In this gut-punch episode of Marriage Unhindered, Doug takes a call from Brian, a guy who’s living through the absolute mess of an emotional affair. And wow, is he real about it. Brian’s been married for 16 years, together with his wife for 19, and he said he’s ready to “walk through glass that’s on fire” to get her back.

Here’s the deal: Brian struck up a texting relationship with a woman from his past. No physical stuff happened, but it was still way over the line. The texts got emotional, even hinting at meeting up, and his wife found out. She asked him to leave, and he did. Now, he’s living the brutal aftermath, and he’s begging people to avoid the mistake he made. “Don’t do it,” he says. “It’s not worth the pain you’d put your spouse through.”

Doug’s advice is to own up to it and keep making amends. Most importantly, he says to get help… professional help. (Therapy, prayer, anything to start healing)

Brian’s not playing around. He’s already gone to Confession, is praying the Rosary daily, and he even asked his wife to pray it with him. Her response is that she’s not ready. But he’s patient, and that patience might be the only thing he can control right now.

Doug leaves us with some tough love: Emotional affairs are still affairs. And the supposed thrill of it is completely not worth what you stand to lose.

Brian’s story isn’t rare. But his humility is admirable. We pray that he’s on the road to healing. Hopefully, anyone listening who’s in his shoes is smart enough to take his warning to heart.

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