She took time off to care for their baby while he vacationed with his 'best mate.' Years later, a booking email revealed who he really went with

One woman found out about her partner’s cheating in the most hurtful way. It wasn’t one dramatic moment, but one thing after another. Piece by piece, she put together the puzzle and was left disheartened and shocked. While she took leave from her work to be with their young kid, her partner of 15 years was secretly using her sacrifice to facilitate his cheating. A booking email revealed that what she thought to be a trip with his “best mate” turned out to be a romantic getaway with another woman. Host Tash Gershfield read out the story in a September 30, 2026, episode of the NOT as we PLANNED (@notasweplanned_podcast) podcast. The video has been viewed over 120,000 times.

Unsuspecting discovery

According to the woman's account, she met her partner in her early 20s and a few years later had a child together. Life was smooth sailing except that she didn’t know that her partner was leading a double life, as the host Gershfield described. “I didn’t discover everything through one confession, one dramatic moment. It came out gradually piece by piece,” the woman had written, adding that it was psychologically challenging to deal with it. Every time she thought hope was there, her hopes got shattered. In 2017, for instance, their child had just started going to school. While her husband went on a long-haul city break, she took time off from work to look after their child, who had just started school.

Email held the secret

Later on, however, she stumbled upon a booking email that revealed that he had, in fact, gone on the trip with another woman. He had mistakenly left his email logged in on the family laptop. Worse still, the trip wasn’t the end of the discovery. Over time, the woman discovered even more details that left her questioning everything he had told her. For example, she found a weekly delivery address on the Deliveroo app where he had told her he played football with his mate. He would go on trips, and his explanations wouldn’t match the available evidence.

Gaslighting amplifies suspicions

When she confronted him, he made the most bizarre excuses, like the messages on his phone were old and a glitch on WhatsApp changed the dates on the messages. He even took her phone and deleted the evidence she had collected. Worst of all, she also discovered that he received motion notifications from the other woman’s doorbell camera. That said a lot of things about his relationship with the other woman.

Is cheating an inescapable reality?

Sadly, this scenario of infidelity is commonly observed in about a quarter of the population. For instance, according to Regain, an online relationship therapy platform, “25% of men admit to cheating on their spouse at some point, while around 15% of women admit to the same.” The hurt can extend well beyond discovering an affair. An article published by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy explains that repeated deception and infidelity can undermine a partner’s self-esteem, trust, and sense of security. For this woman, the discoveries kept coming, leaving her to question explanations she had once believed.

'She had no idea either'

Viewers reacted to the story with shocked expressions. Many of them shared similar stories from their experiences. @helenwood552 shared, "Something similar happened to me. 25 years married together for 30; my ex walked out. Our adult daughter found nude photos on his phone, not of me. His explanation: "They were old photos from before we met.” @m_yates85 said, “I was with someone on and off for 6 years, then decided it was time to give it a proper go. After a year and seeing an IVF specialist, I then found out he was married and had two kids!!! She had no idea either! She stayed and had another child with him; I left and could never trust him again.”

You can follow NOT as we PLANNED (@notasweplanned_podcast) on Instagram for the latest podcast episodes and relationship content. 

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