Husband rushed home early to tell his wife about his terminal cancer diagnosis — what he found on the CCTV made him call his lawyer instead
After his discovery, all his love and devotion for his wife of 20 years disappeared
A man in his 60s, who goes by u/throwawaySwanSong, thought the hardest part of his day would be telling his wife that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. After receiving the devastating news from doctors, he headed home to share it with her in person. But when he arrived, he noticed his business partner's car parked outside his house. It was unusual, which led him to check the CCTV footage. It confirmed his suspicions that broke his 20-year marriage. He shared the incident in a post in 2022, which has since received 1,800 upvotes and 196 comments.
I discovered the affair when I came home early to tell her about my diagnosis
by u/throwawaySwanSong in cheating_stories
Second camera footage
The man, who described himself as a "private person," didn't want to worry his wife about his tests until he was sure. Even though the man was dying, he said that his life was well-lived and he was at peace. After he got the diagnosis, he wanted to go home early to share the news with his wife. However, he wrote, "My life changed more than once that afternoon." When he got home, he saw his business partner's flashy and expensive car parked outside. He checked the home camera, but it was set to "privacy mode" and not recording.
He had a bad feeling about the situation and drove to his farm. Years ago, he installed a second video recorder that would archive footage to local storage so he could enjoy looking at wildlife and storms through the camera. He did not know that it would later help him confirm that his wife was cheating on him with his business associate.
Drama-free divorce
The man was at the end of his life and did not want a dramatic confrontation. He called up his lawyer, got his will and prenup sorted out. He wrote, "All of my devotion and love for her left me that afternoon... I know that I am not to blame. I have been a loyal, romantic, and attuned partner." He planned to enjoy his last holiday with his kids and grandkids, without revealing what he found. He added, "I will be the doting father and grandfather, and then try to play the doting husband role."
The author and his wife, Jane did not have children, but he co-parented two kids, twins, with a single mom Sarah. Sarah was later married to Steve, who the author became friends with. The reason why he shared his story online was that he had no one to open up to in real life. But he concluded the post by writing, "I am at peace with how and when my life will conclude."
Should cheaters be forgiven?
Extramarital affairs have been extremely common in recent years. A Survey on American Life poll in 2024 showed that 57% of women and 44% of men believe that infidelity is becoming common among couples in committed relationships in America. Another survey by Gallup found that 64% of Americans would not forgive their spouse for having an extramarital affair. Surprisingly, 10% revealed they would definitely forgive their cheating partner. 62% admitted they would leave their partner or get a divorce.
On the other hand, 31% would remain married to their spouse, even after finding out about their affair. While the author never confirmed the divorce, he did mention that he was looking out for himself, and all his devotion for her was gone.
'Leave her broke and homeless'
Several people chimed in the comments advising the author to remove her from the will and leave her with nothing. u/Wellman81 wrote, "Cut Jane out of your will completely except for a note saying, 'Maybe your affair partner will leave you something when he dies.'" u/CaptLerue added, "If you don’t reveal Jane, she may play the bereaved widow and go off with her AP. I think it would be rewarding to hear Jane express her undying love for you after she learns of the diagnosis. Do you know how long their affair has been going on?"
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