Twenty years IS a long time. But think about it this way; when an inmate gets out of jail, even if he was in jail for 20 years he's not going to say, "Well I was there for a long time so I guess I'll have to spend the rest of my life here."

Plus think about the kids; kids can sense when something's wrong. When my dad cheated on my mom, I was five. I didn't know the exact detail of what was happening, but I knew Mommy was upset. And I blamed myself (kids do that). The kids know SOMETHING'S up, even if they might not know exactly what. It isn't good for them to be in a stressful household.

Looking back, I actually felt relieved when my dad finally moved out. The silent tension stopped. I missed him, but I was happy Mom wasn't sad anymore.

Suprisingly enough, it's better for all parties involved when the partners have time away from eachother to figure things out. You'll be glad you stepped away from the situation and had time to regroup.