Couple who brought another woman into marriage mend their relationship with her after jealous streak

• High school sweethearts, Cierra from Colorado, USA, and David from Ohio, USA, fell in love in 2012. 
• When Cierra came out to her husband as bisexual, they decided to invite another woman into their marriage and met Mariah from California, USA on Tinder.
• The throuple started dating but separated after Cierra became jealous.
• They've now reunited after working through their issues and are happier than they've ever been.

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Psychiatric technician, Cierra and  David's relationship reached a milestone in 2016 when they got married and spent the next two years in wedded bliss.

In 2019, Cierra (24) came out as bisexual to David (24) and they agreed to expand their relationship by including another woman.

"After realising my bisexuality and sitting down with my husband and talking about our relationship, we decided we felt comfortable with opening up our relationship to other women," says  Cierra. 

READ MORE: 'I found out my boyfriend has been seeing someone else for 7 years and I'm okay with it' – Here's why I chose polyamory

In May 2019, they searched for the right woman on Tinder and, after exploring the dating scene with various women, met their match in Mariah Henderson (21) from California, USA.

All images courtesty Mediadrumworld.com/ Cierra Applegate/ Magazine Features

Cierra says the addition of Mariah in their relationship has strengthened her marriage and communication with David. While they couldn't be happier in their polyamorous relationship, after a few months of dating as a trio, they began to encounter jealousy between Cierra and Mariah, which caused them to split.

Two months later, they reconciled and have been smitten ever since. "David and I are husband and wife. We are both dating Mariah and there is both a physical and emotional relationship between all parties. Including Mariah in our lives has brought new perspectives, new hobbies and life experiences that would've been unexplored had another personality not been present," says  Cierra. 

"To us, it means that we can share our love with not only one another but another person. We feel like our marriage is so full of love and feeling free to express ourselves, that this isn't something that negates from our relationship, but instead builds it and creates new forms of trust and respect."

READ MORE: Pretoria woman on how she saved her 12-year marriage: ‘Choosing to have an open relationship 9 years into our union made us happier’

Their lifestyle isn't easy, nor is it for everyone, Cierra says. 

"It has definitely been a learning experience and unfortunately, there aren't a lot of resources for throuples as there are for other ways of living or relationship struggles. We had separated for a short period of time about six months ago due to the jealousy I was feeling towards Mariah.

"But we worked through the negative feelings I was having and the toxic jealousy. We focussed instead on how happy I am to see two people I care immensely about having a wonderful time with one another and being there for me."

READ MORE: Relationships that include 3 or more people - Women share their experiences with polyamory

Cierra admits her family hasn't fully come to terms with her relationship and sexuality. "My family knows about our situation, and they are not accepting, but they are still loving of me. They don't agree with our lifestyle and my mum does have lots of questions," she says.

David's family is accepting and curiously loving, but still doubt the quality of the marriage. Mariah's family was very loving and appreciated her coming out to them but neither of her parents is accepting of the polyamorous relationship. 

READ MORE: This married couple is engaged to their live-in partner with whom they have a baby - ‘Polyamory is not a threat to monogamy'

"I get two people that console me after a bad day. I get to look forward to two texts every morning. I get to cry on two shoulders," Cierra says.

The throuple has also learnt to communicate through their issues.

"When any tinge of jealousy arises, we communicate to one another immediately. We try to check in with one another once a week to make sure no one feels left out or suffocated," says Cierra.

We also understand that because Mariah is not living with us and that we are married, there is an understanding that when she feels lonely or jealous, she can always reach out, video chat, or even stop by."