All Episodes

October 13, 2025 21 mins

I Was About to Tell My Wife That I Have Terminal Cancer and Only Months to Live, but Before I Could Speak, She Broke Down Crying and Confessed She’s Been Having an Affair

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I was about to tell my wife thatI have terminal cancer and only
months to live but before I could speak she broke down
crying and confessed she's been having an affair and is pregnant
with her Co workers baby. Last week I received news that
has completely turned my world upside down.
All the medical tests I underwent have confirmed the
worst. I have stage 4 lung cancer.
Hearing those words was nerve racking.

(00:21):
Since that moment I felt utterlyshattered.
The tears haven't stopped and I feel powerless.
I don't want to die. I'm not ready.
There's so much I still want to do, so much I still want to say,
but it feels like the universe has made-up its mind and I am
being dragged along helplessly. The doctors have told me I only
have a few months left to live, and those words keep echoing in

(00:41):
my head over and over, like a cruel fate I can't escape.
Until now, I had kept this diagnosis to myself, even though
I was drowning in fear and sadness.
I hadn't told my wife yet. I didn't want to worry her
unnecessarily, not until I had clear answers, but once the
final Test results came in, there was no escaping it
anymore. I did try to go to a few other

(01:02):
doctors for more suggestions, but they all told me the same
thing. In the end, I knew I had to tell
my wife and prepare her for the worst.
How do you tell your life partner, the love of your life,
that you are going to be gone soon?
How do you prepare yourself to have that talk this week?
After days of battling with my own nerves, I finally found the
courage to have the conversationI have been dreading.

(01:22):
I rehearsed it in my head countless times, trying to
figure out the right words, but no matter how I said it, it
always felt wrong. When the moment came, I sat her
down and told her we needed to talk.
As soon as she looked at me, I could see the concern in her
eyes. My face must have been pale and
drawn because she asked me rightaway if something was wrong.
I didn't know how to ease into it, so I just said the truth.

(01:43):
Yes, I have found out something and now everything is wrong.
As I sat there gathering every ounce of strength I had to tell
my wife about my diagnosis, something unexpected happened.
She started to cry. Her tears caught me off guard.
I hadn't even begun to tell her the news yet, so I couldn't
understand why she was so upset.Confused, I looked at her,
searching for some kind of explanation.

(02:05):
That's when she said something that completely threw me off
balance. She began to stammer through her
tears, saying how she knew exactly what I was about to say.
I froze, trying to piece together her words.
How could she possibly know I hadn't told anyone about the
tests, the results, or what I was going through?
I asked her, still perplexed. What are you talking about?

(02:26):
She took a shaky breath and thendropped a bombshell I never saw
coming. You found out about my affair,
didn't you? That's what you want to talk
about, right? Her words hit me like a freight
train. An affair.
My wife was having an affair. For a moment, I couldn't even
process it. I just sat there, stunned into
silence, my mind scrambling to make sense of what I just heard.

(02:47):
My heart, already fragile from the weight of my diagnosis, felt
like it had been shattered into a million pieces.
My wife, still crying, began to explain herself.
She admitted that she'd been struggling for weeks to find the
courage to tell me the truth. As the reality of her confession
sank in, I finally managed to ask her, who is it?
Who's the guy? Through her tears, she confessed

(03:09):
that it was her new Co worker, the one who had joined her
office just a few months ago. She said that from the moment
they met, there had been an undeniable attraction between
them. At first they both tried to
ignore it, knowing they were both married.
But three months ago, during a business trip, everything
changed. They got drunk one night and
slept together, even though theyboth felt guilty about it.

(03:30):
That night marked the beginning of an affair that had been
ongoing ever since. My wife told me she felt
terrible for what she had done for betraying me, but she
insisted that this wasn't just ameaningless fling.
She claimed that she and her Co worker were in love.
Love. Hearing her say those words felt
like a knife twisting in my chest.
How could she be in love with this guy?
All this time I thought she and I belong together.

(03:52):
I thought she was my soul mate. And now I'd found out that she
was nothing more than a cheater.My whole world, which was
already crumbling, now felt likeit had been completely
destroyed. I had come into this
conversation prepared to tell mywife about my terminal cancer,
the thing that is killing me slowly from the inside.
Instead, here she was, casually dropping this earth shattering
revelation that she had been having an affair and was in love

(04:14):
with this other guy. How could this even be real?
How could the universe be this cruel?
Before I could even process the betrayal, my wife continued to
say how last week she had missedher period and decided to take a
pregnancy test. The result was positive, and she
was pregnant. My stomach churned as the
implications of her words hit me.
Since she and I had not been intimate in months, it was

(04:35):
obvious, painfully, undeniably obvious, that the child she was
carrying belonged to her, a fairpartner.
I felt like I was drowning, Unable to catch my breath.
I asked her just in case, and she nodded her head in
confirmation. She began to tell me again how
sorry she was for what she had done, and how she wished she had
gotten pregnant with me instead of him.
But now that she was pregnant anyways, she had come to accept

(04:55):
the situation. She didn't stop there.
She actually started gushing about how this pregnancy was
like a miracle to her since it happened out of the blue and it
felt like God's plan. I could feel my heart breaking
even further as she said those words.
A miracle for her. Last year, she and I had tried
so hard to get pregnant. We'd gone through so much only
to finally give up and decide toleave it to chance as it was

(05:17):
taking a toll on our mental health.
After that, my wife, instead of getting intimate with me, had
gone around sleeping with someone else.
I've been completely blind to this.
All this while I thought we bothwere fine when in reality she
just wanted to replace me and get pregnant with someone else.
Now here she was, pregnant not with my child, but with the
child of the man she had been sleeping with behind my back.

(05:40):
I felt like throwing up. Every word she said made the
pain sharper and the betrayal deeper.
My wife kept telling me how muchshe regretted that I had to find
out this way. She kept saying that she had
wanted to confess this for a while but didn't have the guts
to do so. At the same time, she also made
it clear that she didn't regret anything because she had finally
met her soul mate in this guy. She told me that she didn't feel

(06:01):
like she had done anything wrongand that maybe this was the
universe's plan all along. She assured me that with time I
would heal from this heartbreak and maybe even find my own soul
mate someday. I couldn't help but start
laughing out loud at that point.Find my own soul mate.
How absurd. I wish I could.
However, I didn't even have the luxury of time to consider such
a thing. My days were numbered.

(06:23):
My life was slipping away fasterthan I could process this
nightmare. My wife, the one person I
thought I could always rely on, had cheated on me and was now
leaving me on my own. This is why I decided right then
and there that my wife did not deserve to know about my
diagnosis. I mean what was the point
anyways? She was already thinking about
building a new life with someoneelse, carrying his child and

(06:45):
dreaming of a future with her so-called soul mate.
What was the point of me even telling her now about my
diagnosis? I didn't want her pity.
I didn't want to guilt her into staying with me.
Even though I am dying, I still want to die with my dignity.
So I simply told her that since she was clear about her feelings
for her affair partner in the direction her life was heading,
there was no point in a staying married.

(07:06):
She nodded in agreement and almost casually volunteered to
move out since the house was mine.
Since that conversation, my wifehas been living in the guest
room and packing up her belongings bit by bit to move
out. She still has no idea about my
cancer or how rapidly my health is declining.
She hasn't noticed the weight I've lost, the way my body is
weakening, or the dark circles under my eyes from night spent

(07:28):
crying alone in the bed we used to share.
At night I lie awake, my mind racing with thoughts of her and
the man she left me for. I've become obsessed, stalking
him on social media, trying to piece together who he is and why
she threw away 8 years of our marriage for him.
I found out that he's married toa gorgeous woman.
I found his wife online and she's five months pregnant.

(07:48):
The irony isn't lost on me. His wife is also carrying his
child, likely blissfully unawarethat her husband is about to
upend her life, just as my wife did mine.
My heartaches for his wife, eventhough I don't know her.
She probably has no idea what's coming.
I know all too well what it feels like to be blindsided, to
have your world collapse withoutwarning.
My wife only confessed her affair to me because she

(08:09):
mistakenly thought I already knew.
What if his wife never gets the confession?
What if she never finds out the truth about the man she's
building a family with? What if he leaves her without an
explanation? I can't decide what to do.
Part of me wants to tell his wife everything I know to spare
her from the pain of discoveringit too late like I did.
But another part of me wonders if it's even my place to

(08:31):
intervene. Maybe I'm a bit too emotional
about this, so I can't make up my mind.
So Reddit Ida, if I reach out tohis wife and tell her everything
that I know, should I at least give her a heads up or is that
cruel? Update 1 Thank you everyone for
your kind words, support, and advice.
I never imagined that a group ofstrangers on the Internet could
offer me more compassion and understanding than my own wife.

(08:53):
Your messages have meant a lot to me during this unbearable
time. I still have a long road ahead.
I need to gather my strength andshare this heartbreaking news
with my parents and other familymembers.
But before I can even think about that, my priority is
ending my marriage. First, I need to divorce my wife
and be done with to her. At first, when all of this came
crashing down, I felt nothing but pity for myself.

(09:16):
I thought about how cruel and unfair life has been, how
everything I thought I could rely on was crumbling.
But now that pity has turned into disgust.
I am disgusted by what my wife has done, by her betrayal, and
by how casually she shattered everything we built together.
I have given her my all my time,my energy, my love, and she
repaid me in the worst way possible.

(09:36):
It feels like she stomped on my heart without a second thought.
Yes, I wish things were different.
I wish she weren't the kind of person who could hurt me like
this. I wish she wasn't a cheater who
prioritized her own selfish desires over our marriage over
me. But the harsh reality is that
she is, and I have no desire to hold onto her anymore.
I don't want her in my life, notas my wife and not as someone I

(09:57):
trust. She is better off with this
other man she claims to love so much.
Let them be together if that's what she wants.
As much as it hurts, I know I deserve better than someone who
could betray me so cruelly. There's a bitter silver lining
in all of this. If she hadn't confessed to her
affair, I would have gone to my grave thinking she was someone I
could trust, someone who deserved my love and everything

(10:18):
I've worked for. I would have left all my assets
to her, thinking I was taking care of her even after I was
gone. But now I know the truth and
because of that, I can make sureshe doesn't get to benefit from
my hard work while sharing it with her affair partner.
I will divorce her and I will ensure she gets nothing from me.
That's the least I owe to myselfafter everything she has done.

(10:38):
Fortunately, the process of divorcing her should be
straightforward. We have a clear cut prenup
agreement and there are no children between us.
The mediator should be able to handle this quickly considering
she's pregnant with another man's child and has already told
me she doesn't want to stay in this marriage.
I doubt she'll try to drag out the proceedings.
That's perfect for me. I want this chapter of my life
closed as soon as possible. As for her affair partner, I've

(11:01):
made-up my mind that guy's wife deserves to know the truth about
what her husband has been doing behind her back.
She's about to become a single mother and I can only imagine
how devastating this news will be for her.
I feel terrible for her because she didn't ask for this just
like I didn't, but she deserves honesty, even if it's painful.
I'll tell her everything so she can decide what to do with her

(11:22):
life, just as I'm deciding what to do with mine.
Update 2. Thank you to everyone who keeps
checking in on me every day in my DMS.
I am truly grateful. I do feel a whole lot better now
that I have been reading all your comments and messages.
Anyways, I decided to reach out to the guy's wife on Facebook.
I felt like it was the right thing to do, so I sent her a
direct message telling her everything about the affair, the

(11:44):
pregnancy, and how long this betrayal had been going on
behind both of our backs. I wasn't sure what kind of
reaction to expect. I knew it would be an incredibly
sensitive and shocking thing to drop on someone, especially a
stranger, and I wasn't prepared for how she would respond.
She ended up leaving me on read,which honestly makes sense.
I can only imagine how shocked and overwhelmed she must have

(12:05):
been by everything I had shared.It's a lot to process,
especially when you're suddenly faced with the painful truth
about something so personal and hurtful about your own partner.
A few hours later, my phone rangand it was my ex-wife.
The moment I picked up, she started screaming at me.
She was furious and accused me of interfering in her affair
partner's marriage. According to her, I had no right

(12:26):
to contact his wife. She went on to tell me that the
guy had supposedly planned to leave his wife, but only after
the baby was born. Now because I had exposed their
affair, his wife had kicked him out of their home, and his plans
have been ruined. Her tone was so full of
entitlement, as if I had done something wrong by bringing the
truth to light. She kept ranting about how I
should have just kept my mouth shut and let them handle things

(12:48):
on their own terms. She told me that it was not my
place to tell that woman anything.
But honestly, I was glad I exposed them this way.
My wife and that guy had cheatedon us, broke our trust and
sneaked behind us. Now she and that guy thought I
should have not warned his wife.I have 0 regrets about exposing
them. If anything, they deserve it.

(13:08):
Later that night, the man's wifefinally responded to my message.
She thanked me for telling her the truth and I could tell she
was deeply hurt but also appreciative that I had reached
out to her. She told me about how she
regretted that she was now pregnant with his baby and how
she had never even wanted to become a mother in the 1st
place, but that the guy had basically forced her to keep the
baby. She wrote how after getting

(13:29):
pregnant she started gaining weight and this is when her
husband would constantly tell her how he was always turned off
by her. I guess this must have been when
he met my wife and started sleeping with her.
She also wrote how she wished she had known about this affair
sooner to be more better prepared, but was still grateful
that I had told everything. I felt so bad for her and wished
her the best. I can only hope she takes her

(13:49):
husband to the cleaners during their divorce.
He deserves to lose everything for what he's done to her, just
like my ex-wife deserves to facethe consequences of her actions.
I hope that woman gets a solid alimony settlement and uses it
to rebuild her life without the cheating scumbag holding her
back. It feels good to know I did the
right thing, even if my ex-wife thinks otherwise.
They made their bed and now theyhave to lie in it.

(14:11):
Update 3. It's been two months since my
last update and so much has happened since then.
My ex-wife and I are now officially divorced.
Just as I had suspected, she pushed for the process to be as
quick and straightforward as possible.
It was painfully obvious that her only concern was to end our
marriage so she could jump rightinto her new life with the man
she betrayed me for. She barely even looked at me

(14:32):
during the proceedings and neverasked me for a penny.
In the days following the divorce, I've already spoken
with a lawyer and started working on my will.
My parents and my sister will inherit everything that's in my
name. They've always stood by me
through everything, and this is the least I can do to thank them
for their unwavering love and support.
I would also like to thank all of you kind strangers who've
been reaching out to me in my DMS and offering your support.

(14:55):
Even though I can't respond to everyone individually, I want
you to know that I see each of your messages and your words
truly warm my heart. You all have shown me more
kindness than I've received frommy own wife, and for that I'm
deeply grateful. It's amazing how the kindness of
strangers can make such a difference during tough times.
Right now, I'm preparing myself for even more difficult
conversations ahead. I still need to break the news

(15:18):
about my illness to my parents and other family members.
As much as I'm still sad about everything I'm going through,
I've started to accept that thisis something I have to face.
I wish I had more time to make things right and experience more
of life, but I can't change what's happening.
It is what it is and I'm trying to come to terms with that.
If there's one thing I hope people can take away from my
experience, it's this. Please don't take your health

(15:39):
for granted. Go for regular check UPS no
matter how busy or healthy you feel.
Catching things early can make all the difference, and I hope
none of you ever have to face what I'm going through.
Update 4 This week, I finally gathered the courage to sit down
with my family and share the news about my diagnosis.
As I've mentioned before, I was holding off until my divorce was
finalized because I didn't want to add more stress or confusion

(16:02):
to an already tough situation. Now that everything with the
divorce is settled, I felt it was the right time to be honest
with everyone about my cancer. To put it simply, my parents,
other relatives, and close friends are heartbroken after I
told them. They are shocked and deeply
saddened because they know I'm still struggling with the pain
of my ex's affair and the divorce.
Hearing about my cancer is like another heavy blow they didn't

(16:24):
see coming. Since then, my relatives have
been visiting me often whenever they can so they can spend more
time with me. All of them are doing their best
to support me during this incredibly challenging time.
Even my ex wife's family has reached out to me, which I
wasn't expecting. They hadn't really been in touch
during the divorce, but once they found out about my cancer,
I'm guessing through other people, things changed.

(16:47):
My ex mother-in-law was deeply emotional when she called me.
She informed me how her daughterhas now moved in with her affair
partner just a month after our divorce.
Apparently his wife has also kicked the guy out.
Anyways, my ex mill was crying and apologizing for how badly
her daughter has treated me, expressing how disgusted she and
her husband are by the way my exleft me.

(17:07):
She told me how guilty she and her husband felt about what my
ex-wife had done to me, but at the time they didn't have the
courage to ask for my forgiveness.
While it was a bittersweet moment because on the one hand I
felt supported, but on the otherhand it's hard to hear the kind
of apology after everything that's happened.
I wish they had reached out to me and told me all this during
our divorce rather than right now when they have found out

(17:28):
that I am dying. My in laws have started sending
me a care package every other day, which I guess is a nice
gesture, though it doesn't undo the past.
Of course. After my in laws found out, it
didn't take long for my ex-wife to hear about it.
She tried calling me but I didn't answer.
Honestly, I don't want to talk to her anymore.
There's nothing left to say. I'm sure she's feeling guilty

(17:50):
and I know she'll try to put that guilt on to me, but I just
don't want to engage in that. Eventually she left me a
voicemail where she said she wassorry for what I'm going through
and she feels bad that she left me alone while I was dying.
She then went on to say that if she had known about my
diagnosis, she never would have moved on from our marriage.
It almost felt like she was blaming me for not telling her
about my cancer sooner. She mentioned how she's been

(18:12):
getting more and more criticism from everyone for leaving me
since I am a dying man and implied that it was somehow my
fault for not sharing that information with her sooner and
how I shouldn't have thrown her under the bus without at least a
heads up. Throughout her message she
hasn't even once apologized or even asked how I was doing.
That woman is a narcissist through and through.
I didn't even bother replying toher anything and I simply

(18:34):
blocked her after that. At this point my ex can think
whatever she wants. I don't owe her any explanations
or anything else. This whole situation has been
exhausting and I've decided I need to focus on myself now.
This might be my last update. I hope you all have a great rest
of the year and that things are brighter for everyone.
Thanks for being here and for your support.
Update 5I really thought that I wouldn't have anything else to

(18:57):
update but turns out that my ex-wife just can't leave me
alone even though I'm literally dying.
After I blocked her yesterday, Iactually had a moment of peace.
But that little bit of calm didn't last.
Today she showed up at my house out of the blue, completely
uninvited. She didn't just stop by quietly
either. No, she was ringing my doorbell
over and over again like she wastrying to wear it out.

(19:18):
I was so drained I could barely lift my head off the pillow.
But her relentless doorbell marathon made it impossible to
just stay in bed and ignore her.So I dragged myself to the door,
my patients hanging by a thread,and I open it just to tell her
off. I yelled at her, told her to
leave me the hell alone, but instead of backing off, she
yelled right back, saying she'd come over because she was

(19:40):
worried something had happened to me.
According to her, she was there to make sure I was still alive.
Since I hadn't responded to her messages.
I couldn't help but scoff. Like are you kidding me?
I told her straight up that whether I was alive or not was
none of her business anymore. I even explained the reason she
hadn't heard from me. I had blocked her.
She looked genuinely shocked, like the idea of me blocking her

(20:00):
was the most outrageous thing she'd ever heard.
Then she started demanding to know how I could possibly do
that to her, as if I owed her some kind of explanation for
protecting my own peace. She then launched into this full
on rant about how she's been struggling mentally ever since
she found out about my diagnosis.
She said she hasn't been able tosleep peacefully because she's
been wracked with guilt for leaving me on my own.

(20:22):
Then of course she made it all about her, saying how her
friends and family were blaming her for the situation.
Apparently they've been calling her out saying that on top of
being a cheater, she's now the woman who abandoned a dying man
and somehow in her mind, all of this was my fault.
She actually had the audacity toask if I would perhaps talk to
her parents and some of her friends just to clear things up.

(20:44):
She wanted me to tell them that I didn't want to stay in the
marriage either, so the divorce wasn't entirely her fault.
Can you believe that she expected me, the person she
betrayed and left behind, to go out of my way to make her life
easier? I just stared at her, completely
dumbfounded. I straight up asked her if she'd
lost her mind. Like, how could she even think
I'd be willing to do something so ridiculous?

(21:06):
I told her people could believe whatever they wanted about her,
and honestly, they weren't wrong.
She cheated, she left, and now she was facing the consequences
of her own choices. That wasn't my problem anymore.
But she didn't give up. She kept pleading and arguing,
desperate for me to agree to herrequest.
That's when I finally snapped. I told her that if she didn't

(21:26):
leave my property immediately, Iwas going to call the cops.
I was done with her nonsense. I even went so far as to
threaten her with a social mediapost saying I'd expose how she
was harassing me at my own home for no reason.
That finally shut her up. She didn't say another word
after that and thankfully left without causing any more of a
scene. It was such a relief to see her
go, but honestly I was completely drained after the

(21:49):
whole ordeal. I don't know how she even has
the nerve to act like this, but at least now she knows I'm not
going to put up with it.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.