As a die-hard romantic, I’m always thrilled when couples that have broken up get back together again. Especially if they parted ways because of something so inevitable as one of them sleeping with another person.
And so, naturally, I beamed when I saw that those gorgeous, young, Twilight lovers — Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart — are reportedly back together again.
As basically everyone with a functioning Internet connection already knows, Stewart admitted to having had a fling with her married Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders. Almost instantly, she was labeled a “bad girl” and the paparazzi, bloggers and Twihards (as fans of the vampire book franchise are called) pinned a figurative Scarlet A to her chest. And most devastating of all (at least to Stewart) — longtime boyfriend Pattinson moved out of her home and seemingly out of her life as a result of this one indiscretion.
Pattinson’s reaction to the affair is completely understandable. Not only did he have to deal with usual feelings of hurt and betrayal that accompany an infidelity, his private pain was also dragged through the virtual public square.
Yet, after a relatively short breakup, Pattinson seems to have taken Stewart back. He knows better than almost anyone that in the entertainment industry, temptation is everywhere. It doesn’t just lurk — it struts.
To some, this reunion may be shocking. After all, we’ve been taught — through books, movies, television shows, pop songs, and even church sermons — that sexual infidelity is the worst form of betrayal. And when discovered, it always results in the end of the relationship.
But should it? Is cheating on a spouse the worst thing you can do? And must it always be a deal breaker? I don’t think it needs to be.
When I was an actress Stewart’s age, I was involved with a similarly ridiculously handsome actor who shall remain nameless. Though he had just gotten out of a marriage, he was not the only one with baggage. I also had issues with intimacy and commitment. Perhaps because we were so in love, the issue of monogamy was never discussed. It might’ve never occurred to me to expect him to be faithful, but I also didn’t expect a famous blonde, baby doll actress he was working with to make a move on him…
Read more: Stacey Nelkin, Huffington Post
