My husband cheated — I slept with my boss, then woke to the first sentence he said that left me stunned…

I know what I did was wrong, but only someone in my situation can truly understand. How can a woman be forced to shoulder all the housework and childcare while her husband lounges around with his mistress?

We didn’t come together purely out of an arranged match, nor was it a love story born of deep passion. We met through a few people who introduced us. The feelings came quickly and a grand wedding followed just months later.

I still remember our wedding — it was probably the most lavish in the whole district. Both my parents and his parents were in business and wanted a big celebration that required a lot of socializing. The dowry from my family and the wedding gifts from his family made everyone gasp in admiration.

After we married, we moved into a three-story villa with a swimming pool. It was a wedding present from his parents. I stopped working outside and took over bookkeeping and expense management for my husband’s family business. Both families’ businesses improved after the wedding.

Because we were young, we agreed to wait at least a year before having children. That year was like a pink dream that many people envied. After work we would eat out, have coffee, or cook together in the kitchen, messing around making our favorite dishes.

After a year of traveling and enjoying life, I decided to try for a baby. My in-laws didn’t pressure us, and my own parents encouraged that it was the right time to think about children. Almost a year later, a healthy baby boy was born, to the joy of both families.

Because we had a son, we didn’t consider having more children. His parents left it up to us — more children certainly bring joy, but one child raised carefully can also be good.

After I gave birth I suffered gynecological inflammation and breast abscesses, so we had to abstain. At first my husband was uncomfortable about it, but he gradually understood.

Our married life drifted along peacefully. We spoke frankly about boundaries: even as husband and wife, we should have personal space; checking each other’s wallet, phone or Facebook passwords wasn’t necessary. We each handled our own affairs and we never worried about money — perhaps that’s why life grew dull.

I began to notice strange signs, and the pain of learning that my husband had been seeing someone else for a year was worse. He even bought his little mistress an apartment so they could meet more easily. They slept together while I was still recovering and forbidden from intimacy.

I didn’t make a scene; I hinted that he should stop. But he acted as if nothing was wrong, and I knew their affair continued. She even became pregnant with his child.

Life became suffocating. I wanted to escape but didn’t know how. I gave an excuse and moved to work outside the family company. I needed to get out, at least to escape the claustrophobia of being surrounded by in-laws and having nowhere to confide.

And it was there that I found warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time — with my boss. He was nearly fifty and single. His ex-wife and child had moved abroad about ten years earlier.

We had dates, shared meals, and one day when I went to his house to care for him while he was ill, we ended up in bed together. I knew what I did was wrong, but reason couldn’t overpower my heart.

When I woke up after that passionate night, the first thing he said truly shocked me:

“I want to give you happiness — give you an honorable status. Do you want us to live forever in the shadows like this?”

I had never dared to imagine such a thing. He even promised to help care for my son — something I had never dared hope for. I’m so conflicted: my husband no longer pays attention to our family, while this man is unbearably warm. What should I do?