single and lived like it, going out with one girl, then another, Friday night dates, Saturday parties. No one expected explanations because I never promised anything to anybody.
I worked in an electrical repair shop and made a decent living. After work, Id head out with mates to pubs, nightclubs, birthdays, you name it. Sometimes Id stay over at a girl’s place, then disappear from her life the next daynot because I was some villain, but because commitment wasnt on my radar. I always said relationships werent my thing.
Everything changed the day I met my wife. It happened at the hospital where she was doing her nursing internship. I was called in to check out a dodgy plug socket. She asked for my help, and thats when we got chatting. She asked my name, I asked hers, we had a laugh, and when my shift ended, she passed me her number. I texted her that very evening. Not like before, full of bravado and flirting, but nervouslike a teenager.
Our first dates were nothing fancy. Walks, grabbing ice cream in the park, sausage rolls at the bakery after work. Little by little, I started tuning out all the other womennot because she told me to, but because I just didnt want to give my attention anywhere else. I knew she wasnt just another one.
When I asked her to be my girlfriend, I was clear: If we start something, lets do it properly. Im not interested in half measures. She looked at me seriously and said, I dont share. And I replied, Neither do I. That day, I learned that faithfulness isnt just about not looking at someone elseits about keeping your promise.
We got married without any frills. Lived in a rented flat, borrowed bed, tiny oven. We worked all hoursshe on night shifts, me pulling overtime. We had no time or energy for adventures. Just bills, exhaustion, and dreams we shared.
But temptations still came knocking. At work, a colleague used to text me late at night, sent accidental photos and said I deserved someone better than a tired wife. One time she waited for me in the car park and asked me to go to a hotel. I told her no, got in my car and headed straight home.
At a friends party, a drunk woman sat next to me and started stroking my arm. I got up, found my wife, and we left without saying goodbye. Id rather be seen as rude than cross a line I couldnt undo.
My mates tease me, saying I used to be lively and now Im boring. Theyre rightIm not the same bloke I was. Before, I lived just for myself. Now, I live with someone.
Not long ago, my son asked if I’d ever been with other women since I got married. I told him no. He looked surprisedsaid almost all his mates have split parents because of cheating. Thats when it hit me: my choices dont just affect my marriage, but shape my kids, too.
I used to be a bit of a womaniser when I was free, because I had no obligations. But the day I decided she was itthe woman I wanted to grow old withI understood loyalty isnt a prison. Its a daily choice. And to this day, Ive never regretted choosing her.
