A lie gets caught, they apologize, promise never again, and then it repeats. Believing them feels foolish; not believing feels like the end. How should you see this loop?
Distinguish the kinds of lies
Not all lies are equal. There are white lies meant to spare you, avoidant lies to dodge conflict, and deception for one's own gain. The first two get solved by communication; the last eats away the foundation of the relationship.
Why the lying keeps happening
Beneath habitual lying is often a fear that "telling the truth gets me punished/abandoned", a lesson that honesty isn't safe. Pressing harder makes them hide more, a vicious cycle. Which, of course, doesn't justify the lying.
The test of belief, action, not words
"This time is really the last" is not evidence. The measure is behavior change afterward, not the apology. Watch whether they actually work to change, or just keep apologizing while acting the same.
Draw a line that protects you
Keeping on being deceived to preserve the relationship isn't love, it's self-erosion. Setting your own line, "if this happens again, here's what I'll do", and holding it is also for the relationship.
If deciding whether to trust is too much alone, lay out what has repeated, facts first. Strip the emotion and see the pattern, and it gets clearer whether this is a relationship to trust again.
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