Should You Tell a Friend About Their Husband's Affair? Ethical Dilemma

Question
I came to find out that one of my best friends' hubby is having an extramarital affair. I am in a struggle whether I should tell her or not. They have been a handsome couple, happily married for 10 years. He indeed is a very fine and nice person. I believe she can patch things up if she is aware of the situation. His current affair may only be temporary. But if I tell her, it may lead to an immediate divorce. She is already past 40. What should I do?  

Answer
Dear Jennifer,

Let me start off by saying I am not an expert but I can suggest that you speak with one- a family counselor. They should be able to tell you how to broach the topic with you best friend.

One way to approach this question is - what if it were your husband (if you are married) and your best friend new he was having an affair and didn't tell you. Being sure of this information is, of course, extremely important. Either way it will cause emotional pain, with that being said you should speak with your friend about your knowledge and how it was obtained.

Your friend may already know that this is going on and is unsure as to what to do about it. Many times the people that are closest to us are the last to know about deceitful behavior (because it is embarrasing).

I do urge you to do something soon- whether it be speaking with a counselor or speaking with friend. Note: Whether your friend decides to divorce or not after the age of 40 (totally not uncommon today) is up to her and should not interfer with you informing her about this knowledge. There are plenty websites to help her in either choice: www.smartmarriages.com, aaml.org, equalityinmarriage.org and divorcesource.com.

I hope this was helpful.