How Niccolò Machiavelli Would Have Dealt With Romantic Cheating

Love is war.

Anyone who tells you otherwise has never been on the losing end of it.

Niccolò Machiavelli knew war. He knew power. He knew what people did when no one was watching.

If you think he’d handle cheating with a long, sad playlist and a bottle of whiskey, you’re wrong.

Machiavelli would have played it like a chessboard. And if you want to survive, maybe you should too.

Here’s how he would’ve done it. Seven principles of betrayal, strategy, and payback—Machiavelli style.

1. Control the Narrative

The first person to tell the story wins.

That’s the law of the jungle, the courtroom, and the back table of every bar where your name might come up.

If you’ve been cheated on, you don’t just have a broken heart—you have a PR crisis.

Because here’s the thing: It’s not just about the cheating. It’s about what people think happened.

If you let the cheater tell it first, the story becomes theirs.

And their version? Probably not the truth. Probably something cleaner, something with excuses, something that makes you look like the fool.

So you tell it first.

But not with tears, not with rage.

Tell it with calm precision.

Give just enough detail to make it compelling. A well-placed sigh. A shake of the head.

Let people fill in the gaps. If you do it right, they’ll be more outraged than you are.

2. Don’t Act Out of Anger—Act for Power

Anger is easy. Anger makes you want to break something, shout in the street, send a long text at 2 a.m.

But Machiavelli would never let anger lead the way.

He’d sit with it. He’d let it simmer. Then he’d ask: What can I do with this?

Because revenge is a waste if it doesn’t get you anywhere.

You could key their car, sure. You could start rumors, block their number, burn old love letters.

But then what? You feel good for an hour. Maybe a day. Then the power shifts back to them, because you acted like they mattered.

Instead, think like a general.

What move puts you in the strongest position?

Maybe it’s making sure mutual friends side with you.

Maybe it’s playing it so cool they start doubting their own actions.

Maybe it’s leaving them wondering if you ever cared at all.

Whatever it is, make it a move that benefits you long-term.

3. Make an Example, But Be Subtle

Machiavelli knew the art of punishment. If you let someone betray you without consequence, you invite them to do it again.

But he wouldn’t go for something obvious.

No screaming matches, no drunk voicemails.

He’d go for something measured and permanent.

Maybe you know a secret about them—one they wouldn’t want people to know.

You don’t use it immediately. You sit on it.

You wait for the moment they think they’re safe. Then you release it like a slow poison.

A quiet conversation with the right person. A detail dropped in passing. You let it spread on its own.

Or maybe it’s simpler than that. Maybe the lesson isn’t in exposing them—it’s in flipping the script.

If they left you for someone else, you become more desirable than ever.

You make them regret it not through words, but through action.

You thrive. You win. And they feel it.

4. Keep Your Enemies Close

Most people’s first instinct is to cut a cheater out completely.

Block them, erase them, pretend they never existed.

But Machiavelli would say: No, keep them close.

Why? Because knowledge is power.

If you’re still around—even from a distance—you control the flow of information.

You see who they’re talking to. You hear things before they do. You stay in the game.

And if they think you’ve forgiven them? Even better.

That’s when people get careless. That’s when they show you their real hand.

The trick is to act like you don’t care. Like you’re just there, just watching, just passing time.

Meanwhile, you’re collecting data. Waiting for the moment to use it.

5. Love Is a Battlefield—Recruit Allies

Cheating doesn’t just affect two people. It ripples. Friends, coworkers, acquaintances—they all form opinions. And those opinions matter.

Machiavelli knew that public perception is everything. So if you’ve been cheated on, your next move isn’t just about the cheater.

It’s about everyone else who’s watching.

You don’t need to beg for sympathy.

Just be the person people want to side with. Show strength, humor, dignity. Let them see you as the one who was wronged—but not in a way that makes you look pathetic.

And if you can? Make sure they see the cheater’s true colors. Without forcing it. Without pushing. Just… let it happen.

6. Don’t Show Weakness—Ever

The biggest mistake? Letting them see you suffer.

Machiavelli would never cry in public. Never beg. Never post sad quotes online. Why? Because desperation is unattractive.

Even if it hurts, even if it feels like your heart is crawling out of your chest, you walk tall.

You smile at the right times. You look like you’re doing just fine.

Because here’s the kicker: Eventually, you will be fine. And when that happens, you’ll look back and be glad you never let them see you at your lowest.

7. Disappear When the Time Is Right

The final move? The vanishing act.

Not right away. No, that would be too easy. You wait. You stay just long enough for them to think they still have a hold on you.

And then—one day, without warning—you’re gone.

No messages. No final words. Just… silence.

Machiavelli would have told you that the greatest power is making people wonder what you’re thinking.

If you leave them with questions, with regrets, with loose ends—you win.

And by the time they realize it? You’ll be too far ahead to care.

Summary Table

Machiavellian Principle	What It Means in Romance
Control the Narrative	Tell your version first—spin it in your favor.
Act for Power, Not Anger	Don’t lash out. Make moves that strengthen your position.
Make an Example, Subtly	Let them feel the consequence, but keep it quiet.
Keep Them Close	Stay in their world just long enough to learn what you need.
Recruit Allies	Make sure people see you as the one who was wronged—but with dignity.
Never Show Weakness	No begging, no tears, no desperate moves.
Disappear at the Right Time	Leave them confused, regretting, wondering.

Conclusion: The Art of the Vanishing Act

Machiavelli wouldn’t cry over a cheater. He wouldn’t write long letters or play sad songs.

He’d move the pieces. He’d make the cheater a pawn in his game.

And then, just when they thought they had it all figured out, he’d disappear.

Because the real lesson? The ultimate revenge isn’t getting even. It’s being unforgettable.