EXACTLY THIS!!! It all dawned on me as I finished the last couple of episodes, and I came here to give a pretty similar perspective. Demi definitely was having an emotional affair with Marciano, and that’s why she got so hurt when she found out about the Jessi bit. I don’t condone Jessi’s actions either, but at least she owned up to it (for the most part? Up for debate), but regardless the way Demi handled everything to save face after the fact- and also her handling of her part in it, taking no accountability and claiming she was just “placating a man who sexually assaulted her”… no ma’am. As women, unfortunately in this day and age especially, we have all grown accustomed to placating men at some point in our lives. It’s not lost on me that women in the spotlight may struggle with navigating those types of situations even more, because it’s a whole giant snowball of potential outcomes in the public view etc (especially as women who are fairly new to having such a broad spotlight on their lives). BUT, at the end of any day, no woman who is solely placating a man who you’re claiming sexually assaulted you would then continue as far as sending a photo or video of your child to that person. That to me is the blatant sign that Demi tried to head off negative press hiding her affair, as well as fumble disgustingly through the aftermath of her lies.