Love and loyalty

In the TVB drama Born Rich, Connie expressed an interesting idea in reply to her cheating husband Marcus' assurances of love. She said:

女人的愛是跟忠誠掛鉤的

which roughly translates as: "For a woman, love is interlocked with loyalty."

This notion bounced around in my head for a while, as I wondered the degree of truth it held. Was it just another flowery statement to spice up the story? Or was it a concept which could generally be applied the reality?

Loyalty is certainly valued as a virtue. The media's current excitement in revealing a new side of Tiger Woods proves that it is considered a big issue (or, admittedly, simply that the media likes to sensationalise).

Infidelity is by no means laudable, but does it automatically deny the feelings of one who has fallen into temptation?

Like most things, this is not a question answerable in absolute terms. "Cheating" is a broad term which encompasses a wide range of circumstances. Many other factors also contribute. Did it occur once, or often? In what state was the existing relationship? Was there any remorse felt? What are the feelings towards the third party/ies?

Unfaithfulness doesn't necessarily mean a loss of feelings. And by the same argument, strong affection might not ensure fidelity.

Though related, love and loyalty are separate ideas. It is quite possible that they do not co-exist.