The difference of treatment when a ml cheats and fl cheats.
I remembered a book that I read long time ago. In that book (the man that I betrayed) fl cheats on ml.
That fl was a teenager who got lured by boring Ml's charming brother. So she elopes with the brother by leaving ml.
Story starts from years later.
Now ml turned out charming and rich businessman. Fl gets dumped and raped by that man with whom she eloped. She almost lives like a begger.
Then the ml who claims to still have feelings for fl sleeps with his best friend. Then realises he doesn't have romantic feelings for her and ends up with fl.
Cheating is absolutely wrong irrespective of the gender. But it feels like author make fl face brutal consequences for cheating when compared to ml. When fl cheats on ml, she deserve to be raped, abandoned and live like a begger.
When ml cheats, his maximum punishment is not cheating again.
It doesn't mean I am defending fls who do cheat. Cheating is absolutely wrong whether it is done by a male, female or lead characters/side characters.
Just speaking about the treatment of authors.