"I discovered my husband was having an affair for three-and-a-half years and decided to forgive him"
- last year
A woman who discovered her husband was having an affair for three-and-a-half years decided to "forgive" him - because she didn't want to "abandon" him during his "darkest moment".
Alexandrea Acevedo, 26, found herself reeling after learning her husband of five years, Michael, 31, had been unfaithful for the majority of their marriage.
The mum-of-three uncovered his deceit when she spotted a message to his lover on his phone in December 2022.
After confronting Michael, he confessed he had been seeing another woman for the last three-and-a-half years.
Michael left the family home for a week while Alexandrea tried to work out what she wanted to do.
After being threatened with a divorce, Michael eventually began to realise that he needed to make a change.
Alexandrea says her husband was then "hellbent" on repairing their marriage and booked himself into therapy and AA to prove it.
Seeing her husband's actions match his remorseful words prompted Alexandrea to give him a second chance.
Alexandrea, an events designer, from Orlando, Florida, US, said: "When I first found out he had been cheating on me, I sat in a lot of hurt and anger and disbelief.
"I'd always talked very highly of him so to find out he’d had an affair was heart-wrenching for me.
Michael initially downplayed the messages as "random messages from a friend".
But Alexandrea's "gut feeling" told her there was more to it and she decided to have a thorough look through his phone.
After he was rumbled, Michael initially thought about taking the 'easier' option of a divorce.
But a night of heavy drinking led him to a realisation that he had to attempt to put things right.
Alexandrea was best friends with Michael's younger sister when they met in 2013.
The pair hit it off and tied the knot in September 2018 before welcoming their children - aged seven, five and 11 months.
She said: "It’s a work in progress every day. I have my moments but he’s very adamant on trying to understand and is focused on helping me.
"We’re moving day-by-day and have faith that he is going to continue to do everything he can.
"I’ve seen this sign of my husband that I’ve never seen before.
"The love has to be there, it’s not a fleeting feeling, it’s a choice you make every day and when you stop choosing to love someone it’s easy to give up on them.
"The person who has done the affair also has to be willing to share the truth about everything in life."
Alexandrea Acevedo, 26, found herself reeling after learning her husband of five years, Michael, 31, had been unfaithful for the majority of their marriage.
The mum-of-three uncovered his deceit when she spotted a message to his lover on his phone in December 2022.
After confronting Michael, he confessed he had been seeing another woman for the last three-and-a-half years.
Michael left the family home for a week while Alexandrea tried to work out what she wanted to do.
After being threatened with a divorce, Michael eventually began to realise that he needed to make a change.
Alexandrea says her husband was then "hellbent" on repairing their marriage and booked himself into therapy and AA to prove it.
Seeing her husband's actions match his remorseful words prompted Alexandrea to give him a second chance.
Alexandrea, an events designer, from Orlando, Florida, US, said: "When I first found out he had been cheating on me, I sat in a lot of hurt and anger and disbelief.
"I'd always talked very highly of him so to find out he’d had an affair was heart-wrenching for me.
Michael initially downplayed the messages as "random messages from a friend".
But Alexandrea's "gut feeling" told her there was more to it and she decided to have a thorough look through his phone.
After he was rumbled, Michael initially thought about taking the 'easier' option of a divorce.
But a night of heavy drinking led him to a realisation that he had to attempt to put things right.
Alexandrea was best friends with Michael's younger sister when they met in 2013.
The pair hit it off and tied the knot in September 2018 before welcoming their children - aged seven, five and 11 months.
She said: "It’s a work in progress every day. I have my moments but he’s very adamant on trying to understand and is focused on helping me.
"We’re moving day-by-day and have faith that he is going to continue to do everything he can.
"I’ve seen this sign of my husband that I’ve never seen before.
"The love has to be there, it’s not a fleeting feeling, it’s a choice you make every day and when you stop choosing to love someone it’s easy to give up on them.
"The person who has done the affair also has to be willing to share the truth about everything in life."