I'm a 'side chick' and this is why having affairs with married men makes me feel 'powerful'

Women who have had affairs reveal why they chose to sleep with someone else's husband - and the bitter truth has left thousands aghast.

A 21-year-old woman who recently ended her relationship with a married man reached out to others in a similar situation to share their stories.

The young woman shared on Reddit that the affair made her feel 'powerful' at the time, but guilt and shame have started to creep in. 

Many revealed that they knowingly dated married men 'because they could' - with some confessing they had no regrets about the matter. 

Others blamed being 'young and reckless' and have since atoned for their actions.

A few shared various reasons they chose married men. 

'I have major commitment issues and the idea of a low-maintenance 'relationship' is the dream. It ended with me feeling like a complete idiot,' one said.

'The thought of being desired so much that he was willing to sacrifice his living situation and long-term relationship was disorienting,' another shared. 'It felt like a drug I couldn't get enough of.

'The heart pounding adrenalin of watching him debate in real time if he was going to cheat, and then feeling him look at me and decide didn't want to, but HAD to.'

A woman shared how she 'accidentally fell into' an affair with her boss. 

'I'd just started a new job and ended up completely falling for my married boss. I knew it was wrong and tried to keep my distance but we had a bunch of business trips together which resulted in a lot of 1:1 time.

'I was in a really dark place. My dating life was barren, I felt rejected, gained weight, and my self esteem plummeted. But I had this attractive, successful guy at work telling me I'm smart, beautiful, and that any guy who wasn't into me was an idiot.

'Anytime I was with him I would finally feel alive again and felt like we just had magnetic chemistry. He also admitted to feeling the same way towards me. We tried not to do anything but after a year of tension we finally ended up hooking up.

'I knew he was married, I knew it was wrong. I never met the wife but thought she must be a much better person than I was. My colleagues had met her and I knew she was beautiful, fit, and seemed really kind.'

Another revealed she got addicted to the 'high' of keeping the secret.

'I am not proud of being the other woman, but I thought I was the baddest b*tch on the planet. He would spend every other weekend with me, and the one week a month he traveled for work he was actually coming to me.

'I was with him for his bachelor party trip, I was with him the day after their wedding. I thought he's the only person that will love me and she's just more presentable so 'of course' he had to marry her. I listened to every line be fed me.  

'On my 23rd birthday and he was with me instead of her nursing graduation. I heard the voicemail she left him and to this day, almost 13 years later, I can still hear her crying. I knew that moment it could not continue, and I ended it.'