It is 16 years since Beyonce and Jay-Z started dating. In 2005 they hit a rocky patch and secretly split up, but three years later the pair were married.

But throughout their marriage, rumours of Jay-Z's infidelity continued to surface. These suspicions went into overdrive when footage emerged of Beyonce's sister, Solange, hitting Jay-Z in an elevator after the 2014 Met Gala.

In 2016, Beyonce released her album Lemonade, which features a number of lyrics that seem to be about Jay-Z's infidelity: "Can't you see there's no other man above you? What a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you."

Jay-Z responded a year later in his own album - 4:44. In the track Family Feud, a collaboration with Beyonce, there are several lyrics that suggest he did cheat on her.

And now the pair's surprise joint album - Everything Is Love, released by "The Carters" - seems like the end of a trilogy.

The chorus of the album's final track, Lovehappy, gets to the heart of the current state of Mr and Mrs Carter's relationship:

"You did some things to me Boy, you do some things to me But love is deeper than your pain and I believe you can change Baby, the ups and downs are worth it Long way to go, but we'll work it We're flawed but we're still perfect for each other."

In other words: you're forgiven.

This seems out of character for Beyonce, who has cultivated her image as a strong, independent woman and an ardent feminist.

Historically, adultery has been considered a serious crime by many cultures. "Thou shalt not commit adultery" is the sixth commandment. The ancient Greeks considered it worse than rape. And although laws against it have all but vanished in the West, adultery is one reason you can file for divorce.

There is a stigma associated with staying in a marriage where one partner has been unfaithful. For example,n Hillary Clinton faced huge criticism for staying with her husband, Bill, after he was unfaithful.

Once a cheater, always a cheater, say many. How can marriage be sacred and special if breaking that trust is forgiven? Forgiving cheaters is a sign that you do not value yourself very highly and are happy to allow someone to take advantage of you. And there are always other people out there who would never lie to their partners.

Author Esther Perel sees things differently. Almost every person, she says, has been closely connected to infidelity. Every human is flawed: it is not simply the case that good people stay loyal and bad people cheat. And as Perel says, cheating is not simply about lust; it is about "reconnecting with lost parts of yourself". Cheaters should be forgiven.