Guilt That Won't Go Away

It happened one time while you were on a business trip. You met someone who was looking for some company like you. Maybe both of you were not even looking for such an opportunity and yet it happened - a one night of infidelity to your spouse. It had absolutely no commitment, no exchange of any information even. It was just a one night stand when you chose to forget your commitment to one person and gave in to the moment - and nothing else.

When two consenting adults engage in the sexual act, it is actually their business and no one else's. However, when one or both of these people are married, this gives rise to the question if it should have been allowed by both of them to happen. Whether it was done to fulfill a physical or emotional need, the act will always equate to infidelity.

As these two people go back to their regular lives with their own spouses, it is with a certain effort that they try to live as normally as possible as if nothing happened while they were away. With no strings attached, they both know they have nothing to worry about being exposed by the other person in the affair. But there is that nagging feeling that remains especially when the faithful spouse trusts unconditionally. This feeling is called guilt and for some, this feeling stays until the secret has been unburdened.

Honesty and trust should be present in a marriage for it to succeed. For a spouse who has cheated, telling the truth means destroying the "peace" in a relationship since admission of guilt opens up a whole lot of negative issues concerning the marriage. A cheated spouse is expected to feel anger, pain, and lose of trust. It would take a lot of effort from the cheating spouse to bring back what has been lost, if it is at all possible.

Admittance of cheating will mostly appear to be for the benefit of the person cheated on. In reality, the cheating spouse is also doing himself/herself a favor by unloading the burden that has long been carried. Guilt is the consequence of the mistake, and so is the cheated spouse's decision after infidelity is discovered. A cheating spouse will have to live through these consequences, whether he likes to or not.