It's a possibility I confess never have thought about before,good point¡
Well,I suppose that in Ennis case the BBM experience had marked him forever,not only to dream about-what would reveal that his feelings were deeper than he pretended...-,but in real life.The problem would be that he allowed him only to dream about it,about what would have been and never was again; IMO,he kept on living an ordinary and conventional life,fulfilling his duties as a married man and father,as society rules obliged him to do...Surely,sooner or later,he would realise he was living a lie for himself and for Alma,and they got divorced ;not for being a third person in between,but because the relationship would break down for Ennis impossibility to live a fully happy life with a woman.And I say "with a woman",not only with Alma...Something inside him had been deeply removed,so he would live bittered and sad for not being HIMSELF with the only person he had really loved.The same than he lived bittered and sad for not living with this person having followed the relationship,that's the same than saying for not being HIMSELF also.The result,then,would have been the same.