Husband Asks For A Divorce After A Woman Hits On Him For The First Time In His Life—'I Can't Let This Opportunity Pass'
Was his entire marriage just worth nothing?
Pixland / Photo Images / Canva Pro Having low self-esteem can be a strange thing. You'd assume a low self-image would make you more kind and empathetic, but all too often the opposite happens. It inspires people to lash out or do things to others that are unkind, or even outright cruel.
Such was the case for a woman on Reddit whose husband had never felt very good about himself. And the minute someone finally did puff up his ego a bit, he made a drastic and insanely hasty decision.
The woman's husband wants a divorce because he finally got hit on for the first time in his life.
"My husband just told me he is leaving me, and I can't believe the reason," the woman wrote in her Reddit post.
Divorce is often a blind-siding experience, but this one is on a whole new level.
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The woman wrote that she and her husband have been together for a bit over four years, including a lengthy courtship period because she wasn't sure he was the right guy for her.
That process has now seemingly come back to bite — and it's being held over her head in a truly cruel way.
Her husband has always thought he was ugly, and he's always been shy after lots of rejection from women.
"He's always been very insecure about himself," she wrote, "even though he has a great personality (or so I thought), is generous, caring, [and] can express his emotions." After getting together, he was so lovely she couldn't believe he was single.
"He told me that's because he's shy and ugly, and women don't really want anything from him," she wrote, "especially not good-looking ones."
She was wary that this low self-esteem was a cover for a dark secret or some other flaw, so she took her time getting to know him.
But once she got to know him, "things went fast because it all was so wonderful!"
Now, he often tells her "how lucky he feels to finally have found his dream woman." How quickly that all changed after a recent night out, however.
After a 'drop-dead gorgeous' woman in a restaurant started pursuing him, he decided he 'can't let this opportunity pass' and asked for a divorce.
They met casually at a restaurant and struck up a conversation, but that quickly moved to texting even though the woman knew he was married. At first, he thought it was just friendly, but it soon became clear that it was more.
"He said that he was hesitant once he realized that she was hitting on him," the wife wrote, "and he was also excited because this literally has never happened in his life." They've only exchanged messages, but he has decided he needs to move forward for more.
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"'This is the first woman who is genuinely interested in me,'" he told her and then added something pointed and cruel. "'I didn't have to text her for three months to get a date or anything. I can't let this pass.'" The wife added that the "three months" was a reference to how long she made him wait for a first date.
Now, he's asked for a divorce, and she's left feeling a mix of fury and regret as if she caused this situation by playing "hard to get" with him all those years ago.
It's important, no matter how ridiculous he's acting, that she does not react in anger, however. Clinical psychologist Dr. Sabrina Romanoff explained to verywellmind, "Although you may want the best opportunity to save your marriage, some people sabotage this by acting angry or vengeful. Often, these actions are a result of feeling discouraged, disregarded, or hopeless."
Of course, that's if she wants to try to save the marriage.
People on Reddit agreed that while it sounds like their relationship had problems, she had no reason to blame herself.
Many agreed that the circumstances of this situation are so messy that this woman might just be better off. "This is a case when trash took itself out," one commenter wrote. "Your husband should have worked on his self-esteem issues and not jump for the first woman who gave him attention like this. You are at no fault in this situation."
It's hard to argue with that, and this is certainly a perfect example of how unhealed trauma can end up wrecking even the best relationships — or making people easy marks for being taken advantage of, which is what many other Redditors thought was going on.
"Does he look like a soft Target?" one person wrote. "I'm… assuming she's scamming him." Others agreed, with one writing, "My thought is she works for an MLM and is trying to lure in a new downline."
Others were more focused on matters of the heart, with one wise reader pointing out that putting people on a pedestal as he did can "make it surprisingly easy for people to step away," especially if they feel like they didn't deserve the person in the first place.
It's heartbreaking for both parties, at the end of the day, and it seems like some lessons are about to be learned the hard way.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.