Mr Tan thought he had a happy and loving marriage. That was, until his wife suddenly left him and their two children last Wednesday.

The 49-year-old delivery-man recounted how he met his wife in August 1997 and got married after a 3-month whirlwind courtship. Their 11-year union produced two children, a boy and a girl. While he continued to work, his wife stayed at home to take care of the family..

But their marriage began to unravel in March last year, when she started work as a helper at a dessert stall.

In September 2007, he noticed that his wife began to return home later than usual. He told Shin Min Daily: "She started coming home late, sometimes even as late as midnight or 2am."

He also said that when he questioned her,  she would either give the excuse that she took the wrong bus, or that she lost her way. Still, he chose to trust her and "continued to care for her".

Things took a turn for the worse one month ago, when his wife's moods became very sour.

She accused Mr Tan of being violent towards her and the children, and they eventually went for marriage counselling sessions to resolve the issue. But the situation did not improve and her behaviour became more erratic.

By then, Mr Tan's suspicions were aroused and he hired a private detective to monitor his wife's activities. The investigations revealed that his wife was having an affair. Mr Tan found out that his wife had frequent trysts in hotels with a man. After emerging from the hotel, the man would then send his wife home.

Mr Tan recognised the man as a noodle hawker who works in the same food centre as his wife. He believes their affair started after they got to know each other at the food centre.

"I don't blame her"

Mr Tan did not ask his wife for a divorce after discovering her affair. In an effort to save their marriage, he allowed his wife to remain with the family, even going to the extent of doubling her allowance from $500 to $1000 a month. But his efforts were futile.

On October 15, his wife packed her bags and left the house without a word. She has not returned since.

Despite her affair and abandonment, Mr Tan still hopes for a reconciliation. He told ShinMin Daily: "I do not blame her. I just hope that she will still remain as my wife."