When my husband found out I had been cheating on him with his own friend, I thought it was the end. We had been together for 18 years, and I had broken the trust that held our marriage together. I made a terrible mistake, and the pain I caused him haunts me every day.

I knew I couldn’t take back what I had done, but I desperately wanted to make it go away. I wanted to erase it from his mind, to have him forgive me, and for us to move forward. But it wasn’t that simple. Forgiveness doesn’t come overnight, especially when the betrayal runs so deep.

I’ve been working on myself, trying to understand why I made such a devastating choice. I’ve been completely transparent with him since then, answering every question, no matter how hard or uncomfortable it is. I know that in order for him to forgive me, he needs to know that I’m fully committed to healing our relationship.

It’s a long road, and I don’t know how long it will take. There are days when I feel like we’re making progress, and then there are moments when I fear we’ll never move past this. But I won’t give up. I owe it to him, to us, to keep fighting for our marriage, no matter how much time or effort it takes.