Woman who discovered husband was having three-year affair explains why she forgave him

Relationships are a peculiar thing. The way one person views them will be completely different to how they're seen by another.

And one woman has spoken out about why she took her husband back after discovering he had been having a long-term affair:

Alexandra Acevedo, from Orlando, Florida, says she was devastated when she found out that her husband of five years, Michael, had been cheating on her for over three years.

The 26-year-old discovered his secret after seeing a message on his phone in December last year.

After confronting Michael, 31, he admitted that he had been unfaithful.

But while many women or partners might opt for a divorce in a situation like this, Michael promised to get help and booked himself into AA - with Alexandra chosing to stand by her man.

"I went through the cycle of crazy emotions for eight or nine days," the event designer recalled.

"I would go from sad to hurt to angry to confused then a little bit hopeful.

"But when I started to soften, I let the words he was saying become more meaningful and I saw his words match his actions. I started seeing effort in him."

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She added: "He chose to pick up a bible, go to therapy and to AA."

It's not been easy for Alexandra, though. She admits that she finds it hard to forgive Michael when she thinks about the damage he's caused.

"But he doesn’t want to give up and he tells me that if I give him a chance every day, he’ll continue to prove himself to me," she said.

"I didn't want to abandon him in his darkest moment because he's always been a great dad and husband and I don't have any large complaints about him or our marriage in general."

Reflecting on his own infidelity, Michael said he deeply regrets hurting Alexandra.

He says it's the 'biggest mistake' of his life.

"At first I felt complete and utter garbage and then as time went on I kind of felt like the weight of guilt had lifted off my shoulders a little bit," said the project manager.

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"It's definitely the biggest regret or mistake I've ever made and it's something that I'll regret for a very long time - if not forever.

"I'm sure there were better ways of getting to a better place but this is where we are now.

"I'm as grateful as anyone can be for a second chance."

The couple met back in 2013, after being introduced by Michael's younger sister.

Five years later, in September 2018, the got married, and now have two children together.

Alexandra became suspicious when he claimed that a spate of messages he was receiving were just from a 'random friend'.

She eventually looked through his phone and found a drafted message, which read: "Why do you think she’s going to find out?"

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After she found out about the affair, Michael said he considered just getting a divorce, as that would be the 'easier' option.

"But one night I almost drank myself to death over a weekend and I suddenly had a moment that I wanted to sacrifice everything," he recalled.

"I knew I needed to make it better and I had to fix things, I couldn't just walk away.

"I knew I needed to get help with my drinking and to see a therapist to makes things better.

"Alexandrea was a lot more receiving than I probably would have been."

He added: "I've never been a talker and she's always asked why I don't talk and I finally realised that I need to talk."