Woman experiences shocking breakup with partner of 7 years. Then she realizes who her partner left her for: ‘blindsided me’

There are few things the internet loves more than a lengthy, intricate relationship drama. From cheating scandals to good-old-fashioned misunderstandings, this genre of online storytelling tends to be a recipe for virality.

Now, one woman is going viral for sharing her experience with infidelity over the course of more than 22 videos.

What was the relationship like?

Personal trainer and queer content creator Erin Iveson (@eriniveson) posted the first of a series of videos about her ex-partner of seven years cheating on her with a coworker. That video accumulated more than 3.3 million views, with her entire series collectively accruing more than 21 million views.

“So it all starts with a trip to Pensacola, Florida,” Iveson said. “I was there for maybe 10 days, like just a couple weeks, and then I came home. In the time that I was there, everything was completely normal. We are texting like normal. There's some, you know, as people in relationships do, we send some risqué photos. There's lots of ‘I love you's,' lots of ‘I miss you's,' FaceTime videos, phone calls, all of the normal things.”

Iveson said her partner, whom she called “A,” picked her up from the airport upon her return on a Saturday, and that everything was normal and loving between the couple immediately afterward.

“I have a meal prep business, so I meal prep on Sundays,” Iveson said. “She had already told me she had plans with one of her friends, who is a coworker. And she was going to go help her find an apartment because her and her girlfriend had broken up. So she was needing to find a new place to live… They were going to have a girl's day. Cool. Fine. She does her thing. I do my thing all the time because I have a very secure attachment style… I don't care what you do, just go have fun.”

Iveson said her Sunday meal prep only ended up taking “a few hours,” after which she texted her partner asking for a status update. The partner revealed that she and the coworker, whom Iveson called “K,” were no longer looking at apartments, but had instead booked a resort pass at a local hotel for “a girls' day at the pool.”

“I was kind of sad, because I had just been gone for 10 days, and then prior to that, I was in Zion for a week,” Iveson said. “So, I mean, I missed her. So I was a little bummed.”

What were the red flags?

“A” assured Iveson she'd grab dinner and then come home, but she never came back. Iveson went to sleep alone that night.

“I was super sad, but that was literally the first time anything in our entire relationship had happened, like even remotely close to that,” Iveson said. “So it wasn't that big of a deal to me. And then the whole week after, everything was pretty normal.”

But one day, Iveson noticed her partner showering in the early afternoon. After seven years of living together and becoming intimately acquainted with each other's schedules, the timing seemed out of the ordinary. When Iveson questioned her, “A” revealed she was going to the beach with some coworkers. But then, she stayed out with those coworkers far, far later than expected. She ended up getting locked out of her car, so she borrowed “K's” car.

How did Iveson approach the issue?

Iveson called out her partner's behavior.

“Flags are going off for me at this point in my head,” Iveson said. “And I'm just like, I don't give my car to my friends. Like, it just felt weird … So around midnight, I text her and I said, ‘I think you make interesting choices as of late. I am not sure if this is a cry for help, but your actions are pretty disappointing.'”

Iveson called out the “lack of togetherness” she'd been feeling in the relationship since her return from Florida, and “A” apologized. The next day, when the two were sharing a car ride, “A” was “clearly nervous” and “fidgeting.” Iveson finally confronted her about whether there was someone else in her life.

“And she looks at me and she goes, ‘I'd be lying if I said I didn't have feelings for K,' and I said, ‘I knew it,'” Iveson said. “Then I said, ‘Did you sleep with her?' And she starts crying. And she said, ‘Yes.'”

What happened after Iveson learned the truth?

Iveson began cursing “A” out for the first time in their relationship. She demanded details. Her partner claimed they had only been together once, three weeks earlier. Iveson, however, knew “A” and “K” had run a half-marathon together several months prior and were spending time together.

Iveson tried to discuss reconciliation and arrange couples therapy, but she began having consistent panic attacks severe enough for her to seek professional help at a mental health center. And then, “A” revealed on a couples therapy call that she was not “100% committed” to making the relationship work. After many difficult conversations, they decided to split. “A” emphasized that she was not leaving Iveson for “K.”

The same day they broke up, “A” spent several hours with “K.”

The following days and weeks became fraught and filled with endless back-and-forth as Iveson attempted to process the situation. Iveson said that “A” lied several more times. The two are now separated, and “A” took the dog they had once shared.

“I couldn't take it, so I left,” Iveson said.

Did Iveson post more updates?

Iveson's saga was clearly thrilling enough to maintain an audience over the course of approximately two dozen videos, with viewers commenting their shock and sympathy throughout. Iveson posted a couple of follow-up videos, including a post-breakup “debrief.”

She assured viewers who thought she might take “A” back that she had no intention to reconcile with her. Iveson explained in her debrief that she had started the series to process the experience by discussing it.

She also expressed a hope that her story has helped “at least one person process their own traumatic event.” She thanked her millions of viewers for making her feel supported in the aftermath of such a cataclysmic personal saga.

“Posting here has been so helpful and so healing, and I am beyond grateful for all of the love and support that I have received from so many of you,” Iveson said. “I hope that none of you ever lose yourself or abandon your own needs to provide for somebody else, because you are worth so much more than that.”

Buzz News reached out to Iveson via TikTok comment.

@eriniveson Part 1 “we need to talk”… #cheater #wlw #breakup ♬ original sound – Erin Iveson