A woman claims to have outsmarted a private investigator hired to uncover her year-long affair with a man she met online – leading to her husband apologising to her for doubting her loyalty
While everyone knows cheating is wrong, it doesn’t seem to be enough to stop people from doing it.
And one woman named Emma*, from London, is celebrating after outsmarting a private investigator hired to uncover her year-long affair with a man she met online.
Business for private investigators is booming, with increasingly paranoid spouses seeking to discover unfaithful partners – fuelled by the use of social media, dating apps and affairs sites. However, Emma has shared how she outsmarted the one her husband hired.
The 41-year-old claims she covered her tracks so well that even a ‘cheating expert’ wasn’t able to catch her out on her string of lies – although she admits she’s starting to “feel bad” about her secret double life. She confessed: “It wasn’t something I planned. Joe* and I had been drifting apart for years. We were more like roommates than husband and wife. When I stumbled across IllicitEncounters, it was out of curiosity at first. But then I met Alex*, and everything changed.”
She says her secret lover is everything her husband isn’t – adventurous, spontaneous, and wildly attentive. “I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help myself,” she added. “For the first time in years, I felt desired and alive. I wasn’t ready to give that up.”
Sensing something wasn’t quite right, her husband hired a private investigator to follow her. She said: “He started questioning everything. Why was I working late so often? Why was I suddenly going to the gym every day? He even accused me outright of having an affair, but I denied it. I knew I had to be smarter if I was going to keep my secret.”
To cover her tracks, she created a fake work project to explain her late nights, used a second phone to communicate with Alex, and even enlisted a friend to cover for her when she needed an alibi. She said: “I was always one step ahead. I knew Joe was watching me, so I made sure there was nothing for him to find. I had no idea [he hired a private investigator] at first.
“But looking back, there were signs – a car that seemed to follow me a few times, a stranger hanging around near my office. I realised what was happening and doubled down on my efforts to stay under the radar.” But despite watching her every move, the private investigator was unable to provide any concrete evidence of her affair, eventually told Joe he was wrong.
Emma said: “Joe actually apologised to me. He said he’d been paranoid and that he trusted me. It was a weird feeling – relief mixed with guilt. I knew I was lying to him, but I also knew I wasn’t ready to end things with Alex. “I love Joe, but our relationship had become so stale. With Alex, I feel like the woman I used to be – confident, sexy, and alive. I know it’s selfish, but I’m not ready to give that up. I’m living in the moment. know it’s not sustainable, but for now, I’m happy. And as long as I’m careful, no one has to get hurt.”
Relationship experts say Emma’s case is not unusual, with private investigators reporting a surge in demand from people desperate to confirm their worst fears about their partners. Sex and relationships expert at IllicitEncounters.com, Jessica Leoni says trust issues in relationships are at an all-time high. She said: “Social media, dating apps, and websites like ours have made it easier than ever to have an affair, but they’ve also created a culture of suspicion.
“People are more paranoid than ever, and instead of communicating with their partners, they’re turning to private investigators for answers.” However, she warns that even the best detective work doesn’t always guarantee the truth.
*Names have been changed