A Haddonfield, N.J. woman said she was stunned by the reaction of the woman who caught her in bed with her husband.

After months of flirty email exchanges, Charlotte Martin, a 27-year-old pharmaceutical sales representative, gave into temptation and went home with her 44-year-old manager, Adam Crawford. The couple’s 30 minutes of passion had just ended when Crawford’s wife Beth unexpectedly walked into the room.

That’s when Martin said she received a surprising request.

“Instead of getting upset, his wife asked me if I could empty the dishwasher.”

Adam Crawford’s wife, Beth Crawford, said she had grown tired of bickering with her husband over the dishes.

“He’s either too busy to empty it or claims he doesn’t know where things go,” said Beth.

On the night of the affair, Crawford said she was so overwhelmed by the forms for her children’s summer camp and an important work memo that she had no energy left to get upset about the cheating, or the dishes. Crawford was simply relieved to have another set of hands in the house, even if those hands had just touched her husband.

Crawford said the whole affair did sting, but she’s trying to look at the bright side.

“Because of his affair, I had two fewer things to do that night: the dishes and my husband. I already asked her if she’s available to babysit next weekend.”

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About the Author

Melissa Avstreih is a Harvard journalism student and aspiring freelance writer. She relies on coffee and wine to survive being a working mom. She lives in Arlington, VA with her sleep-deprived husband and her two truck-obsessed toddlers.