Patrick is so convinced that Nini was not being truthful about the guy whose hands were so comfortably draped around her in the picture that she put up on Instagram, and quickly deleted. She explained that he was her close friend from primary school who had just returned to the country, and that it was simply an exuberant hug from him.
But Patrick thinks there is more to that explanation, and thinks Nini is cheating – or at least is considering it – , but is he true. How would one know anyway? Are there signs that show that a partner may be cheating?
Let’s consider some:
- He/she brings a new, random person up in conversation all the time.
- He/she becomes increasingly private with their phones (such as hiding screen when texting or quickly stopping what they were doing when you come unexpectedly).
- He/she might also refrain from answering the phone around you, turn the ringer off, make excuses to take a call privately, or take longer than usual to call you back.
- Behavioral changes (such as getting more defensive, pulling away emotionally or physically, and other such signs)
- Disappears and goes incommunicado (that is unreachable) for periods of time
But you cannot jump to conclusions that someone is cheating based only on these points as they may have perfectly legitimate reasons – or perfectly constructed lies – about their changed behaviour! This is where your ability to use well poised questions to expose a lie becomes an important tool, except you want to follow them around or hire a private investigator (which sadly is beyond your means).
