History Main / AccidentalAdultery

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Spawn}}'', upon [[BackFromTheDead coming back]] as the titular character, Al Simmons discovers that his wife has since remarried with his best friend. He is initially enraged at both of their lack of loyalty, until [[EasyAmnesia he regains part of his memory]] and realizes that, knowing that his was a dangerous profession, he actually asked his friend to take care of his wife should anything happen to him.

* DependingOnTheWriter; in versions of ''Theater/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' in which Todd and Mrs. Lovett's relationship is romantic, such as the Music/StephenSondheim musical and the Creator/TimBurton film version, it comes out that Todd has unwittingly committed adultery when his wife Lucy turns up alive but insane. He is [[TranquilFury not happy]] with Lovett when he finds out that she knew all along.

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* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'': The episode "Temple Of The Body" reveals at the end that Brittas had sex with Carole under the belief that he was bedding his wife Helen (it was a costume party and they were the same tiger costume). This becomes an issue when Carole falls pregnant from the encounter (though neither find out until the very end of the series).

* In ''Series/GossipGirl'', Serena tricks Dan into believing that Blair dumped him, so he would cheat on her. This turns out to be true, but since Serena didn't know it is a case of manipulating into sex.

** In "The Butterjunk Effect ", Fry accidentally sleeps with Amy, thinking she is Leela, because he didn't turn the lights on.

* ''Anime/ShinkonGattaiGodannar'': Mira Ackerman, who was in a relationship with Goh, has been presumed dead for 5 years, but in reality has been in a coma. By the time Goh finds out, he has already been married to Anna.

* In ''Videogame/{{Catherine}}'' the protagonist Vincent wakes up from a night out with his friends with a younger blond woman named Catherine in his bed. He has no memory of how she got there, but he knows his girlfriend Katherine won't be happy. [[spoiler:It turns out that she was a succubus sent by Thomas Mutton, AKA the Dumuzid, to seduce him and many other males, forcing them to fall into the Trials (ironically, however, she isn't actually sleeping with most of them, Vincent included). Depending on the ending, Vincent either manages to patch things up with Katherine due to the fact that the nature of the encounters (Catherine never appears to anyone else other than who she's currently seducing, meaning the whole thing comes off as made-up) being explain as symptoms of stress, or he ends up becoming an Incubus and taking over hell with Catherine.]]

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* In Myth/EgyptianMythology (at least [[DependingOnTheWriter in some versions]]), Osiris is murdered because he accidentally sleeps with his wife's twin, who also is his brother Set's wife.

-> '''Whale:''' You. We need to talk ''[David turns around. Suddenly punches him in the face.]'' What the hell was that for?\\

* In ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'', main character Rick's wife Lori [[GladToBeAliveSex sleeps with]] best friend Shane when Rick is presumed dead in the ZombieApocalypse. It plays more like [[YourCheatingHeart standard adultery]] than most examples of this trope, since it had only been a few days or weeks and they have no evidence for Rick's death beyond, "yo, zombies." When Rick returns, Lori considers it a mistake and wants [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain to forget it ever happened]], but Shane [[MurderTheHypotenuse has other ideas]].

* {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Literature/TheOdyssey''; presumed-widow Penelope has no shortage of suitors-- some [[YouHaveWaitedLongEnough quite forceful]]-- while presumed-dead Odysseus is LostAtSea, but she stays faithful for ten years. [[YourCheatingHeart More faithful than Odysseus himself]], for that matter, although "[[QuestionableConsent he never gave consent in his heart]]" and saying 'no' to goddesses was a good way of making sure he ''never'' got home.

* Played for laughs and subverted in the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS2E18PrehistoricIceMan Prehistoric Ice Man]]", where the titular character, Larry, was a HumanPopsicle for 32 months. Even though they searched for him ''all afternoon,'' there was no sign of him, and though his wife waited three whole days, she quickly realized that she had to move on. Not only is she already remarried, but she barely remembers having been married to Larry at all, and she and her new husband have [[YourCheatingHeart kids who are eight- and thirteen-years-old]].

The "ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated" version can be a way to add a little extra heft to a LoveTriangle, play with any number of {{Adultery}} Tropes while keeping all involved parties {{sympathetic|Adulterer}}, or add even more pathos to a character who is a victim of war, [[LostAtSea shipwreck]], coma, EasyAmnesia, or any number of other already-tragic circumstances. Alternatively, if the widow/er/ed party finds a new {{Love Interest|s}} almost immediately after the first is presumed dead, it can call their loyalty into question.

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* ''WesternAnimation/PocahontasIIJourneyToANewWorld'' begins with John Smith [[DisneyDeath apparently dying]] while in London. Pocahontas gets word of his death, mourns, and eventually begins to develop feelings for John Rolfe.[[note]]Yeah, [[OneSteveLimit the names]] make it [[ReplacementGoldfish a little weird]], but to be fair [[RealityIsUnrealistic they're both based on real people]].[[/note]] She's a bit torn when she discovers that Smith is alive, but it quickly becomes apparent that they want different things in their lives, and ultimately Rolfe returns with her to Virginia.
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* When Marinette finds out that [[AmnesiacLover she kissed Chat Noir while both were under amnesia]] in ''[[Fanfic/MarigamiStories Accidental Amnesiac Cheating]]'', it causes her immense guilt since it can be argued that she was cheating on Kagami.

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* In a variant, ''Literature/WeCantRewind'' has a case of accidental ''fornication'' due to a FreakyFridayFlip leading to certain erroneous assumptions concerning identities. [[spoiler: The step-siblings Jackie and Jaymee assume that being in their married parents' bodies means they ''are'' their parents, and therefore they are married. Upon discovering this, their parents immediately scold them and set them straight.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Octave}}'', Setsuko tells Yukino that it is okay for her to [[BiTheWay date men]]. Yukino takes this as Setsuko giving her the okay and has a one-night stand. It turns out Setsuko meant "If we weren't dating..." and is angry.

* ''Disney/PocahontasIIJourneyToANewWorld'' begins with John Smith [[DisneyDeath apparently dying]] while in London. Pocahontas gets word of his death, mourns, and eventually begins to develop feelings for John Rolfe.[[note]]Yeah, [[OneSteveLimit the names]] make it [[ReplacementGoldfish a little weird]], but to be fair [[RealityIsUnrealistic they're both based on real people]].[[/note]] She's a bit torn when she discovers that Smith is alive, but it quickly becomes apparent that they want different things in their lives, and ultimately Rolfe returns with her to Virginia.

* In ''High Seas'', Nicolás falls deeply in love with Eva, only [[spoiler:for a telegram to arrive that his wife Chantal, whom he thought long dead (she was captured by the Nazis in France), is alive and waiting for him]]. He tells Eva about it, and she is understanding and lets him decide what to do. Ultimately, it seems he has chosen Eva [[spoiler:and plans to gently explain everything to Chantal. As of the second season's finale, he is last seen just when he meets his wife]].

* In ''High Seas'', Nicolas falls deeply in love with Eva, only [[spoiler:for a telegram to arrive that his wife Chantal, whom he thought long dead (she was captured by the Nazis in France), is alive and waiting for him]]. He tells Eva about it, and she is understanding and lets him decide what to do. Ultimately, it seems he has chosen Eva [[spoiler:and plans to gently explain everything to Chantal. As of the second season's finale, he is last seen just when he meets his wife]].

* In ''High Seas'', Nicholas falls deeply in love with Eva, only [[spoiler:for a telegram to arrive that his wife Chantal, whom he thought long dead (she was captured by the Nazis in France), is alive and waiting for him]]. He tells Eva about it, and she is understanding and lets him decide what to do. Ultimately, it seems he has chosen Eva [[spoiler:and plans to gently explain everything to Chantal. As of the second season's finale, he is last seen just when he meets his wife]].