History Main / PlotIncitingInfidelity

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* ''Fanfic/CabinFeverPartingShot'' recreates the affair that takes between Paul and Marcy in ''Film/CabinFever''. The difficulty with this being that Paul is hopelessly infatuated with his friendzone crush, Karen, at the start of the story. [[SexIsLiberation His journey of decadent, meaningless sex]] with [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl Karen's hot friend]], and [[IntimatePsychotherapy self-discovery]] begins when he inadvertently catches Karen having [[ButLiquorIsQuicker a drunken, impulsive fling]] with their friend, Bert.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* The SoapOpera ''Series/SunsetBeach'' kicks off with the heroine Meg pulling a RunawayBride on her fiance after finding out that he's been sleeping with her maid of honor. . .to flee to the titular town to meet the man that ''she's'' been having an online affair with.

* In a roundabout way, ''Music/TheWall''. When Pink finds out during a collect call about his wife's infidelity, it spurs him to [[HeelRealization trace back all the steps that led to this point.]]

[[folder:Video Game]]
* Vincent's affair with ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'' is what kicks off both his relationship issues and [[spoiler: pulls him into a deadly nightmare where he must climb a tower, or die by falling or occasionally his various fears personified as monsters.]]

* The events of ''VisualNovel/TheLetter'' all stem from an affair back when Luxbourne City was just founded. [[spoiler:Lady Charlotte Ermengarde, the founder, got caught cheating on her fiancée Eduard by her maid Takako, and tortured the maid to punish her. Eduard found out and tried to call off the engagement, so Charlotte [[ADeadlyAffair killed Eduard]] and framed Takako for it, getting her executed for the crime. Takako came back as a VengefulGhost and tormented her murderer until she was DrivenToSuicide, but the two spirits fused to become [[BigBad The Ghost]] who would haunt Luxbourne as the [[SerialKiller Anslem Butcher]] all the way up to the modern era where the main story takes place.]]

* Referenced in an episode of Website/{{Cracked}}'s ''Obsessive Pop Culture Disorder''. In the episode [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikUz-s8lBVI&list=PL_saLI-LH-VoIJCsCXE6Qa2lS37kPS2od&index=9 "6 Bizarrely Specific Scenes Hollywood Won't Quit Using]], this trope is covered and examples from several works are given and reasoning behind it is explored. The basic conclusion is that it's often used as an excuse for the (almost invariably male) lead to leave his old life behind and start anew.

* In the first ''Literature/{{Bigtime}}'' novel, Carmen Cole learning that her fiance is a superhero, her best friend is his ubervillain nemesis, and that they're sleeping with each other - on her wedding day - is what kicks off her quest to unmask every hero and villain in America.

* At the start of ''Manga/FailedPrincesses'', Nanaki Fujishiro is on top of the world, as a beautiful, popular gyaru with a GirlPosse of friends and a boyfriend named Hiro. The series begins with Fujishiro learning from her friend Izumi that Hiro has been cheating on her, and when she confronts him, Hiro confesses that he only saw Fujishiro as his "backup girl" due to her good looks being her only good quality. This ends up being a BreakTheHaughty moment for Fujishiro, and causes her to become friends with Kanade Kurokawa, the girl she used to bully.

* At the start of ''Manga/FailedPrincesses'', Nanaki Fujishiro is on top of the world, as a beautiful, popular gyaru with a GirlPosse of friends and a boyfriend named Hiro. The series begins with Fujishiro learning from her friend Izumi that Hiro has been cheating on her, and when she confronts him, Hiro confesses that he only saw Fujishiro as his "backup girl" due to her good looks being her only good quality. This ends up being a BreakTheHaughty moment for Fujishiro, and causes her to become friends with Kanade Kurokawa, the girl she used to bully.
* Shortly before start of ''Days of Love at Seagull Villa'', the main character learns that her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend.

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder: Live Action TV]]

[[folder: Visual Novels]]

[[folder:Anime/Manga]]

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''; one of Michael's first missions starts with him finding his wife with their tennis coach. However, it's mentioned multiple times that Michael cheated on her first and that they have an open relationship - he's okay with her sleeping around, but [[EverybodyHasStandards using their bed for it was too much]]. The mission then instead showcases Michael's HairTriggerTemper, [[ATragedyOfImpulsiveness impulsiveness]] and fondness for DisproportionateRetribution, and implies that his shitty life is caused by his barely-contained instability, narcissism and selfishness instead of his family.

** ''VisualNovel/BacheloretteParty'': Mandy catches her then-(boy)girlfriend Kyle cheating on her with a woman who invited a man dressed in a banana costume to join in on the fun and breaks up with him on the spot.

* ''Film/DearZindagi'': Variation in that it's the protagonist Kaira who cheats in the beginning, but it doesn't work out with the guy left her boyfriend for either. The one-two punch of that and her landlord evicting her sets up the emotional arc of the film.

* ''Literature/TheStrangerTimes'': Hannha only starts working for the ''Stranger Times'' because she needs a job to support herself when she splits from her serial-cheating husband.