Reply To: “Did My Partner Emotionally Cheat On Me?”

I don’t know if being “good with everything” is the best stance in this situation. Your partner went on a date with a woman he met at a business hotel. That’s really a violation of normal healthy boundaries in a relationship and I think you’re conflating it with his right to have female friends. Sure, opposite-sex friendships are fine and appropriate. Buying drinks and dinner for a woman you met in a business hotel is not. And the things about the abusive relationship and the turning his face from the kiss sound like typical sort of damage control mitigation measures that people use in situations like this.

I don’t know if they slept together, probably not, but I think he was looking for something, some kind of connection that he isn’t getting. I think it would be a good idea to have a really in-depth conversation about the state of the relationship and whether needs are being met.