There is almost nothing worse than experiencing the crushing feeling of realizing that the person who you love and trust has cheated on you. It's the ultimate form of betrayal in relationships, and the number one thing that goes through your mind is, "Should I stay with them?"

It may be easier said than done, but take it from someone who experienced this: You absolutely should not.

I remember finding out that my ex cheated on me, and I was absolutely heartbroken. He was still a senior in high school, and I was away at university for my freshman year. We decided to try long distance, and when I came back home for Thanksgiving break, I was so excited to see him after being a part for so long.

Imagine my disappointment to come home and hear from my sister that she had heard from one of her friend's that he was constantly being seen around another girl.

I was skeptical about it at first--just because he was hanging out with another girl didn't mean that he was cheating, right? Well yeah, but that was not the case here.

I confronted him, and after admitting that he was, I was absolutely devastated. This was the person who had told me how much he loved me and who had spoke so often about having a future together. I didn't want to believe it, and at times I refused to. I brushed it aside, and I thought it was a small bump that we could get over.

It was not. The relationship was not the same following that, and it changed me for the worse. I became a shell of who I once was, and I stayed in a relationship that because of this developed huge trust issues and became emotionally unstable.

It took me a while to realize that things were not working out, and that the relationship was not going to progress. It took me a while to realize that I deserved better, and the fact of the matter is that if someone cheats on you, they do not love you, and they do not respect you.

Cheating is a conscious decision, and it's also a multiple step process. You don't just "make a mistake;" you make multiple mistakes that all at some point allowed you to stop and think about what you were doing. You don't just accidentally cheat on someone; it is a conscious and purposeful act.

And you don't just say that you still love them after the fact. Because let's be honest, if you truly loved them, you would not have done it.

The amount of times I've heard about someone being cheated on disgusts me. It is absolutely shameful that someone will do this to another person, and staying in the relationship cements the fact that you allow this type of behavior to go on. If you stay in a relationship with someone who cheated, you may as well be telling them that they can do it again as much as they like, and it won't be a problem for you. You are condoning their behavior by staying with them, and you deserve so much more than that.

Never stay in a relationship where cheating was involved. One day you will meet someone who would never think twice about being with another person, and that is what you deserve. You deserve to be with someone who respects and loves you, and you will not find that in a person who has cheated.

Your happiness is important. Don't let someone who has done something this horrible take it away from you.