We often talk about the betrayal of a wife cheating, but I’m starting to wonder if we’re missing the slow burn that leads up to it. Is it possible that years of emotional neglect, "weaponized incompetence," and a man’s refusal to be a true partner effectively hand her the matches to burn the marriage down? Maybe women don't just wake up and decide to stray; maybe they finally look for the intimacy and respect that died in their own homes a long time ago. Are we blaming them for seeking outside what we were too complacent or entitled to provide ourselves? It’s uncomfortable to ask, but did she leave the relationship long before she ever entered someone else's bed?