All Comments on 'Between the Pages of Adultery Ch. 03'

One of the best stories I’ve read on Literotica.

This was a very well thought out story, the leaving her job part would have been the part that brought them together. There were parts that I liked like the part about many women thinking "just get over it". Yea like thats gonna happen.5 stars.

The loving wives page here has some well written stories, from noir fiction and evil relationships to wild sexual escapes. Many of them are clever cheating wife stories ,followed by the revenge, or the reconciliation.

This story is the real deal, less creative fiction than a road trip through a family dealing with a wife's transgressions. Kudos to you !

The world would be a better place. I could go on and on about it all, but it was all covered in this story. I am more of a btb type of guy, but I am very glad that Harrison & Laura got back together. This has to be one of the top 10 stories on this site. I know all of the "cuck shit" thinkers will disagree...

You are one excellent thinker and writer. Very believable and well-presented story.

A counselor who doesn't go all psycho babble and put the blame on the spouse of the cheater. She made it clear she couldn't help with forgivenss or trust, all she could do was help to open up communication. What a concept. Sometimes spouses do share the blame but not always. Ashley, Harrison and Laura all earned their way back to each other and in this case I have no problem with it. I found the series forthright and highly believable, especially after having gone through it decades ago, with 2 daughters but in our case in didn't work out this way. Liked the fact things caught up with Brad, not too over the top as that wouldn't have fit the story arc, but in another one I wouldn't have minded some blood and guts being spilled. It would have been a bit cheesy but Ashley should have asked Sean to take her to the prom that certainly would have cemented things in school. Things would have been a whole lot better for the South if things had gone different at Ford's Theater that night. Now if only someone would actually write those books and people read them before it's too late... I probably would have been one of the stupid ones who wouldn't have. Signed: BTW

Life......A+......

Damn 26thnc got it right again

Too old for this shit but great story enjoyed

I really enjoy your writing and storytelling. I was deeply moved by this story and could feel the pain of all concerned. I think even I could forgive Laura. Well done.

The exact moment you wheeled out that usual crap of blaming the break up of the marriage on 'man pride'. Shifting the blame to the betrayed husband in order force reconciliation at metaphorical gunpoint is lazy writing, and to honest, I have come to expect more from you. Very disappointed. Slithering into the gutter of cheater apologist earns you a big fat zero. You don't have to burn her to the ground, but you also don't need to belittle an entire gender to force a resolution to the story.

On the bright side, there's only one way for you to go when you climb down into the gutter.

Didn't see any major changes to her behaviour. She read a book, and that apparently changed her whole outlook on life. Was she always like that, didn't see any real changes to her. Left me disappointed and let down.

I suppose every author needs to write a cuck story... I'm surprised that Harrison didn't ask the slut what types of sex she did with Brad. Did she do anything with Brad that she refused her loving hubby? Anal, cum swallowing BJ's?

Those that forgave the SO were cheated on again and in many cases they simply got smarter about it. A large portion of the ones who made a great seeming life just became more blind and they were still being cheated on and reacted by being less aware.

They were unaware that they wanted to remain unaware.

The book plot device told us from the start this was going to be a RAAC. I enjoyed the tale, but firmly believe Laura needed to have her ass handed to her. He should’ve divorced her, ended that marriage and then started again with her if he wished. Or, moved on, she deserved that.

For a cheater she got away with it.

I would have liked to have seen more payback from hubby. Go ahead and divorce her. If she really wants him back, make her work for it and be free to pursue Brad Or somebody else. Make her prove by actions over time that she deserves another chance. Brad should have continued to pursue her and see how she handled it. Just my views on the story

Outstanding. I respect the man more as he looked beyond himself and looked at the effect it was having on his daughter. That makes him a great father. Plus destroying that other guy helped.

People can change, a cheater is not necessarily always a cheater (some are, but not all). Forgiveness is possible, but never easy. This story captures all this very well. Five stars. I don’t know why this is regarded as RAAC, it is not at any cost, but requires genuine remorse, regret, and willingness to change on her part including actions to prove this, such as her quitting her job. He has to overcome his pride and accept the genuineness of her remorse and regret. None of this is easy, but better than being left alone, bitter, with nothing better to do than to troll Literotica complaining that all forgivers are cucks.

I really enjoyed this story one of the best 5 stars!

You nailed the emotional turmoil couples go through after infidelity.

Once she stepped out of her affair fog it was clear, to use the readers, she loved her husband and did indeed make a horrible decision.

Well written, a few minor flaws and such, but truly well done.

Having suffered through the pain of my spouse's adultery, I have found catharsis of a sort in reading the many tales of revenge and exposure. This was a nice respite from my usual reading, thank you.

I enjoyed this series. It accurately portrays the pain and confusion caused by marital breakup. The situation you described shows the irony that those who love most also suffer most. Forgiveness and recovery of trust are difficult to achieve. If they can be retrieved the love can again grow.

Unfortunately anonymous often writes nonsense. I feel sad for him that he has fallen into mistrust and cynicism. I hopes he learns that even though there is much bad in this world, there is even more love and goodness. I hope you find some.

A lot of LW stories are good, some are humorous, some are sad, and some are down right BTB nuclear. Most have the well intentioned, interfering neighbors and friends saying "can't you work it out". Not in this one! Saying anything more would lead into

spoiler alert. I have 2 other favorite LW stories that I have kept over the years, and this one just became #3. Excellent story. Well written, No excuses, just I F#$%ed up, Just honest remorse and pain. Will have to read more of this authors' work

This is an excellent story. I am so glad to read about the depth of emotions after an affair. Instead of just going nuclear and blowing up the marriage and the cheater to satisfy his damaged ego the way Harrison dealt with her mistake and her remorse over the fallout was realistic. I thought laptop writer would see the correlation to what Harrison told his daughter that night and the way he was dealing with his wife and use it as part of the reconciliation. But it worked out in the end. Love the payback on the asshole.

It was pretty encompassing for a small Lit series. I'm a confirmed no second chances especially when it's been an ongoing betrayal. I still enjoyed the concept though, even if I disagreed; it flowed, well and I was able to immerse myself for a while.

Its nice to read a real life experience of a family in turmoil. Flawed humans dealing with problems created by a self- indulgent person. That selfish, poorly thought out decision created a multitude of collateral damage to everyone she held dear. A little too much perfect ending for the cheating partner. He could have been in a wreck and

in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Great story. Nothing to add to that...

thedayafter

As others say, this is a great story. I'm particularly fond for stories where forgiveness and reconciliation are possible. The writing is superb, as always. Keep writing !!

I think that if you look at all of it, he is just a wimpy cuckold in the end.

I am actually a BTB type of bloke but in this instance I was cheering for a reconciliation. Bloody Australians we are nothing but sooks and romantics deep down it seems😁⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am please the way the author developed the story from Laura reading the book, then searching her soul, to admitting to herself that she was wrong and knowing she had to stop what she was doing and confess her sins to her husband and ask for forgiveness. The journey was hard and soul searching for Laura and the whole family unit became stronger because of it. It so nice to see a reconciliation rather than a ugly divorce and a destroyed family. Great ending, I know a lot readers will say he is a cuckold but in this case based on all the facts I think not as he was willing to forgive and let the relationship to rebuild. Well Done 5 stars

She was wise to confess and tell the truth. It took my wife 20 years to finally tell at least a part of the truth. She still hides part of it and is not aware of how much I know. I guess she will take it to her grave which is a real shame since she could be rid of the need to hide the truth.

Good story. Heart wrenching at times but very good!

The reconciliation was earned. The story was well written. All, in all, a five star effort.

Laura seems to be the exception to the rule when it comes to remorse and shame. Most women who have affairs don't care about their husband. Mostly, they care about their financial security. As a rule of thumb, it's most men that still love their wives when they cheat. Women are ten times more cold hearted than men and 99.9% of women don't care if they hurt their spouse once they decide to have an affair. So stick to old saying, "once a cheater, ..." and you'll save yourself some heartache. I've dropped friends for cheating on their spouse. If they'll cheat on the person that they supposedly love, how would they betray you.

I believe this story has the right ending of RAAC. Because she did right thing by telling the truth rather than lying by omission; truly felt remorseful about her action impact on her family and never once give reasons from cheater's handbook. Both side wanted to reconcile, With love and especially trust take a hard hit, they overcome the big hurdle. IN MY OPINION HARRISON IS NOT A CUCK

She didn't have to feel "truly remorseful" if she hadn't cheated in the first place and this was not even a one-time thing: it was a full-fledged affair. RAAC writers just can't let the cheated spouse(almost always the husband, not biased at all!) move on and start afresh. 1 star.

I can usually tolerate your Molly Milk Toast attitude towards the consequences of adultery, but this is over the line. You really need to review your views on what happens when one spouse cheats.

A good and believable story. I do not see this as RAAC. The reconciliation only occurred because she showed real remorse and demonstrated her sincerity by her actions. Without this she would not have been forgiven, so it was not RAAC. To the never forgive, once a cheater always a cheater crowd, every person and every case is different. Sometimes reconciliation is possible and desirable, in other cases it is neither possible nor desirable. This story describes very well a situation where it was possible, but not easy, and took a lot of effort on both sides. Well done.

Very good and very real story.

5⭐

I really liked your approach to adultery.

Confession then separation then reflection then discussion / revelation then finally decision.

You finally opted for a reconciliation and I like this choice which seems logical to me.

The woman took the necessary steps to confess her faults, express her regrets, to realize the harm she caused, to accept her responsibilities ...

As said in the story, it's hard to get over a host of feelings: betrayal, lies, trust, respect, ignorance, male ego ..... but there was a good basis for that.

The grief, the pain, the guilt, the doubt, the anger that each member of the family has felt, allows us to make sure that none of them get burned in the future.

However, I find that the return home too simple and easy: direct return to the master bedroom, smooth cohabitation, a return to sex too easy and successful from the first time .....

A return with first

- passage through separate rooms,

- cohabitation with some doubts, spouses walking on eggshells,

- resumption of sexual relations by kisses, caresses, failures, seduction, doubt .....

All these different situations seem more credible to me, and being realistic steps to re-establish and find a healthy and harmonious family relationship.

Thanks for sharing your talent.

I would agree to all of it if it had been one time. But it was over 2 months; not a mistake, a planned action - unforgivable!!

Still just as good as the first read. An excellent exploration of adultery.

The "counselor" trope is a lazy way of telling a story and dignifies a "profession" that is charlatanry. The "male pride" cliche is shallow and a standard feminist rhetorical ploy for deflecting attention from important principles that are breached by adultery....just a gambit for helping the bitch get away with betrayal, disrespect, and faithlessness. I'm not opposed to reconciliation. What I dislike is the approach to reconciliation in this story.

very difficult way to reconciliation, don't hope it will work for you too, so think twice before you act

Too cucky.

I always fascinated by these type of stories, how people react when they exposed to certain type of feelings that they never felt before For Harrison's, i think he's always successful and used to the feeling of being successful so he couldn't feel what Laura felt. but for Laura it's her first taste of sweet victory after 7 years of working which blinded her rational thinking. I have read many stories that they downplay their spouse while sex and ask for forgiveness i personally think that they are not truly sorry for their actions and not trustable. And the fact that she never downplayed her husband show it's just pleasure of blinded victory and ego.

Why do cheaters cheat? People cheat because they feel entitled to cheat and because they CAN. It’s that simple. Do you need more of an answer? Okay, well cheaters cheat because of greediness, because of narcissism, because of a lack of empathy for others affected by their shit decisions. Cheaters cheat because they value the ego stroking of the affair more than they value the well-being of their spouse and family. All these reasons simply boil down to — greed, opportunity, and not caring. People cheat because they give themselves permission to cheat — and that’s a matter of character or more accurately a lack of character.

Through out this story, the author had the husband on many occasions refer to his wife cheating as a mistake or terrible mistake condensing her affair into a single action when the affair was some more more than a mistake or incidence. One does not just wake up one day and decide their going to cheat on their spouse. It involves all kinds of mental gymnastics and conscious manipulation of attitudes over a period of time where the individual reaches a sense of entitlement and selfishness where they feel its their right to fuck around on the side while disrespecting, lying and betraying their spouse and family. Classifying the affair as a mistake is the trivialization of the horrendous and destructive actions of a selfish individual with no sense of empathy of the emotional and psychological pain they inflect upon their spouse and families.

Since this story is a story of reconciliation, we should note that reconciliation itself, does not help cheaters with their entitlement issues. If anything, it hurts authentic progress because it doesn’t level meaningful consequences. In this story the wife's entitlement issues which led her to the affair were never addressed or dealt with and the wife never faced any real consequences for her actions. In that sense, the story fell way short of the goal line of justifying an authentic reconciliation.

I wish their was more then 5 stars because this story is a 10 star for sure.

Please we need more of your work and stories. Thank you

PS please do something in a diary story.

I agree that if she just offered to quit her job to help prove her remorse he Could have suggested she keep it but the fact is she had already sent the email, confessed to her assistant explaining about what she did along with her recommendation and the email, plus the letters were already in the mail. The only way for her to keep her job would have been if and only if, the powers that be would have refused to accept her resignation...and they didn't.

I have never read any LW story that truly justifies in my mind cheating and to his credit LTW barely spent more then one page delving into Laura's mind while she was reveling in it before it dawned on her how her world was collapsing. For those who still don't get the point of this story I'm going to glory in how miserable you are as a person every time I read one of your whiny tirades.

LTW, even though I knew that I had read this before I didn't remember the ending and considering your track record on reconciliation I wasn' t sure if you would or could pull it off. Thanks for leading the way And you didn't forget about Brad. The sub-title to Laura's book could be (How Are You Harry?). *****'s Signed: BTW

Good story. One thing. when first we meet Laura she's masturbating in her office over Brad, handsome Brad. But later we're supposed to believe that he was nowhere near as good in bed as the MC. I'm afraid that the scene on the office was the real deal, and the profession later that he was a lesser man wasn't. And, that undercuts the whole premise of the story. Maybe she was so enamored of him as a rush of power and privilege - to start. But she did it over and over, and she must have realized, before the book thing, that he was not worth it. So why keep on? Somehow, he must have been worth it. Especially since the masturbation scene was directly before her contrition. D

Absolutely loved the story very emotional and so well written could not stop reading if I tied😊

Really enjoyed the entire story. It was a great attempt to approach the cheating-spouse stories on this website from a different angle. One where the cheating wife realizes what she is doing & takes responsibility for her actions. Then, she takes the risk of confessing the affair & asks for forgiveness from husband instead of hiding the 'ended' affair; hoping the husband will never find out. The only two disconnects I found (for me) in this story was the beginning and the very end of the story. Laura repeatedly tries to convince herself & her husband that there was no failure on her husband's part that caused the affair. Nor was the affair due to Brad being a better lover, sex partner than her husband. She is emphatic that the affair occurred b/c she was on a 'power-trip' from getting promoted to top dog in her local branch of the company. Her ego is such that she actually 'gives herself permission' to have an affair. So, the motivation for cheating is solely ego & power. Yet, in the first scene she is masturbating to a rip-roaring orgasm in her office thinking about the lustful sex she is having with Brad? So, which is it? Ego & power or lust & doing something forbidden? I tend to agree with one of the comments below that if you start the story with giving herself an orgasm in her work office while thinking about screwing 'hot' Brad - it's about the lust & forbidden sex. The story can still proceed to be about 'getting her head screwed on right' & taking responsibility. However, one of her commitments is that she will never lie to her husband. Based on the opening scene, she is absolutely lying to her husband in their counseling sessions that her affair was only about ego & power.

The final disconnect for me, at least, is the seemingly absolutely necessary ending of the majority of cheating wife stories where the husband gets revenge on her lover. The revenge is almost always at a minimum, illegal or the reader discovers that the wronged husband has mafia connections which are used to (at a minimum) crush Brad's sexual equipment or completely destroy his business or life. I don't know. Maybe it's b/c when my first wife cheated on me twice...she never took any responsibility or admitted she was wrong or ask for forgiveness. And unlike the typical cheating wife stories on this website - I had no mafia connections. Oh, well.

Good, overall. The interaction between father and daughter when she started to rebel was too contrived and scripted to be realistic. He's lecturing his daughter that she shouldn't call his slut wife a slut. I also noticed you skimmed over some of the more interesting aspects of her adultery that would normally come out in counseling, like what kind of sex did she provide for Brad, what did she do special for her fuck buddy, in terms of clothes, gifts, perfume, jewelry, dates events, etc.? Why wouldn't the husband ask that, and why would you want to shield Laura from having to admit the depth of her mental and emotional intimacy with Brad. Most likely because you realized that those details could easily destroy the husbands interest in reconciling, especially when he finds out that Laura gave Brad sexual favors and treated him with greater romance and passion than she did her own husband. So that made the motives for reconciliation more fake and contrived. Laura replaced her husband with Brad as her sexual and romantic partner. Hell, she even forgot her husband's birthday! No, it was A Lot bigger commitment to Brad than your story illustrated, so it read like you were trying to steer the story to reconciliation regardless of the facts and Laura's physical and emotional behavior.

A decent story that could have been better and more believable, but then it probably would not have ended as you intended. You can type whatever words you want, but you can't fake the logical ramifications of Laura's betrayal. Still, thanks for the effort.

Great story! I never had the chance of working with a marriage counselor, my ex said "it was over". Glad that on occasion these stories do have happy endings! Thank you

I often wonder, reading these stories and observing some friends etc in real life; how many couples get back together after an affair? Wht are the percentages say after 1 affair? After a confession? How long in each case do they stay together? i know most readers, unfortunately including me, enjoy BTB stories much more than your type of writing. I only have 3 female friends that caught their spouse cheating. 2 tried again and 1 succedded so far (8 years) I know of 2 male frineds(7 were cheated on) that stayed married. 4 of them have no trust in realtionship, 1 married anoter cheater and just got out of jail....2 remarried and are still married....seem happy but alert. Why don't you still write?

The rates of female infidelity are skyrocketing while male rates , though significant, are staying flat the last three decades. The result of course is now counselors, so called experts like E Perel, are preaching that men need to stay in marriage and become cucks. Sure, that will be great for society overall. We need more cucks. Men have a huge, monumental disadvantage sexually, so of course the modern woman will take advantage of this, and men are instructed by society to just say ok, suffer in silence.

Despite being a well written story, no wife who masturbates at her desk over thoughts of her lover AND forgets about her husband's birthday isn't going to be moved by guilt over a book. Hence this tome is flawed from the start. Plus the usual cliches of an over angst husband, only seeks revenge on the guy she cheats with, the female marriage counselor, and no atonement from the betraying wife.

This could have been done much better.

Total bull shit. Just another cuckold story with a weak ass husband

This is not a happy ending....just another entitled bitch ultimately getting away with betrayal. The mawkishly sentimental bullshit with the daughter is offensive, and if this were real life, the daughter was taught a very bad lesson.

The opinion that men are increasingly becoming cucks isn't true. The term "Gray Divorce" is the trend, and the number of single senior women is the trend. We may stay in the marriage for the sake of the children but we leave when it's the time best for us. Time for the high life!

You're very brave, to write in this genre. I've read a few of your stories, now. You tell a good tale, but there are some troubling errors that break immersion for me. You had him putting his clothes in 'draws' (drawers?). I've never seen anything like his boss' name. Prichert? Would it be 'Pritchard', by any chance? I've also noticed a missing word here and there. No matter how good a writer you may be, an editor wouldn't hurt.

Good story! Good premise, believable characters, and I am a fan of happy endings!

Jim

Excellent, well written story.

One of the few authors on this site who understands that there are two essential ingredients in true reconciliation: full remorse by the wayward partner and strength and mercy by the betrayed spouse.

Well done!

As mentioned below, this was an awfully long story to write, when all it does is go through the cliches of most every story here. Cheating wife, inept and spineless husband, she'd some tears, have a female therapist, and of course there's no penance for her sins.

With a narcissistic bitch like this, she'll cheat again. But let's not let reality muddle up a "love" story.

"Harrison, does the name Brad Griffin mean anything to you?"

...

"Yeah," he declared with a growl. "He's the son-of-a-bitch that was sleeping with Laura... why?"

"I thought so," responded Ken.

- Did I miss something? I truly don't recall any moment where Harrison related the name of or any information which could cause someone to arrive at the name of her lover...

As for anyone thinking she wasn't "punished", it's the author's story and we're told she was *devastated* by what she did to her family...

People who actually commit crimes can have reduced sentences when they demonstrate actual remorse...

Did she deserve a lifetime sentence...? Apparently, thr husband didn't think so.

Do I agree with *his* choice...? Eh... no clue...

Don't see this as an happy ever after story,he is never going to let her forget what she did.Also how would Ken know about Brad,as only three knew about him?.Finally at the start of the story he is in charge of marketing,but when Sean Craig appears on the scene,he is their best salesman,he can't be both.

This was a great story. 5 stars.

"Just another cuckold story with a whimp husband."

Aren't people tired with the same stupid Pavlovian conditioning?!

It's like they read all the LW stories just so they can comment the same BS at the end.

I had to say I really enjoyed your subject: Well, enjoyed might be an exaggeration. I lived it, unfortunately, not exactly this way, but realizations and emotions are very different neural pathways. And Forgiveness….well, it is a hard road. I want to say thank you for the thoughtful handling of the narrative. I might have suggested that revenge that Harrison executed on Brad was the only area I felt might have been avoided. Revenge is a brutal and selfish act, and it rarely goes according to plan, regardless of the plan. It just relives the trauma with more trauma. Maybe I missed something. I didn’t get that Harrison, in my reading, NEEDED that. Or would want it. What he did wasn’t Karma, it was vengeful. To me, Karma wouldn’t need Harrison to be its agent. To my thinking and experiencing, Karma is a more subtle and complete actor. Karma just happens because people lead themselves from the middle path.

I liked you handling of Laura’s dilemma. Should she tell him up front or risk avoidance and silence. You had her do the right thing for the right reasons even though it was full of risk for everyone. Honesty should be an easy road, but it isn’t for many. Like Forgiveness, Honesty is hard sometimes, but if you want to rebuild trust, it is the only road leading out of the wasteland.

Very good job.

You lost me and I did not read a word more than when you made the husband out be angry he was told instead of left in ignorance.

Well written and compelling, although I did think the revenge business was unnecessary.

Jim

She fed him a shit sandwich and he eventually ate the whole thing.

Well done. A look at how a man can overcome his anger and pain to rebuild a families life instead of going all out to destroy it. People are human and make mistakes, a second chance should be a viable option. 5 *****

Why did he reconcile with the slut? Makes no sense.

Wow, this was different and heart warming. "Mercy sometimes bears richer fruit than justice," not just a clever line but an injunction to do the best thing. The story is rich with great lines but the heart of gold in the matter is that it takes a man who can put his pride aside and consider the collateral damage of his little family. Thanks for writing good pieces once again but this time you wrote an even better piece. What makes it better you may wonder - when it transcends entertainment and reaches hearts that are hurting and inspires hope, encourages forgiveness...

Extremely well done!

She made no attempts to absolve herself.

She took a helluva risk that, in reality, she could have gotten away with, but took the high road knowing what it could cost her.

At that time she didn't understandchow wide spread the blast effect would be.

It was proper that she suffered. It was absolutely necessary in order for her come to grips with what she had done.

This was a very human story. Normally I'd crucify the cheater as most look for a way to dodge responsibility. That's not the case here.

Here was the place for a second chance.

An unspoken benefit is the daughter got an object lesson about cheating thus, hopefully,reducing her chancing that course.

Instead of going postal on her he used some thoughtful common sense. He could have just slammed the door but weighing in all the time they had together he realized the sensible thing was to sit down and talk. His boss helped with his recommendation of therapists. As usual an excellent story from this writer.

Excellent read. Well done.

Great story. 5 stars. Thanks for sharing.

Did not like this. Reconcile? Nope she did this of her free while she fed him a big crap sandwich and he took it. Sure she owned up to it was remorseful. But sometimes that is not enough what about trust how does he trust her again

Very good! Thanks for the story.

Well written.

What a powerful story. Great Writing, Great Story. Heart-wrenching. 5 stars for the writer. I love a happy ending!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It takes some serious biblical level shit for me to forgive a cheater in any story, let alone real life. It's nothing less than a miracle for me to hope for reconciliation in the end. This was the only way this story should have ended. In real life it's less likely we could see all sides, and be so forgiving. So it's still "fantasy", but very well done! The author made me believe in the exception to the rule this time.

Great story, great plot, good characters. and pacing. Some pretty significant insights into relationships to be able to write this, like this. I know you had to wrap it up but I would have liked an ending where "The Griff" had to twist in the end deliciously. That's just me, but also a lot of other people. I read a decade ago about 75% of plots in Hollywood scripts, have the driving motive being ... Revenge. It's primal. Well played that you studied your subject, and know that she got it right away. What drove the wedge between them, and almost produced the fatal stab wound to the heart, was the DIS-Respect. Otis Redding wrote it, Aretha Franklin sang it best, R-e-s-p-e-c-t. Once that's gone, it's over. It's Done. Once one spouse or partner starts it, it get's going both ways, and becomes a spinning vortex that is really hard to break, and not return to it. As stated, Well Played. One last note on dealing with "The Prince of Darkness" , I've dealt with him numerous times, He may lose a round, but you're rarely ever rid of him, I live on the West Coast but I too am from "Greater Chicagoland" and went to University at Jackson & Wabash. So, "The Prince of Darkness" once beaten also has a nasty taste for revenge also that's never slaked. So there's probably lots of material for a good sequel, but please if you write it, let there be a happy ending. There's so much pain in this one, I don't think I could bear to read it if it didn't resolve to a happier ending.

PS - we have a big family. All the kids, nieces and nephews, after they've been married about 6 months, I send them a nice congratulatory letter, my best Manhattan Clam Chowder, and Lasagna recipes, a bottle of Chandon Brut with a Frank Sinatra CD to get comfortable together, "Songs for Swingin' Lovers" and two books admonishing them to read and read them out loud to each other: "His Needs, Her Needs" by Dr. Will Harley, and "Love and Respect" by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. I think the reason that your plot is believable is that he moved out, and was in the power position over getting a resolution to his marriage relationship on his terms. There's that word again, "R E S P E C T"

Nicely done.

Sorry, just can't buy Harrison letting her back into his life. You played the "kids get hurt the worst" card so all the saps out there would fall in line and tell you how wonderful your RAAC story is. You make the cheater the hero because she confessed, but that doesn't make her anything close to heroic. It makes her even more selfish as she wanted everything in her world to be OK in spite of what she did. She knew the marriage would be over if he found out so she beat him to the punch out of a selfish desire not to pay for her betrayal. Once she cheated, he should have shown her the door. You're an excellent writer, but I just can't accept the outcome.

This is a great story. I have the following comments: the revenge thing was a little contrived. Believe me when I say that I really feel the motive. (And you can see that in stuff I write.) But, this story wasn't about that, and I know if it got left out many complaints would have been lodged. Still....

And....I get the thing about her motive, a little. It was well explained. What I want to look at is her idea that fucking some other man was a reward for all the hard work. It was presented as a feminist thing....guy bosses do it so I can, too. That seems simple, in the bad sense. It was coupled with the idea that she was a different person at work from what she was at home. That is also something I've seen and written about. The combination of those two things comes close to making the story work, motive wise. Close, but no cigar. Because, if the sex with Brad was not up to the marital sex, like she said, the she'd never have done it more than once. So, did she lie to her husband in therapy? I think she did. When, or if, he realizes that.....trust is lost again. And when she gets dressed up to go show a house...... This story really provoked a lot of thought, eh? D

5 stars.

I never get the guys on here who "NO FORGIVNESS BTB!!".I understand the pain that comes from an unfaithful wife,but all of us are fallen creatures,and deserve a second chance.Now,if it happens again....

What a great author of the vicissitudes of marriage. Did the wife in this story merit forgiveness? Or rather, did she earn it? It's a valid question. My wife and I married in graduate school when I got my doctorate, and supported her through hers (two years behind me). I found a love of teaching as adjunct faculty while working as a professional geologist for the US Geological Survey, while she then went into academia. She was/is brilliant, charming, and a model well published scholar which always made me proud. We had a daughter of 7 years when I found out by through a faculty friend that she was having an affair with a fellow dept faculty member. After a year of bickering, we almost divorced but managed to reconcile after very difficult times. But there was a price, and hers was leaving her tenured position for another college while i cut back on my field work. What we learned was real forgiveness requires not only remorse but restitution from the offending spouse. And yes, it can be calculated. It's what the one spouse requires to establish the value of the remorse and keeping the marriage. 'Sorry' just doesn't cut it. She STILL takes care not to put her in situations that cause doubt even after tenure. It's a measure of the value she puts on the marriage. And I still love her for it 30 years later. I would write about it but not well enough to do justice as this author does. So kudos!

How I love reading this author's stories!

The problem sometimes is the ending. And this is one of them. I hate cheating, especially when it's premeditated. Maybe I'm an inflexible type (I don't think so, I think I'm very very very tolerant) but there is no excuse for this type of situation. Unless the character is a pusillanimous without a well-founded moral.

A pity the end

I often think that the survival of a marriage from adultery depends entirely on how long the affair lasts. The longer it goes on, the more intentionality weighs in as planning and deception require deliberation. Every cheated spouse will know this and it becomes harder to forgive. So the wife coming forward early in an affair and confessing is the smart thing to do. This author engages the readers imagination in a highly believable way. Well done.

The inevitable question is did the Laura character earn the forgiveness? I would say yes. She proactively showed real remorse and made restitution to restore his respect and merited that forgiveness. I would have given it to her also. Most of the time, BTB is just a form of retribution or more properly 'lex talionis'- the customary law of retribution. Or colloquially, 'an eye for an eye'. And it leaves both blind to a future, either moving on as bitter individuals or jointly as a couple. A professional colleague of mine had that very issue back in 1966 when testing found he was not the biological father of one daughter from his wife's affair with a fellow teacher. My wife and I knew them both 20 years and were never more shocked, but even more so when he chose to forgive and not waver in his love of the daughter. This story and that actual event remind me of the author Ohio's story- Visiting Richard Gronier. Only Laptopwriter does it better.

Absolute shit! The bitch cheated! He had the chance to burn her down, possible legal action against her former employer! Very disappointed in this author.

I felt this was the best chapter. Really enjoyed the read. Thanks for your writing.

5 stars. I like that it began with the wife coming to grips with the evil of her infidelity, which lead to her repentance. It took a long time for her to achieve forgiveness. It was good that Honest Abe was able to give the MC what he never located in the Bible - "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors". This story reminded me of why you are one of my favorite authors.

I truly believe that this is your best story.

I think reconciliation stories are very hard to write. Either the cheater is unhealthily obsessed with reconciliation and willing to go to extreme measures, or the faithful spouse is predisposed to reconciliation from the git-go. In real life the same is true -- which is why it rarely happens. Your story is both believable and effective. You should be proud of it.

Although I know it doesn't exist, I would love to read chapter 12. Thx for a wonderful read.