My Husband Pressured Me Into an Open Marriage and He Deeply Regrets It

Samantha, 33, has recently opened up about her tumultuous family story with our editorial team. She requested that we publish it exactly as she shared it. With sincerity, she wondered if others would back her decision to teach her husband a harsh yet justified lesson.

Samantha wrote us a letter.

“Hi! I’m 33 and once believed I had achieved all a woman could dream of by this age. I have a wonderful family with my beloved husband, Steve, who is 39. Together, we run a successful business, enjoy a lovely home, and most importantly, we have two incredibly adorable kids.

Our life has been fantastic—until one day, Steve expressed a desire for change in our relationship and proposed an outrageous idea that I disliked from the very beginning.”

Steve insisted on an open marriage, and Samantha couldn’t say “no”.

“My husband of 12 years essentially pressured me into agreeing to an open marriage. He came to me and said, ‘You have to agree to this, or I’ll divorce you.’ Since I love him, I went along with it, and we both began dating other people.

Recently, things took a dramatic turn when one of my partners sent me beautiful flowers and an expensive ring featuring a sizable diamond. Before this, Steve had given gifts to his own partners, and I was aware of that, so it felt like there was a balance in our arrangement. We were both free to pursue other relationships, and we accepted the gestures of affection that came with them.

However, for some reason, the flowers and ring from my other partner infuriated Steve.”

Steve’s reaction to the presents from Samantha’s partner was part of the plan.

“Steve completely lost it when he saw the flowers and the ring. He accused me of being a reckless woman and a terrible mother to our kids. He argued that it was unacceptable for a stranger to know my address and send gifts to our home, where our children also live. He claimed I was not considering our kids’ safety, and he was extremely emotional about it.

Then, he started crying—actually having a meltdown—blaming me for everything that had gone wrong in his life. When I tried to defend myself, pointing out that he was dating other women and that I was okay with it since it was his choice, he wouldn’t even hear me out. I had never seen him cry like that before; he looked utterly devastated and broken.

And now, let me explain that this was all part of my plan.”

Samantha taught her husband an important life lesson.

“All this time, while Steve was exploring relationships with other women, I remained completely loyal to him. I only pretended to have other men in my life because I didn’t want to feel utterly humiliated. But I had a plan: to show my husband that he isn’t irreplaceable and that eventually, someone will come along who will treat me like a princess.

I never shared my home address with any other man; I bought the flowers myself and arranged for their delivery. The ring was borrowed from my grandma—our family heirloom—and I knew it was quite valuable. I staged everything to make it seem like I received an extravagant gift from a partner when, in reality, I didn’t have any side relationships at all.

Now, Steve is insisting that we revert to a monogamous marriage, claiming he’s tired of ‘these nasty experiments.’ But I don’t want him to feel comfortable just yet. I recently told him that I actually enjoyed the idea of an open relationship and that I’m rethinking my stance on it.

Now my dear husband is pouring all his effort into convincing me that we need to treat this open relationship as his mistake. It gives me satisfaction to see him trying to win my heart again. I feel it was worth it. What would you do if you were in my position?”

Here’s another story about a couple who decided to enter an open marriage, and this is where it led them.