A man on Reddit admits he fell in love with his co-worker after his wife of six years fell ill.
“A couple of years ago, she got sick due to complications from Covid. And while it physically took its toll, mentally it defeated her. Especially combined with other hardships she has faced in the past. For a little more than a year, this mental funk has worn me down,” he shared.
“I accepted that I had to do virtually everything around the house, but the lack of gratitude and demands to do more wore on me. If I had a bad day at work, hers was worse so I had to console her,” he continued on Reddit.
The man explained that even though his wife was stressed about money, he couldn’t work late as he had to take care of her. He tried to encourage his wife to get out of the house and do things with him, but she “refused to budge.”
“She wouldn’t leave the bed to come out with me, she wouldn’t seek out disability to help the financial strain, she wouldn’t try counseling to try to overcome the hump. About 4 months ago, a co-worker and I, who I have known and worked with for years, started getting closer,” he recalled.
READ MORE: Man Tells Wife ‘Lighten Up’ After Co-Worker Makes ‘Creepy’ Joke
Since he was married, he tried to ignore his feelings for his co-worker, but they were too strong.
“It wasn’t just physically that I thought about her. It was missing her laugh, or going out of my way to see her, albeit just for a minute. My wife now knows that there’s a mutual attraction between myself and my co-worker, however since I didn’t do anything physical, she thinks we can salvage our marriage,” he detailed.
However, he feels he has already “emotionally moved on.”
“I know I owe it to her to try to rekindle the spark, and have tried avoiding the third party and focusing on my wife who is trying now, but deep down, I fear it’s too late,” he concluded.
Many users in the comments section suggested he leave his wife before he cheats on her.
“File for divorce before your emotional affair turns into you sleeping with your co-worker,” one person wrote.
“The solutions here are pretty straightforward. If you feel your marriage has run its course file for divorce before you end up sleeping with your co-worker and causing more damage. If you want to salvage your relationship, seek counseling. If you don’t know what you want, seek counseling,” another chimed in.
“Should you have started the emotional affair? No. But if you’re not getting what you need from the marriage, why stay in it? File for divorce,” someone else advised.