All Comments on 'A House Divided Ch. 03'

Usually, it's the husband/father who goes all Type A on the family.

was a precursor to a major storm which ends up as an afternoon drizzle.

this is one of those stories that invites the likes of FTDS and many others to enter the fray with an alternative and hopefully much more satisfying ending.

to leave her to her own devices. TK U MLJ LV NV

Good story and writing. More befitting " Ladies Home Journal" or "Redbook" than Loving Wives. Cheers!

Wow, after all the hype in ch 1, then the slowing down in ch 2, this caught me by surprise, not exactly how I thought it would end at the start. However this chapter became predictable the further it went & really should have been in the Romance sector not LW. Didn't do much for me . 3 ***

Not the usual fare in LW. Well written, sort of sappy (that's not always a bad description) little story.

BLIND TO AMBITION JO JUST ABOUT LOST HER MARRIAGE AND LIFE. DID SHE LEARN HER LESSON I HOPE SO.

RON TEXAS COWBOYRIDECC@YAHOO.COM

I think that unless Jo had made the decision to put her family first instead of having it taken away from her by her "health" problems, you aren't really going to see this not happening again in some form or another. Jo is a very self-centered and selfish person who completely abdicated any responsibility for the well being of her marriage and her family. She literally didn't give them any thought at all until they bugged her enough that the irritation caused her to notice them. She placed herself into the mind set that they would always be there in case she had time for them, not even thinking that they were "people" and would move on and let their own lives fill in the void that her leaving them had created. I don't really like the fact that the husband allowed this to go on as long as it did. He should have "manned up" and taken care of his family. The children and grandparents deserved more attention and resolution than did the wife. I read in the comments farther back that what she did and the way she did it could be compared to a married woman following her lover to another city and then expecting her family to make allowances for her decisions and actions. I think that is a very astute observation and true in this situation. If this had truly been the situation then no one would have expected the husband to just sit there allowing his children and his marriage to implode.

The writing on this was so very good and to a certain extent the resolution was acceptable. I like that he placed the well being of his whole family above his need to kick her out, but I don't think she ever had any intention of getting back with her family like she was before. She had moved on in her mind from the minute she heard about the promotion and they were just "what used to be". Maybe reading too much into this story, but looked like she even went so far as to line up her replacement. Maybe there was a "lover" in the picture for her after all. I would hope that the hospital in California would have done STD testing on her and told her husband if the results were positive.

The only reason she is back is because she became ill; a pretty silly contrivance by the way. Had she not become ill she would have continued to put her husband and children last. I guess the husband doesn't want to see that fact.

No cheating involved, nice change and I think there is more to be made of these characters..

no one can be that stupid.

Until fairly recently, most of them have been men.

"Oh god, Mark. How can I make this work for us?”

Let’s see, let’s start by taking our calls, or at least returning them as soon as possible.

How about coming home AT LEAST every other weekend without fail, if you HAVE to miss one, make the next one a 3-day weekend, and take an occasional 3-day weekend anyway!

"Don't worry, I'll be gone soon enough." Jo shot back.

Yeah, THAT’S really trying to make things work!

“I'm just as happy to watch some TV or do paperwork." she replied quietly.

So it’s too much trouble to pick up the phone and call home while she’s doing that?

“I was so wrong. I just couldn't see it. I was so wrong."

It’s not like he didn’t tell her often enough, usually ending with her attacking him.

And, as others have said, it's not like she finally realized on her own that she was ruining her and her family's life, it took her body's collapse to make her understand.

She tried to grow a pair of gonads. And was surprised that she couldn't. Hard headed, spoiled, selfish bitch. Would've served her right for hubby to start boning Pat. And divorce her stupid ass.

Wow, a story with no cheating. This was a very interesting and different plot. It had a very thought provoking premise. This lady put her job and career ahead of her family and children for 6 months. Accepting the promotion, moving to another city, and completely ignoring her family. This guy had more patience than I would ever have. Who knows what she is doing when she can't be bothered to answer her phone or return a call. She utterly and completely forgot about her husband and her family.

Her ego about killed her and could have cost her her marriage and family. I really do not understand people that have a loving husband or wife and family and put a job first her ego just about got the best of her all I can say is about dying made her realize what she had done but it took that or she would have been divorced.\

RON

Your story is an inspiration for a family that might undergo this problem. It shows them how to deal properly with it without having to cuckold the husband or find a temporary sex mate for the husband. It was very well written, thoughtful and a delight to read, not being sure where it would end up. I'm glad the wife finally saw what she did and for the husband taking her new company to the cleaners for what they did and almost killing his wife just for a job. It also reaffirmed what a strong marriage is all about. Too many people give up at the slightest hitch in their vows. It just took the wife a little longer to realize what the company was doing to her.

What a breath of fresh air to me in reading this. This story had an excellent plot development and believable characters. In typical fashion with other LW stories, the reader often wonders if there is any hanky panky going on in Chicago, but there is absolutely no indication of that. Rather we see a woman completely invested in her promotion opportunity and working overly hard to succeed – at the expense of her family and health. The protagonist – never once doubts the fidelity of his wife, but is witness to her deteriorating health and relationship.

The story flowed very well and the build up moments were good with a somewhat anticlimactic health moment. Nice reconciliation and even a bit of revenge on the corporate masters!

Well done! A complete 5 Star for me!

Thank you for the fun read and please keep writing!!

This is a loving husband married to a workaholic. He followed the best path he could for someone who loves an addict. Whether it is heroin or ego, and addiction can destroy many lives if you let it.

The Japanese, who consider Americans to be lazy slackers (even before that became the cultural norm) actually have a word for 'death from overwork' : karoshi.

Too funny, the Europeans consider Americans work obsessed, while people who willingly work themselves to death think of them as lazy.

There are several usages that are 'Britishisms'; examples:

"in hospital" an American from the Midwest which includes Minnesota would say 'in a hospital' or 'in the hospital'

'from University' an American Midwesterner would say 'from the University'

This is much like if an American writer would write a Brit talking about the hood or trunk of his car, that's just not how they say it.

not that I think she actually cheated, but given the amount of time she was away from hubby, the lack of contact with hubby (no calls, no email, etc.), the fact she was interacting with other men who were also away from home, and the constant bickering with hubby, I am simply surprised he didn't suspect she was cheating. People have cheated for far less. Five stars.

Seems like a very cowardly passive aggressive way to attack his wife for her decision to take the job. Putting feelers out is not a serious attempt to sell a business. He should have either gone with her or laid down the law and said no.

Even in the contrived scenario they'd still have won with a multi million dollar nest egg and a family not devastated by the split.

Dick husband, unlikable wife.

You'd think the lack of cheating would have made them more sympathetic but instead comes off as a lame morality tale that suggests women should never show ambition or expect to lose everything while an ambitious man will be richly rewarded for his hard work.

Let the bitch stew in her own juices. If and when she came home, he should have gotten a lawyer, sued her Company and his son to be ex-wife. She was just a nasty piece of work and didn't deserve her family. He should have gone after Pat. This sad story would have fit better in the ooey gooey romance section. She sure wasn't a loving wife. She went back to her family only because she failed to play well with the big boys.

'Still one of the best short stories on this site. I realize I'm supposed to castigate the author, since I'm anonymous, but that's all I could come up with.

Otherwise, pretty good.

I truly thought the whole promotion was for her sleeping around. Yet, it never was mentioned. I also thought the whole time they were apart she was cheating even though nothing was said. WHy else would they not tell the husband she collapsed and was seriously ill? Good story about the excesses of life. Not very erotic or btb.

Phone Calls - She must spend a lot of time ion cabs to-and-from airports; why not call home then? And as I said in an earlier comment, why not call during those nights doing paperwork or watching movies in her apartment. As others have said, I'mnot that sure that she wasn't sleeping around; that could cut into her calling time!

Visits - I was less than impressed that she would stop by when travel between cities allowed!

And I find it interesting that this job, that couldn't do without her for a weekend, seemed to never miss her when she was in the hospital!

There was nothing to this story, just because you can write doesn't make you a storyteller.

For a non erotic story ( excliding the limited husband and wife love making which was tame for a erotica site ) decent enough.

For me there needed to be some element or sexual tension. Either from Pat wife home alone husband or signs / suspicion that the husband should have some concerns about his wife's behaviour !

For me there were enough opportunities too integrated such scenes onto the story. Husband phoning apartment gets no answer, phones eifes mobile she answers mentioning she is at home or just popped out. So husband says he eill give 10mins yo get back to apartment and he will phone the land line.

Husband contacting wifes secretary on her movements, flight schedules etc and see if he can work out a pattern where she is or when she has free time / opportunity to go back to family home.

Another potential opportunity in the story was when the couple clean out wifes company apartment. The husband could have found something, clothes he did not reconise, condom packet, mans razor, mans sock, beer bottles in the fridge ( as she is a wine drinker ) etc

Then we could have the wife's legitimate explanations for such items.

Sbrooks103x and verious othe anonymous readers have some very good valid points.

Still a good story though.

Three chapters if pure BS!!!! Mark is a cuckold to his wife's job and she's nothing but a corporate whore! Nothing about his reactions and dialogue is realistic! You make him a wimp! I see Lindsey acting out and telling her mother to shove her job up her ass!

GET REAL!!! The whole story is a crock!

So you think all three installments are " pure shit ". Yet apparantly you've read them in succession. What a patient fellow you are . Me ? I thought it was a great story about a flawed wife who let her ambition totally blind and neglect her to duty to her family. Yet because she excelled as mother and wife prior to abbreviated span of time the series covered, the narrator /husband bit his tongue and accepted losing the battles in order to win the war.

The husband did a masterful job of avoiding ultimatums or showdowns. He played for time , because he saw very clearly that her new priorities were even more destructive to herself then the significant void her absence hurt the family. Inevitably she crashed and hit bottom. Some people have to learn the hard way. But IMHO , she did learn. Great job by author.

Yup. You all caps crazies set the bar high in what you expect from free fiction penned by amateur writers. Have yourself a day now and try to remember to take your meds.

Take your meds and don't forget to call your psychologist! Even for a moron like you there is still hope ... maybe???

not sure i'd want her back though, she's a selfish liar, like most "corporate" types, underworked and overpaid.

" I was sitting in the bar with a bunch of the local executive and a couple of my bosses from Chicago. They were all laughing about how the November and December projections were so much better than plan. "

work work work. no time to call home?

Seems as though she took a ride on the corporate roller coaster, and we know he didn't approve, but he was inflexible and unyielding. Despite his claims, he had no intention of disrupting his life one iota.

This is a LW story where the blame lies as much with the husband as with the wife.

Thank you for not putting cheating in your story,

No, he didn't, and the author did a good job of inferring why, and once even stating it explicitly. He had sole responsibility for a child, a house, and a business of his own in Minnesota. Even if he could have stolen away to Chicago for a day or two or three, she likely wouldn't have been there - she was traveling that much. Even if she were in Chicago, she'd be working 80 hours a week, mostly away from her company-furnished apartment. They'd have never seen each other, or she would have been exhausted if they had.

""I have some news for you Jo. I am not selling my business! I am not selling this home and I am sure as hell not moving to Chicago!""

Just about stood up and cheered for our fictional hero on this one.

Ended to abruptly! Would have been nice to see the after math! All the execs from the company indicted and jailed

Nice story....but, if it had been a man? Would it habeen normal?

The plot was perhaps a bit thin, but I'm both surprised and relieved that it didn't turn out to be yet another cheating story.

Coaster2

I take my hat off to you for venturing outside the box of usual cheating wife, illicit sex-fuelled cuckolding crap that makes up the majority of story themes in this category. I suspect that the splitting of families due to career obsession and the catastrophic consequences it has for the poor sods involved is much more common than one would think. I disagree with the detractors of your tale that had the husband pegged as some wimp. I think his way of responding to the situation was entirely realistic if one thinks of him as a truly loving partner of a spouse who is courting fire. So on short, fuck the critics, my man and thank you for a thoughtful contribution!

You have the writing skill to put a good story together. You obviously like Irish pubs but Harp larger is cat piss like Miller Light. In an Irish pub Guinness is good for you.

Good story with a "feel good" happy ending.

However, it left me unhappy !

The wife was a selfish inconsiderate bitch and suffered no consequences for what she put her family through.

To begin with if my wife had put a job promotion ahead of the family's wishes and tried to force a move to another city. It would have been sayonara wifey hello divorce court.

The wive has the right to pursue her ambition. Same as the husband who usually does it anyway and to hell with consequences. And nobody calls him a selfish bitch, it is considered normal...Also everybody is entitled to make mistakes.

Nice aproach as compared to the usual LW stories.

Seriously? He had a non transportable business. He didn't want to live in Chicago. Their kid didn't want to live in Chicago. If a wife put her foot down about moving, most likely there would be no move. She controls the pussy and the kids so there you have it. This was never in the family plan then she basically said f u adios.

but what irks me is that how can a woman in her mid-40s could land a promotion like that, even if she has been successful. For all the genius she has, her promotion took time happening surely. She had to have been growing very fast, and given this opportunity when she was in her early 30s. Well, it is her ego trip that is the focus of this story. So you can ignore these flaws.

Was wifey banging any of those corporate exec's???????

At forty with a husband, two kids and an established way of life she had a right to pursue her own ambition...uh I don't think so not if it completely disrupted the lives of three other people.

Jo's company is a Great mob to work for "NOT!!!!!!" The story is Brilliant Yeah sure some will disagree( as Bender from Futerama would say " kiss the shiny panel on lower part of my back") Anyway Thanks for sharing this Fantastic Story with us! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ WOOF!

This is a very different kind of abandonment story. And, although it's common to find men who are married to their jobs, the stigma is far worse for women who are rash and selfish enough to commit the same sin, an injustice that I'm sure was not lost on every reader. This was a satisfying story for me, partly because of a reverence for the sanctity of the family but even more because of an antipathy for corporatism and capitalism. The sacrifices that men and women make to be a mere cog in a moneymaking scheme are both staggering and tragic.

The story is quite well written, and the character of your protagonist Mark is lovingly portrayed. I kind of wished that the character of Jo had been revealed more deeply, other than as a necessary antagonist. Her belligerent and demanding attitude seem a bit hollow given that we know so little about her and her private thoughts.

I had fun reading it- it was a nice change of pace from the usual inarticulate raunch that crowds the site.

Glad it all worked out for this family. I've seen people, driven by ambition, work themselves nearly to death. A bit of a twist to have it be the wife. I kept waiting to find that she was having an affair with one of her bosses. So happy to see that it was the job, although that almost cost her everything. Really good series.

B side -- "The Soul of a Man" --even better.

I was afraid that Joanne would cheat physically with someone in the neighboring apartment or office --the category, you know. It was bad enough that she cheated them emotionally, but I welcomed the whole family resolution of her health issues.

Thank you for this story's warning/message. It could apply to many family disrupting situations besides work these days.

He should have put his foot down before she accepted the job. They didn't need the money... fuck ruining the family's life just so she could stroke her ego. That selfish bitch put her husband daughter through a year if hell, just to find out that the wife was a guillible work-obsessed moron.

Quite thought provoking.

The wife was stupid enough to create this situation, so.....

did she learn from her mistake, or is it just a matter of time until she does something equally stupid. That is what makes for a good story.

anonjerry

This is a rather unique story here and I enjoyed it. Thank you.

That's what the narrator is to his family . Jo made a huge mistake in taking on a no-win job with onerous hours. But she didn't cheat , isn't lazy ,recognized and acknowledged her error. That's what made the split repairable. Great writing with a lot of elements added to story stew.

interesting if the job turned out well. What then? Does his agency get dumped? Does the family have to move? Writing the job as crazy was an unrealistic way to resolve the dilemma. You took the easy way out. Resolving the impasse if the job had turned out well except for the long hours. That would have been interesting. Even at that though, the way she treated him on the way out the door was already a marriage killer.

Wrong category imo, Loving Wives - Married extra-marital fun: swinging, sharing & more and as she appear faithful (sex wise) to her marriage maybe novellas or non-erotic may have been better.

I suggest either the company was at fault (unlikely given the talk about the bar scene) or she was not capable of doing her job (could have been the company giving the wrong person the promotion) and she refused to recognise it, falling behind a few hours here and there until she's week, then a month behind and the hamster wheel is going too fast to stop.

Twas interesting none the less but at 11 years old nothing more to be done.

It took me thru all three chapters to really get to like this story. I will have to go back to the beginning and leave this message there also. I don't know if loving wives is the right category but it is a great read.

I kept waiting for the Chicago boyfriend to show up; but this was a good, honest story about a woman caught up in her profession. I loved it! Great story well told. Five stars.

It was a loving wives story, she was cheating on her family with her job.

I really liked this story and loved the happy ending.

I must admit, I expected another outcome. I expected the axe to fall.

I am glad you took it where you did, she survived this distraction, but only by sheer luck.

If you hadn't included the element of the downfall of her health, she would have followed her predetermined path to the end, and would have ended up involved in the corruption as well, too proud and delusional to admit she's been duped.

You seem to have followed my thoughts on the 'virtues' of the corporate world to a tee.

My analogy comparing the job to a Lothario would have came to the same end; they would continue to use her whileever she gave them what they wanted, and if she at any time could not deliver, she would have been summarily discarded, but the world would have still been burnt to ash. Such is the nature of people without honour, and such is the world in which we live. It's just such a pity that all of that has a veneer of gold.

Luckily, in the end, it was only a job, and she had a path to return.

Thanks for your fine effort.

essentially do everything else common in an affair. That's why I think this is a good location for this story in Loving Wives.

I guess I wouldn't have been as forgiving as the husband and once she gave the ultimative that she was taking the job I would have probably filed for Divorce. Unless you have had a SO who was "Addicted" to work, you can't possibly understand what trauma the rest of the family is put thru. By saying she was taking the job and ending the discussion, it was the same as saying she was taking a lover.

And thanks for the memories. I spend my childhood in Manhattan & Redondo Beach.

Thought it great the first time I read it, and it was great again. A favorite.

5 stars for a truly great story. It was like cheating although it was with her job. I also can't believe she couldn't find 5 minutes each day for a quick chat. She said she watched television. Could she not have called then? I'm glad they stayed together but it was a close call.

we have the Hallmark movie reconciliation using the stale LW trope of "illness" (accidents and pregnancy are the other two cliches plot devices for a RAAC). Not very creative. This could have been an interesting story if the husband were written with a spine and the reconciliation required work to overcome the problems resulting from her arrogance and neglect of her family. Instead, it's "she sick, now we can all be happy." Really....

I agree 100%.

Not a bad story but the end was too cliche.

Maybe QHM1 can write a better version of this one as he did with Separated Vacations.

Lovely story of family survival. When I first started reading I thought that maybe that she might end up with the wife in an affair, but glad she didn't It is always wonderful to see a happy ending without the wife ending up cheating. 5 stars

A really lovely story. AAAAA+++++

A five star story.

I was pleased to see there was no cheating involved.

It was a well written story with just a few hints of the possibility of infidelity to keep the reader intrigued.

Very professionally produced. Well done.

Great story! It really shows how one put in a powerful position can get caught up in the rat race, and lose focus on what is important, especially family!

The only issue I see is the classification of the story. How is it "Loving Wives"? There was no infidelity. Until the very end it was really not about a wife loving her husband. II think it should have been classed as either a "Novel Novella", or "Non Erotic".

Thank you - great story!

Again, would have been more interesting if you hadn't made big business the bogeyman. Too easy, too trite and too boring. Makes the final decision obvious and removes the tension.

Being a workaholic cannot really be equated with adventurous. Sweetie was too busy and harried to also be boffing co-execs or clients/contacts.

Wrong Category

no cheating

no extra marital sex

no threesomes

and what sex scenes there are arent that descriptive

this should be in non erotic

Nice....kind of over engineered... Normally the obsessed one dumps everything except business success and loses the family. During the past 50 years this has been almost the male path to self destruction Now since the 2000 period...and the use of reverse discrimination to foster massive numbers of women in these roles coupled with the changed women's movement narrative condemning traditional roles of stay at home motherhood; we see the women executives increasingly becoming self absorbed sociopathic anal retentive corporate drones.

The collapse of the female protagonist here is contrived for a happy ending... Most cases of this seem to result in a executive corporate drone whose familial ties wither and die. There seem to bee so very many divorced female corporate executives...who have the future outlined in Dicken's " A Christmas Carol."

And yes I liked the happy ending...the more realistic ending would have been too depressing. Good Job!

Superb

5/5

Genuine problem

Not all wives are cheats & whores

Not all men are cucks & wimps.

Unique story

3 stars - this was not a loving wives story. It was more of a coming into maturity kind of story that MOST of us reach in our mid forties. However, I think this is a worst case scenario, where she almost kills herself for the job. From my perspective and a 1/2 century marriage to the same woman, my wife almost did the same type of thing, until I gave her the ultimatum - either change your plan or move out - at the same time, I unleashed our 4 kids on her and she chose to change her focus - we survived - barely.

Great story, but Fontella Bass sang Rescue me. Not Aretha.

This guy is pathetic. He is stuck in 1955. All he wants is a housekeeper and a whore. His wife manages a high power career, looks after the kids and the house. When she gets a better job he just sits at home feeling sorry for himself buys in a catering service so he can flirt with the neighbour or watch TV. He gives his poor wife no support, leaving her on her own in a strange city. He doesnt even bother to go and visit, he makes her come to see him. After she gets ill he brings her home and puts her straight back into the kitchen to cook Thanksgiving for him and his family. not a nice man.

The wife isn't worth it.

Oh what terrible comments below, the wife is worth it and Mark is a lovely guy. This is such a great storey, so much love and compassion and a happy ending. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To all the comments saying she was not cheating when in fact she was. She was cheating by allowing work to seduce her away from her husband and family. The lure of power and "success" destroys more families and people than sex. If you are working more than 32 hours per week then you have your priorities all wrong.

I was kinda hoping Mark would hook up with the neighbor lady. Story was devoid of much human emotion.

Well, she tried and failed. She's a failure!

Is that the same as calling it whining

Quite a difference from most loving wives stories.

*****

Bet she left some left untold.

Ignore the naysayers!

This is a masterful cautionary tale of the dangers of blind ambition and the evil that can exist in large corporations.

It was well written with the right amount of husbandly angst about what the 'wonder job' could and did do to his wife and their marriage and family.

Well done!

Good story. Actually this happens more than people think. In most cases the physical separation is less and the health effects more muted (her deckining health and collapse was a bit of a Deus Ex Machina in this story to save Jo and their marriage), but the emotional separation and strain on a marriage is all too real. When taking my company public (one of three co-founders), easily pulled 75-80 hours a week for 7-8 months and even worse near the end. At first, it was something that I wad working for as a goal that woukd secure our family's future and my wife was understanding. But then I have to wonder when did it become about me and the company. Also even after IPO, the company became a blood sucking parasite on my marriage, taking still exorbitant time and effort, straining my marriage and taking a toll on my life and my health. Continues like that for some time until I had some life interventions that made me re-evaluate what I was doing. Keeping analysts on Wall Street happy as you feed the quarterly report machinery can be a real burden. Fortunately stepped back, worked with my partners to reassign parts of my role, and stepped down and aside to something I could live with. Company was able to still function without me killing myself and my marriage. My wife though not happy during that time, was remarkably tolerant and more so than I deserved. Just getting out from the crushing wheel, allowed me to breathe again and out from under the curse and addiction that my company had morphed into in my private life. We healed out marriage and now being empty nester, we have never been stronger emotionally. So I can empathize how one can get consumed with the rat race and swept up in grabbing for the brass ring. The real question is what are you prepared to give up? I made the right choice (with help) for me and my family. But many do not. Anyways good story. Glad she lived and they made it back together as a family. Story seems kind of dated referring to Mapquest, lol. As an aside, we have a story here where the wife all but abandons the family and exits the marriage for six months, with really piss poor communication for all but maybe 2 months of that time. Now in this story, the author.makes it clear their was no extramarital sex or an affair. Fine. That is realistic, especially when she is barely surviving her turns on the corporate gerbil wheel. But imagine instead of leaving for Chicago with a new job, making unilateral decision, abandoning her family (granted they are not young kids, but still it was abandonment of Lindsay), and working crazy hours with little communication and few visits home, thatbshe stayed in Minneapolis and had a multimonth affair? I bring this up because the affair woukd be unforgivable but her returning from her Chicago job as the Prodigal Son (corporate speaking) is totally forgivable. Just speaks to who we are as humans. Heck even a six month drug addiction provided go to rehab and get clean and sober woukd be easier than a multimonth affair. Fidelity and trust, especially with regards to intimacy and sexual relations, is just that damn important. Just a thought.

Glad it finally ended. Way too long with almost no excitement or sex. Boring & in the wrong category. Only a 3. No 😊’s

An insightful story. I appreciate the LW catagorization as her job was tearing their marriage apart almost like an affair would have. A very well thought out and written story. I definitely look forward to reading more of your work. I appreciate your and your Muse's imagination and abilities to bring it to your story. Thank you for sharing your vision and talents.

I have actually seen the same thing with families I know. Only in one case her boss moved himself into her "temporary" apartment...

This is almost my long term neighbors story. We lived in New England and she took a VP job in Chicago. Rarely came home, had the guy trying to raise two young daughters on his own. He said he was putting up with it until she was raking in the big bucks then he would divorce her and get support, the house, and the kids. Her attempt at change was to transfer to Atlanta. Still never home. But she was not just a workaholic. She had "dinner dates" as she called them but they were really dates. She would tell him. "what am I to do all week, stay home alone?". So he hired a nanny and he started living his life. About three years later they divorced and he made out like a bandit.

5 stars - for my 'come to my senses moment' was a week spent in an ICU with a suspected heart attack. In actual fact, it was stomach acid reflux, that was eating a hole in my esophagus and that would have killed me just as fast. It changed my life and the big business craze, was pushed aside for a more relaxed and balanced life style. So far I have lived about 10 years longer than I ever expected.

3/5

She has already dumped her family and were rapidly approaching husband's deadline when her body gave her a wake up call. While good money, interesting job, unavoidable long distance may be a fact of live with unavoidable relationship pressure, lack of communicaion clearly slow her family were not in her top5 priorities

And here I thought Jo was going to die and he's end up with Pat.