Most married couples expect each other to be faithful. While some couples set different rules, if your spouse slept with someone else, you would probably get upset and consider they have broken the terms of the agreement.
Yet, there are other ways to break the rules and cheat on someone that does not involve intimate bodily contact. These, too, can damage a marriage and lead to divorce.
3 ways your spouse could breach your trust
Trust is crucial in a marriage. Here are three ways your spouse could destroy it:
- Disclosing personal information: If you overhear someone talking about how you have been diagnosed with cancer, and the only person you told is your spouse, then they may have disclosed it without your permission. Consider what else they may have shared.
- Emotional infidelity: While it is normal for your spouse to have friends of either sex, sometimes they can get a bit too close.
- Financial infidelity: Many people lie to their spouses about money. For example, you ask your spouse how their business is going. They tell you they made $300,000 last year. In fact, they made three times that but did not want you to share the profits with you. Or, they buy a new motorcycle for $10,000 but tell you they paid $5,000 to avoid you getting angry about them spending money that you do not have.
All three forms of cheating could lead to divorce. Yet, the only one you can make right in a divorce is financial infidelity. A court cannot order your spouse to unshare the private information or undo the moments they shared with someone. They can, however, compensate you for any unnecessary spending or debts your spouse incurred or give you a share of any assets your spouse hid from you. Having help to reveal your spouse’s true financial situation will be crucial to getting a fair share of property in the divorce.