She cheats, he wakes up.

[Andreas_Kreuz]

It might exist as a story already, but here's my idea:

Wife cheats, hubby finds out. He is devastated and wants revenge. But before that, he wants to understand the reason she cheated. He turns to a friend of hers, who starts asking uncomfortable questions about how much he actually satisfies his wife.
He learns that she cheated because he let her down. Friend helps him to improve his performance and win her back.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I'd do this as a btb story where he stays with her friend.

 

[NuclearFairy]

Or, the cheating was all a dream, and upon waking up he was disappointed that it was all a dream. Maybe, he was relieved at the excuse to break up, maybe, he was sad that he doesn't know if that advice he got will work, maybe, he just really really wants to see his wife sleep with other men, or wants to be in a threesome with her and another man.

 

[Andreas_Kreuz]

I am surprised that the suggestions go into BTB, breakup, or Cuckolding (PM).
My idea was to do a reverse reconciliation story. She cheats, and he realizes that he must get his act together to satisfy her.
According to the statistics, 10% to 15% of wives cheat during their marriage and the reason most of them give is because hubby is a bad lover.
So the story would be more about how to become a good lover as a man.
Probably it is better written by a woman.

And then his evolution and the question: can he make his competitor obsolete...

 

[Rob_Royale]

At the risk of sounding like a LW troll, the reason I lean toward btb is because there are other ways besides cheating to get what you want. Cheating constitutes a lack of moral character, and a selfishness/sense of entitlement that is very unsexy.

Any woman who would rather go elsewhere than teach her husband how to lick pussy properly or fuck her the way she wants isn't worth keeping.

And to lay the blame on the husband for this is unconscionable.

 

[Andreas_Kreuz]

Any woman who would rather go elsewhere than teach her husband how to lick pussy properly or fuck her the way she wants isn't worth keeping.

While I agree with you, the raw statistics say it's the reality. I know one such woman, and she said that it happened after her attempts at reviving sex with her husband failed for a long time. He was a good lover, but lost his drive before her.

And the statistics say that 15%-25% of men cheat during marriage. I guess they might have similar motivations.
And then there are scientists (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_at_Dawn) who argue that humans are not monogamous by nature. (Gene pool and such things)

 

[Rob_Royale]

Of course it's a reality. As a student of human nature I wouldn't dare debate you. But even in the case of the woman you knew there are alternatives. A story about her demanding that they open their marriage because just because his drive is on the decline doesn't mean she should suffer. A perfectly reasonabe argument and it could make for an interesting and likable story. Even relatable.

But beyond that, lets just talk about reader responce. Speaking for myself only, I want the readers to like my story and my characters. It's my opinion that a selfish cheater is an unlikable character and the story that blames cheating on the husband will get drawn and quartered by the readers.

So what I'd do is write about the couples journey to getting him schooled up. Because her telling him that he's missing the mark is an attention getter.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he says with a forlorn look. "Have you thought about looking elsewhere?" he asks, dreading the answer.

"Yes, but not seriously enough to go through with it." Her eyes meet his. "At least, not yet."

That 'not yet' tells him just how serious this situation is. How much having good sex means to her.

This is the pivotal moment. He can either do nothing and accept he's doing irrepairable harm to his wife and marriage or do something about it. I've several scenarios in my mind on how he could do that.