I (M24) recently found out my girlfriend (F23) of 4 months lied about meeting one of her exes before we ever met. She told me early in our relationship that she’d never met him in person but I found out she actually did, and even traveled to see him for a few days.
Nothing physical happened between them according to her (she swears to God they never had sex or even kissed), but what hurts is that she lied about it multiple times. When I confronted her, she fully admitted it, said she panicked because she thought I’d leave her if I knew, and that lying felt easier in the moment.
Since then, she hasn’t been defensive at all. She’s taken full responsibility, apologized deeply, and said she’ll do anything to make things right even accept consequences if I give her another chance. She’s changed a lot for me throughout our relationship avoided things I dislike, respected boundaries, and always shown love and effort.
But this lie hit deep. It wasn’t the act, it’s the fact that she hid it from me. It makes me question everything else, even though she’s never given me a reason to doubt her loyalty while we’ve been together.
I told her I need space and haven’t been replying to her messages. She keeps reaching out, saying she’ll prove herself through actions, not words.
So here I am torn between two sides:
The part of me that says she deserves a second chance because of how much effort and remorse she’s showing.
And the other part that says trust, once broken, never feels the same.
TL;DR: Girlfriend lied about meeting an ex before we met. said she never met him but actually did. She admits everything, apologizes sincerely, and wants to prove herself. Not cheating, but the lie broke my trust. Should I give her a second chance or walk away?