The accompanying music video for “Unfaithful” was directed by Anthony Mandler. The video premiered May 1, 2006 on MTV, and was later released on iTunes for digital download.
As the video begins, Rihanna is walking towards a dressing room mirror while preparing for a show. This is intercut with scenes of Rihanna with her husband in a restaurant. While they talk to each other, Rihanna’s husband leaves the table and is absent for some time, during which Rihanna watches the other tables. One diner writes a note and gives it to a waiter, who passes it to Rihanna, who reads and quickly hides the note as her husband returns to the table. Rihanna starts to sing the song’s lyrics while she leaves the dressing room and approaches the stage, where she continues singing while a man plays a piano on the stage. The arena is empty and it appears as though Rihanna is rehearsing. Other scenes show Rihanna dancing around the piano while the pianist is still playing. While her husband is sleeping, Rihanna sends a text message to her lover, “B down in 5”. She walks down the street and gets into a car with her lover, who is the note-writing diner from the restaurant and the man who plays the piano at the rehearsal. As the song continues, Rihanna is shown regretfully embracing her lover near the piano. When the rehearsal finishes, she leaves the arena, where her husband is waiting for her with his car. Rihanna hugs him and tears fall from her eyes.