There's no good way to get cheated on. It's the ultimate betrayal by a partner who was supposed to be faithful, and it's difficult to know how to react.
Needless to say, it's not a situation that anyone wants to be in, and there's no definitively correct way to respond. But the story of two women who found out that they shared the same unfaithful boyfriend is pretty great.
Faith had no reason to suspect that anything was amiss. She and her boyfriend seemed to have a good thing going, with plenty of plans for their future life together.
Faith's 30th birthday was coming up, so she and her boyfriend planned a trip to Costa Rica to celebrate. She was looking forward to seeing some of the country's natural beauty when something concerning happened.
The message had a pic of Faith and her boyfriend, asking if he was indeed her boyfriend. It went on to say that he'd also been dating another woman — Emely — for close to a year.
After Faith's boyfriend failed to provide a satisfactory explanation, she decided to reach out to Emely. The two women, who both believed they'd been in exclusive relationships, commiserated over their shared heartbreak. Then, they decided to do something spontaneous: instead of Faith going to Costa Rica with her cheating boyfriend, she'd go with Emely instead.
"I confronted him," Faith told the Washington Post. "He said, 'What are you talking about? Are you crazy?' And then I pulled up the messages and he was like, 'Oh...yeah. I never should have let it get out of hand.'"
Even though Faith and Emely had been strangers to one another and only connected because they were both dating the same cheating loser of a boyfriend, they hit it off. "If you're serious about Costa Rica, let me know," Faith wrote to Emely. "I'm dead serious about bringing you instead of him lol."
The trip was equal parts healing, commiseration and adventure. The women were both still reeling from the shock of what had happened to them, but that didn't stop them from having a blast in Costa Rica.
Commenters on Faith's Facebook post applauded the move, calling it a great example of women supporting each other and building each other up. After all, the only person who should be torn down is the guy who manipulated these women.
"This girl set up a birthday surprise for me on the last day and had everyone singing happy birthday to me," Faith wrote. "I can't say a man has ever done something like that for me before. Women rock!"
Given the circumstances — one lousy boyfriend trying to maintain relationships with two women and keeping them in the dark — the outcome seems like the best possible scenario. Both women have ditched their cheating boyfriend and found a new friend.
If you've ever been cheated on, tell us: could you possibly be friends with the person your partner was cheating with? Why or why not? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
