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The original was posted on /r/relationships by /u/D_Houses on 2024-01-23 20:56:03+00:00.
I've been with my girlfriend for a little less than a year, and a few weeks ago, I (22m) saw some messages pop up on my girlfriend's (23f) phone. I had other suspicions, and I went through her phone. She had many messages sent to her ex spanning over a month. Much of it was to the effect of "I miss you, let's hang out, you will always have my heart..." etc. I confronted her about it, and she was apologetic and took responsibility; she admitted to meeting him for lunch but that nothing physical/sexual ever happened. After our conversation she has been considerably more attentive, prioritizing me while keeping us equal, she's become less distant, she's been letting me in emotionally and has become a lot more open.
For context, she was with her ex for several years. He was allegedly physically and emotionally abusive, and they'd been broken up for a year when we started dating. She had some issues in her personal life and was putting a lot of distance between us, but after I found out, she worked diligently to close the distance and appears to have prioritized our relationship more. She has also agreed to my boundaries, one of which was about cutting him and his family out completely. Not sure if infidelity can lead to a stronger relationship but I really don't know.
TL;DR: I found out my GF cheated, and I want to go through her phone again. What should I do?