Member-only story
“How can someone handle being in an affair while still deeply loving their spouse and family and not wanting to leave them despite being in a troubled relationship?
Once upon a time, in a city where the lights never dimmed and the streets whispered secrets, there lived a man named Michael. Michael, an African American in his late forties, carried himself with a quiet dignity that often masked the turmoil that brewed beneath his calm exterior. He was a loving father, a devoted husband, and a respected member of his community.
But Michael’s life, like the city he lived in, held secrets in its shadows.
For the past year, Michael found himself entangled in an affair with Ava, a colleague who had entered his life like a summer storm — unexpected and intense. Ava was everything his life wasn’t — adventurous, unpredictable, and passionately alive. She offered an escape from the monotony of his strained marriage with Lisa, his wife of twenty years, with whom conversations had become as rare as rain in a drought.
Despite the affair, Michael’s love for Lisa never waned. She was the mother of his children, his college sweetheart, the woman who had stood by him through thick and thin. But the years had worn down their marriage, leaving behind a chasm filled with unspoken words and unmet needs.
