My husband was in an affair that lasted for 7 years. The first 3 years were emotional and the last 4 years were physical. The affair partner was my best friend. He claims to have never had a love connection with her, he only was addicted to the feelings he got from her activating his inner hero and ego, then got trapped. He also says that he had been trying to leave the affair for over 2 years but she was threatening him with telling me and ruining his life so, he chose to stay in affair providing the bare minimum to the affair. I questioned him if he was having an affair and that is how it ended and he lied multiple times before telling the truth. He says he wants absolutely no contact with her and she is dead to him and wants nothing more than to save our marriage. Do you think he was really partaking in this affair to protect me from the pain of the affair being revealed or using it as an excuse to stay connected and involved with the affair partner?