AITAH for not telling her I slept with her husband?

A woman from over a decade ago casually rekindled things with her high school ex every now and then, but the real surprise came much later. The wife of that ex – someone she hooked up with even while he was dating this woman – recently joined her local running club. Now they’re spending time together in groups, chatting like normal, with the old secret still hidden.

The tough part is deciding if something from so long ago needs to come out, especially when it could upend a marriage and friendships. Social media users didn’t hold back, mostly agreeing the past actions were messy but debating hard on whether silence now is kindness or cowardice.

AITAH for not telling her I slept with her husband?

Everything traces back to those early 20s days and lingering ties to a high school sweetheart.

Over ten years ago, when I was in my early 20s I started casually sleeping with my ex-bf. Like a one or two times a year.

We were together for most of high school and each others first everything. And so when I got lonely or whatever, I felt myself drawn back to him. Like an...

Things shifted once he entered a new relationship, though contact didn’t fully stop right away.

At some point he started dating a girl and so I didn’t pursue things with him anymore. Then one day I was out a party and she was there and...

She wanted to know if I lost my virginity to him, if he told me he loved me back in high school, etc. It made me really not like her.

That dislike played into later choices when opportunities arose again.

Now I know this is stupid, but several months later, when her ex reached out to me, I decided to not say no.

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A year or so later, we ran into each other again, and slept together again. Several years after that they got engaged and I decided to block all contact with...

Fast forward to the present unexpected overlap in social circles

Recently, she joined the local running club I am active in and we have started spending time together as a group. I haven’t told her or anyone about her husband.

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AITAH for not telling her? And yeah, I know I am the AH for sleeping with him.. Shortened: AITAH for not telling someone in my social circle her husband used...

This kind of buried history brings up deep questions about regret, growth, and when – if ever – old transgressions need airing out. The poster openly admits fault in the past affairs, showing some self-awareness, but the current dilemma centers on whether silence now compounds the hurt or wisely lets sleeping dogs lie.

From the wife’s side, those early prying questions suggest insecurity about the shared history, which unfortunately proved somewhat founded. Yet years have passed, they’ve built a life together, and dredging this up could shatter stability without clear benefit.

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Relationship therapist Esther Perel often discusses infidelity’s aftermath, noting in her book “The State of Affairs” that “secrets can be protective as much as they are destructive,” depending on context and timing. Bringing this forward now might stem more from personal guilt than genuine care for the wife.

Better paths could involve quiet reflection or anonymous therapy to process lingering feelings. If real friendship develops, honesty matters eventually, but forced confessions risk exploding lives unnecessarily. True growth means owning past mistakes privately while choosing kindness in the present.

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

Many users called out the need to move on completely and leave the past buried.

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Fractured_Windows − It sounds like you’re either not over him or you’re using it as a mental one up on her. It’s been 10 years…. It’s time to let it...

[Reddit User] − YTA for even asking. lol. like what the f__k is this post? Get over him.

Ok_Cat4538 − YTA- Just leave them alone and mind your own business I don't know if you are aware of it but you sound like you want power play.

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You think you're better than her and you can steal her man anytime you want. You're curious if you're still capable. Your motives aren't good and that will lead to...

ValkyrieSword − Do you feel guilty or do you want to gloat?

Several commenters focused on the original wrongdoing and urged coming clean now.

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Mbt_Omega − YTA for repeatedly sleeping with a guy who was in a relationship because his girlfriend was insecure about your relationship with him. Turns out she was right about...

I wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt of seeing the person I backstabbed like that, but then I wouldn’t lower myself to constantly participate in cheating like you seem...

purpleswordfish − YTA for what you did knowing he was in a relationship. He's also an AH. Honestly, it's a shame that you two didn't end up together. It's a...

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[Reddit User] − YTA for 1. being a part of someone cheating while knowing this person is in a relationship. No matter if you liked the gf or not. 2....

Sorry, but as much a cheater is at fault for cheating on their SO, so is the person who they cheated with KNOWING they were in a relationship. I have...

Cursd818 − YTA You never should have slept with someone you knew was in a relationship. You should have told her at the time when he was reaching out, or...

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And even though it's been years since then and it would cause a lot of upset, you should tell her now. If he cheated with you, he'll certainly have cheated...

Best case scenario, she already knows and doesn't care. Worst case scenario, their marriage ends. Either way, she deserves to know that her husband has the capacity to be unfaithful...

and was unfaithful with you before they got engaged. She could have chosen not to marry him if she'd known. She was tricked out of making that choice.

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If you don't tell her, you're no better than you were when you slept with her BF because you didn't like her. If you do tell her, you prove that...

Automatic_Grass_9837 − I really hope karma handles you. You could never be an honest friend to her without telling her. But if I was her, I wouldn’t f__k with you...

A few brought lighter or probing angles to the discussion.

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Good_Narwhal_420 − was she in a relationship with him when you slept with him? you said her ex

Secret_University120 − “I decided to not say no” is ~~conspicuously~~ oddly passive here. Is there a reason you didn’t say “I decided to f__k her boyfriend”? Would saying that make...

Shot_Independence274 − Mate. .. It's been a decade. .. Let the dead rest. .. Don't dig out bodies that are sleeping. ..

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Kimbahlee34 − You don’t know that she doesn’t already know. He may have confessed before getting engaged. Info: Do you still have feelings for this guy?

random_ginger16 − YTA for being a trifling drama queen

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[Reddit User] − Some people are really incapable of putting themselves in someone else’s shoes. If this broad shagged your husband and looked you in the face every training day;...

Years later, this tangled history shows how past choices can quietly echo into new friendships, forcing tough questions about honesty and healing. Reactions mostly agree the original actions were wrong, but split on whether revealing everything now helps or just stirs old pain. If you were in her shoes, would you confess the past or keep the peace?

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