Paradise Lost Redo

Another plan started to form in my mind as I drove so I began to make a mental list of what I'd need and how to make it work. She destroyed our marriage so I was going to make her life a living hell. When I got home I called my brother and asked if he could help me move my stuff out of the house over the next few days. I wanted this done before Shannon got back so she'd come home to an empty house. I finally turned on my phone and found over twenty voice mails and over a dozen texts. Many of them were from Shannon's sister asking me what was going on and why wasn't Shannon answering her calls. Some were from other members of Shannon's family basically asking the same questions. I had a certain amount of satisfaction that there were no voice mails or texts from Shannon herself. That meant she had not gotten her phone to work and probably hasn't figured out what has happened yet. I smiled at the thought of her finally getting her phone working then having her see all the text messages and voice mails asking about those pictures and videos she sent from her phone. Was she in for a very rude surprise.

My first order of business was to cancel all of our credit card and move all our money from our joint bank account to my personnel one. Next I started to pack up all of my clothes as well as other personal items that I wanted to keep. Any gifts that Shannon had brought me over the years went right into the trash unless it was worth something then I'd either sell it on line or find a pawn shop.

The house phone was unplugged as soon as I had arrived home so anyone trying to reach me would have to call my cell. It was about 11pm at night when I finally looked at my cell phone and saw several texts and voice mails from Shannon. Seems she was able to get her phone working again. The first few texts were: "Where are you? Why did you check out and leave me here? Are you alright? I think I've been robbed." Then the texts changed in tone as it dawned on her what had happened and I'm sure she received numerous texts and voice messages about the pictures that were sent out from her phone to everyone on her contact list: "Why? Why did you do this to me? Couldn't we have talked first?" I just ignored the rest of her messages figuring that would just frustrate even her more.

The follow day was a busy one. I had no idea of when Shannon might make it back home so I had to move quickly. First I went to get boxes to pack up the rest of my belongings and to rent a storage unit big enough to hold it all. Next I went to the bank and made damn sure there was very little money left in our joint account. The rest I had moved to my business account which I was going to close and take the money and run but there were still some things I needed to do before I could leave for good.

The house we lived in was a very small starter home. We had decided to start small and as our family grew we'd buy a bigger house. This was a simple two bedroom with a small bathroom and a small kitchen. Nothing special and with me having a business that does home improvements and some renovations we had great hopes of making this house into something special. Well now I had other plans for it and I was rushing around town gathering up what I would need to make Shannon's home coming something she'll never forget. Since I've been in the remodeling business I knew a thing or two about construction and load bearing walls and so on. Armed with this knowledge I was going to do some extreme remodeling to our house, just not in a traditional way.

Later that morning my brother Frank showed up with his pickup and after some discussion of my situation we started to load his truck with all my belongings. It took over five hours and three trips to the storage place but by later that afternoon I had officially moved out. I didn't tell Frank of my plans for the house or the surprise that was in store for Shannon. I knew he would try and talk me out of it so I never mentioned it to him.

He did ask me what my plans were for the immediate future.

"Just to leave town and this nightmare of a marriage behind me. I have no intention of filing for divorce but I won't be here when she gets back. She can have the house as far as I'm concerned but that is all she'll get from me."

Frank just shook his head. "You know that won't work. She'll just hire a lawyer and track you down. Just get it over with and divorce the cheating bitch. If you try and run it will just make things worse when she does catch up with you. Look I know you're angry and hurt, but don't let your emotions make decisions for you. Man up, get a lawyer, and give her half."

"No. That bitch cheated on me and tried to have that assholes baby and she was planning on passing it off as mine. She deserves nothing and that is what she is going to get. You see I don't plan on divorcing her. Oh no. I'm just going to abandon her with no money in the bank and all her dirty laundry left out for all to see."

Frank knew it was no use trying to reason with me. I tend to get stubborn and there isn't much that can change my mind when I get like this. He left but not before telling me to think things through and not to do anything rash. I had thought things through, since the first moment I saw her kiss her lover. Now it was time to put my plan in motion.

I started work on the house that night and worked until the early morning hours. I still had no idea when Shannon would make it back so I had to work quickly. One thing that worked in my favor was the snow. It seemed another major storm was moving in and it was forcing several major airports to shut down. Flights in and out be would canceled and that would allow me more time to put the finishing touches on my remodeling project. The other good thing about this storm was the additional eight to twelve inches of snow it was bringing. We still had a foot of it on the ground and roofs which would help in facilitating my plan.

Since I'd been back for all of two days I seldom answered my cell as I saw most of the calls were from Shannon. Finally I decided to take her call, but the reason was so I could get some information out of her, nothing more.

"Oh baby please please listen. It was a mistake, just a huge stupid mistake on my part. I never meant for it to get this far. I'll do whatever it takes but please forgive me." I could hear her crying but it had no effect on me. I wanted nothing more to do with her but for the moment I needed to play it cool. Give her some small bit of hope then at the right time rip that away from her.

"Shannon you hurt me, more deeply than anyone ever has. I don't know if I can forgive you, or trust you ever again. I just want to know why. Why would you do this to me? To us? Don't you love me? Wasn't I enough for you?" I was talking calmly but with a hint of sadness in my voice. What I really wanted to do was scream into the phone that she is nothing but a slut and a whore that I never wanted to see again. I had to let her think there was a chance for us to get back together.

"Baby please let me explain, it meant nothing, and he meant nothing. You mean everything to me; you're my life, my reason for living. Please oh God please forgive me." She broke down crying.

I waited a few minutes then spoke. "Baby, I just don't know. I loved you but you broke my heart. I don't think we can fix this."

"No baby we can fix this and we'll have an even stronger love, a stronger bond between us if we can just get past this. Please baby? Can you at least wait until I get home so we can talk?" I could hear the desperation in her voice.

"I don't know. When will you be back?"

"Well there is a problem. I don't have a passport or a plane ticket. My sister is in the process of wiring me some money since all my credit cards were stolen. Oh which reminds me please call those credit card companies and have them cancel my cards right away." It was amazing how she went from begging me to take her back to telling me to cancel her credit cards. What a piece of work.

"Ok I'll do that right away. So you have no idea of when you'll be home."

"I think in just a few days. I've talked with the US consulate here and they're getting me a new passport."

"Well give me a call when you're about to leave. Ok?"

"I will. Stu?"

"Yes"

"I love you."

"See you when you get home." I hung up the phone.

So she won't be back for a few more days. Perfect I thought. It will give me enough time to ensure my home improvements are in place and that I can do a few things to help me start my new life without her.

The next day Frank called to see how I was doing and to invite me over for dinner. I accepted as I hadn't had a home cooked meal in over a week. I'd been living on pizza and Chinese food and after I'd finished talking with Frank I reassured him I wasn't going to do anything rash. Then Shannon called.

"Hey babe. I just got the news that I'll be issued a new passport in a couple of days. Now all I just need is a plane ticket home. I could be there in a few days and if I can get an early flight I could be home sometime in the late afternoon. Will you pick me up at the airport? I really want us to talk as soon as possible."

"That's not a good idea Shannon. You should get your sister to pick you up and bring you home. We can talk when you get here." I was just leading her on. By the time she got to the house I was going to be at least a hundred miles away.

"Ok babe. I love you and I know if you give me a chance we can get through this. Ok Stu?"

"Yeah sure we'll talk, and then will see. No promises." I lied just as she had to me.

Now I had a good idea of when she'd be home which gave me enough time to do a few more things to cover my tracks when I left town. First I sold my truck that I use for work and bought another one that was used and in good shape but registering it in a friend's name. Second I had to let the guys who worked for me know that I was dissolving the business due to my upcoming divorce. I was sorry for the short notice but I couldn't leave without telling them what had happened and why.

Next I called an old friend from college who now lives in Colorado. When we graduated he said I should come and go into business with him there. He said with all the winter homes and summer places as well we would have work throughout the year. He was glad to hear from me but surprised by what happened between me and Shannon as he knew her while we had been dating and had always thought we were perfect for each other. I asked if his offer from college was still good or if he could use a really good handy man. He said he was busier now that the laws had changed regarding marijuana and that his work load had tripled in the past year and I was more than welcomed to come down and work for him. I asked if it could be off the books as I wanted to keep Shannon from finding out where I had gone and avoid her getting any money from me.

Everything was in place and all that was left for me to do was leave. Shannon had called me several times a day to let me know she loved me and would ask me to forgive her. She also gave me a daily update on when she would be home and that I'd be in for the time of my life when she got back.

It was the day before she was to arrive home. I had my new truck packed and the house was emptied of all my belongings. Anything that was left was either Shannon's or crap I didn't care about. I left very early in the morning as I wanted to get out of town with no one noticing. I had mentioned to my neighbor across the street to do me a favor and record when Shannon gets home. I told him I'd call to let him know what time she would arrive as I had a surprise waiting for her. He had no idea of what was going on or that she and I were having marital problems. He gladly agreed and said he'd be expecting my call the following day.

All was set as I drove out of town and headed south to my new life without Shannon. It would take me at least two days of driving to make it to my friend's home and Shannon would be back home by then. As I drove I felt less angry and more at peace than I had in past week. Ever since I had seen Shannon and Anthony together by the pool I felt my life had been flushed down the toilet and now I was beginning to pull myself out of that cesspool of despair.

It was around noon that Shannon called to say she would be home tomorrow at around 4pm. She asked again if I'd come and pick her up at the airport but I told her I had some errands to run and that I'd be home after her. She could just let herself in when she got there. Next I called my neighbor and told him to be ready with his video camera to catch the surprise I had for my wife.

By the next day I was in Colorado and only an hour away from my friends place when I got the call from Shannon.

"The house it... it just caved in on itself. It must have been due to all the snow. I had just put my key in the door and turned it then I heard a huge crack and the roof fell in. Oh my God our house is gone." She was crying.

"Now now Shannon, don't you worry. I'm sure your parents still have your room waiting for you. As for me I've already made other arrangements." I said cheerfully.

"What are you talking about? Our house is gone? How can you be so happy about it?" She was getting angry now. Good.

My remodeling had gone as I had planned. I had rigged the house to collapse in on itself when she unlocked the door. I had setup temporary braises down in the basement and then cut all the floor studs with a chainsaw. The lock on the front door was connected to a switch which turned on a winch that I had bought at a pawn shop for a very cheap price. Then using a pulley and some ropes attached to the temporary braises, once she turned the key it turned on the winch and down came our house.

"Well you see my dear, our house didn't just collapse in on itself because of the snow, I did have a hand in making it do that. You see I did to our house what you did to our marriage. Good luck finding a new place to live. As for me I'm almost to my new home." At that point I huge up on her and called my neighbor.

"Stu you won't believe what just happened. Your house just collapsed. I guess it couldn't handle all that snow, but it didn't seem to be all that much. At least not enough to cause that kind of damage. Look I got it all on video and luckily your wife is alright. She was trying to open the door when it happened and it was like BAM and it just fell in on itself." He was so excited.

I told him to email me the video when he had a chance that I'd like to keep a copy of it. After talking to him I turned off my phone and continued my drive to a new life.

Epilog

It has been almost three years now and I have made a comfortable life for myself here in Colorado. I keep in touch with a few friends back up in Minnesota and keep up with what has been happening. I didn't want to contact any family members directly as I was sure they would let Shannon know where I was living. It seems Shannon got her wish and was pregnant with Anthony's baby. For a while she told everyone it was mine and that I couldn't handle becoming a father so I ran off like a coward. Even my mother believed her only because she wanted a grandchild. I contact a friend who in turned contacted my brother and told him to ask Shannon to have a DNA test done with the baby and my brother. If I were the farther then there would be a close match to my brother. If I wasn't the farther then there would be no match. Like the idiot she is she agreed. The results came back and my mother threw her out of her house screaming at her never to darken her door step with that bastard child of hers.

As for Anthony it seemed he took quite the beating from those two guys at the resort and was hospitalized for over a week before he could return home. When he finally did make it home there were a few more gentlemen, or should I say ex-husbands, waiting to add to his injuries. He has since left town to parts unknown but rumor has it he has lost one testicle and can no longer get an erection. Guess his player days are over.