What's the deal when women have emotional affairs vs physical affairs?

While some emotional affairs just seem to be the pre-stage to a physical affair, it seems many of them would never reach that level and more often involve a blue pill nice guy and not someone who is a potential alpha fuck.

This is from observation but also from having had women in the past confide in me about their relationships etc. In retrospect I could most likely have fucked them had I not been so amazingly beta at the time but even with my new understanding of women in mind that didn't seem to be their goal.

Also looking back, while I was definetly and undeniably a huge friend zone magnet in my youth, I now get the impression that some women did have romantic and not just platonic but also NOT sexual feelings for me...

So is an emotional affair a sign that the man needs to up his game in a different area (too) or is it all just the same?

And can women have romantic feelings for a man without also feeling sexual desire?