βI think it's probably just people, when they cheat on other people, tell themselves that they're doing it because they have to, because fate is involved and whatever happened, you're better off and probably the person that you broke up with is better off. This is the way it was meant to be.β
Infidelity often leads to profound maternal estrangement
βMy biggest loss was losing you for five years. At puberty, you were 13, you were just about to have your first period, you went off with George to Africa. You came back and you looked different. And actually with maternal intuition, which I obviously didn't have much of, I remember looking at you and thinking, she's changed.β
Statistical likelihood of cheating reaches fifty percent
βThere's solid research, a variety of researchers have shown, that in one out of two couples, one or both partners will cheat during the lifetime of a relationship. That's 50 percent of all relationships. Most affairs are never detected.β
βThey always say like their road to finding each other was a bumpy road or they had a difficult time, many ups and downs. They encountered some obstacles along the way and it's like, no, those are people. Those are like other lives. They're not speed bumps.β
Happy marriages do not insulate against infidelity
βOne of the surprising things that my mom found out in her research was that tons of people will have affairs even though they're happy in their marriage. You don't have to be unhappy to have an affair. Fifty-six percent of the men and 34 percent of the women in one of my mom's studies said they cheated though their marriage was happy.β
Material gifts often serve as substitutes for presence
βI'm actually doing a pretty good imitation of an actress. But I'm doing an even better imitation of a mistress. Lenny's been busy buying me things. I don't particularly want these things, but they seem to be what Lenny is offering in lieu of himself.β
Affairs trap participants in elaborate fictional realities
βIn the time that I knew him, he never, ever changed his story midstream. I hung up on him and called his family's house in Westchester. When the maid answered the phone, I asked to speak with Mr. Klein. And when he picked up the extension and I heard his rough, craggy hello, I screamed so hard into his ear that he dropped the receiver.β