Need advice on a complicated situation in our open relationship
So, I’m using a throwaway for obvious reasons, but I really need some outside perspective on this situation because I’m feeling pretty stuck.
A while back, I brought up the idea of inviting a third person into the bedroom with my wife. She was open to it but had one condition: we’d start with another guy, and then later we could try with a woman. I agreed, thinking it was fair, and asked if she had anyone in mind. Turns out, she did—her yoga instructor. She talked to him, he was into it, and we set up a date. Everything went great, and we both had an amazing time. We were excited to try it again.
When I brought up trying with a woman next, she got defensive. She admitted she wasn’t ready to see me with another woman and asked if we could try with another guy while she worked through her insecurities. I agreed, thinking it was just a matter of time. She suggested an old college friend she used to flirt with, reached out to him, and he came over for the weekend. It was another great experience, and afterward, she was super excited to try it with a stranger next.
Again, I thought, “Okay, still another guy, but whatever.” She created a dating profile, found someone, and we met him for a weekend. This time, she even encouraged a little more interaction between me and him, which I wasn’t expecting but ended up enjoying.
After we got home, we were talking about the experience, and she was already eager to do it again. That’s when I reminded her about trying with a woman, like we’d originally agreed. She broke down crying, saying she’d never be ready to see me with another woman—it would hurt her too much because she’s too jealous.
I felt really frustrated because, at this point, she’d had three experiences with other guys, and I wanted my turn too. I told her it wasn’t fair and that if we couldn’t try with a woman, we should stop altogether. She got mad and went to bed.
A few days later, she apologized for not honoring her part of the deal but explained that she just couldn’t handle sharing me with another woman. She also said that since we opened our relationship, her confidence has skyrocketed—she feels beautiful, desired, and happier than ever. She asked me to keep seeing other men because stopping now would feel unfair to her.
Even her best friend got involved, saying this has been so good for her confidence and that I should keep going for her sake. She pointed out that I’ve enjoyed the experiences too (apparently, she knew about the “interactions”) and that I shouldn’t shut it down over this one detail. She said we just handle jealousy differently—I’m not as jealous as my wife, and she can’t handle sharing me.
I’m really torn. On one hand, I’m upset that she didn’t hold up her end of the deal. On the other hand, it’s true that I’ve enjoyed the experiences, and our sex life has improved a lot. Her libido is through the roof, and our relationship is strong otherwise.
I don’t have anyone to talk to about this because, well, it’s not exactly something I can bring up with friends. I’m not considering divorce or anything—I just don’t know if I should be more flexible and accept this new dynamic or stand my ground and say it’s not fair for her to see other men if I can’t see other women.
What do you think? Should I let this go and keep the peace, or is it worth pushing for what we originally agreed on?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
UPDATE: Decided to give a chance and try one side open relationship. I believe this can work for us.