20 Year Anniversary Pt. 03

Wednesday February 6^th -- The day after, Chicago

Amber actually had a decent night sleep. Before going to sleep, she needed to work out her schedule for the next day. She would call Lynn and ask for the 3 PM meeting to be moved out of the office. She would try Chris once in the morning and then rely on Emily to provide updates. She was considering resigning but wasn't sure how her meeting with Lynn would go.

Chris, on the other hand, had a sleepless night. Amber hadn't said much. She did say that she was trying to end it and that she was sorry and that she didn't want to end the marriage, but that may have just been reflex answers. He would speak to her, but he would first contact Anthony Williams. He knew Anthony's reputation as one of the best divorce attorneys around, and although they never crossed path's in the legal world, they did know each other. He was hoping for some professional courtesy to get a meeting the next day. Even though Amber said she didn't want a divorce, Chris couldn't see staying married to her. He was too old school for that. She was an adulterous, she needed to wear the scarlet "A". He couldn't imagine sleeping with her again after watching the porn film in which she and Mr. Stevens co-stared. The one question that really remained unanswered was why, why did she do it?

At 7:00 AM he called Anthony's phone.

"Uh oh, is one of my clients in trouble with the attorney general? Why else would you be calling me so early on my mobile? How are you Chris?"

"Anthony, I'm not sure if you have you schedule available, but I'd like to see you on a very personal and private matter. If you can find time either before or after lunch and you have lunch available, then we can do two hours, which is closer to what we need. Lunch is on me."

"Chris, I am sorry. I never figured you would be my client. Yes, I am free from 11:30 until 2:00 PM. I do respect you as a colleague and I can give you as much courtesy as you'd like; as you are well aware, attorneys like me don't work for nothing and I am one of the more expensive attorneys."

"Anthony, I'm very well aware and I'm glad you said something, so there are no misunderstandings, I will see you at 11:30. Thank you."

Chris figured that he could go to his office. He thought about going to his bank and opening up a new account but didn't believe that Amber would be or could be vindictive, so he left it alone.

*****

At 8:45 Amber tried to call Chris again, but again he didn't answer. No reason to leave a message. He saw the missed calls.

At 9:00 AM, Amber called Lynn.

"Lynn, welcome back, I was wondering if we could move our 3:00 PM meeting to a location outside of the office?"

"Amber, when are you coming in to the office today?"

"I was not planning on coming in to the office, until we meet."

"If that is the case, can you meet me for lunch at 1:00?

"I have a 2:00 PM meeting that I can move back to the 3:00 PM timeslot that had been reserved for you. This will give us two consecutive hours.

"There's a very quiet Japanese restaurant about a mile from the office. I'll make a reservation. Are you familiar with the place?"

"Yes, I am. I will see you at 1:00. Thank you."

As Lynn hung up the phone, she knew that she would at least hopefully understand all of Amber's recent mood changes. Amber was an extremely valuable employee and a key member of Lynn's operating teams.

Alice came in to Lynn's office around 10:00 and asked her about Amber.

"Amber and I are meeting for lunch at 1:00 PM, outside of the office." Lynn told Alice.

"She mentioned that she had some personal issues, would be out of the office for a bit and wanted me to take over the department while she was gone. She also wanted Greg to manage the 'Stevens' account."

"That sounds like a plan and you are a great choice, but I haven't spoken with Amber yet. Let me speak with her so I can understand what is going on before we finalize anything."

*****

At 9:30 Emily sent a text to her father. "Dad, have a minute?"

Chris assumed that Robbie or Sara contacted Emily and Robbie told him that they were aware that Amber was upset. Chris texted back "When do you finish class?"

Emily wrote back "'I'm home."

Chris immediately called Emily's cell.

"Why are you home?"

"Dad, Robbie and Sara are in school. Mom is out shopping so I am alone. Robbie contacted me and thought that I should come home. I had a long talk with Mom and she told me a lot of things that kids don't need to hear from their parents, but before you start questioning me, let me tell you what she said and then you can ask me what you like. I may have some questions for you. Please forgive me for being so forward and personal with you, but as I said, Mom told me enough, already."

"Go ahead."

Chris wasn't sure if this was appropriate, but he needed to know what Amber told Emily.

"Mom said that she had, sort of, an affair. She was with some guy three times and that she wanted to end it, not that she can be justified for that, because she was involved. She said you knew. She said she told you everything except for one thing, which is why she even got involved. She said she doesn't know. She said that she wants to talk to you but you won't answer her calls. She is very remorseful. She thinks you want to divorce her, which is the last thing that she wants. She loves you and is very sorry."

"You are right; this isn't appropriate; I'm sorry she got you involved. What do Robbie and Sara know?"

"I said that I am here to help, that no one is physically ill, insinuating that there is a potential mental problem. I also said that there may be a misunderstanding. I told them that either Mom, Dad or I would fill them in when there is more to discuss. I just asked them to be patient and hang in there."

Chris started to tear up a bit and smiled to himself.

"Honey, thank you for that. Maybe without even thinking, Mom made the right choice and did include you. I had assumed she'd call her crazy sister, but I think you are a much better choice. What do you mean by mental problem? Do you think that Mom may have a mental imbalance?"

"Dad, she mentioned she was thinking of speaking to aunt Alison, who isn't crazy and lots of fun, but after speaking to me, she isn't rushing to do that. Dad, I'm not a Doctor, but Mom would have to be crazy to cheat on you, so maybe she should be checked out?"

"Emily, Mom and I are lucky to have you. I will tell you some things and there is no need to question you. I am meeting with a divorce attorney later today. I need to explore my options; I will relay your professional opinion, of your mother. I thought you were going into biology and chemistry, but maybe you should consider psychology. I will be home tonight, though I won't sleep with Mom in the master bedroom. Please think of a way of explaining that to Rob and Sara. I love you, honey."

"I love you, Dad; hang in there, we will be a normal family once again. It may take time and you and Mom will probably need counselling, but I know that I come from sound and solid nucleus and all will be will good. See you later."

Chris had tears in his eyes. He cried when he watched Amber's performance with John, but those were sad tears. Now he had tears of joy. Whatever Amber did wrong, she raised three wonderful children, and their oldest was really glue. So mature and smart beyond her years.

Amber got home at 10:30 with some groceries.

"I spoke to Dad; he will be home tonight."

Amber smiled and hugged her daughter.

"Dad said that he will be sleeping in the guestroom and we need to figure out what to say to Robbie and Sara."

Amber started to cry.

"Mom, this is going to take some time. You can't snap your fingers and everything will go back to the way it was. It's going to take months. You said you need to figure out a way to get Dad's love, trust and respect back. Plan on a six-month process."

Amber teared up, couldn't believe this was her 18 daughter speaking to her, but realized how pragmatic she was. Emily didn't say anything about divorce attorneys or mental illness.

*****

Chris met Anthony at 11:30. They tried to go through most of the sordid affair, although as a divorce attorney, Anthony had heard it all. This was tame stuff, but he didn't need to hear this about his friends. He had met Amber only on a few occasions and was generally impressed with her, and felt that Chris had a very solid marriage.

"Chris, if you'd like me to help you, you need to tell me what is it that you want?"

"Anthony, I am not sure. What I'd really like is to cancel three days of my wife's life."

"What does Amber want; have you spoken to her yet?"

"No, we haven't had any real conversations, though she has indicated that it was a mistake and she is sorry. I do plan on speaking with her tonight.

"I love her, but after seeing what I witnessed, I will have a hard time being with her. She hurt me in ways, that is difficult to describe and I can't trust her anymore. She lost some of her self-respect by allowing this to happen, so she lost a lot of my respect."

"Chris, any judge will probably require you to go to counselling, and that is also what I'd like to suggest.

I'm going to give you the contact information of a really good therapist. Her name is Dr. Rachel Millwood."

"Thanks, you should also know that my last night, my wife confided in our oldest daughter, Emily. I am sure that wasn't appropriate, but when I spoke with Emily this morning she mentioned how remorseful Amber was and maybe she had a mental imbalance."

"I agree; it's probably not appropriate for any of your children to be aware. I suggest you discuss the issue of mental imbalance with Dr. Millwood."

"Anthony, thanks for your time today, what do I owe you?"

"Chris, today was on the house. Inviting me to lunch was more than enough. I hope things work out for you and I look forward to seeing you and Amber at the next benefit for the city's attorneys."

They shook hands and left.

Just as Chris was leaving Anthony, Amber met with Lynn.

"Lynn, thanks for seeing me. I am going to share something with you that only five other people know about, so please let's keep this discreet."

Amber was unware that Mike Sanders from the Hilton knew, maybe some of Chris's PI's knew and that Anthony Williams was now aware of.

"I'm all ears."

"Before you judge me for being unprofessional, I plead guilty and accept any verdict that you impose on me, even it's my termination."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"I had an affair with John Stevens. I'm not sure why. I have already asked Greg to take over the account, as we can't allow Stevens to be with a woman. I have asked Alice to manage the group and I need some time to get my life in order."

"Amber, you are way too smart; did he force you? Blackmail you? I need to know why. Is it still going on? If not, who ended it? Who are the five people that know? I am sure I have many more questions."

"It's over. I sort of ended it. He didn't force me. I'm not smart enough. The five people are John and me, his wife, Chris and my daughter Emily."

"Oh god, I am so sorry; how did Chris find out, how did he take it and why does your daughter know?"

Amber composed herself and told Lynn everything. She didn't leave out any of the details and added Chris's investigative work, which she learned of the previous day, including finding her stained panties and the video. She finished with her attempt to end it with John, when Chris surprised them in the room and Chris' speech to John. She also mentioned that she spilled her guys to Emily.

Lynn listened respectfully to everything Amber had to say, was very impressed with Emily, felt bad for her, then had a few questions for her.

"Are you saying that after you told John NO, but he persisted in pursuing you?"

"Yes, and now I remember, when we went to drinks on the 10^th, I think I told him what cocktails can do to me. Now as I think about it, it was John who kept bringing me cocktails at the party, while I was with Susan. But when we got together on the 22^nd and 29^th, I was in complete control of my faculties, or at least I wasn't drunk. I knew what I was doing was wrong. Maybe I thought that I got away with it once, so why not, when I am sober. The 22^nd was a quickie, it was a whim. I think I knew in my subconscious, that the 29^th was going to be the last time, so I tried to enjoy it. I can't believe that Chris had me videoed."

"Do you know how he did it?"

"No, it isn't important, once he suspected something, he is a damn good prosecutor and he has many detectives at his disposal. Even if he did something Illegal, he would never use it in court and I'm not denying anything, just mortified and embarrassed."

Lynn asked why he did it, but she surmised that he probably needed proof for Amber, if she denied it.

"So what do you want to do?"

"I need to get my life in order, I need to save my marriage, do whatever I can do to save my family from major embarrassment. I have two young children, 15 and 16. My parents would be humiliated; I need time off from the bank without pay for a few months. I can always answer questions and help if you want me to, and if you have to terminate me, I will understand."

Lynn started to tear up. She didn't know what she was going to do about the project, and the cost to the bank would be enormous. She would speak to Cynthia and hear her side. She really liked Amber and was going to go out on a limb here.

"Amber, I am granting you three months of unpaid leave. I expect you to call me every two weeks and we will meet for lunch, once a month. You need to be available for Alice and Greg, always. I will deal with Cynthia and my bosses, and one more thing: as a friend, if you need to talk about your personal issues, I am all ears. I really hope things work out with Chris. I have always respected you as individuals and as a couple."

"Thank you, you are more than a boss. You are a real friend."

The two women hugged. Both had tears in their eyes, maybe Lynn more than Amber.

*****

When Lynn returned, she summoned all of Amber's team to her office.

"Amber has some personal issues at home and will be on a three-month leave. Alice will take over the department and while Amber is gone and will report to me. Alice will continue to manage her own accounts. Greg will manage the 'Stevens' account, although we may have to rename it. Amber will be at home and available for any questions but only from Alice or Greg. I would expect an email sent to her with the nature of the issue, a time for the call and a summary of what was discussed after the call."

*****

Chris called Rachel Millwood and asked for an appointment. Rachel said that she had one tomorrow (Thursday) at 11:00. Chris said he will be there and he hopes his wife will join him.

Chris checked out of the Ramada earlier and had his bag in his car, so he just finished working for the day as a regular day. He would leave at 6:00 PM

Amber came home around 3:00 and wanted to make a special family dinner. Robbie and Sara came home around the same time, said hi to their mother and ran upstairs to talk to Emily.

"Mom and Dad are having marital problems," Emily told them. "They seem to want to resolve them and are working toward that. Dad will be home tonight; yes, I spoke to him at length. Dad will be sleeping in the guest room for now. Please don't ask them questions. They have a lot of work to do. They love you guys very much and we will all do our best to support them so they can work out their issues. No one wants to get divorced but they do realize that parts of their relationship need to be worked on. I am going back to School on Sunday."

Sara started to cry, and Robbie held her. Emily joined in the hug.

"Can you tell us more, what happened, do you know?" Robbie asked. "What can we do to help?"

It was now Emily who was proud of her brother. She also lied a bit to him. "I can't tell you more, I know a little, but not everything. I spoke to Mom last night, as you know, and Dad today. They both said the same thing more or less. They love each other but just need to fix some stuff in their relationship. I assume they will be using outside help." Emily didn't know that, but hoped that they would. "The best thing you can do for them is love them and be supportive. Usually parents have to do this for kids, but they raised us in a way that we can do this for them. We have a great family and I am confident that in the end, all will be good."

They all hugged each other and cried a bit. Amber had gone upstairs to change for dinner and only saw the hugging of her children. She couldn't help but think how much she loved them.

Chris same home at 6:45. Sara and Rob ran over to him first. Emily walked slowly over to her dad. When he saw her, he had tears in his eyes and gave her the biggest hug. For the first time since leaving Amber in John's room, he saw her. She looked very nervous. She was dressed up nicely but looked like she had the fear of god in her.

"Hello, Amber."

"Hi, Chris, we will talk later."

"Yes, we will."

Emily said, "Mom and Dad, I need a word with you for a minute."

Robbie and Sara understood and went upstairs, Emily went into the Kitchen and Amber and Chris followed.

"I told Robbie and Sara that you are having marital issues, that Dad will live at home but he will stay in the guest bedroom. I said that you both love each other and are trying to work out your problems."

Chris interjected and said, "That was a bit presumptuous of you; don't you think that your wish and not necessarily mine?"

Amber started to cry.

"Dad, if you are here, then you realize that there is something to save or you would have started to look for an apartment and not moved out of the Ramada. I don't need to be lawyer to figure out that. Anyway, we needed a story for why you won't be sleeping in your bedroom. I'm sorry if you don't like the way I am handling this. I don't have much experience at it. "

"All right, I guess you are right."

Emily walked out leaving her parents alone for the first time.

"Amber, you did something right with that one."

"No, Chris, we did, and the other two are also pretty awesome, as well. Get washed up and we have your favorite meal: roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes."

Dinner was pleasant and the kids went upstairs leaving Chris and Amber alone. They really hadn't spoken. Chris sat down opposite Amber and asked if she wanted to speak first, which she did.

"I just want to get a few things clear with you. My stupidity had nothing to do with my love for you and my respect for you. I don't know why I didn't speak to you the first time he tried with me. I know why I didn't speak with Lynn. I did today and will fill you in on that later. I don't want to get divorced and I will do everything possible to try and convince you that you are better off with a damaged Amber than being alone or being with someone else. I don't know, still today, why I did it. I love you and want nothing more this second than to throw my arms around you and hold you forever. I promise you one thing, never, ever in my life did I think about sex with John when I was with you. It never ever entered my mind. I was with you 100% in Thailand, and not some stupid sex crazed loser from North Carolina and NY. We have created a beautiful family with wonderful children. That is something that can't be taken away by anything stupid that I did or what you may do. Whether our family stays together is up to you. I'm not giving up on us. I am sure I will have more to say, but I will keep quiet for now."

"I will try and control my anger, please don't accuse me of trying to break up this family, you already did. You have indicated that you want to rebuild the family again and I appreciate that, but the question that I ask myself is, can I trust you? Do I have respect for you? Do I have respect for myself that allows my wife to cuckold me and me not throw you out on your behind? I met with Anthony Williams today. He said that a judge would require us to go to a marriage counselor and he recommended a Dr. Rachel Millwood. I have made an appointment for tomorrow, I hope you can take off from work and join me. We both know that it is you that need it more than me. Please don't throw your arms around me or physically approach me. I can't imagine ever being intimate with you again. You claim that when you were with me, you never thought of John, I can't see me being with you and not seeing John with you. Watching the two of you was beyond painful. One more thing, when discussing with Emily the problem, she suggested a mental imbalance. Maybe you should see a psychiatrist?"