I cheated on my husband because I wanted to feel alive again

I’d been leaving myself long before I ever left my husband (Picture: Supplied)

As I stood in front of the mirror on my 36th birthday, I swallowed down the familiar lump in my throat. 

My husband was at work, and I was meeting my best friend and her husband for a walk. From the outside, everything looked fine, but inside I was choking on the secret that had been eating me alive. 

I’d hoped that by now over a year later, the guilt would have faded and I could forget what I’d done. But no amount of time made the overthinking stop. 

That morning, I did what I’d always done: put a smile on my face and pretended I was OK. I didn’t realise then that this habit, perpetually ignoring my own feelings, was the real bet...