Breaking up is hard to do, but cheating is even worse.
I recently asked people in BuzzFeed Community to share how their lives changed after finding out one of their parents cheated on the other. (Warning: Sad tales ahead.) Here are some of the most heartbreaking stories:
1. "My dad cheated on my mom when I was 18. We found out when text messages meant for my dad were sent to my brother (from her) by mistake! It’s been 10 years, and I still haven’t gotten over it.
2. "My mom cheated on my dad with his brother, and now I have a brother/cousin.
3. "We were getting ready to move for dad's job, and he moved first. We found out on Christmas that my dad was off with a woman and her kids.
4. "I was a kid in the '90s and begged my parents to get the internet when it first came out. We eventually got AOL, and my parents used it to chat with others their age. My dad used it to find his now wife. My mom found out he cheated by finding lipstick smudges on his work shirt and smelling her perfume.
5. "My dad cheated on my mom. I was 11 when the phone rang one summer day and it was a man asking to talk to my mom. My mom sent me outside so she could talk to him. Turned out it was the woman's husband telling my mom that my dad was cheating with his wife.
6. "I found out my mom was talking to someone she met on Instagram, and when I confronted her, she made me feel guilty for trying to take away the only person to make her feel special. She brought up a bunch of stuff about how my dad was unfaithful, which I had always suspected but had no proof. I told her to stop 'cause if he found out, it would be bad for everyone.
7. "My father cheated on my mother, which ended in divorce. I was 8, my sister 11. Since then, my dad has proceeded to get married another three times. He cheated on two of those as well. Somehow, the third is hanging on, but we're not sure how.
8. "My family were very conservative Christians. When I was 7, my mom discovered my dad had been having affairs with other men. They quickly divorced, but I didn't find out why until a few years later, shortly after I realized I, too, was gay.
9. "Last year, my 27-year-old sister and I happened upon a text conversation between my dad and his girlfriend of 1.5 years, while he was in marriage counseling with our mom.
10. "My mother cheated on my dad for over a year with her high school sweetheart after they’d reconnected at their high school reunion. She'd been going on legitimate business trips — where he'd meet up with her, and they'd spend time together. My dad put two and two together just before I started high school, and they decided to get a divorce literally the night before my first day.
11. "My dad cheated on my mom while I was growing up. My mom was constantly unhappy. I grew up wishing they would get divorced so my mom could be happy. I was so young that I didn't understand adult situations.
12. "When I was 13, my mom was cleaning my dad's home office and stumbled on letters and notes with his girlfriend. They divorced shortly after, and my dad ended up marrying that same woman. After they divorced, I tried having a relationship with my dad, but he seemed to only care about his new life.
13. "My father cheated on my mother multiple times. She was always so miserable, usually taking that misery out on my brother and me, making our whole house unbearable.
14. "Considering my mom told me and not my siblings, and I don't even know if she told my dad…it broke me. I was 16."
15. "My dad had numerous affairs, the most significant being with my babysitter. My mother found out when I was 8. They discussed divorce, then got back together 'for the sake of the children.' (Eye roll.) He continued the affair for 14 years before my mother found out again.
16. "Both of my parents cheated on each other for years and divorced when I was 7. I now have severe trust issues that have affected every single relationship in my life, friendships included. I doubt everyone's intentions, and I feel like everyone will eventually f--k me over one way or another.
17. "I caught my dad sending emails to a woman that went on for months. At one point, he apologized to her for having to end a conversation early because his son woke up.
18. "My biological mom was a notorious cheater. And while my dad tried to refrain from badmouthing her as I grew up, it was always understood that she was a terrible woman.
19. "My father cheated on my mother with various women over their entire 30-year marriage. My brother and I always wanted to go to one particular vacation spot, but my father never once took us.
Did one of your parents cheat while you were growing up? Share your story in the comments.
Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.