Brad and Madison met at the same accounting giant in downtown Chicago . Each in their mid-twenties, they shared career aspirations as well as a hot passion for each other. Madison was smitten with Brad’s witty charm and his ability to schmooze almost any client. She didn’t realize that one day Brad’s schmoozing would coax her into a marriage, which ultimately was based on good looks and not much more. Madison would later reflect that he probably wanted her hand in marriage simply because she would look nice next to his house and sports car.
At first the marriage was okay and no great departure from the good times they shared while dating. However, she noticed that Brad soon began to spend more and more time at work. She dismissed it all until she found out from a co-worker that Brad was, in reality, leaving work a bit earlier than normal. So how was that possible?
Then, one day, she made the ultimate discovery. There in the computer room, Brad had apparently forgotten his cell phone. How would he be able to function at work today without his phone? Brad routinely gave his cell number to many of his clients. At this point, she had a hunch that something was not quite right and decided to conduct a little experiment.
She grabbed her phone and dialed his cell phone number. The phone in front of her did not ring, but some other phone was ringing! Finally, Brad answered it.
She told him he left his phone on the table and hung up. From the dead silence she had been met with, she knew she had been right. The phone sitting in front of her was an extra one. She perused the call history.
There were all sorts of numbers programmed into it, which she had no clue as to who they belonged to. Something told her they were not clients. She pressed one speed dial number and a women answered, “Brad, is that you?”
Perhaps in a cruel sense of irony, she used Brad’s secret phone to actually call an attorney. She suspected that Brad had lost interest in her long ago and now this seemed to confirm those suspicions. He just wanted her to stay at home and look nice for him and that was about it.
She filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery. Madison began to get the wheels of divorce in motion and served him papers during the next two weeks. She thought about forgiving him, but was overwhelmed with the pain and suffering, not to mention the disrespect she felt by his act of infidelity. Her divorce was ultimately granted.
Madison is not alone. Adultery is often cited by many people to be very valid grounds for seeking a divorce. In fact, the only reason that trumps it on most surveys is actual violence and other forms of abuse.
Now her action may not be your best option if you catch your spouse cheating on you. These situations can be complex and what works for you may not work for others. Many religions, which teach you to forgive and work it out, might want you to do just that before getting a divorce. Ultimately, if your spouse cheats, you have to ask yourself how much you believe your spouse will really change. If not much, then you need to give serious consideration to the option of divorce. A marriage is not only a moral commitment to remain faithful, but a legal one as well. If it is broken, you are within your rights to consider the same for the marriage.
