So I've been extremely busy at work the last month, and last night my g/f [30s] started catching me up on the news with her married friends. For context, all these friends have been in their marriages for 6+ years. There are no names because at least one of them is around reddit somewhere. Here's the story.

One was in a marriage and her husband didn't put out enough. After a decade of infrequent sex, she took off, with their kid. She hasn't filed for divorce yet, because she "feels guilty", but not so guilty that she isn't banging some new guy on the side.

Next, there's this storybook perfect couple. Several years ago, the husband developed a crush on the girl in the previous paragraph, but never kissed her or slept with her. And she knew. His wife beat the ever loving shit out of him emotionally for it for the last couple years, including dragging him to counseling, etc. to talk about what's "wrong" with him and how "inappropriate" that is. Meanwhile, she says he's not helping out enough with the kid.

So this month, afraid that she's going to bolt, he agrees to give her a "pass" while she's on a work trip. She can make out with someone, (no sex), and tell him later, and it'll be fine. So she does! She gets together with some dude who knows she's married and "makes out".

But afterward, then it wasn't good enough - she said she felt more 'connection' with this rando guy in one evening than she does with her husband. She can't get him out of her mind and wants to see him again to "get it out of her system". Husband agrees (!) and lets her book tickets to another city to see him, (the fling).

Then, the fling suddenly ghosts on her when making arrangements. Apparently, husband sent a message with unknown content to him, and now he's not interested.

Wife is now super pissed at husband for letting her start that and "playing with her feelings when she had a connection" and ruining it.

I laughed at this point and said, "wait, does she see the irony yet?" Girlfriend--"what irony?" "That she's pissed at him for blue balling her when she had a crush, but she spent the last two years acting like he was an awful person for having had a crush on someone else." G/f - "oh that's different though"

I gave her a bad time over her sexism, but girls, they really don't seem to have empathy at all, or the ability to imagine how someone else might feel.

I feel bad for the guy she's married to, even if he is simping. Anyway in the retelling of the story he is apparently somehow the asshole.

TL/DR; the supposedly solid marriages of two friends explode in the same month, women don't see the harm in hitting the CC while still married, etc.