Dear Abby: Nobody told her he was cheating; she died of AIDS
On July 13, you responded to someone asking whether friends should tell friends anonymously that their spouse is cheating.
What she did get was HIV-positive status, later full-blown AIDS and then death.
Personally, I’d want to know if I were living a daily life based on lies and deception.
Please accept my sympathy for the loss of your friend.
[...] thank you for sharing your compelling story.
Other readers responded to that letter with equal passion.
When the unsuspecting spouse hears it from another source, it’s like a double blow — everyone else knows but the one being cheated on.
The marriages I have seen survive are those in which the cheater is able to confess to the infidelity, own up to the indiscretions and promise not to interact with the other offender.
From experience, I know it is not an easy road back, but it’s worth every step.