Help a Brother Save His Marriage
Salam everyone, I’m sharing my story for the first time, and I could really use your straight-up advice. Please be real with me, even if it’s hard to hear. I need it. I’m 30 and been married for 2 and a half years. Right after our nikah, we went through a massive test. We think my wife was hit with sihr meant to break us apart. She got really violent and was in so much pain. I never held it against her-I truly believe it wasn’t her. We went to so many imams and raqis. I saw things I never thought I’d see: daily violence, knife threats, no sleep, waking up feeling choked, and more scary stuff. It messed us both up. Alhamdulillah, we didn’t give up on each other. Now I gotta own up to my mistakes. At one point, I felt like my life was over. I thought, "Why us? I never wanted this." Instead of getting help, I did something stupid. I made a fake Snapchat and talked to women online. Just chat and compliments, no feelings, never met anyone in real life. It was my way to escape the pain I was drowning in every day. I know that’s no excuse, and I’m not trying to justify it. It was haram and I messed up. I also closed myself off completely. Kept everything bottled up. Our families knew the situation, but I never really let them see how broken I was. Alhamdulillah, by Allah’s mercy, my wife has been cured for 10 months now. But even after she was free from it, our marriage didn’t heal. We stayed together but felt hollow inside. Like we forgot how to be a couple after all that trauma. Then 20 days ago, she found that fake Snapchat and everything exploded. She packed, left, and blocked me everywhere. First I didn’t take it seriously. During the tough times she’d mentioned divorce a lot, so I thought it was the same. But once I was totally alone, it hit me hard. Like I finally woke up. I realized how much I love her and how much I messed up, and how I took her for granted. We’ve met about ten times since then. I confessed everything. No lies. I apologized deeply and said I’m ready to do whatever it takes to earn back her trust. She says she still loves me and she’s hurting too, but she says it’s over and won’t come back. I’m crushed. I know I betrayed her amanah, and I own that. I’m not asking anyone to justify my actions. I just want your honest take. Did I cross a line? Can someone like me ever be forgiven, or is trust just impossible to rebuild after this? Jazakum Allahu khayran for reading.