Husband cheated before their 10th anniversary, then asked wife for alimony. What the lawyer discovered left him begging for a second chance

Many spouses go about their daily lives thinking their marriages are solid, unaware that problems are brewing beneath the surface. A 38-year-old wife (u/10172025) was about to celebrate her 10th anniversary with her husband before she found out he had been having an affair with a younger woman. She was ready to go through the usual one-year separation before divorcing him, but her lawyer found a loophole around paying him alimony. Now, he's asking for a second chance. The post was shared on Reddit, and it received 6,100 upvotes and 243 comments. 

The lawyer gave her the best news

In the October 18, 2025, post, the wife admitted that she was naïve because she did not see the divorce coming. She was looking up vacation destinations for them to celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2026 when he came clean about the affair. He wanted to leave her for the other woman. She was heartbroken, but was not going to stay with an unfaithful spouse. She thought that she had to follow the usual divorce procedure of staying separated for a year and then filing for divorce.

However, she wanted to prepare beforehand and made an appointment with a lawyer. It turns out it was one of the best things she did. The lawyer told her, "In our state, alimony is forbidden if there is adultery." She even had proof that her husband had given her an admission of the affair.

Update after serving him divorce papers

Two months later (December 5, 2025), the wife shared another update. She decided to proceed with the divorce, and her husband was not happy when he found out about it. They moved out of their house after their lease ended in October and lived separately. The biggest surprise was that a few days after he was served the divorce papers, he begged her to give him another chance to work out their marriage. She vehemently rejected the idea and told him to only contact her through her lawyer. However, despite the good news on the legal aspect of the situation, she wrote, "He broke my heart first, and even the good news from my lawyer hasn't erased how broken I feel."

States where adultery changes an alimony claim

There are 31 states in the U.S. where adultery can affect alimony decisions from the court. However, the impact varies from state to state. Some of these states include Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, and more. The wife did not reveal which state she belonged to, but her lawyer explained that the state's adultery laws are the reason why she does not have to pay her husband any alimony.

 Excited for a stranger's divorce

People were rooting for the wife in the comments and were happy that she was getting divorced. u/fingersonlips commented, "So happy there’s at least a silver lining in this for you. He sucks, I’m glad he’s going to get disappointing news, and I’m glad his own actions make him ineligible for alimony. Love that for you." u/Riyeko advised, "After the divorce, make sure you come dressed to the 9s in the best clothes. Then go on that vacation immediately after. Bring the divorce papers, go be your best self. Have fun. Live well."

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