20 People Who Had Affairs With Married People Share Their Complicated Stories

9.

“I was 22 and sleeping with a guy that I would see in passing while going to work. He was insistent on keeping me a secret. At the time, I was willing to accept his terms due to being young and very naive, due to being sheltered with little interaction. This guy had demands that I had to meet to see him, such as being available on a moment’s notice or close to it. He proudly talked about his then-girlfriend, a straight-A student who was a senior in high school, and how much he loved her when we were together, and the more I hung out with him, the more I felt bad. He gave the impression they broke up, and I asked him what he wanted from our relationship. His answer was enough to stop returning his calls: ‘money, sex on demand, and nice clothes.’ My self-esteem was low up until that point, and it was then that I realized I was better than that and deserved better.”

“This was back in the days of pagers, and after I stopped talking to him, he blew up my pager. I felt good about my decision and bad for his girlfriend, who had no clue what was going on. He asked me out on a real date for Valentine’s Day, and I turned him down. He was angry, and I hung up the phone laughing. I went to a party that night, and started talking with a girl who was a victim of his, and she provided me with the girlfriend’s name and phone number. I slept with him knowing he was taken, and I shouldn’t have. He hurt me, and I allowed it, and while I was a victim, the real victim was the girlfriend. I called her one morning before she went to school, telling her everything. A year later, I ended up working with her, and she had no clue it was me who called her. They were still together, which was shocking, and he tried to hook up again. I responded to this that I would tell her everything.

In 1999, I was at school and I looked up to see him delivering flowers to a new girlfriend. He looked like his same smug, cocky self, who felt like he was God’s gift to women. A year later, in summer 2000, I saw him again. He looked different, subdued, messy, and lonely. His eyes lit up when he saw me, and after chatting for a bit, it was evident that he thought he was going home with me. We walked out the door, and he was beyond excited for female attention and the prospect of getting laid. He waited near the door while I got my car. I got close enough for him to reach my car, then circled around the crowded parking lot on purpose. When he made it to the car, I pulled off, leaving him there alone, thirsty AF. In my rear-view mirror, I saw his head hang down in sadness, and he may have cried at my rejection. Last I heard, nearly ten years ago, that he is single, alone, and desperate for a variety of reasons.

Since then, I’ve had issues trusting the opposite sex, and I’m content being alone and celibate. A toy is much better compared to a man, and batteries are much cheaper compared to the emotional, financial, and physical aspects of relationships.”

—Anonymous