Why I Cheated On My Husband

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The first question that comes to mind when a spouse cheats is this: Why? A recent study by the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, attempted to answer that question and found that the reasons behind infidelity differ greatly between the sexes. For men, it's typically about the sex—the more sexually excitable they are, the more likely they are to cheat. For women, it's more about the level of satisfaction in their relationships; if a woman is unhappy in her marriage, then she's 2.6 times more likely to cheat.

Regardless of the reason, there's one thing that's certain: Infidelity is devastating. But there can be a silver lining. "In many cases, it forces issues to the surface of a relationship that would have never otherwise been dealt with," says Kevin Hansen, author of Secret Regrets: What If You Had a Second Chance? Read on to discover what life lessons these five women gained through their personal experiences with infidelity—and what you can learn from their stories.

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