I’ve been married for nearly 25 years and deeply love my wife. Over this time we’ve had issues and have worked through all of them. Several months ago, I was pissed at my wife and all the hub-bub over Ashley Madison got my attention for a few days.

Yes, I admit it. I setup a free profile. Looked around. Then deleted my account. Well, at least I thought it was deleted. No money was spent. No contacts were made. No cheating happened. Nothing. Zip.

The exact time of my brush with transgression has been lost over the months, but some time afterward the security breach was made public. The stolen data soon became used by phishing sites encouraging people to enter their e-mail address to see if they were compromised. Curious, I entered a few of mine. Surprisingly, an old e-mail address that I never give out came back as compromised. Yeah, that’s funny. I knew right then I had fallen for a phishing site. Really, I should have known better. Duh.

Recently, the blackmail e-mails started. They wanted bitcoin for their silence or they would expose me as something I wasn’t on Facebook. Though I wasn’t going to pay, I knew I had to come clean with my wife. I sat her down and told her the whole story. I got a good punch in the arm, but our love was too strong.

And there is my Ashley Madison confession. Yes, I had an account for a short time. No, I never paid and I never cheated. My conscience is clear and the Universe knows my commitment to my wife and family. The stain is gone and the sin has been forgiven. My goodness and mercy walk with me all the days of my life.