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Melanie had worked for our family for two years. She and I were close - we often shopped together and confided in each other - and she was excellent with my kids. I treated her like a younger sister.
"When her contract ended two years ago, I made sure she went to a good employer. I never suspected she had been having relations with my husband, Thomas.
"It was my aunt, who was helping me look after my children as I was busy with my job, who first noticed the unusual closeness between my husband and helper. After Melanie left our family, I decided to see a fortune teller to confirm my aunt's suspicions.
"When I put the question to the fortune teller, she said yes, Thomas and Melanie had indeed slept together. When I asked how many times, she simply said, 'Way too many to count'. I was devastated.
Painful Betrayal
"By then, Thomas and I had been married for 16 years, with two lovely children. We worked hard to make ends meet, but I thought we had a comfortable and happy life.
"Thomas and I had sex a couple of times a fortnight, which to me was normal, and everywhere we went, we held hands like a couple in love.
"He was hardworking, dependable and filial, but he also loved being the centre of attention. He enjoyed drinking with his buddies in bars, but I saw that as harmless. He wasn't the womanising sort, so I didn't think that I had anything to worry about.
"After the fortune teller told me about the affair, I confronted Melanie at her new job. After repeated denials, she finally confessed to having had a sexual relationship with Thomas. It seems that after I left, she telephoned my husband, because he went to see her, and called me to tell me to leave Melanie alone, saying the problem was between him and me.
"He promised to discuss it with me later at home, but instead, went drinking with his friends. He didn't come home until the wee hours, after which he simply got dressed and went to work, acting as if nothing had happened.
Broken Family
"I left Thomas almost immediately after that. I packed some things, took the kids and went to stay at my aunt's house. I just couldn't be in the same house with him anymore.
"When I eventually calmed down, I confronted him. He admitted that he'd slept with Melanie 'at least 30 times' throughout her time with us. Melanie had told me that the affair had started shortly after she began working for my family. "Thomas begged me not to divorce him, but within weeks of leaving him, I saw my lawyers. As I had no proof of his affair, I had to divorce him on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. The court granted our divorce two months later.
"Thomas blamed me for the affair, saying I had refused to give him sex. Sure, there were times when I had rejected him because the sex was painful, but overall, I thought our sex life was okay.
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