...It Was More Than Just Infatuation...

I've been married for twenty years, but the last one... it was more than just infidelity. It started innocently enough, chatting about research with a student in his late twenties, someone bright and engaging who reminded me of my younger self. But over time, those brief exchanges turned into longer conversations, then lunches away from campus.... The boundary blurred when I found myself daydreaming about what it would be like to escape the monotony of my life. One night, after too much wine and an unusually heated discussion about our shared intellectual passions... we crossed a line. It was consensual, both of us adults making choices in the moment.... But waking up alone, the guilt was overwhelming.... I've since ended it and taken leave from teaching to reflect on why I did what I did....