Christy Jones thought her marriage was perfect until the day she received an email from a woman she had never met. “You don’t know me, but I am no longer dating your husband … I’m sorry for any pain I caused your family,” the email read.

“I felt paralyzed,” Christy told RealSimple.com , recalling the exact moment she read those words. Battling her denial, she called her husband at work, and he eventually admitted it was true. Adrian had had a four-month relationship with a woman he’d met at his job as a car salesman.

“Forgiving him was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” said Christy. “But his honesty made it easier.” The two later went on to renew their wedding vows, and Christy said that today, “Our marriage is stronger for it. I have no regrets.”