Could she be cheating or am I paranoid
My wife (39F) and I (39M) met and married after a year of dating. Due to immigration issues, we’ve been separated for 7 months. We’ve had our ups and downs, but she has generally been supportive, and we decided to move to another country together. About 3 months ago, we hit a rough patch with frequent arguments, and I sometimes berated her. She began saying she was building resentment, doubting the move, and asking me to attend marriage counseling. Around the same time, her father attempted suicide, adding more stress. I agreed to counseling, but her behavior changed noticeably. Small things became major arguments, and she said I was socially stunted, lacked self-awareness, constantly interrupted her, and wasn't interested enough in her work. With our 12-hour time difference, she became available mostly in the mornings and often avoided talking later because she felt anxious. I also noticed we rarely spoke during her evenings. When I asked about her Sunday evenings, she said she did nothing and wouldn't elaborate. My suspicions grew, and one Friday I called unexpectedly. She said she was at happy hour with coworkers and asked to talk later. I repeatedly video-called until she answered from the parking lot. When I questioned why she couldn't talk inside the Applebee's, she said she was furious and didn't want her coworkers to see her upset. Later, she called from home, denied doing anything "bad," and said she wanted some recreation without feeling like she could never escape from me.
A few days later, I admitted I had doubts about her, and she reassured me. During a heart-to-heart, she revealed significant things from her past: she was sexually abused by her theater director at 14, eventually sued the theater company, and helped get him sentenced to 10 years. She also told me she'd been cheated on twice. In the first relationship, she retaliated by sleeping with her boyfriend's best friend; in the second, her long-distance partner cheated on her twice, despite them eventually reconciling and attending marriage counseling with the same counselor we're now seeing. She also has scars on her hand that she previously attributed to working in the barn but now says she wasn't ready to discuss them early in our relationship. Her past is more than a decade old, and I have no concrete evidence she's done anything wrong now. She's currently very sweet, and I genuinely believe she loved me and is willing to move countries with me. Still, the recent emotional rollercoaster and the things I've learned have left me uneasy. Am I being paranoid, or is my concern reasonable, and how should I process all this?
Posted Aug 27, 2026, 1:03 PM UTC