Page 199 - The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts

give our creative energies to many wholesome projects
outside the marriage while we continue to keep our
marriage exciting and growing.

With all of that in my mind, I looked back at the deadpan
face of Brent and wondered if I could help him. I knew in my
heart that he was probably already involved with another “in
love experience.” I wondered if it was in the beginning
stages or at its height. Few men, suffering from an empty
emotional love tank, leave their marriage until they have
prospects of meeting that need somewhere else.
Brent was honest and revealed that he had been in
love with someone else for several months. He had hoped
that the feelings would go away and that he could work
things out with his wife. But things at home had gotten
worse, and his love for the other woman had increased. He
could not imagine living without his new lover.
I sympathized with Brent in his dilemma. He sincerely
did not want to hurt his wife or his children, but at the same
time, he felt he deserved a life of happiness. I told him the
statistics on second marriages (60 percent ending in
divorce). He was surprised to hear that but was certain that
he would beat the odds. I told him about the research on the
effects of divorce on children, but he was convinced that he
would continue to be a good father to his children and that
they would get over the trauma of the divorce. I talked to