All Comments on 'An Absence of Trust'

I liked it. Selfish woman. Very selfish woman.

How do you work WITH someone who puts them-self first every time ?

She lied throughout the marriage.

She treated him as less than herself, as second place to her.

Sometimes things are so broken that there is just no fixing them.

All white American women are bitches? Could that maybe be just a little bit over the top; or more likely a ploy to get someone incensed at you because his mother is a saint; so you could call him a racist too?

There are a lot of women like Edith out there. You find them in large cities. They never matured past their early 20s. They are true narcissists. I have met many of these women and having children simply isn't in their plans. Their husbands generally are a lot like Howard, easy-going and subservient. In the end they are just two wasted lives.

Great story. Dignified, believable characters, well planned story line, thank you!

He's 50, and divorcing a wife with a huge income. He's older, but not too old to have a family. If he's not comfortable finding someone he can have his own children with at his age, he can find a good woman with children who'll be happy to have and be faithful to a man who wants to adopt and raise her children as his own. All women are not like Edith. The good ones are out there.

Frankly, her wanting a lover was vastly more damaging this long into a relationship then her no children decision many decades ago.

That part did not feel right in the story.

Also, they didnt really have much of a marriage anyway. Different friends, different social functions.

If she had not thrown the intent to take a lover in Howards face he would not have found out that she denied him the children she had previously agreed to have with him.

To me, this is the most personally meaningful thing I have ever read; and, I read a lot. I am 64 years old and have no children for very similar reasons. I am so upset about my situation I am consulting an attorney to divorce my wife of 36 years.

Thanks for writing this all too true of a sad tale.

5x5x5x5***

What a selfish bitch. This was all about her not them and she alone destroyed any chance of them having a family. In doing so she destroyed his love for her, so she reaps what she sows. I have no sympathy for people like this and I am glad Howard chose to leave her after she had stolen and destroyed their chance to have a family.

I seldom favor reconciliation in LW stories, but this one could/should have ended that way. Howard, at a minimum, should have encouraged Edie to see the psychiatrist and they should have gone to marriage counseling. He could have divorced her if those things did not help.

No family in that way was probably worse than cheating.

she had a chance to tell him and still after everything tried to hide it.

They should have separated many years prior.

I enjoyed you story and good writing. I have a feeling race comes into question about childfren along with Edith's rise to fame and fortune and selfishness. Cheers!

I disagree.

I also favor reconciliation when it is deserved, but he asked for total honesty.

Even at this late date he would have forgiven her denial of children if only she had come clean, but she didn't/couldn't.

He was obviously hurt at losing the opportunity to have children, but could have forgiven her if she was honest, which she PROMISED to do!

It may seem to some a small thing to divorce over, since there is nothing that can be done about it now, but it was obviously huge to him.

A good story....but her secret was bigger than the Empire State, and ended her marriage...

I've read two of your stories; both VERY dark. It is almost as if you WANT to paint your characters into a dark situation from which there is no escape. I hope you learn to write stories with a different style and pattern.

As for this story, it is almost impossible to believe a narcissistic personality like Edith could be so self-centered and a social addict and still be faithful to her husband. She almost HAS to believe she is entitled to be happy, romanced, etc., etc., etc. So, that may be a second fault in your style of writing.

as dark as it was by her behaviour

I would loved to have seen Howard meet someone

who maybe had a couple of kids and they called him dad

but his new love gave him a son even in his later years

and they run into his ex wife and her nose get rubbed

otherwise great read

that cratered her marriage. Even when she was explaining her actions and the fact that Ginny was against them and that she was her best friend and confidant, after him, she was lying. He didn't even know who Ginny was, had only met her one time, according to her, and didn't have any idea what she meant to his wife. What she did mean to his wife was much more than what he did. If she wasn't her best friend and he was, why didn't he know how much money she made? I guarantee she did and Ginny did. If he was her best friend why didn't he know that she was dissatisfied with him and their marriage? Ginny did. If she respected and loved him and thought he was more important than anything in the world why didn't he know it? Evidently Ginny did. She had completely and without reservation transferred her devotion and her loyalty over to Ginny a long before her lack of respect for him manifested itself. And Ginny only knew him from Edith's point of view so what made her the relationship expert. She was an old alcoholic who had pissed away her entire family because of her lack of character and yet she was Edith's go to girl on how to manage Howard. Unbelievable.

The tale was dark, but I suspect that was the only way to get it told. I am liking your writing style more than ever and please forgive my trying to second guess your story. I am just trying to make peace with the fact that I think she is an unrepentant narcissist and I can't stand that type of arrogance.

You're so down on Ginny, yet she was the one who told Edith she had to tell the truth about cheating Howard out of his family.

And Edith, even after saying how much she valued Ginny's advice, STILL couldn't follow it and tell Howard the truth!

I wouldn't have one for a million $ !!

The dark secret is something Mengele would do. Far worse betrayal than mere betrayal by cheating..

she couldn't chance being honest about it.

Problem was, there was something almost as bad that she compounded that with. She lied about it.

On a more simpler note it's like a husband NOT telling his wife something makes her look fat. Or like a woman telling her husband that "nothing is wrong". Granted, the husband in the former might end up in the doghouse. And the wife in the latter won't have her issue ever resolved.

But the wife in the former and the husband in the latter will both figure out their spouses are liars and not to be trusted. And maybe, at first, it won't be a major thing but that kind of stuff erodes a relationship.

Unfortunately for her, he wasn't exposed to the erosion of that lie - he got hit like a Californian landslide.

On the one hand, it's a shame she couldn't be honest... but for what she stole from him... it's probably no less than what she deserved.

I am sorry that you thought I was down on Ginny. Actually I meant what I said as a condemnation of Edith and how she put Ginny ahead of Howard in "all" things. Ginny was an alcoholic whose bad judgment and lack of respect for her family caused her to lose everything she had, except for her great wealth I suppose. She was what she was and I don't think she ever tried to tell Edith she was anything else. The fact that Edith chose to confide everything in her and nothing in Howard is all on Edith, no one else. I think that they were very much kindred souls, which wasn't the case with Howard and Edith. Soul mates is one term for that.

Now, Ginny tried many times to get Edith to look at what she was doing and to stop what she was doing, but ultimately Edith was the one who had to make and stand by that decision. She was selfish and self centered. She gained her affluence partly because she had a very stable and comfortable home life supporting that. She, however, saw her rise in her field as completely her doing. It is easier to take chances when you have a safety net. But she was secretive about "her" personal life from the very beginning of her marriage when she was supposedly dependent on her marriage and her husband. She resented that enough to lie and cheat on him, emotionally and devotionally, from the start. She never put "herself" into the marriage, just an avatar of her real self. She didn't deserve what she had or what she got. How could she deny him a say in the choice of having children? How could she keep her net worth from him, why would she do that?

Well written but.....

My take away; Howard wanted out from the start of the event. He attacked on his night. Not the behavior of someone looking for possibilities rather someone looking for a fight or unconditional surrender. Then on her night he closes it and shuts down when she cannot reveal a secret she herself cannot emotionally handle. He never seriously pursued this aspect.

I'm more toward the BTB side of things but this was an emotional abusve attack with the goal of dstruction from day 2.

As for Ginny, the only useful info she had was counseling. Edith wasn't ready emotionally to address or use anything else.

Yes, Howard wanted out.

Yes, Howard attacked.

You call what he said abuse?

What of the long term abuse Edith put him through?

She continually disrespected him.

She kept him from having the children which she knew he wanted and which she agreed to have with him, out of her own selfish narcissism.

She expected him to meekly accept her taking a lover.

He realized that all he was to her was support for her and in no way a partner.

To her he was an accessory, like a favorite purse.

Why would he stay?

Some things are not worth fixing.

Abuse seems to be the in word these days, to raise ones voice or to be angry and someone shouts abuse, of course what provocation prompted the action does not seem important. Many have the attitude that they can say and do as they like, for every action there is a reaction, if we offend or hurt another should we not expect a response of equal measure. Many hurt and offend then try to hide behind the law crying "poor little me". Good writing with a touch of reality, a nice guy being to nice, unfortunately many take that for weakness

“There was no compromise in his tone.”

What kind of compromise can there be? She wants to take a lover, she either does or she doesn’t, how can there be any compromise?

“But I need some excitement in my life.”

And what about Howard? Doesn’t he need some excitement in his life? How would she feel if HE took a lover?

She did ONE thing right – she TALKED to him about it. But now that he has said “No!” she has only two choices: Accept it, or get a divorce. Cheating is NOT an option! Even accepting it may not be an option, because HE may no longer trust in her fidelity.

The lying about her infertility is truly unforgivable, especially when she wouldn't own up to it.

I just don't believe that this woman loved her husband. You don't love someone and unilaterally decide not to have children - which he wants and she told him she did also. Call it what you want BUT it is not love. When the husband finds that out THAT should be the end of the marriage.

Then to tell her husband (her true love?) that she is going to take a lover for some excitement. Doesn't she know him at all? I don't even think it is only disrespect on her part it is pure ignorance of her husband. And then realizing that she made a mistake telling him, she tries to get back to how things were so she could just cheat on him without him knowing it 'after things calm down'. Yeah, I guess this is real love (sarcasm). I thought for sure he was going to take her back but I was glad when he moved on.

I came home to my wife, lover, best friend and soul mate, only to find her on her back, on the couch, with her boss pounding away. I stood there in shock and listened to them grunt, whisper, giggle, moan and kiss while they fornicated. One picture on my cell phone was all I needed, but the eight I ended up with, sealed her fate. You see, both our children were in the playpen not five from them. All four showed up plainly in every photo.

My wife shrieked when she finally saw me standing there calmly taking pictures. She was in the throes of orgasm, hunching herself up against him as he pounded ferociously into her suddenly uninteresting cunt. While she began to scream, she was also unable to stop her orgasm and she screamed through it all. By the time Tom, her boss, was done emptying himself into her, I had scooped both my babies up and was heading for the door. Instead of taking my old pickup, I took my wife's car, with both the car seats.

My phone started going off immediately so I turned it off. It was her but I had a mission I'd embarked on and meant to see it through to the finish. Stopping by my sisters house, she lived alone and had the day off, I dropped my babies off with a brief explanation and received a promise they would both be there when I came back, or my sister would be dead. She never liked my wife and this merely solidified the reason when she heard the short version of events.

A quick jaunt to a friend of my families and she was waiting, I'd already called ahead. She extracted the photos from my phone and began work on a divorce. I wanted my girls and she was certain the pictures would do that. Her boss owned a huge Ford dealership and was absolutely loaded with cash. My lawyer promised we'd both be putting some of it in each of our accounts.

Joni called nonstop. At first she was hysterical but those calmed down and toward the end, before I quit listening, they became threatening, invoking her boss's money. I guess she didn't understand what I had on my phone so I sent one to her phone, our email address and also her parents email address. Her dad didn't think his shit stunk and we'd never seen eye to eye. The next day when I listened to a few more of her messages, they were hysterical again, asking why I sent the photo to her parents too? In it, you could clearly see our girls looking out from their playpen and watching their mother. And who the two adulterers were was plain also.

I never spoke to Joni again. I was crushed, both because I'd lost my life partner and because I was alone. Yes, my two girls were with me, but not a lover, confidant or soul mate. Our divorce went through quickly, I was given full custody of our girls, but I left everything for my wife. You see, she was ordered to pay $750 per month for our girls but I won a judgment against her lover to the tune of $2.33M. I cleared a little less than $2M.

When my ex saw the photos I'd taken, she was horrified with herself. She sold our house, moved back in with her folks who accepted her with reservations. She was kept on at the dealership and last I heard, she and Tom were still doing the nasty. But she soon quit asking about our girls and I found out why, she had Tom's bun in her oven.

Me? I'm in Montana, about 40 miles outside of Missoula. We live in a very nice log home, about 2200square feet and I'm seeing a really nice girl who loves my girls.

Who knows, maybe THIS girl is the right one, I sure know my two little munchkins love her to death.

Still one of my very favorites. So well written. This time I pictured Howard as Ben Carson. Don't think immediate divorce was the best alternative. Couples counselling first?

All he wanted was the total truth. The foundation of the marriage, as he said. She could not do it. No trust, no marriage.

I can't understand her desire for a lover for "excitement" Coupled with her refusal to have children, it only shows how selfish and self centered she was

Overlooking for the sake of discussion the disgusting racism of your remarks about them having children, since they ARE married, their children would NOT be bastards!

I don't do that very often and never with a story I didn't like or thought was mediocre. Normally I'm not crazy about first person switching POV but this was done so well it didn't bother me at all...in fact I found myself looking forward to see what each party was thinking.

This was done extremely well and my only regret is that I can't give it more than 5*s.

Women like that make horrible mothers and if he'd bulled her into it, the children would be the victims of an idiot who only cares about his legacy and a fool who only cares about herself.

but predictable to a point. everyone basis decisions on themselves, not the countless Anon's that exist in life. I don't see where her decision not to have kids was bad enough, but her reason, based on what he read in her texts. in the story, we never get to hear her say why she didn't want kids, only what hubby read. they both made a mistake in breaking up, her for her behavior in not being truthful, and him for not understanding her reason, which was never stated. most readers would concede they both loved each other.

This is the kind of stories I love reading here in literotica theyre so scarce

Lots of good comments here. I agree with a lot of them. Ginny was a good friend and gave her good advice, 'tell him all the truth.' She chose to hide the fact from him. There was such a huge amount of disrespect for her husband that this marriage was doomed even before she announced she was taking a lover. Her disrespect started when she denied him the opportunity for children without discussing it with him. She was so selfish that if her lover announcement didn't destroy their marriage, whatever she would have come up with next would have done it.

Honesty. When you don't have honesty in a marriage then there is no marriage. Just going through the motions. The husband has a chance. Meeting an honest younger woman might allow him to have the family he always wanted. The lying wife, well, who cares.

Somebody must not have had their meds (note the comment below)

"He's never denied me anything I really wanted before. Why did he react so dramatically this time?" - You've never expected him to be a cuckold before!

As I've said many times in these situations, what would she say if he said, "Okay, I'll take a lover too!"

"He is perfect. Too perfect." - How in he hell can he be "too perfect"? Would it be better if he slapped her around a bit?

"It's not like I haven't had the experience of other men before Howard and I met. I know the difference" - So she's not even going to use the ridiculous "I need to see what else is out there" excuse!

"There is no middle ground. I can't see any road to compromise" - What "middle ground" could there be? She either wants the marriage to continue or she doesn't. She either will give up the notion of a lover or she won't. She'll either be honest or she won't.

"But will he fight for us?" - More importantly, will YOU fight?

On the other site you mentioned the idea of a sequel. I don't think one is needed. Edie is pretty much as burnt as she deserves, living out a lonely life with nobody but Ginny. Once Howard adjusts he'll probably find someone to be with. As for hope for them in the future? I don't see it - she had her chance to be honest and chose to continue her lie! TWICE she ignored the advice of her most trusted friend, she made her bed, let her lei in it!

She was so confident of her position in this marriage, and her husbands willingness to comply to her every whim that she never thought this through. Stupid, selfish woman. She wanted to take a lover but didn't even appear to have a candidate in mind ... !

It's easy to be sympathetic to a woman regarding childbirth. We do all the work, suffer all the body damage, and I won't go into hormones and emotional stress because most men will never even try to understand it. But .... for her to decide that childbirth was not for her and tricking her husband in this way is cheating on their relationship. Sad to admit it but women are the masters of manipulation.

They say, "Honesty is the best policy," and she got exactly what she deserved. She should of been honest with her husband, even though it was extremely late after the fact.

Thanks coaster2, I think this is the best of all your stories that I have read. At first I saw a regurgitation of several other stories that I have read on Lit and then you threw in your twist. Excellent.

To take a story from selfish desires for sexual gratification and to reveal a deception that spanned their entire marriage was masterful. I kept waiting for you to have Howard present Edith with a printed copy of the email after he told her he would be contacting the lawyers, let her feel the knife in the chest in the same way he had when she informed him she was taking a lover and upon discovery of deception.

Thanks again.

Sbrooks pretty much nailed it. As he does almost all the time.

Another thing to add is that a man is at fault too when his woman/mate/partner/wife does not treat him with respect. A woman does not want a submissive man, and when she has one, she does not respect him. He does not need to be abusive, just a man.

One of the best of this type

But very sad.

She just couldn't bring herself to tell her husband about continuing birth control measures, despite all the advice she received to do so. She apparently didn't want to be a mother and she took steps to prevent pregnancy. It was most likely the right move for her, but she should have been honest with her husband at that time. She should have gleaned that he knew about it because he was still waiting for her to continue till she stopped. Total honesty was missing and the marriage was over. I don't blame him for his action, and I really can't condemn her for her lack of courage. Sad for both of them, but the trust was gone and it was best that the marriage be terminated.

I have for years wondered what goes on in a person's mind.... and the secrets it contains.. Some attempt to push some secrets to the back reaches of their mind.. thinking no one will ever know of them...5

Edith will now reap what she has so carefully and deceptively sown. Her life is now devoid of meaning, and no children or grandchildren will mourn her when she dies.... She has created her own living Hell!

As someone else said, great story with a sad ending. 5 Stars, no doubt.

His wife made a right decision of not becoming a mother because she was unfit for motherhood.

He could not see that lifelong worry, and throwed away his marriage

Tom

Tij@att.net

A few comments miss just how enormous Edith's continued lie to Howard, and avoidance of having children was/is. The CENTRAL reason for Marriage is raising children. Marriage is the social and legal acceptance of the responsibility for having and raising children. Everyone going into a marriage obviously wants and expects much more from their relationship, but that is its social purpose.

Can you have and raise children outside of marriage (successfully)? Obviously you can. Can you have a successful marriage without having children? Of course.

And obviously some marriages turn into disaster's, either with or without children.

But most of us will not achieve enormous success in life or make huge contributions to humanity. That's just the way life shakes out. The only long term contribution to the future of our species is by having and raising children of our own, hopefully for the better. Edith's lie stole that option/future from Howard.

A lie as important to most people as Edith's lie was, has NO place in a marriage. It's something that Howard deserved to know very early on. If there was any lack of assertiveness in Howard, it was a trivial, if not insignificant, thing compared to Edith's Lie. She deserves no forgiveness what-so-ever for being

the malignant, superficial piece of nothing that she really was.

Five stars. Very well written.

I found out what she did to not have kids I would have been gone.

what was an issue, as in all marriages,,,trust, loyalty and openness with each other, TK U MLJ LV NV

@Tootight1 12/09/15 - Edith's "reason" for not wanting children. Who cares?! Wants she lied about wanting them and denied Howard the children that he wanted her reasons became meaningless.

Her reasons would have mattered if she had discussed it with Howard, giving him the option to accept it or end the marriage and find a woman who DID want children!

I don't remember if this has been commented on before, but at one point Edith refers to Ginnie as "the best friend I've ever had." Shouldn't that be her husband? She tells Howard that Ginnie's her best friend after him, but there was no qualification earlier!

Regarding children: He either knows or he doesn't. If he knows, telling him can't hurt, and it proves honesty, not telling him proves dishonesty.

If he doesn't know, not telling him is safe, and telling him WILL hurt, but at least it proves honesty.

Regarding sequel(s), I'm not sure if there's enough to justify a full sequel, but maybe an extended epilog or two. For Howard, not the cliche of meeting some hot babe, but naybe he meets a middle-age widow with a couple of kids that he can connect with. For Edith, she's already lost Howard and their true friends, can see her society friends drifting away, they were never true friends anyway! If we want to get melodramatic we could have Gionnie relapse and Edie be REALLY alone.

This has to be one of the most intelligent stories I have read on this site. It's a great discourse on marriage. I think honesty in a relationship should be number one. This story sure enforces my belief. 5 Stars at least.

That was intense, l loved it, now l was wondering if it is at all possible can we get a small paragraph or 2 where wifey does confess all to hubby even her darkest secrete, an they try to move on together, just curious if it is possible for them to be able to stay married after she does. Cheers

Excellent writing. Both characters were well-developed, enjoyed knowing what they were thinking at each stage. Thanks!

I've read this many times, was reminded of it when I was reading an article about a real-life female Boston impresario, but couldn't remember the name!

Found it when going through Coaster2's library. Obviously it is relatively minor considering her lie, but I'm often struck in these stories how often that just because the husband doesn't fight over things that he doesn't care about, that the wife thinks that she can get whatever she wants.

I will never understand how a woman (or man) can claim to love their spouse and yet do such hurtful things. Lying to her husband for 27 years. That is not love.

But sad for both of them. Wish he had given a hint to give her chance to confess it all

It had to end this way, well, not exactly. She ended the marriage with her being sterilized in secret, knowing full well she and he had agreed to children.... she denied him one of the most important things in life.... children. It should have ended with him seeing a chance at happiness again, perhaps a younger woman - not too late to have children..... but for her, the rest of her life doing penance... joining nunnery perhaps?

So much of the story, through Edith's confession, hinted at something more than the abrupt ending presented.

Edith offered a path forward through psychiatric help and marriage counseling that showed her understanding of her flaws and a willingness to change to save the marriage. She expressed a realization of how she had wounded her husband. Counseling would have eventually brought out the last secret and brought it out I an environment where its emotional impact might have been dealt with more effectively than Howard did.

Edith acknowledged that there was a secret she was emotionally too afraid to disclose. Nothing in the description of Howard prepared the reader for his abrupt decision. He had made a plan for the future which he abruptly abandoned; seemingly on a whim. The children issue was never presented as a deal breaker until the very end.

Howard and his plan seems flawed in his lack of offering/providing for a dialogue session after her response.

The marriage may not have survived but I just can't see ending as you portrayed.

When she said she wanted to take a lover...immediately...sure, you might as well...I'm gone. I'm going to go find someone younger to give me a child. Adios. Have a good life. Peace out.

If not then, when he found out she had denied, deceitfully denied, him children. Awe HELLLLLL NO! F U Bitch. I'm gone. May you rot in hell for stealing my life.

she already been unfaithful? WHAT!!! What do you call lying and cheating him out of kids? That's not cheating??? In the words of The Eagles ..."I'm already gone".

story. He gave her a chance she would not have gotten from me. I hope he found a young 30's woman and made a couple of babies. Good for him!

Think I read this long ago. Long enough it's fresh to me. Or maybe I'm just getting old :)

It was the second read for this story and it is still a good story. However, this guy suffered too much angst over his so-called marriage. It would have been a short story for me. After springing 'another lover' on him and then he finds what she did so she would not have his children, that would have been the end of the story. I would have divorced her right then and there. Thank you for the story.

By-the-by, I did not think that there was anything racist about the story. One of the characters happened to be black....so what. As I was reading I forgot that he was black.

I would normally give 5 stars to a well written story like this that delves so well into the emotions and outlook of. 2 people. I did not for 2 reasons. One, I thought it was headed for reconciliation which I like. After reading numerous comments, I can see why the divorce. The purposeful denial of children is worse than adultery to some. Two, this just leaves two sad lonely exes. I don't go to literotica to be unhappy. You can get that from newspaper or TV news. At the least, he could have found a wife with children or wanting and able to give children. Or reconciled with Edie and taken in some older deprived, unwanted foster kids. (Maybe even him taking them in first, then her being willing to return to him with the kids.)

Paul in Oklahoma

You chose IRISH Boston as the setting.

A black man with white wife being accepted in that city's high society is unlikely.

Fact, across all socio-economic stratas is tough to believe.

Kennedy town. John and Bobby hated Martin Luther King according to historical accounts I read and heard. They put J. Edgar Hoover on his trail, tapped his phones, followed him, gathered evidence of his affairs with married white women in Chicago. I heard speculation, that evidence was intentionally diseminated in the Southern states. Tough to prove or disprove but the speculation did exist in some quarters.

This is a very interesting story but I have a hard time believing that the wife would have been faithful all of these years. She is selfish and takes what she wants. As she moved up in society, she left her husband behind. She was ashamed to introduce him and her old friends to her new elite people. While she doesn't admit even to herself that the reason is because her husband is black but the evidence is there: she doesn't want to have (biracial) children, she doesn't mix her old friends who know she has a black husband with her new associates, she has no complaints with the sex with her husband but she wants him to accept her having a lover who she would find acceptable to escort her to be with her new crowd. There is nothing wrong with her husband except that he put up with her abuse for too long.

How is it possible that the husband would not even have known of Ginny her best friend? Is there anyone in the world that would think that a faithful husband of 27 years would say ok take a lover when he is ready, willing and able to satisfy her sexual needs? The biggest problem with the story is that he thought he had a great marriage even before he was broadsided with her lover proposal. She had disrespected him for years; she was not a good wife.

In spite of all of this, I could not stop reading it. I gave it 4 stars. Thanks for your work.

reasonable man

Howard held firm to his own beliefs. He demanded honesty, fidelity, and respect. Edith, in the end could provide none of these, especially honesty. He absolutely did the right thing. Great to see a little different take on an interracial relationship, although I don't think this would be easy in Brahman Boston.

........but sadly a bit of a let down at the end. Did the writer get tired of it? The opportunity was there for at least an attempt at reconciliation. Until the final section I thought it worth a five; then I thought three; I eventually gave it 4 because so much of it was so good.

How in the world was he only making $85K? He let her work? He had no choice in that town, given what he made.

I was biting my nailes (well, almost)

in the end, wondering if the bitch

confessed.

Fearing coaster2 would use that

as a reason for reconciliation.

It wouldn't have been the craziest

reconciliation I've read here,

but it would've ruined, for me,

a great story.

This IS a great story!

Top ratings from me.

Two lonely people because she didn't have the courage to come clean. Even though the ending was sad and I would've hoped for reconciliation I gave the story five stars because the auther is very talented. The story was very well written, and nearly brought tears to my eyes as it seemed authentic.

I was rooting for her to come clean. She was a completely ungrateful and pathologically selfish person, but she was growing up and I wanted her to go all the way. I'v had to confess like she has, and I did! And I gotta say....whether they keep you or toss you it FEELS good. It feels like you respect them, and yourself for the first time in a long time. Honesty is respect, make no quibbles about it.

But she robbed him of his children, and he can still technically create children. She can't. He really does deserve a young wife that'll start a warm loving family with him. He's paid some heavy dues. I don't know many men that'd put up with a women that flat out says she'll never give you children...and marry her. Marriage is literally for creating families, that's it. And he would have kept her out of love, all he needed was honesty. She really screwed the pooch on that one.

I have never and will never understand this hangup some of you have with a relationship hinging on one of the parties "coming clean" about an incident that they are scared to death will definitely end the relationship... They are desperately holding on to this secret because they want their marraige to survive... And they desperately want not to lose their spouse... Not because they just have an ongoing streak of dehonesty... They're doing it out of love and fear...

No one in this world is completly honest with anyone else... Even with people we love we tell lies so as not to hurt them... This is a popular plot device... And readers seem to have accepted it... But it just seems to me to be a ridiculous issue to be the ultimate deciding factor to hinge the entire future on... If he couldn't get past the actual deed... I can understand that... But the coming clean of it... No... Once it's out in the open it doesn't matter who put it there... Either you can get over it or you can't...

She made it easy for him when she did not fess up all. Actually, I think he would have dumped her anyway even if she would have spilled it all. As how could she justify having her tubes tied behind his back and the 27yrs of deception? She lied to him everyday for 27yrs. How could he ever TRUST her again - notta.

Now some readers will condemn him for reading her personal emails - she pushed him into seeking a solution to fix and understand why to only find a deeper grave for herself. I see it he was doing what was needed as this was HIS LIFE too. I hope he finds a nice 30's lady and can have that family he was denied.

If there is any negative to the story it's that the story is a page too long, it rambled in many places, to the point I was skipping paragraphs to keep the story strong.

Why do all your men have to be such candy asses.

That was very well written and very emotionally charged. Felt very real sad oh so very sad. But that's what happens when you're not honest. Had a wife who lied and was not even honest with herself. She paid the price but unfortunately so did he. Life is kinda like that. There is always a price, it's just cheaper when you're honest.

☆5☆.

After all those years to give up like that? Chicken shits.

No one is perfect and all spouses will eventually behave badly and make bad mistakes. But, marriages are for better or worse, and even isolated cheating should not be a marriage breaker (despite the typical angst one finds in many of the LV stories).

But, deliberate deception to avoid bearing children cannot be forgiven. Couples can mutually decide not to have children. Or it could be that one spouse refuses to have children or physically cannot. In such cases, the other spouse can choose to divorce to find a partner to have children, or to accept the deficient marriage with eyes wide open. But, child-bearing is fundamental to the concept of marriage, and deception of infertility demonstrates the absence of any love, respect, honesty and many other attributes that should render a spouse unfit to be married to the lied spouse. In this case, there should have been no issue once the deception was uncovered.

I find that the concept of a spouse actually writing such a confession and saving on a computer to be preposterously unfathomable. But, one can pretend that the discovery was made by some more plausible event.

No actual cheating wife with another man. It just cut to the chase when poised with the question of trust and love. Edith was spoiled little princess, who wanted that fantasy over everything else. She shared her darkest secrets not with her husband, but with someone else. She couldn't come clean over her ultimate betrayal to her husband. Nothing stays the same, there is always change in the world, in a marriage both have to change together, or else you change apart.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS CUCK SHIT??!?!?!?

Hope you either start drinking or stop drinking. I do agree someone needs to see a shrink, perhaps the author.

Actually cuckshit is a descriptive negative comment, so I guess that’s ok, though I don’t agree.

But saying it’s bullshit, and that only... WTF ! Why is it BS?

Deception is a form of infidelity, even if it is not sexual. Good story.

She lied and cheated didn't take sex

He gave her chance and Ginny told her

She ignored

She lost

He little bit at fault for all the years he let her dominance go on

Nice guy doesn't mean doormat

The outcome was the only acceptable path, I believe that even if she had divulged her secret, and if they even attempted to sustain the relationship, it would have still withered and died.

The reason? Well, except for in the rare circumstance that both parties honestly make a life choice to forgo having children, the main factor in taking a partner is to have it grow, through having a family.

Her deception effectively emasculated him. Through her actions, she denied him the right to have a say in the matter, and pounded his future to dust without him even knowing. Her actions effectively made him into little more than a fucktoy, with the added benefit of having someone around as an ego boost.

The deception is enough.

She may as well have been fucking everything she could get her hands on from the very start, it could not have been a bigger betrayal.

She stole 30 years of his life and denied him a future that he would have had with a virtuous woman, nothing less.

The pain and the emotion you wrote into it was powerful. The outcome, inevitable. Even more inevitable than what you put into words.

First, absolutely great story.

For me kids are extremely important so my wife having done the same would be worse than infidelity.

However, let's break it down as far as the possibility these two can get back together.

There are two people in a marriage, and really both have to want children to have them (unless it's an accident). So, in this case Edie decided she doesn't want to have them. Her telling him she couldn't bear children in essence gave him three choices. Stay together, leave her and find a woman who could have children, or adopt.

He chose to stay with her and they "intended" to adopt. She obviously manipulated him to keep pushing that forward to where he feels they got too old to adopt now. But here's the crux, he was too passive in this whole thing if he truly wanted children, so he bares some of the responsibility. He could have started the process of adopting (which is long) and if she balked at that point then he would have to decide to stay with her or leave. How much could he have wanted to have children if he never took any active measures to have them (use his sperm with a surrogate, adopt, etc).

So he has to decide two things as far as if he can be with her or not. First, if she came to him at the start of their marriage and told him that she changed her mind and she doesn't want to have children would he have left her? If he feels that he stayed with her because he had committed to her and it made a big difference that she couldn't have children, as opposed to wouldn't, then obviously that would give him the answer that he was robbed of that choice. We cannot take for granted that looking back he would have left her. Also, he can look back knowing how strong their marriage was over these last 27 years, if it was worthwhile his staying with her.

Second thing he needs to ask is he knows she has been selfish and manipulative and he has allowed her to have her way. He needs to decide if this was to a level that was completely unacceptable, especially in the face of her contrition and willing to change and even give up the business she so loved.

And last, after he travels around the world for a year or so he needs to ask himself that at this point in his life if he was better with her or without her.

Ultimately, only he could answer all these questions for himself. I know some knee jerk reactors will immediately say never, but they're not the ones that have to live with the consequences. Second, he has deep love for this woman so her welfare into old age should matter to him as well. Eighty-ninety percent of his reason to get back with her should be for selfish reasons (as in it's what he wants) and 10-20% because it would also be to the benefit someone he deeply cares about.

Here's the thing, I most likely couldn't reconcile. However, I would have never put up with someone manipulating me and if kids were that important to me (which they are) then I would have found a way to have them in my life. So he has to own up to his passivity and letting his wife take so much control of their relationship. Part of loving someone is making sure they don't become corrupt by the power you give them. His passivity played a PART in her failure. You don't set loved ones for failure and part of that you don't give someone so much power that it would corrupt them.

I really , with my wife beside me both were taken back by the ending..Perhaps one of us planted the idea in the thoughts of the other but we felt , no we were positive we knew the ending very early in this story. When the husband took to his wife's computer and looked at the emails, what did he find , his wife talking to Ginny, over and over and over, and who was answering "Nn One?" Later the wife would say I can't wait to talk with Ginny, but Ginny on the computer doesn't answer back, unless of course she only answers to her split personality (usually caused by a person that's suffered trama) , could this be Schizophrenia? It would explain her early secret of having her tubes tied, and lindifference that she was denying her husband the option of children and grandchildren , and changing the marriage dynamic forever whether her husband found out or not. To bad she didn't listen to the voice of Ginny st the restaurant. But Ginny was there you say , really? We can all take a moment and come up with how two separate personalities showing up in one person at a restaurant and fooling a greeter there. Interesting Ginny did not want anything to drink? And so We see not the details of how but the idea of how this would end with such a devoted husband. And so our challenge to you , give em another go , its not over until its over , divorce or no divorce. Who said "and they lived happily ever after" was only in fairy tales.

For those who complain this wasn't a BTB, she must suffer the cruelest punishment possible for her. She has to live without the love of the man most important to her in the world.

One of your best stories in my opinion. I commented after my first read on the use of race in this story. Here Howard's race is part of the story and not the only reason for the story. A black man who is stong, intelligent, accomplished, faithful, loving,and reasonable. Not even once is his bbc mentioned . Just a solid story about a mixed couple with problems, and the husband's solutions.

If Edith truly loves Howard she must keep her original promise. She must ensure he has children. Her life and wealth can have no other purpose henceforth. She must find a young woman who is willing to be inseminated, give birth and then give up the child for adoption by Edith. I believe $250k would likely be sufficient incentive to attract a suitable candidate but Edith must spend whatever is necessary. Obtaining a sample of Howard's semen would require some ingenuity. Seduction by Edith would be best but perhaps impossible. A prostitute trained in the art of seduction would be most likely. Using a condom during a tryst would be straightforward. If all else failed, drugging him into a sedated condition would allow use of electrostim equipment to obtain multiple specimens in relatively short order with no physical harm to Howard.

Once Edith is the adoptive mother of two children who are Harold's progeny and the three of them are living with new identities she can have a third party inform Howard of the situation. If he wants to be part of their lives I am certain she would welcome that but she would need assurance he would not seek retribution against her before revealing their whereabouts. If he only wanted custody of the children with no harm to her, she would have to give serious consideration to his request. Ultimately, however, her original promise was to have children she raised with Howard...not gave to him.

Is this love? In a limited sense, perhaps, I think so. It ensures Howard's genetic future. If he is indeed so wonderful, she should want his lineage to prosper.

Stupid, stupid woman.

Oh, what a web we weave, when first we endeavour to deceive.

How true it is.

Already made a comment, but on reflection, this story requires another chapter to properly finish it.

There is so much left unsaid. Reading the comments, I think most people would agree with me.

Its odd but I kept having the feeling she was mentally ill and that ginny didnt really exist.