I found his secret life a month ago and now I just want to be single
My husband of 3 years (together 10) had been hiding a decade-long history of secret porn use and other deceptive sexual behaviors. It is important to note that he never "disclosed" this to me; I found out on my own. He only started "recovery" and therapy after I confronted him with the evidence. He has been "clean" for about 4 weeks and is begging for a second chance.
The problem is that this discovery shattered the foundation of our marriage. I’ve realized that for years, I’ve been doing all the emotional labor, soothing all our conflicts, and managing his emotional instability, while he was living a secret life. Now that the truth is out, I don’t feel betrayed...I feel detached. I don’t miss him, I don’t feel drawn to him, and I honestly just want to be single and independent.
We have our first couples therapy session scheduled for tomorrow because he is desperate to "rebuild," but I feel like I’m just going through the motions. To make matters worse, I just caught him scrubbing his digital history (deleting emails) from an account he knows I have access to.
I feel like a "bad person" because he’s "trying" (therapy, staying clean), but I’ve completely checked out. I’m currently trapped living in his parents' house with him and feeling completely stuck.
Has anyone else been in a position where the "addiction" disclosure just showed deeper emotional incompatibility and an exit became the only real option? How do I navigate a "reconciliation" therapy session when I know I want out?
Posted Apr 28, 2026, 7:06 PM UTC