It took just seven words to end my perfect relationship, leaving me so traumatised I'm still in therapy more than a year later. This horrifying confession came from Alex, my partner of two years and the man I believed I would marry. But unbeknown to me, that is exactly what Alex was – a man who paid for sex when abroad, away from prying eyes. After years of bad dates and short-term relationships that went nowhere, I felt like the stars had finally aligned. He'd felt ashamed and written it off as an error of judgment.