A Marriage in Trouble by Cagivagurl,Cagivagurl

First and foremost a big thank you to Randi for her incredible editing and guidance.

Please remember, there will be mistakes in here. Not because of the editing, but because I am a serial tinkerer. I know I shouldn’t but I play with the story even after editing..

So mistakes, they’re all mine….

*****

“Wow!” Mark couldn’t stop smiling as he recalled the incredible start to their day. His wife Liz had awakened him with a blowjob so wonderful he thought he was still asleep, dreaming. No, it was real all right, and she took him to heights he had never envisioned.

Lying back trying to catch his breath, he reached for her, but she bounded out of bed, running for the shower, her cute little breasts bouncing sexily as she sped towards the bathroom.

“I wanted to repay you is all,” he called.

She blew him a kiss. “It was a gift, my sweet man. Just something to show you how much I love you.”

He slid out of bed and caught her in the shower. With her head covered with shampoo, she didn’t hear him come in, but as his body rubbed against hers, she jumped, startled. “What are you doing?”

“Saving water,” he spluttered through the stinging needle jets.

She giggled sexily. “Well, I’m just finishing. You can have it for yourself.”

As she slipped by, she circled his waist with her arms, squeezing him tightly, her luscious body pressed tightly against him.

Her lips tasted of shampoo, but the kiss was scintillating. “I do love you, Mark Webster, and never forget that for one moment.”

He peered back into her deep green eyes. “How could I ever forget?” he said “I love you just as deeply, Liz. I am yours, and you are mine.”

She kissed him playfully, replying, “Don’t take too long. Breakfast will be ready in ten. I have an early client this morning.”

The breakfast was full of sexy glances and flirting. Life couldn’t be better.

At work that morning, Mark reflected on their marriage. It had been one of ups and downs, like all marriages, he mused. Their children came along early in their marriage. It wasn’t planned as such, but with the arrival of Kate, their eldest, they decided to have another quickly so they would be close together. Melanie arrived the next year.

Liz had stopped work to be with them. She believed that the bonds of parentage were formed early in a child’s life. She loved everything about being a stay-at-home Mom, but decided once they went off to school, she would return to work.

The girls remained their focus, and still were in many ways, but when Melanie left for college, Liz fell into a bit of a slump. Call it empty nest, call it what you will, but the depression really set in. She spent the next year funneling herself into her practice and helping other people.

Suddenly though, two years before, everything changed, and it was like a fog had lifted. Her bubbly positive personality was back. She cut back her hours, and it was like Mark had become the center of her universe.

Their sex life, which had been circling the toilet, was back to its sparkly best. In fact, it was like a switch had been thrown, and she was this new-born sex fiend. She wanted to experiment, try new things, and Mark couldn’t have been happier if he tried.

It was an incredible time for him. Every weekend, Liz organized exciting events, holidays, romantic dinners. He kept telling himself how lucky he was.

After that morning, though, he decided he needed to repay her lustful gift. Ringing around the city, he got a reservation for lunch at the fanciest restaurant he could.

He drove to Liz’s practice, which was on the outskirts of the city, via a jewelry store and florist. This was going to be one hell of a surprise. Mark admitted he wasn’t really the romantic type. Usually, it was Liz who caught him off guard. Today, the shoe would be on the other foot.

He waked into her practice front door with great expectations. Liz shared the building with a young naturpath, and a massage therapist. The receptionist, Carol, recognized him immediately. “Good morning, Mr. Webster.”

“Hey there, Carol. Busy morning was it?”

“Yes, it sure was. If the flowers are for Liz, she will be disappointed. She is meeting with a client in the city.”

“Damn it. What time will she be back?”

Glancing down at her diary, Carol peered up unhappily. “Her next client isn’t until two thirty. She will probably have lunch with her client.”

Mark handed over the flowers, which had the diamond earrings in a silver package by the card. “Oh well, could you make sure she gets these, please?”

“Sure can,” Carol answered. “Is that jewelry in the organza bag?”

“Yeah, if you could be careful, I would appreciate it.”

‘”Sure, I’ll make sure it’s the first thing she sees when she walks in.”

“Thanks, Carol,” Mark said sadly as he walked out. Maybe all wasn’t lost. He phoned Liz’s mobile, but it went straight to voice mail. He left a cute little message, and headed back to the city.

Trying to salvage his canceled meeting, he phoned his one o’clock meeting, Andrew Mots. “Andrew, if you’re still around, I could meet you for lunch?”

“Sure thing, Mark. We are going to be at the Grand, on Wellbourne Street, if you can make it.”

“Yep, I’ll be there, just give me fifteen minutes.”

He rushed into the front lobby and looked up on the noticeboard to see where the restaurant was. As his eyes flicked past the reception counter, he had to do a double take. There was his wife of twenty four years, registering with another man. They stood side by side as the man handed over his card.

Liz leaned in close, balancing on one foot to kiss him lovingly. Luckily, her other hand was clasped tightly in the grip of the other man.

To say Mark was shocked would be an understatement. He was well beyond that. He came to a stuttering stop, his eyes glued to what was happening in front of him as if it was a horror story.

He needed to get to the bottom of it, but it happened so quickly he was caught off guard. They turned as if they had done this a thousand times before and walked quickly hand in hand to the elevators.

Mark was quick, but the doors closed before he could get there. What to do? He watched the tell-tale, and it stopped on the fifth floor. Should he run up the stairs? No, that was ridiculous. They would be in their room before he could get there.

“What in god’s name is going on?” he muttered under his breath. As he looked up, he caught the ye of the receptionist. He walked back to the counter.

“That couple who just signed in. What room are they in?” he demanded loudly.

The woman, confused, and a little scared, said, “Sir, we can’t give you that information.”

“Like hell you can’t. That woman is my wife. Now give me the damn number.”

The man standing down the desk came walking up to stand beside his petrified assistant. “Sir, I’m not sure what you are trying to accomplish. The information is private and confidential.”

“Were you listening? That woman is my wife.”

The man, cool and calm, said, “Perhaps you were mistaken?”

“Look, dipshit. That was my wife. For Christ’s sake. We’ve been married for over twenty years. Do you think I would make a mistake like that?”

The concierge, hearing the raised voices, and seeing the crowd gathering, rushed over. “Sir, what seems to be the problem?”

“I just saw my wife with a strange man, check into this hotel. I want the god damned room number.”

“That isn’t going to happen sir. You may have seen what you thought you saw. However, we cannot help. Do you understand, that information is confidential.”

Mark saw the concierge wave his arm, and two very well-dressed obviously security guards walked slowly towards the group. Mark, worried more than ever, snarled, “Okay, look, can you phone the room number that couple booked into and tell the lady that Mark Webster is waiting for her at reception? Can you at least do that?”

“Why don’t you call her yourself?” The concierge said calmly.

“Because, she has her damned phone turned off, that’s why.”

The two security guards arrived, one standing either side of Mark. “Please, pal, I’m begging you, just call the room. If she doesn’t come down, I’ll leave.”

He nodded towards the desk. “Call the room.” He glanced at Mark, “What did you say your name is?”

“Tell her Mark Webster is here and wants to see her.”

The male assistant reached for the phone and dialed the room. “Can I talk to?” He glanced at Mark, his eyes questioning.

“Liz Webster,” Mark hissed as the guards hands curled around his lower arms.

“Liz Webster, please?” the man asked.

There was a pause before the man said, “Mrs. Webster, there is a man here at reception, claiming to be your husband, and he would like to talk with you.”

There was a pause before he hung up the phone and said to Mark, “She will be right down.”

The concierge asked, “Can we rely on you to behave calmly, or should I ask the security guards to escort you outside?”

“I will be calm. You can call off the dogs.”

He nodded at the guards who moved only a few feet away.

Mark turned to the elevators, and within ten minutes, Liz appeared, looking very upset. “Mark, what are you doing here?”

“I was here for a business meeting. Imagine my surprise when I saw you checking in with another man. Would you care to explain?”

He watched on as she looked around the group, embarrassed, before saying, “I think we should find somewhere private to talk.”

He nodded. “I agree.”

She looked at him with a mixture of concern, and what the hell was that… anger? “There’s a coffee shop up on the corner,” she said quietly.

“Lead on,” he muttered angrily. He followed her as she walked out onto the street. He followed, trying to contain the anger boiling away in his gut.

As they walked, his phone buzzed; it was Andrew. “Sorry, Andrew. I’m not going to make it. Can we reschedule?”

Putting his phone away, he turned it off. She led him into a coffee house, pointing to a table as far away from the few other customers as she could find. He nodded, muttering, “I’ll get the coffee.”

After placing his order, he turned to watch Liz. She had her phone glued to her ear, probably telling her lover not to wait up. He expected to see embarrassment, shame, guilt. All he saw was irritation, as if he had just interrupted a work meeting.

Sitting down opposite her, he slid her cappuccino over too her. “Okay, Liz, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?”

“What do you think was going on, Mark?” she said calmly, as if she was talking to a client.

“What the hell did you just say? I’m not a god damned patient, or client.”

“Mark, I’m serious. What did you think was going on.”

“Jesus, Liz are you that fucking cruel? I think you were going up to that hotel room for sex, and judging by your body language, it wasn’t the first time. How does that sound?”

She nodded, lifted her cappuccino and sipped gently. “Yes, that pretty much sums it up.”

She placed her cup back down. “I am sorry you had to find out like that.”

“You’re sorry for the way I found out… What about sorry it happened?”

“I’m sorry, Mark, but I am not sorry it happened. I am sorry that it has you so distressed.”

“What the hell did you expect? God damn it, Liz. Why? Can you at least tell me that?”

“Why is a good question. Mainly because I was at a low point in my life. I was deeply depressed and I needed something to lift me up.”

Mark grimaced, his face showing his confusion. “How long has it been going on?”

“Two years,” she said evenly, with no hint of guilt.

He swallowed his coffee, barely able to keep it down. “Who is he? Jesus Christ, he must be ten years younger than you.”

“I am sorry, Mark, but I won’t divulge his name. Yes, twelve years, actually.”

“Why won’t you give me the name?”

“Because I know you too well, that’s why. You would want some form of revenge,” she said quietly.

“Two years… two fucking years. God damn it, Liz. Do I mean that little to you?”

“Mark, don’t curse. There’s no need for that language. You’re freaking out right now. I can see it in your face. This might be hard for you to believe, but it’s the truth. I love you more now than I ever have. You’re my husband, my friend, the center of my world.”

“How can you say that and sleep with somebody else?”

“There is no connection between what was happening today and our marriage.”

“What? Oh my god, you’re doing drugs aren’t you? That guy, he’s got you hooked on smack or something.”

She shook her head in dismay. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Liz, how the hell can you seriously say that had nothing to do with our marriage? You’re having a two year long affair.”

She looked at him with a mixture of concern and disbelief. “Mark, how has my affair effected our life?”

“Oh Christ, I can’t believe this. You’re having sex with another man!” he snarled, loudly enough for the few people in the coffee house to look up startled and stare at them.

“Keep your voice down, or I will be going home. I am asking you a serious question. Tell me how my affair has affected our marriage? Have I ever refused you anything? If you hadn’t found out today, what would have changed?”

“What…” It was all Mark could say. He knew it was weak, but couldn’t answer her.

She sighed, taking in a deep breath. “Answer me this; how would you describe the last two years of our marriage? Before answering, ignore what you saw today.”

Mark had to bite back his angry retort. “How do I forget what I saw? What the hell would you say if you caught me having sex with another woman?”

“I asked you a legitimate question: Describe the last two years of our marriage, and for the second part of your question, so long as you were discreet, practiced safe sex, and it was somebody you at least cared about, I would accept it. In reality, I don’t know that you haven’t. Could you answer the question. Describe our marriage?”

“Okay, the last two years have been fantastic. I thought we had the most incredible marriage.”

“I agree, our marriage has been amazing.” She sighed. “Now what about the previous year, when Mel moved out.”

“Hell, it was sheer hell. I tried everything to lift your spirits and nothing worked. I hated the fact I was so useless. Nothing I said seemed to help, in fact, it was like if I opened my mouth it made things worse.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, reaching out to stroke his arm. “That was a terrible time, and it wasn’t your fault. I felt so guilty for dragging you down with me. I was so depressed.”

“Then what happened?”

“Phil happened. That’s not his name by the way, but for the sake of this, I shall call him Phil. He came into my life, and it changed everything.”

“How did it start?” Mark asked.

“We worked together occasionally. Not often, we were both at the hospital waiting to talk to clients. He caught me sobbing my heart out and started talking to me. The talking turned into regular chats, messages. Over time they became flirty. You know me, I don’t flirt, at least I never used to. The flirting and teasing turned into kissing, and then, well, sex.”

“”Sheesh, you make it sound so normal. Like it’s okay.”

“Mark, you’re not listening to me. Our marriage has been amazing. The last couple of years have been fabulous. If you hadn’t found out today, and I asked you about our marriage, you would have told me it’s better than ever.”

He chewed painfully on his bottom lip. What she said was true. He thought everything was just perfect. How could she need more sex, especially after this morning? “Am I not enough for you, is that it? What, does he have a big dick or something?”

“Why do men always worry about the size of your dick? There’s nothing wrong with our sex life. It’s wonderful.”

“Then why this?”

“It’s different. Phil is the opposite of you. He offers things you don’t.”

Jesus H Christ, Liz. You’re saying he’s better than me.”

“No, I’m saying he’s different.”

Mark swallowed the last of his latte. “What happens now. Is it over?”

She glanced at him sadly. “If you want it to be, then yes, it is over.”

“If I want it… good god almighty. Of course I want it to stop. I’m that close to divorce right now.”

“I hope that’s not what you want. Mark, this affair has been a blessing for us. Have you enjoyed our sex life over the last two years?”

“Yes, but…”

“No buts. I know damned well you’ve enjoyed it. Do you feel like I have held anything back? Have you wanted more? Have I refused you anything?”

“Are you trying to tell me our sex life has been better because of him?”

“Yes, in a way. Being with Phil opened up my mind in a way I never expected. In many ways, it has allowed me to grow. I enjoy our sex life more than ever, and that has flowed into our marriage.”

“But…”

“I said no buts. I love you more than ever, Mark. I don’t want this to become something we can’t move past.”

At that point, I threw my arms in the air and walked out, leaving her sitting there looking very worried.

Mark was too distraught to return to work, and took the opportunity to walk. What the hell was wrong with her? There was no sense of shame, no guilt. He expected for her to at least plead for forgiveness.

He arrived home late, not knowing what to expect. He walked in to find Liz cooking dinner as always. She walked up and tried to give him a kiss, but he held her off at arms length. Looking sad she said. “Dinner will be in about thirty minutes. Perhaps we should take the chance to talk?”

“I don’t think there’s anything to talk about. You have completely humiliated me. You carried on an affair for two years,” Mark muttered, the disdain falling easily from his tongue.

“Why would you feel humiliated Mark?”

“Oh, for the love of god. You’ve been having sex with another man.”

“Why is that humiliating? Only three people on the whole planet know. It’s not like everybody would be talking about us.”

“I know,” he spluttered. “I fucking know, and I feel completely humiliated. I obviously wasn’t ringing your bell. You turned to him when you needed help. I apparently couldn’t help, but he rides in like a knight in shining armour and saves the day and I’m supposed to be grateful. I bet he had a real laugh at my expense.”

“Mark, my love. You are approaching this all wrong. We never once put you down. Phil never once said one single derogatory thing about you. As far as sex is concerned, you know damned well our sex life has always been good. Our life has always been good.”

“Then why couldn’t you talk to me about your depression?”

“Because I felt guilty, because I felt like it was my fault. You were trying so hard; I just couldn’t open up to you. That’s the way depression is sometimes. It takes a fresh face, somebody you don’t know, somebody you can say anything to because they’re not important too you.”

We sat in stony silence for what felt like forever. “Mark, please don’t go off half cocked and destroy a wonderful marriage. We have such a great marriage.”

“Yeah, you love me so much,” he snarled. ” You needed to get some extra loving on the side. How the hell do you think that makes me feel?”

“Yes, I understand,” she whispered consolingly. “I knew it would be hard for you to take in. It’s why I kept it a secret. Remember, up until today, you loved everything about our marriage. I heard you telling your father that you were blessed to have what we have.”

She was right, and Mark knew she was right. It didn’t make sense. She always espoused about how happy their life together was. All of their friends were jealous of how warm and loving their relationship was.

“I don’t get it,” he grumbled. “Why, if our sex life was so damn good? Why did you need to do it?”

“At first, I was guilty. Phil seduced me. I know that sounds like I’m shifting blame, but that’s not the case. He seduced me because I wanted to be seduced. We flirted, teased, and it was fun. I had been so deeply depressed. I suddenly had this very handsome young man throwing himself at me, and I made him hot. After the first time I felt terrible, but the attraction was strong and each time I went back, it got easier. Doing something so terribly taboo, so shocking, was a thrill, and it made it all the more exciting.” Liz replied.

“Did you do it in our home?” Mark spluttered as new thoughts raced through his head.

“No, it was always at the hotel.”

“Did you ever come home with his seed inside you?”

“For god’s sake, Mark. What sort of person do you think I am. We always used condoms, and I always showered.”

“Did you suck his cock?”

“Yes,” she admitted, as if it was nothing.

“Did you let him come in your mouth?”

“Yes.”

“Your ass?” he asked, gulping down a lump that didn’t want to stay down.

“Yes, it’s not as if it wasn’t part of yours and my sex life, you know.”

“Yes, but that has been a recent thing. You used to hate it.”

“True, I have come to enjoy it more. I think it was all part of the taboo thing. The dirtier the better.”

“You are not making this any easier to take, Liz.”

“Mark, I just wanted to try and explain. The sex with Phil was no better. He wasn’t a sex god, he was just different.”

“Is he married?”

“Yes, he has a wife and one child. His wife is pregnant with their second child.”

“You don’t feel bad for her?”

“No, what we were doing didn’t take anything away from their relationship. It is what I have been trying to explain to you. You missed out on nothing. I gave you everything you wanted. I never turned you down for anything. The time I gave to Phil came from work. I never took that from you.”

“I’m stuck for words, Liz. What has me in a tailspin is you don’t seem to understand why I am so angry.” he grumbled.

“That is not true. I understand.” She sighed. “You feel let down, betrayed. I’m not an idiot, Mark. I do understand. What I am trying to tell you is you are entitled to those feelings. I hid something from you, and I did cheat. I am not trying to pretend it never happened.”

“Then what are you you talking about?”

“I wish I had found a way to be honest with you. Right at the start, I toyed with the idea of telling you. Deep down I knew you wouldn’t understand. Even now, looking into your eyes, I see you don’t understand,” she said

“Finally, you said something that makes sense,” he snapped ruefully.

“Just think about how happy our life together has been. Think about our holidays, the romantic dinners, our lovemaking. Mark, our life has been tremendous, especially the last year. The affair never touched our lives in any way. It was separate. I keep saying, if you hadn’t found out, tonight we would have had a wonderful romantic dinner, gone to bed and made love. We would have both gone to sleep with very satisfied smiles on our faces, congratulating ourselves on what a wonderful marriage we have.”

“That’s probably true, but it was all based on a damn lie. The only reason for your satisfaction was because you spent the afternoon fucking whatever the fuck his name is.”

“Don’t be crude, Mark. There’s no need. We can discuss this without the anger and profanity.”

“Oh, terribly sorry Liz. I can’t understand why I feel this way. Perhaps its because my wife is a cheating slut.”

She stood quickly, walking towards the stairs. “I understand you’re angry, but I refuse to try and discuss anything while you behave like a spoiled brat. I’m going to bed. Dinner is in the oven. You can get it yourself.”

Mark sat listening to the bedroom door slam shut. Nothing made sense. He replayed the day’s events over and over in his mind. Liz’s complete disregard for how he felt made him even angrier. If she had been at least a little regretful or penitent, he might have felt differently.

Right at that moment, all he could think about was revenge. He wanted to inflict some pain on her.

What annoyed him was that the bastard, whatever his name Was, going to get away scott free. It was wrong; he needed to suffer. He needed that damn name. He got up and walked into the study he and Liz shared as an office. He fired up the computer, hoping that he might be able to crack her email account.

He tried over and over, all to no avail. She was a clever woman and wasn’t going to be caught out so easily. He had keys to her practice. Turning the oven off, he drove down to her office. He went through her files, opened her computer, only to find it password protected. He tried the receptionist’s computer and diary. Still nothing.

He found Liz waiting for him when he walked in. “Have fun did you?”

“No not really.” he snapped back.

“Mark, the office alarm starts the security cameras. You might have entered the code, but you didn’t disable the cameras.” She shook her head. “What were you looking for?”

“His name damn it. He has fucked my marriage, and I want the fucker to feel some pain.”

She turned and walked away. “I’m not listening to that language. When you can behave rationally, we can talk again.”

“Fuck you bitch!” he barked angrily at her back.

He slept on the couch that night and left for work early the next morning feeling completely shattered. He looked like shit, and felt worse. After talking to his boss, he took the rest of the week off. He went home and spent a couple of hours researching divorce laws in the state. There wasn’t a damn thing he could do to hurt her. The state was no fault. Even legally, he couldn’t hurt her. With every passing hour, though, he felt the angry pangs tightening their grip on his heart.

He loved her, he wasn’t going to deny it. She had been an incredible wife and mother. She worked diligently. She was respected in her field of physiology, and was also highly acclaimed as a marriage therapist and counselor.

Even accepting that love, he couldn’t see any other way forward. He made an appointment to see a divorce lawyer the next day.

Liz got home at her regular time. She walked in looking fresh and happy. “Hey, sweetheart. Are you feeling better today?”

“Fuck you, slut,” he snarled. “I am trying to deal with a cheating bitch of a wife, not get over a headache. No, I don’t feel any better. Did you have a nice afternoon fuck with dickhead?”

She dropped her case on the floor and stood hands on hips staring at him. “Mark, I’m not going to be spoken to like that. If you cannot speak to me like a sane rational adult, please refrain from saying anything.”

“Fine by me. There’s not a god damned thing I want to say to you, anyway.”

“No?” she whispered. “What would you like for dinner?”

“Nothing, I’m going out for dinner.”

“You’re making this a hell of a lot harder than it has to be.” She sighed ruefully.

“Good god, woman. What were you expecting?”

“I was hoping we could talk sanely, find a way to make this work. For heaven’s sake. I realize you’re angry. I get that, but we can still talk without the vitriolic profanity.”

“Don’t treat me like one of your patients, Liz. I’m not falling for your psychobabble.”

He picked up his keys off the bench and left her standing there.

The house was in darkness when he returned. He wasn’t sleeping on the damn couch again. It felt weird sleeping in his daughter’s bed, but it was a hell of a lot better than the couch.

He heard her get up and prepare breakfast. It was one of their daily rituals, they shared breakfast talking about the days plans, and what they might do after dinner. He lay in bed waiting for her to leave.

He took his time before getting showered and ready for his appointment with the lawyer. He turned out to be a reasonable man, and they talked through the possible channels. He suggested that Mark needed to talk to Liz, because if he could get her to agree to the divorce and Mark’s terms, it would save them both a lot of money.

If they couldn’t mutually agree, they could use a mediator to help, but if she contested, It would end up going to trial, and that would cost a lot of money.

The lawyer helped Mark prepare the application, and he set his terms. There was no way for him to screw her, all their finances were linked. All their savings were linked. The house was in joint names. She was going to get fifty percent of everything and there wasn’t a damned thing Mark could do about it.

The lawyer organized for a file server to come to their home that night at six.

Mark wandered around like a lost puppy, really. His world was dissolving in front of his eyes, and he felt terrible. At home, he started packing. It sounded crazy, but the house they brought together fifteen years earlier no longer felt like home. He didn’t know whether Liz wanted to keep it. If she did, then fine, either way. he was moving out.

He packed as many of his clothes as he could into boxes and suitcases, carried them down to the garage and started thinking about how he was going to store all his tools and crap.

Liz walked in carrying bags of groceries at her usual time. Seeing him already home and dressed casually, she asked, “Have you been home all day?”

“Yeah, I took the week off. I wasn’t much use at work. Couldn’t focus on anything.” Mark muttered.

“Why didn’t you say something? You could have got the groceries for me.”

“Sorry, I’ve been busy,” he hissed.

She placed the bags on the counter top, and said, “Will chicken be all right for dinner?”

“You have what you want. I’m going out to eat.” Mark bristled.

“Sweetheart. It doesn’t have to be this way. If you would just talk to me,” she said softly. Getting no response, she walked up to him and wriggled her way into his arms. All Mark could think about was hurting her. “Feeling horny are you? I take it your afternoon fuck was a good one?”

Dropping her arms, she walked away. She was almost at the stairs when the doorbell rang. She turned and stared back at him. “Are you going to get that?”

“No, I doubt it’s for me.” Mark snapped.

Liz strode purposefully to the door. Mark heard her ask “Yes, can I help you?”

“Are you Mr’s Elizabeth Webster?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been served, Ma’am. Good day to you.”

Liz walked in holding the large manila envelope. “Really, this is your solution?” Her tone was one of shock.

“It’s the only one that I could think of,” Mark responded brusquely.

“After twenty five years, that is the only solution you could come up with? What about counseling, talking, trying to understand how we can help you get past this.”

“Me get past it… What the fuck? You’re the one who cheated. You’re the one who created this fucking nightmare. Maybe we should focus on why you did it, why you refuse to show any shame or guilt.”

“Language, Mark. Let’s keep this in perspective. What happened had no bearing on our marriage, which was wonderful, happy and very successful. I don’t want a divorce. I’ve stopped seeing Phil… I am trying to appease your concerns.”

“Oh my god. Listen to yourself. It’s all about me. You’re treating this as if it’s my fault.”

“In a way, it is,” she replied. “You’re the one who refuses to talk sanely. To have a proper open conversation about how we recover from your feelings of humiliation.”

“What? No way. This is your mess. You say you stopped seeing, dickhead. Are you still talking to him?”

She shrugged. “We talked yesterday. That’s only because I needed somebody to talk to about what’s happening between you and me. As we are the only three people in the world who know, I had no alternative. I have an appointment with a therapist, that way I will have somebody neutral to discuss this with. I cannot say this firmly enough. I do not want a divorce.”

Mark sighed deeply. In truth, he didn’t want a divorce either. His reaction was just to inflict some hurt on her. To shock her into admitting her affair caused it. That she was to blame.

“I’ll cook us a nice dinner, we can have a couple of glasses of wine and then if we can put aside the anger, maybe if we approach it calmly, we can find a way to make this unnecessary,” she stated as she held up the manila envelope.

Seeing the uncertainty on Mark’s face, she stepped closer and reached for his hand. “Please, sweetheart, after all the wonderful years. Surely we deserve an opportunity to discuss it rationally?”

“Yeah, fine. What are we having for dinner?”

“Steak parcels, with broccoli, roast potatoes and a little salad. I could use a hand,” she said, her eyes open wide, pleading.

“Yeah, I’ll chop the salad, and peel the potatoes,” he replied.

As they worked side by side in the kitchen, Liz asked, “Why did you think we had to divorce?”

“Because you cheated on me. Not a one-off drunken fling one night. It was a planned prolonged affair, which included lying to me. Not little white lies that had no significance. Bald faced lies. How in god’s name would I ever be able to trust you again? If you could do it once, and show no remorse, what’s to stop you doing it again?”

“It’s not that I don’t feel remorse,” Liz mumbled, because I do. I feel terrible for the way this has hurt you. Knowing that, I wish I had approached it differently: been brave enough to ask whether it was something you would, or could accept.”

“I would never accept that. Not then, not now. Not ever. If you think this is just something insignificant, why haven’t you told anybody?” Mark replied angrily.

“Because people are very judgmental, and if others knew, that would then inflict an element of humiliation for you.”

“Why can’t you see that I already feel humiliated? You went to another man for sex because I wasn’t filling your needs,” Mark threw back at her, irritated.

“That’s not the reason I entered the affair,” she replied. “I was always happy with our sex life. We understand each others bodies so well. The affair gave me something else. Something you can’t get from a partner. The feeling of being wanted by another person. Like everybody, I’m vain, I have an ego. Part of my depression after the girls left for school was that I felt old and no longer needed. They were gone, you were busier than ever. I felt insignificant.”

Mark finished chopping up the salad and listened to her as she continued to retell her sad tale.

“There I was feeling despondent, washed up, old and insignificant. Then along comes a much younger man, and he wants me. The hunger was in his eyes from the moment we met. He covered me with flattering compliments. We teased each other as we realized the attraction was mutual. We flirted, something I have never been comfortable with. Phil made it fun. The flirting led to some not quite so innocent kissing, light fondling, and eventually sex.”

She picked up a celery stick and nibbled on it. “The sex wasn’t extraordinary, or better than what you and I shared. It was just very different. He was youthful, exuberant, hungry, urgent. It brought with it this exciting moments. I never lied to you, never once. I may have omitted some things when you asked me what I did on a particular day, but believe me. I never once lied to you. If you had asked me I if had sex with another man, I would have answered honestly.”

“Did you ever sleep with him?”

“No, it was always just a couple of hours during the day, about once or twice a month.”

“You never wanted to sleep with him?”

She shrugged. “I did, actually. I wondered what that would feel like. But the one covenant I placed on the affair was it must never interfere with what you and I had, so it never happened.”

“What about when I traveled. You would have had plenty of opportunity’s?”

“Possibly, but it always came down to schedules. He is married, as well, and he would have had to find an excuse to be away for a night. His boundaries were similar to mine. He didn’t want what we had to impact his life with his wife.”

“I take it she wouldn’t accept his affair either?” he snapped.

“No,” Liz replied. “I don’t think so. From what Phil said, she is very nice, but I don’t know.”

They sat down to eat, and Liz reached her glass of wine across the table to clink glasses as they always had. “To the future,” she toasted.

Mark left her toast unreciprocated. “You say you don’t want divorce. Tell me how I am supposed to get past this, to trust you in the future?”

“I never lied to you,” she said. “I never let the affair interfere with you and me. I have never denigrated you, or disrespected you. It was purely a sexual connection between two people who shared an attraction.”

“What happens the next time you meet somebody you share that attraction with? What if dickhead comes back in a month and wants to kick start the affair.”

Liz grimaced. “Please stop call him names. It’s childish and makes you look like an insecure jerk. You’re much bigger than that.”

He nodded. “Point taken. What about answering the question?”

“If I met somebody in the future, then I would say no. I would talk to you about it, although I can already see how rigid you are about this.” She frowned. “I will add. It strikes me as funny. You were always the more open minded of us. When we talked about these things with friends, you always said you couldn’t believe people got divorced so easily.”

“I did feel that way.” Mark sighed. “I guess I’m either a hypocrite, or it’s a case of walk a mile in my shoes. The pain of betrayal runs deep here, Liz.”

“I never betrayed you. I omitted certain facts about what I did on those days, but I never lied to you. Never sneaked away to be with him. Never stole time from you to give to him.

It was always the other way around. I refused to meet him on many occasions because we were doing things. I never used money from our account. Granted, I did buy some lingerie, but you enjoyed that as well. It was as much for you as for him,” she stated firmly.

Mark was stunned. “I don’t get it, Liz. You are an intelligent woman, insightful and clever. Why can you not see that I feel betrayed?”

“Because I fail to see that there was betrayal. I never revealed any secrets to him. I never stole time from you to give to him. I never refused you anything. Where is the betrayal?”

“Our damned marriage vows. Do you remember them?” Mark hissed.

She smiled widely as she answered wistfully. “Yes, I remember them perfectly. I made a vow to honor you, to place you above all others, to care for you in sickness and health. To love you forever. I do those things every day. I have never dishonored you. I love you more every day. I give you everything. Everything I earn goes into our joint account.”

“You don’t think that having an affair dishonors me?”

“No, my plan was for you to never find out. It sounds simple, and unfair. My logic was what you didn’t know wouldn’t hurt you. This is what I have been trying to impress on you, Mark. Our marriage has been stronger than ever. The sex has been so incredible. Some of the things we’ve done together over the last two years, I know how blown away you were by them. You certainly bragged to all your friends about it.”

“I’m not denying it. But they’re based on a lie.”

“Rubbish. What lie?” she replied.

“The lie that I thought it was me who was making you feel so alive and vibrant. That it was just you and me. Does that lie sound familiar?” Mark huffed.

“What we shared was no lie,” Liz replied. “Everything that happened between us was because of you and I together. What we did in our bed was between you and me. Nobody else. It had nothing to do with Phil.”

“That’s down right baloney. Anal sex, is something we did maybe five times in over twenty years. Now you have this new love affair with it. That didn’t come from me.”

“No, that’s true. Phil loves it and seduced me into trying a few different things. Whilst experimenting, I found that I enjoyed it as well. I brought that into our relationship. Damn it, Mark. It’s no different than you talking to your golfing buddies about oral sex. I know Malcolm gave all you boys some pointers. All the wives talked about it. We appreciated your new found desires and techniques. You brought them into our relationship,” Liz said with a loud sigh.

“That’s a little different. All we did was talk.”

“Same damn principle,” she muttered.

Liz couldn’t understand why her husband couldn’t see it from her perspective. Their marriage was wonderful. She was being truthful when she said she loved him more than ever. She had only just paid for a twenty-one-day cruise around the Caribbean.

Standing, she walked over to the cupboard and retrieved the tickets. She placed them down on the table and slid them across the her husband.

“What are these?”

“Cruise tickets. Twenty-one days cruising the Caribbean. I booked them two months ago. I was saving them as a birthday present for you.”

He glanced through the attached brochures. “Very nice.”

“Mark, I love you, that was just a small token of how much I adore you. I don’t want a divorce. I know this seems painful and weird, but if you work with me, we will find ways for you to forgive me. We could see a therapist together.”

“I don’t think it would help Liz. I have thought about this continually since I busted you. It’s the lack of respect you have for me. I don’t think I could ever trust you again. I’ll be honest. The fact that dickhead gets away scott free bugs the shit out of me. I promise you this. If I get his name he is going to suffer. I will do everything in my power to fuck him over. He’ll wish he never met you.”

“I have never disrespected you. I have never lost respect for you.”

“You disrespected me the moment his cock slid into your slutty hole.”

“Damn it, Mark. There’s no need for the disgusting obscenities. We were having a rational discussion.”

“Sorry you can’t see my point Liz. You did disrespect me. You gave away something you promised me was mine and mine alone.”

“We never made any such promises. Our vows never included any such words. I broke no promise to you. For twenty-three years I was a faithful wife. Never strayed. Never even so much as looked at another man. Even after the affair, I broke no promise.

“Okay, we may not have said the words exactly, but the sentiment was there. You just said so. You said you were faithful for twenty-three years. You forgot to mention you were unfaithful for two.”

He slid the envelope across the table. “You should read the terms, because I’m serious. I do want a divorce. If you and I can agree on the terms of the property split, we won’t need to go to court. It will save us thousands. As you know, this is a no-fault state. You can’t stop the divorce, but you could make it expensive for both of us.”

“So that’s it. After everything we’ve been through. You throw it all away?” She didn’t even attempt to hide her disgust.

“I didn’t have the affair, Liz. That was all down to you. Your selfish actions caused this.”

“No, the divorce is all yours, Mark. There are alternatives.”

“None that appeal to me. Sitting in some therapist’s office spilling our guts out. No, I don’t see that as an alternative.”

“We could live together here, just the two of us. Give it time see if we could make it work. Don’t you see this is all just a knee-jerk reaction. You’re angry. If you gave us time, allowed some love back in, it would push aside the anger and you would think more clearly.”

“Give you a chance to fuck some love back into me. No, as pleasant as that sounds, I still couldn’t trust you. Every time you walk out that damn door I would be wondering where you were going. Who you were with. I don’t want to live my life like that.”

She opened the envelope and started to read. “Oh my god. You don’t want the house?”

“No, too many good memories. Now, too many bad ones. I need a fresh start.”

“Well I love this house. It’s been our home, we raised our children here. I’m not selling,” Liz replied.

“Then you better get down to the bank and organize a mortgage.”

“You haven’t listed any furniture?” she said incredulously.

“No, if you’re staying. It’s all yours.”

She read through the financial split. She earned far more than he did, but Mark decided she should keep her 401, and he’d keep his.

She sighed, sipped her wine, swirled the red liquid around the glass. “It all seems very fair.”

“Six months, and we will be no more. If you agree with the financial split, we could go to the bank tomorrow and split everything. I’ll need money to find an apartment.”

“You’re moving out now?”

“Yeah, I’ve already started. My wardrobe is empty, my drawers are empty. Everything’s packed in the garage.”

She shook her head in utter disbelief. “You’re not even going to give us a chance, are you?”

“No, I can’t run that risk. I still love you, Liz. I always will. You carved off such a huge chunk of my heart I’m not sure there’s enough left for anyone else. If I stay, even for a month, you will weave your magic. I know that because part of me wants that. I fucking love you so much. I can’t believe you so callously cut me out of your heart.”

“I never cut you out, sweetheart.” She rushed around the table and climbed onto his knee. “I never ever cut you out. I built you up. I tell everybody what a wonderful man you are. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you. It hurts that you want to throw me away.”

Grabbing his head in both hands she kissed him, their combined tears melded together as their tongues wrestled passionately. The fire grew so quickly they were soon in bed. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he drove into her with a hunger he didn’t know he possessed.

Her cries of “yes, yes, don’t stop,” urged him on. Her orgasm was so close she had to cling to him, her crimson nails digging into his soft flesh.

Their combined orgasm was like a tush of searing emotions. It left them both gasping for breath.

“Oh my god, Mark. That was so intense. Oh hell, I’m still tingling.” She rolled over towards him as he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.

“That was amazing. Thank you.” She purred like the cat that got the milk. As she peered into his eyes, she became really nervous. They looked empty, vacant. She kissed his mouth, his cheeks, his nose. As her lops slithered over his, she sucked his tongue into her mouth, scared to let it escape.

Her hands roamed over his body, dallying on his still throbbing erection. She kissed her way down his chest, her tongue swirling around his proud nipples, lower, prodding his little tummy button. Then her senses overloaded. Her own aroma and taste coated his pulsating cock as she sucked it into her mouth.

She slavered over it, enjoying their combined juices, the flavors of their lovemaking. Needing no encouragement, she swung her leg over his stomach and impaled herself on his rampant erection.

Leaning down, he opened his mouth, welcoming her kiss. Then her ride to joyous oblivion began in earnest. Back and forth, up and down, round and round her hips swirled. She ground down hard maximizing contact with her clit.

Mark reached up, enjoying the soft yet firm flesh of her cute little titties, the nipples hard and erect.

With all the conflicting swirling emotions, Liz was overcome with images of their lives. Her body reacted to the new neurological inputs. She moved her hips, the feel of his cock pushing up into her gooey center moved them both into overdrive. It was fast, then slow. Ragged and energetic. The crescendo took them both by surprise.

In their own worlds, they rushed headlong towards the explosions that were going to be impossible to stop.

They both lay in the dark struggling to breathe. “Jesus Christ,” Mark gasped.

“I know, right? God, that was beyond incredible,” Liz said breathlessly.

There was no way to stay awake after that. They cuddled together, letting the darkness take them. The morning found Liz snuggling as close as she could, her head resting on Mark’s chest.

These were the moments she lived for: waking staring up at his face. He really was a good-looking man. Several of her closest friends had confessed they thought Liz was a lucky woman, and she agreed. He was everything she had wanted in a husband.

Letting her hands wander over his firm chest, she sighed, her memory going back to that horrible year. God it was awful. She fell into that depressive dark hole and could find no way out. She had a wonderful life, but still, she couldn’t shake the thoughts that plagued her. She missed her daughters. They weren’t just daughters, they were best friends and they had been so close.

She phoned them several times a day. The girls recognized her dark state and tried to include her in things, but she smothered them and they slowly pulled back.

Liz was a psychologist, and acknowledged the obsessive behavior. For the first time in her life she felt alone. How the hell could she explain her feelings of loneliness to her husband?

Her friends tried, but it didn’t matter what, or how often, they said to her she just needed to get out and start enjoying life, that she was being silly; all that did was pile up words on top of words and those words pushed her deeper into the darkness.

How many times did she catch herself running Mark’s razor across her arms, sometimes drawing blood. She wanted to feel the pain, awaken her. She could feel the insanity of her actions.

Then came Damon. Why did his words mean something? Why was he able to lift her up when nobody else could? There was no real answer, but he did. The flirting, the flattery, the compliments.

The lunches were fun, but that first kiss… Oh god, she felt so guilty. She pulled away, told him it must never happen again. But it did, and soon they were having sex. That’s when the shame really settled over her.

How had she let it happen? She wasn’t some stupid young girl. She wasn’t a slut… Was she?

But the attraction grew stronger, and Damon was so much fun to be around. The gloom that her life had become lifted miraculously.

She felt so bad about cheating on Mark; she made herself a promise to be the best wife any man could ever wish for. She convinced herself the affair meant nothing. It was separate from her marriage. It took nothing away from Mark. So long as he never found out, there would be no harm.

Mark roused from his slumber. He saw Liz staring into his eyes as he blinked. “Hey, sexy,” she whispered, leaning down for a kiss, their mouths sliding together, their tongues curling and playing.

Her hand caressed and stroked his erection. She felt it growing and strengthening. “Are we going to start the day in style?” she cooed.

His fingers were soon deep inside her pulpy pussy, her juices coating his hand as he played with her sex.

“Don’t tease me, babe,” she purred. “I need you.”

Rolling her onto her back, he clambered between her legs and the lovemaking was as intense as the previous night. Talk about having your breath taken away. Mark was more than breathless.

They showered together, and as they cooked and ate breakfast together, they talked. “Mark, I love you, I screwed up, and hurt you. I will be forever sorry for that. I never intended to hurt you. I hate that I made you feel so bad.”

As they finished eating, she said, “Can you see the love is still there? I felt it last night, and this morning. The emotions were raw and real. I know you love me, I can feel it. This is how we could be for the rest of our lives.”

“If only it was that easy, Liz. You’re right, last night was amazing and this morning wasn’t bad either. I’m just not sure I can forget and forgive.”

“Could we try, please, Mark? I’m begging,” she pleaded. “What do we have to lose?”

When she saw the hesitation, she got a brain wave. “Can I make a suggestion?”

“I’m listening,” he replied.

“All right, you were pretty angry and filed those damn divorce papers. What if I agreed to sign them, but you held onto them. We try to try and find ourselves again. Try and save our marriage, which is far to good to just flush away.”

“You’ll sign them?”

“Yes, so long as you agree to hold onto them. If we can’t make it work. If I can’t prove to you that it is working, then I will help you complete the divorce.”

Mark still wasn’t convinced, but said he would consider it. Liz went off to work, and Mark spent the day thinking. By the end of the day, his head hurt.

That night was a repeat of the previous. The weekend was a great one. They went cycling, went out to dinner. Liz was on fire. She could see the changes in Mark. The anger faded and the real Mark shone through.

Mark felt it as well; he was starting to think he might be able to let go… It was just his trust issues. He couldn’t stop wondering what Liz was up to. Was she seeing the dickhead?

Apart from his insecurities, things were getting back to the way they were. The only thing sticking in Mark’s craw was dickhead. He was going to get away without suffering any consequences. That just wasn’t right. His problem was he had no way of finding out who he was.

That changed, when he was playing golf with some buddies. He was at the bar buying the first beers, when a guy came over and patted him on the back. “Mark Webster?”

He turned to see a burly guy staring back at him. “Can I help you?”

“I was thinking I might be able to help you. My names Ray, I’m a security guard at The Grand.”

The realization dawned on Mark. He reached out to shake Ray’s hand. “Let me drop these drinks off with my buddies and I’ll come back.”

Back at the bar, he brought Ray a drink, and asked, “Why did you come over?”

“I was there the day you busted your wife cheating. I wanted to help you, but man, I need that job. The way they treated you was real bad. How are things going for you?”

“We’re trying to fix things, but she won’t tell me the bastard’s name. I want him to suffer. He’s a dirt bag, and needs to feel some pain.”

“Do you want his name?”

“Oh, hell yeah.”

“Okay, give me a few days. I’ll see what I can do.”

They shook hands again, and Mark slipped Ray his business card. “If you need money, I’m happy to make it worth your while. I don’t expect you to get yourself in trouble.”

Ray laughed, before saying, “I wouldn’t say no to some cash. My wife’s about to have our first baby. But I’m not asking.”

It took the best part of a week, and it cost Mark a grand, but he had the dickhead’s name and phone number from his registration form. Ray did great and Mark was happy to pay.

Now Mark needed to figure out how he would use the information. He wanted to hear his voice, that was first. Using a downtown phone booth, He dialed his number. “Hello, Damon Wright speaking. How can I help you?”

He wanted to say. “I’m coming for you, asshole,” but settled for “Sorry, wrong number.” Hearing his voice fueled Mark’s anger. It had been waning recently, because everything had been going so well between himself and Liz. Now that he had something tangible, it came back with real force.

It only took a three days before Mark had everything he needed. He had decided the punishment should fit the crime. He tried to destroy his and Liz’s marriage. He would repay that favor.

Sitting at his desk at work, he made the call. The phone buzzed for several seconds before the voice answered. “Hi, this is Kristi.”

“Hey, Kristi. You don’t know me. My name is Mark Webster. I’m calling to inform you that your husband, Damon Wright, has been having a sexual affair with my wife for the last two years.”

The phone went silent for several long moments. “What did you say?”

“Kristi, I’m sorry for calling you like this, but I think you need to know what sort of asshole you’re married to.”

“This is a joke right, who is this? Is it you, Ron?”

“No, this is Mark Webster. If you hang up and hit redial, it will call my office. I am just arming you with information. What you choose to do with it is your business.”

“I don’t believe you. We’re about to have our second child.”

“I am sorry,” he said. “I can email you the photographs from the hotel register if that helps?”

“Yes, send them to me. What did you say your wife’s name is?”

“Her name is Liz Webster. The email will also have photographic evidence. The hotel has CCTV, and it captures all registrations.”

“Oh my god, you’re actually serious?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Why are you doing this, Mark?”

“I consider it payback. He did his best to destroy my marriage. I figured it was only fair that I repay that debt. As I say, I’ll email you all the evidence I have. My wife already confessed. They met about two days a month for the last two years.”

“Is it over?” she asked tremulously.

“Liz has assured me they are no longer seeing each other, but I’m not sure I trust her.”

“Are you guys trying to work it out?”

“Yes. Sounds stupid, and I feel terrible about it, but the simple answer is yes.”

There was more; she asked every question Mark had asked. The tears started and just kept on coming. When I disconnected the call, she was in hysterics.

I was late home that night, and dinner was already on the table. Liz met me with a passionate kiss. The feel of her hot body pressed against me aroused me as it always had. She was quick to stop the kiss. “Dinner will be ruined if we don’t stop now.”

We talked about our days; she obviously couldn’t divulge too much information about her patients, but she released enough so that I understood. I explained my day, leaving out the phone call to Mrs. Wright. It was pleasant,

It was the next night when it all turned to shit. I was helping Liz prepare dinner when the house phone rang. Liz answered it, and I saw her face go completely white, her hand came up to cover her mouth and she stared emptily at me as she just listened.

I watched as it happened in slow motion. She fell back against the wall and slid to the floor, her eyes full of tears, which quickly grew into hysterics as she repeatedly sobbed, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Oh my god… I’m so sorry. We never meant to hurt anybody.”

Then the phone fell from her grasp and her knees came up to her chin, her hands covering her face as she wailed painfully. I went and sat beside her, my arm circling her shoulder. “It’ll be okay, just breathe.”

It took nearly an hour before the tears subsided enough for her to speak. She pushed me away, her eyes boring into mine. “You malicious bastard. Why did you do that Mark, why?”

“Liz, I told you I was going to get him. He tried to destroy my marriage. Well, let’s see how he likes a taste of the same medicine.”

She swung a short sharp punch to my shoulder. “I cannot believe you could be so spiteful, so out-and-out hateful. Nobody was trying to destroy anything. He wasn’t trying to break up our marriage. Christ, Mark. She’s pregnant. They’re having their second child.”

“None of my concern. It’s just destiny. You know the old saying: ‘He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.’ It’s karma if you like.”

She stood up, wiping her eyes furiously. “No, Mark, this was some pitiful attempt at vengeance. A repugnant hateful crime. You may have ruined their marriage.”

“As I said Liz, he destroyed ours,” Mark hissed angrily.

“No Mark, you destroyed ours. You didn’t have to do that. Everything has been going so well for us. I can’t believe you could do something so cruel. What has that poor woman ever done to you?”

“Nothing, Just like I did nothing to dickhead. That was his choice to fuck another man’s wife. Once he chose that path, well, all gloves are off. He got what he deserved.”

“No, Mark, this is cruel, a nasty vicious attack on a poor innocent woman. If you wanted revenge, why didn’t you just take it out on him?”

“The punishment fits the crime.”

She shook her head in bewilderment. “We have been doing so well. I felt like we were finding ourselves again. Then you do this. Haven’t you felt like we were really making progress?”

“Maybe, but I don’t trust you. That’s the problem. Every day you go to work I wonder where you’re going. Are you seeing him again? On the weekends, you say you’re going to meet up with friends, and I wonder… Are you really. I can’t help it. That’s just the way I feel,” Mark spat out.

“Why didn’t you say something. We could have seen a therapist.”

“No, not for me,” he snapped. “I couldn’t think of anything worse. Airing our dirty laundry in front of somebody else…”

She paced around the living room like an angry lion, her eyes catching his occasionally. The look of pure disbelief, or was it disgust? Mark wasn’t sure. but the evil eye she gave him made Mark very uncomfortable.

“I am so disillusioned with you. How could you be so hateful, so disrespectful? You don’t even know her. Why would you want to destroy her life?”

“I didn’t, he did. She, just like me, needs to know what a cheating lowlife she’s married to. She needed to know that she was being lied to on a daily basis, that their whole life was a sham. The man is a pig, seducing married women. God knows how many others there have been, or what diseases he carries around.”

She stopped pacing, staring straight at him. “Is that how you see me? A filthy low life, a slut? Is that it Mark, is that how you view me?”

He was caught in a trap of his own making, and he had to turn away, unable to look her in the eye.

“I see, so that’s it, huh? I’m a cheating slut who deserves nothing more than to be burnt at the stake.” She was so angry, her eyes glowed red, her face was flushed, her breathing ragged. He had never seen her so angry.

“I could have accepted you tracking down Damon and beating the shit out of him. But to destroy a woman who you don’t even know? To take her life away… Their marriage was happy. They loved each other. As for your claims he chased around after women… That is just hog wash. I was the only woman he ever slept with outside his marriage.”

Mark dived in quickly. “Of course that’s what he’d say. To seduce you so easily, he was obviously practiced.”

“God damn it, Mark. You never listen. I told you, it didn’t start out as a seduction. He was merely helping a colleague. He loved his wife, he talked about her incessantly. He loved his son. Now that poor woman, her world has been destroyed by you, and for what? Vengeance! You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Me…” he spluttered. “All I did was pass on the information. You and old dickhead are the ones who should be ashamed. You’re the ones who did the deed. You’re the ones who ripped our hearts out.”

Liz moved quickly past Mark, shouldering him out of the way. She snatched open the kitchen drawer, pulled out the manila envelope, extracted the papers and with a flurry of her pen, signed the divorce papers. Striding purposefully back to him, she handed them to him.

“Get out. We’re done. You got your wish. Just get out now before I say something I will forever regret. I hate you right now. I never imagined you could be so malicious, so destructive and uncaring.”

Mark stood staring at her, caught by completely by surprise by her virulence. “Get out, Mark, I want you gone now, not tomorrow now. Just get out.”

She started sobbing fitfully, and walked away to sit by herself in the living room.

In autopilot, Mark packed enough clothes for a week and walked out without even saying goodbye.

It was two days later when his mobile buzzed. He was about to walk into a meeting when he answered. “Hello, Mark Webster speaking.”

“You need to get help, pal. You must be carrying a lot of anger issues. For your information, my wife has kicked me out. I hope you’re happy. You destroyed her.”

“I didn’t do shit. It was you who did the damage. Now you know how I feel. What she is feeling, I already suffered, and it was all thanks to you,” Mark barked viciously.

There was a long pause before Damon replied. “Yes, I did the wrong thing, and I apologize to you for that. The day you found out, I wanted to come down with Liz and apologize myself. Liz stopped me. She said it would just make the situation worse.”

He quickly added. “Did you have to be so cruel, though? If you wanted retribution, we could have fought. I’m no fighter, you would have kicked my ass.”

“No, I wanted you to feel what I felt: the hurt that comes from within. When the thing you love so much rips your heart out slowly and stomps on the bloodied remains. You destroyed my marriage, you fucked me, not just my wife. I hope she was worth it. If you want a fight, I’m there, buddy, you name the fucking place and I’ll be there.”

The call disconnected, and Mark had to try and recover before walking into his meeting. Saturday, he phoned Liz. “Will it be okay if I stop by and get my stuff?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “I’ll cook something nice for lunch. We do need to talk.”

Saturday Mark borrowed a buddy’s pick-up truck and reversed up into the garage. Liz waited inside, wrapped him in her arms and they cuddled. “I’m so sorry for what happened, Mark. All this is my fault. I was selfish, thought about nothing but myself.”

“Hey, it’s done. No sense bringing it all back up.”

She held him tightly. “No, we need to talk. I have to get it all out. If I don’t do it now I never will be able to.I was so self absorbed. Overwhelmed that a young successful handsome man was attracted to me. He caught me at a low point in my life. I have never mentioned this, but I was starting to self-harm and even contemplated suicide. Damon saved me. I know that’s wrong; I should have gone to you, but I was so embarrassed, ashamed of my weakness. Damon was faceless, somebody I didn’t know. I could talk to him, and he saved me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me after the first time? We could have worked through that?”

“Same reason: shame, guilt. Then it became part of the game. It was exciting and naughty. I loved the intrigue. Yes, I know it paints me in a very bad light, but that’s what happened. I have had patients talk about such things, but never thought I could fall into it. But there you go, I’m human after all.

“I wanted to make it work, Mark, I really did. However, that night, when you told Kristi. The names you called Damon. I knew you must feel the same way about me. You called him a low life, a slut, a cheating pig. I knew then there was no saving us. We were finished.”

“Liz, I never called you a slut.”

“Liar.” She scoffed. “Not that night, but on other occasions when you were very angry you did. But I thought we were moving on, that we could save what was left of our marriage. In that moment, the real feelings you had stored away inside were waiting to burst back out. We could have seen a therapist, but you refused. I knew you were actually enjoying those feelings. You hate me.”

“I don’t hate you, Liz. I do hate what you did. I loved you then, and I love you now. I knew when we met you were my one true love. My soul mate. Yeah. I know old cliches, but what can I say?”

“Mark, I love you more now than I ever have, but we can’t live together, not when you harbor all this anger and hatred. It’s not just you, either. I hate the fact you took away another innocent person’s life. Kristi has kicked Damon out and has filed for divorce. She won’t even let him attend the birth of his daughter.”

They broke apart, and she held his hand as they walked into the kitchen. She handed him one of his favorite beers, poured herself a glass of wine and they moved out onto the rear deck.

“I am keeping the house, Mark. I have had three separate realtors value it, and I have applied for a mortgage. I’m happy to accept your terms. You can choose which furniture you want.”

“No, you keep it all. I’m looking at a furnished apartment closer to work,” he said calmly.

“Really, I thought you would be attached to some of the things.”

“I am, but they are part of us, who we were. The memories would just remind me of you,”Mark said regretfully.

“Well, I’m keeping them, and for just that reason. I love you so much. I remember every moment, birthdays, the day we brought the girls home from the hospital. The celebrations, the sad moments. They’re all here,” Liz said ruefully.

They talked about finances and agreed to everything. Together, they called the girls on a conference call to pass on the bad news. There were tears aplenty. They both asked “Why, what happened?”

It was Mark who said, “It was nothing specific girls. We have just grown apart. We have become different people and want different things.”

That was a terrible moment, and both Mark and Liz knew the girls didn’t believe them. It wasn’t over, they would both undergo separate interrogations from both Kate and Melanie at later dates. Mark promised they would never hear the truth from him.

They gad a few laughs, shared their favorite memories from their marriage, talked about a lot of things, when Mark got a nasty thought. “You said dickhead got kicked out, right?”

“Mark, his name is Damon, you don’t have to behave like a child. Saying his name isn’t going to cause the roof to fall in.”

“Sorry, I never want to use his name. It causes me to much pain. Anyway. She kicked him out, right?”

“Yes.”

“You were pretty quick to do an about face once you heard that bit of news. Right up till then you wanted to save our marriage. Then after that call, a light switch was flipped and you wanted me gone. Is this where Damon is living? You wanted me gone so you could move him in. Fuck me, Liz, is that what happened?”

She looked aghast. “What in god’s name are you talking about? I wanted you out of my sight because I was disgusted by your actions. I don’t know where Damon is. He no longer talks to me. He blames me for what happened, as well. He thinks I told you his name. He hates me.”

The silence surrounding them tightened like a tourniquet, slowly squeezing the life out of them. It was Liz who broke the chain. “That’s the problem though isn’t it, Mark. That’s the sort of person you think I am. God, you think so little of me.”

“I’m sorry Liz, it’s like a toxin. It eats away at me. I never considered myself an insecure man, but this, it destroyed my faith in people. I thought nothing would ever come between us, that we were the perfect couple.”

“We were. I made a mistake, Mark. I did a silly thing. I put myself first. Honestly, though, even now I’m angry at you because the affair didn’t hurt our marriage. For two years our marriage existed concurrently with the affair, and it worked. Our marriage, by your own admission, had never been better. The affair took nothing away from you or our marriage.”

“That’s true to a point, Liz. It was a fantastic period. Pity it was built on a lie.”

“This is where we differ, Mark. It wasn’t built on lies. It was built on love. I do love you, and what’s more I know you love me. You just couldn’t let the past go. I told you it was over with Damon. You just refused to believe it.”

Liz helped Mark load the pick-up and he drove away for the last time. His new apartment was nice. Close to work, meaning he could walk. He talked to the girls regularly. It was during a call that he got a shock. Liz had told them both the truth. At least he was able to stop lying to them.

The girls never took sides. They loved them both. The little sneaks organized to come home from school first opportunity they got. That, of course, meant dinner together as a family, and Melanie pleaded for Mark to do one of his famous cookouts. He couldn’t refuse; even Liz joined the chorus of pleading. It turned out to be a wonderful night, one full of remembered stories, funny moments, embarrassing quips. The drinks flowed until late in the night.

Mark realized he wasn’t going to be able to drive, so when he said good night, he pulled out his phone to call a cab.

It was Kate who grabbed his arm. “Dad can stay here tonight, can’t he, Mom? He certainly can’t drive.”

Liz smiled warmly. She knew her girls too well. “Of course you can stay, Mark. This will always be your home as well.”

“Do you think that’s wise?” he asked.

“Daddy, it will be perfect. You can cook us all a nice omelet for breakfast. It looks like you could use a decent meal. You clearly aren’t taking care of yourself.”

The girls quickly excused themselves, leaving Liz and Mark to fend for themselves. Liz moved over to sit beside him on the big cane daybed. “They’re so transparent.”

“Yeah, you surprised me by telling them. Why did you do that?”

“I had to, Mark. They’re more perceptive than we gave them credit for. I was honest, I never blamed you for any of it.”

“Yeah, I got that. How have you been, Liz, I mean really?”

“I’ve been better. It’s horrid coming home to an empty house. Now that’s all it is: a house. I’m lonely, I’m seeing a therapist and that helps. She’s managed to get me to let go my anger towards you. I accept all of the responsibility. It was all my doing.”

“I’m sorry you feel so lonely, Liz. Are you dating?”

“No, not dating. I have been out to dinner with a couple of men, but they weren’t dates. What about you.”

He laughed sardonically. “No, too busy with moving and work.”

“Yeah, it’s hard. God, I miss you.” She sighed. “I miss waking up in your arms, that first sweet kiss in the morning.”

“Yeah, I find myself waking in the middle of the night sweating like crazy,” Mark replied.

“Sweating, why?”

“Well, after sleeping with a blanket hog for twenty years, it gets hot when I’m left with all the blankets.”

She giggled, taking a long gulp of her wine. “I’m sorry I messed things up.”

“No sense crying over spilt milk, Liz. We just have to find ways to move on.”

She snuggled up beside him. “Yes, I suppose so.”

The girls looked disappointed when they found their father sleeping on the couch. Still, it didn’t stop them trying over and over.

Mark did date a couple of women he met through work; he even had sex with a few. It wasn’t that it was awful. The women were attractive, and the sex pleasant, but that’s all it was, sex. It served its purpose, but that’s all.

Liz was in a similar position. She managed to find several men who she found stimulating enough to seduce her. It was fulfilling, sexually, there simply wasn’t an intimate attraction.

Every day she thought about Mark and felt the emotions circle her. The anger, even the therapy hadn’t removed the deep-seated anger. She hated the fact that he walked away. She hated that he couldn’t let his love push aside all the other feelings.

Christ, even as a psychologist she could see it was wrong; she just couldn’t shake it, didn’t want to accept the blame.

Liz and Mark did meet. The girls made sure of it. Every opportunity they got, they came home. It started to irk Mark. He wasn’t able to move on, he kept being dragged back home. With that on his mind, he received a phone call from Kate. “Dad, Mel and I are home for the weekend. We thought it would be nice of you came around for dinner.”

“I’m actually busy tonight, sweetie.”

“Oh please Dad, it would mean a lot.”

“Sure, okay. I’ll have to bring my date along though. Will that be all right.”

“Date…” Kate blustered. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course you can’t. Why would you even ask that?”

“The reason, my dear, is I am already committed to the date. If you want me to come, then she will have to come with me. Simple, really.”

She disconnected the call without further conversation. He didn’t have a date organized, he just didn’t want another night of the girls playing matchmaker.

The calls got fewer; they still phoned regularly, just stopped trying the matchmaking. They came home regularly, but stayed with Liz. They did visit him when he was home, but always phoned first to make sure he was alone.

The reasons the matchmaking stopped was Liz. She sat the girls down and had it out with them. “Girls, we are divorced. The final paperwork is here. As much as I love your father, he needs to move his life forward.”

“Mom, Dad still loves you. He tells us all the time, and when we’re all together, it’s as plain as the nose on your face. He misses you. God, he loves being here with us.”

“Sweethearts, sometimes as much as you love somebody, you can’t go back.”

Mark struggled. His life seemed empty. Yes, he dated, yes, he had female companionship and his sexual appetite was being met. It was his search for intimacy that left him with the feeling of emptiness. The women he dated were all nice: attractive, somewhat intelligent. They just weren’t Liz.

He often reflected on whether he had made the right choice. Still, life was good. His golf game had never been better. Work was good; he was receiving the benefits of putting in long hours. The money from Liz buying the house sat in an investment portfolio earning plenty.

He knew from the girls that Liz was struggling somewhat financially. Managing a large mortgage can do that. He also found out that she, like him, dated occasionally, but rarely with the same guy.

*****

It came as a surprise when Liz phoned him. “Hello, Mark, are you free to talk at the moment?”

“Always, what’s on your mind?”

“Not sure if you remember, but before the divorce I booked a cruise for you and me.”

“Oh yeah. I remember that. Are you still going?”

She laughed softly. “I would like to. I had forgotten all about it. Today, I got a reminder email. If I don’t use it within the next month. I will have to forfeit it.”

“Well, pack up and go. I’m sure it would be awesome,” Mark replied, trying to read her tone.

“Mark, I don’t have anybody to go with. The girls are busy with exams. None of my girlfriends are able to go. I wondered whether you would like to accompany me?”

“Me… Why would you want me along to spoil your trip. Can’t you get your money back?”

“No, I deferred it twice, and you wouldn’t spoil it.”

“Surely one of the guys you’ve been dating would enjoy a cruise.””Your dating has obviously been far more successful than mine. No, I guess I’ll go by myself. I wasn’t expecting romance, Mark. It was just a chance to enjoy a cruise; it is a twin share room, because when I booked it, I was thinking about inviting the girls.”

Mark’s mind had completely lost traction. Could they go away together as friends… Could they… Should they? “Liz, I don’t know.”

She cut him off. “Stop there, I can sense you’re not interested. I’ll see you around, I guess.”

“Liz, calm down. I was merely going to ask whether you thought we could do it? Survive sharing a room for what was it, twenty-one days without killing each other?”

She giggled evilly. “Well you’ve seen through my cunning plot. I was going to push you overboard.”

“Funny you should say that. I was thinking something similar. It might be my one real chance to purge you from my system.”

They both laughed, before she said. “I would love for you to come.”

“Yeah, I know I’m going to regret it, but yes. I’m in.”

At first it was a little awkward. As always, though, their true connection shone through. The conversations got easier. They chatted about some of their less enjoyable dates. Liz especially. “I couldn’t believe you dated Marissa James. Why in heavens name did you do that?”

Peering sideways at her, he asked, “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes,” she replied, cautiously wondering where he was going with it.

“I dated her because she was your friend, and I knew you would find out. The fact she was pretty much a sure thing helped.”

“Why did you want me to find out?” she gasped.

“Marissa has somewhat of a reputation for being a bit of a slut, she loves sex.”

“She certainly does that, all right. Was she good?” Liz asked, unable to hide the snicker.

“Sexually she was like a god damned atom bomb. Personality wise, she was like a bomb site. Just a big hole in the ground. How did you know, anyway?”

“She told me. Couldn’t wait to rub my face in it. We were never really friends. She was friends with Alice. She was funny, but shallow.”

There were other things they talked about. Walking around, they soon found themselves holding hands. They danced together in the evening dances, laughed riotously at the comedy hour, enjoyed watching the star-filled nights. Eventually, they ended up in bed together, and all of the old pent-up emotions and feelings exploded in a frantic ferocious outpouring of sexual energy. The first night, it went on for three separate passionate, strength-sapping couplings.

The next day was an extension of the previous.

The cruise was over far too quickly. It opened wounds, but more importantly showed them both that they were still in love. Both, though, were too scared to reveal their true feelings. Liz, because she thought if she did, Mark would run a mile, and Mark, because he was batting his own insecurities.

Back at work, Mark couldn’t get past his concerns, or lack of trust. Liz invited him over for dinner on a Wednesday night, and although it started awkwardly, it ended spectacularly. The sex was two starving animals feeding. The morning was something similar.

While they were together, all Mark’s fears were mollified. It was when he was away from her, he worried. What if she decided to have another affair? When he thought about it, he realized she may already be dating somebody else.

He had nothing else to do. He pulled back. He was busy when she invited him for dinner, or he had to work late.

Liz sensed his withdrawal, it was hard to miss. He went from not being able to get around fast enough to not being available. She talked to her friends, but they couldn’t really help because they didn’t know the reasons behind the divorce. She did talk to her therapist and she suggested. “Maybe he’s nervous about going back. From what you said, you guys are good together. Give him some time, but you need to talk him, get him to open up.”

Saturday, Mark couldn’t escape another invitation. Dinner was nice, but it was back to being awkward, the conversation stilted and uncomfortable.

In the end, Liz had to ask, “What the hell is going on? Everything seemed to be going so well. Now you’re too busy.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I have been thinking about us, and the future.”

She nodded. “Sweetheart, we are only dating. I’m not asking you for a commitment. Just that we have fun.”

“Yeah, I know, but that’s me. I have this fear. Things have been amazing, and I thought, What happens if we moved back in together?” Mark tried to keep the fear out of his voice as he explained.

“What fear?”

“That the same thing would happen all over again. Once bitten.”

“I see,” she said softly. “What makes you think it would?”

“Okay, you want to drag all that back up? Lets see, you lied to me, you cheated on me for two years. Then when I found out about it, you decided that I was overreacting. You were almost proud of your affair. I mean, who’s to say you aren’t seeing other men right now?”

“Wow, you can’t let go can you! I know the affair was hard for you, and I will always be sorry for hurting you. It was a one time thing, I don’t know how I convince you, but I assure you this, I would never hurt you again.”

“Are you still dating other men at the moment?”

“Mark, it might be hard to believe, but since we divorced. I have dated the grand total of six men, and had sex with only two of them. We haven’t made any promises, but I can say I haven’t dated anybody since the cruise.”

“I know this is my issue, not yours. You’ve done nothing to make me doubt you or your intentions. I can’t seem to clear out all those old images.”

“Mark, can we take this slowly? I love you, and I want you back in my life full time, but it can’t happen until you feel some level of trust for me. You have turned down therapy, or counseling, but I have been seeing a therapist and she has helped me immensely. She already knows our story. I would encourage you to talk to her.”

They didn’t see so much of each other over the next few weeks, but when they did, it was always passionate and furious. The sex was so urgent and impulsive. Their appetites were in sync. Their bodies knew, even if their minds were conflicted.

Mark did a fair bit of reading on how to establish trust again after infidelity. His problem was, he knew she was being honest with him now. The girls, who kept in constant touch with them both, told him that Liz wasn’t dating anybody. It was just all in his head.

He sat down with a bottle of scotch and analyzed how his future could pan out.

He might get lucky enough to meet somebody new, exciting and who was interested in him. It might happen, but he had no confidence his new partner could reach the lofty heights of his relationship with Liz…

He could end up a bitter old man, alone and unhappy.

He could throw himself back into his relationship with Liz and hope and pray she didn’t repeat her actions.

He could suggest a change in their relationship. They could investigate an open marriage of some sorts. That one at least meant she could be honest. Not that he thought he could live with it.

It was a mess. Nothing seemed to work. The bottle was almost empty when there was a light tap on the door. He staggered to answer it.

There stood Liz, a pizza and a bottle of wine. “I was wondering whether you might like some company?”

He stepped aside and waved her through. She saw the bottle on the coffee table, and quickly glanced at him. “Would you prefer to be alone?”

“No, That damn pizza smells good.” He flopped back in his chair and Liz rushed around getting plates and a glass.

“Having a party, huh?” she asked whimsically.

“Nope, just pondering my future,” he rasped.

She saw the notebook on the table which he had been scribbling his options down on. She reached for it. “Can I take a look?”

“Yeah, it affects you as well.” He poured another large glass of scotch.

She glanced at it. “Wow, you really think you can find somebody who loves you more than me, who knows you like I do? Who will accept all your strange habits?”

He shrugged non-comittally. “Don’t know. I haven’t had much luck so far. The sex is always okay, but there’s no connection, no emotional bond. Putting it plainly, it’s just fucking.”

She reached over and clinked the rum of her wine glass against his. “I’m with you there. You’re a hard man to replace, Mr. Webster.”

He took a large bite of the pizza, the pepperoni warming his mouth. “Yeah, I’m fucking wonderful, right?”

“Yes, you are,” she replied with her mouth full.

“Mark, I don’t want you to grow old, alone and bitter.”

“That was just scribble. I was trying to do a pros and cons list.”

“Open marriage!” She gasped. “Oh my god, please tell me you’re joking?”

“It sort of makes sense. That way, at least if you felt the urge you could be honest about it, and I could try to arrange a date, as well.”

“God almighty, Mark. The affair was a one time thing. I’m not looking for anybody else.”

“Were you looking for it last time?”

“That was different, I was at a low point in my life. I was on the verge of suicide.”

“What? You never said that before.”

“I was embarrassed, depressed, felt alone. I have never experienced anything like those dark places or thoughts since.”

“Why couldn’t you talk to me, why did you have to go to him?”

“I never went to him. He found me. I couldn’t talk to you because I was embarrassed and ashamed. A grown woman feeling that way because her children left home? I felt like a fool, afraid. I knew it was in my head, and you were being so wonderful. Damon just came out of the blue and lifted me up.”

They both chomped away at the pizza, drinking their respective drinks. It was Mark who asked, “What happens next time you’re feeling blue?”

“I come to you. I know now that I can do that. Mark, I’ve always loved you. You were a fantastic father for the girls, an incredible provider, and husband. You gave me everything, you were supportive and loving. But sometimes you could be hard to talk to about such things. You sort of laughed at the people who needed my services. You openly made fun of some of the couples who I helped with counseling. That made it hard for me to talk to you. I know now that it was silly. I should have gone to you.”

“Okay, even if I buy that, why did it go on for two years, and let’s not forget. It would still be going on if I hadn’t busted you.”

“It lasted the two years because I liked it. Damon was nice, and excellent lover, thoughtful. Would it have lasted longer than it did? No it wouldn’t. We were already seeing less and less of each other. I think it would have ended not long after you found out, anyway.”

“You liked it,” he said sarcastically. “He was a good lover, huh? Gave you things I couldn’t. That’s what worries me. The next time we go into a slump for whatever reason, you’re going to be out the door looking for another Damon.”

“That’s not true, and I’m sure you know it. We have both learned lessons through this. I would never do that too you again,” Liz spluttered.

“Why do it the first time?”

“Because I convinced myself that it wasn’t harming our marriage, but was in fact helping it,” she said.

“Then why wouldn’t you do it again?”

Because you can’t do things in isolation. When you’re married, everything you do affects your partner.”

They finished the drinks, and with Liz in his arms, they moved to the bedroom where they made love tenderly and intimately.

It wasn’t some magical moment, it didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen. It took over a year before Mark moved back home. It was a celebration, the girls were home, and noticed Mark’s stuff was spread all over the house again.

“Dad, have you moved in?” Kate asked with a huge smile on her face.

Liz moved close to Mark, kissed him passionately. “Yes, he is back where he belongs.”

“Thank god.” Melanie sighed. “I was beginning to lose hope.” She turned to her mother, and with a rather harsh tone said firmly. “Don’t fuck it up again, please.”

Liz gasped open-mouthed, but Melanie added quickly. “Don’t say it, Mom. We supported you this time. Not sure I would be so supportive again. Dad is giving you something a lot of men wouldn’t. Don’t take that for granted.”

Liz looked at Mark imploringly, and he responded. “Girls, we are all human and we all make mistakes. What happened is in the past. We will never speak of it again. We love you, but I won’t accept disrespect.”

Liz hugged him. “I’m a lucky woman. I won’t forget that.”

Life moves on, and the road of life never runs straight or smooth.

The end.