A married couple can go through several episodes of infidelity by one or both. The violation of trust can be so repetitive that it becomes a vicious cycle of betrayal, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Unless the situation is effectively resolved, infidelity becomes a form of abusing the cheated spouse over and over again.
The scene is very familiar. A couple starts out so in love they hardly go anywhere without the other. When disillusionment starts to set in, one becomes vulnerable to cheating and cheats. Depending on how the affair works out, the cheater can come back to the faithful spouse after a number of days,weeks, months or years. The cheated spouse forgives the erring spouse and the two reconcile. After some time, the cycle is repeated. Pregnancy can occur within this recurring cycle, increasing the number of people directly affected in the process.
There area number of reasons why someone who has been repeatedly lied to due to infidelity will choose to go through the cycle rather than leave. Concern for the welfare of the children is one reason why the vicious cycle of infidelity is chosen over the more logical option of separation. It is logical in the sense that repetitive cheating does not manifest much hope for long-term reconciliation which is necessary to rehabilitate a failing marriage.
Marriage will not stand a chance unless the cycle is broken. Cheaters can break the cycle of inflicting pain to the spouse while faithful spouses can break the cycle of accepting this kind of abuse from cheaters. A cycle has no end so it will be up to the people who are affected to get out of it.
