<p>Research has shown that psychopathic traits—personality attributes including cold-heartedness, manipulativeness, and impulsivity—are linked with problems in romantic relationships, often resulting in partner abuse or relationship dissolution. Because of tendencies toward detachment, selfishness, and antagonism, psychopathic traits may present unique challenges to relationship maintenance factors such as forgiveness. Studies have yet to examine, however, whether psychopathic traits challenge both negative (unforgiveness) and positive (forgiveness) motives toward partners and what mechanisms might be involved (e.g., rumination, trait forgivingness). Our study, therefore, examined the links between psychopathic traits and both unforgiveness and forgiveness motivations toward partners and whether antecedent variables of forgiveness mediated these links. We surveyed 551 young adults who recalled a past hurtful event by a partner where they decided to forgive them for this hurt. Results showed that despite deciding to forgive the hurtful event, psychopathic traits were associated with higher revenge motives and lower benevolence motives and lesser extent of feeling forgiveness of partners. Further, mediation models showed indirect effects of psychopathic traits on these outcomes via trait forgivingness. The results suggest that those with psychopathic traits may continue to harbor revenge and feel less benevolence and forgiveness toward partners following transgressions even after deciding to forgive them. Forgiveness may be one relationship maintenance factor that could be compromised in those with psychopathic traits, which can help inform the research on relationship dysfunction in psychopathy.</p>