All Comments on 'Back to Bristol Ch. 11'

This chapter seems to be sort of a lull, if you will.

An 'eye of the hurricane'?

Some conversations cleared up a few points, but other questions remain.

Just what kind of information was Susan giving to Peter?

Why did they go to the concert?

Will we actually know the depths of what Susan really did to break up Chris and Molly?

Will Chris listen to his mother?

Enjoyable still, though.

Thanks, Gary.

If you wnat to read something GOOD about a person CAN changes and grow over time read BILLY by TheCelt. Then compare that character's growth to Mollys.

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There are a lot of words and actions that are seem to seriously contradict what we have learned about all the main characters from the last 10 chapters . I am not sure I can name them all.

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Now that we finally met Chris' Mom at least we know why HE is such an asshole. His mom's argument that losing thier father to an early death is the SAME THING to what Molly did is absurd.

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<i>"That was different, Mum. Dad was killed, and of course that's the worst thing, but he was never unfaithful. You don't have to live with the image of him in the arms of another woman. He didn't turn his back on you and choose someone else."

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"No he didn't. <b>But I wish he had. Then, at least maybe I might have had the option that you have now, of being able to take him back." </b></i>

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OH MY GOD.... a new low in mindless convoluted non sequiter c justification for reconciliation.

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Chris learns how evil Susan has been. How vile... the behind the scenes plotting the manipualtions. <b>So now chris OWN family is going the SAME thing?! </b>

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and Chris is so obtuse he is THANKING his mom dad and brother for engaging in ANOTHER conspiracy to interfere in his life.

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Anyone bothered by this.? Isnt it time for a grown man to act like one?

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In Chapter 10 Molly REALLY believed Peter was NOT out to seduce her and he's a great guy. <b>Now she is SUDDENLY doing Sherlcok Holmes figuring out how Peter knew of her favorite flowers and food and places to go.</b>

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I wonder does Molly STILL think Peter is a good guy? well up to the end of Chapter 11 she does.

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RALPH has finally discovered the depth of susan evil actions. The Lying to him the deceit than manipluations. so what happens? Ralph is going to take Susan back.

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<i> "You and Susan? You'll be alright, won't you? We don't need another broken marriage on our hands."

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"Oh, we'll pull through. You get used to living with all sorts of things. And you don't even think of breaking up when you've been married as long as we have. Don't worry about that." </i>

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HUH? what the fuck does that mean? I wonder in the Gary world does anyone ever do anything that justifies divorce?

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As other have said before it is NOT molly's action 4 years gao that are relvant but what she has done in the recent weeks.

And I'm not disappointed at all.

Knowing more about Susan's involvement in this mess does and doesn't surprise me. She has shown a selfish attitude from what I've read to date, and tonights reading shows that clearly.

Molly has grown, and changed. She has come to realize that she always has loved Chris and only Chris.

Ralph has been pressed hard by his rigid wife's dallying with her child's marriage over time and I suppose he feels pain as much or nearly as much as Molly since he seems to genuinely like Chris. (Far more than...the jerk)

Susan, using her closeness with Molly, twisted Molly's mind to seeing what Susan wanted. Not what was true or right.

If Peter (The jerk) loves Molly so much, why did he give up so easily? It appears to me that he never truly loved her, rather he 'lusted' her.

I'm enjoying this great story, keep it rolling along.

Well, we've confirmed Susan's duplicity, but do we know the full extent of her manipulations? I hope not. As it now stands, Molly has provided no real basis for reconcilliation. Her logic was bizarre but her actions were always in her self interest. Basically, she was stupid and selfish and she's done nothing to show she has ever changed. The Romantic in me is losing ground to the Realist, but I'm guessing Gary may have a surprise or two left for us. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

How long before we find out that Susan is the what or the who that Peter has been spending Wednesdays with?

Peter's 'roving eye' 'slowed' after meeting Molly?

I doubt that, I'm guessing that he was already involved with Momma Susan who had developed a 'hate/dislike/what ever you want to call it' for Chris.

I suspect we will find out she set Peter up to seduce Molly and breakup their marriage. I'm guessing that Susan has been 'in control' of Peter and Molly's relationship all along and has been keeping Peter happy on the side.

A 'Player' doesn't just give up that life style that easy especially as 'badly' as Molly has been treating him sexually unless there is a lot more to the relationship that would be to his benefit in the long run.

Is it just curiosity that has Chris interested?? He has said constantly that he would not take Molly back.. He WON'T take her back, so what the hell difference does it make--to HIM?? Is he trying to see if Molly did love him all those years just for his ego trip?? Obviously, it makes a difference to everyone else, including his secretary.. Although, I'm sure Carole's interest is sympathetic only.. But the parents are going through quite a wringer in attempting to change his mind!! The one thing I'm interested in is how did Susan get in contact with Peter to start with?? Somewhere along the start she decided he was the white knight, why??

Everybody and their mother interfere in the life of Chris and Molly. You have Susan, Peter, Ralph, Len and Mum, Chris’ brother, his secretary and lover manipulating Chris. They are all giving opinions of what Chris should feel and do. This kind of interloping vigilance makes Chris seem even weaker. Am I the only one that finds Carole aggravating? Her curiosity and manipulations should get her fired. If this is being a “friend” I don’t want it. Then there’s Mum who believes that Chris should get back with Molly because it’s “his duty to his children.” Chris in the meantime is encouraging Molly to get a divorce...even though he warns her that it wouldn’t mean anything for them as a couple. He just wants her as far away from “that man,” hopefully with a messy divorce. So Molly obediently gets hold of a solicitor. Is Molly the type of woman who can’t think for herself because everyone tells her what to do?

I’m waiting to see the extent of Susan’s perfidy. I think there’s more to come. If this is so, will Ralph divorce her or not. Tune in tomorrow for another chapter of As the Pages Turn.

I did have to cackle at this particular chapter. Now that Ralph has so deviously managed to get Susan to go out of town, they can all talk about what a bitch she is behind her back. Obviously, it's all her fault that Molly can't figure out which "stud" she wants today.

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"Mummy thinks I shouldn't talk to Chris about our marriage so I guess I'll go jump in the sack with Peter while I desperately try to figure things out. Gosh, I wish I weren't such an airhead so Mummy wouldn't have to work so hard to keep my successful, good-looking, great Dad husband from taking me and her grandkids off to some hellhole in the Midlands or worse *gasp* up north!"

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It's hard to type while convulsing with laughter.

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I think Just Plain Bob should take over the story and give the six scheming women in this tale a real Literotica what-for with serial gangbangs with lots of really-well hung bikers, black men and ex-convicts. Chris, Peter and Ralph can all kick back, pop open cold ones and watch real men in action instead of constantly exploring the emotional cesspools of their collective angst.

To all the people who condemn this story I say go read on of the formulistic stories about a Navy Seal and an impared wife seduced by a criminal cad. Those stories are unrealistic. This story is real. Real people take time to figure things out. Real people make mistakes. Real people can't talk when they need to because of fear and emotions. Real people read others feelings and intentions wrong. Some people, like Susan, try to manipulate their children into doing what they want. This author is spinning a wonderful tale with people who are reacting with human frailties and tryint to do the best they can. Those who condemn the characters for their foibles fail to recognize that real people have failings. Those who criticize their lack of communication don't understand lack of communication is a problem in all relationships. Bravo Gary. I love your work.

and leave it at that ...still great im at the point now in just wanting some kind of resolution

If you've had the patience to make it this far in the story and enjoy it, then just relax and allow Gary to guide us to the finish. We may or may not guess the outcome, but I suspect we'll understand why Chris chooses the path he will choose.

I've always liked character development or exploration stories and this is one of those.

Nice way to bring most of the story together. There are still some missing parts, like what exactly is going on between Susan and Peter? There is something laying just under the surface that has come out. Great story so far and I'll continue the journey with you Gary.

lampooning of Mrs. Molly Airhead is about summed up how this woman thinks. to me Molly's airheadedness is nothing strange; it is that she manages to trade herself between two rather highly motivated and intelligent men the last 11 or 12 years, moving back and forth between them, trading both sexual and emtional favors. <p>

that she has little or no clues that's what she's been doing is not surprising; but that neither Peter the Villain nor Chris the uppity upper crusty wannabe corporate manager is aware, or able to admit to themselves, that that's been going on ---- now I find that hard to believe! <p>

but then I also found it hard to believe that a MARRIED mother/wife Ass-tronaut put herself in space-diaper so she could drive nonstop, for hundreds of miles, to threaten another NASA colleaque because that other woman was seen by her as trying to woo away her asstronaut boyfriend-to-be. people, even the "smart ones," can act like their vagina or penis are actually their thinking center!

I was ecstatic this morning. He finally did it. He made a commitment to Molly. "You should do something about a divorce. It's not fair to you or the boys or even to Peter to let it drag on." From the man she loves that was a command. Then she called him the next day to let him know she had done something about it. He's not going to leave her twisting in the wind now!

You have a dry sense of humour. I love those little throw away gems. The one about Len's hand today. Then my favorite, when Peter caught them "Wha... Oh! Peter! What are you doing home so early?"

A reasonable question, I thought. But I also thought 'I shouldn't be here.'

I thoroughly enjoyed today's episodes. I am looking forward to Chris's night out with Piers. I thought you had made a mistake killing off the competition so early (Helene and Myra). I thought all the suspense of the conflict in Chris's mind was lost. Wrong, the suspense and drama is still there. Ralph would never have got Molly to come forward to beg for a second chance if Chris was involved with one of the two. You gotta love Ralph, he's meddling but somebody has to. It's his place to make right the sins of his spouse. How long did it take you to write this? Its magnificent, the whole damn thing. The characters are fantastic, so life like with their imperfections and inconsistencies. The plot so intricately woven and the pacing is unbelievable. If you ever do anything commercial, please give me a heads up

That chapter was a bit better it had mor ehumour than the last chapter and Pierre was calling Chris a bastard so much

and Molly is right to get the divorce done with so she can be free of Peter but she needs to cut Susan off from giving her any more free advice on her marriage and relationships.

Pat

Gary, you're up to 33 or more pages of html text, which must translate to nearly 100 real pages. The issue becomes that you're knocking on the door of this being a real story. You have an interesting character in Chris, but the limits of the format have him sharing personal information with nearly everyone, though he's the boss. The focus of his life is almost entirely on this one issue with everything else being accessory. If this were more a "real" story, you would develop Chris more completely and this issue of Molly would become part of his general life in a more convincing way. His journey then would, I have to say, become more compelling and the gimmick of her not talking - which approached psychosis at the time of her affair - wouldn't touch the line of being grating.

In other words, you have a good story here, something that could be turned into something more. You're bumping up against the limits of this form; it pushes you to focus and simplify but not necessarily for the better because you stretch out the confrontation with little devices that keep Molly from talking. If these occurred in context as part of the story, it would feel less artificial. Again, you have an interesting character in Chris but the format has him dealing inappropriately with various other characters, so you move back and forth between a part that works realistically and a part that creaks of machinery.

<p>.....I'd hold off commenting till the end, but I would like to say this:</p>

<p>Are some folks that desperate to have a happy end that they don't really care how it comes about?</p>

<p>As I've always thought, when someone cheats or screws over their wife (or husband) that the choice to reconcile should come from them. No one else should work on them to make up their minds. But chapter 11 changed that. In this chapter Chris's Mom, his brother, his step father, and his father in-law all try to force him to take Molly back. Even to go as far as using his children as leverage to make him take Molly back. Everytime I've ever personally seen someone go back to a mate they normally wouldn't have, or even seen them marry because the lady was pregnant, it's <b>always</b> ended horribly.</p>

<p>And this chapter was nothing but all of his family putting the screws to him to get back with Molly. His mother, and stepfather, going as far as to actively say he would be a bad father if he didn't take Molly back.</p>

<p>And lets not forget Molly going as far as twice trying to seduce her way back into his life. This whole mess (and divorce) in the story was started because of "sex" and here is one of the main characters trying to fix it using "sex" to get out of what she created.</p>

<p>And now the story appears like it's trying to use the maternal grandmother as the real villan, and possible scapegoat, for the destruction of the marriage. But the problem I have with that is it makes the wife so weak willed that she'd be willing to cheat, divorce, and marry a man she didn't love because her mother said so.</p>

<p>So far I've still not seen anything in Molly that suggest that Chris should take her back. So far everything I've seen so far suggest that by the end of the story, when they get back together, it will because it was written so. And that's a pitty. You write very well, but so far you have created a host of unlikeable characters, save Chris the guy who's life has been repeatedly turned upside down by everyone, and it appears that Molly may never be likeable. Well not from anything I've read at this point</p>

-Risq

The rest is a bunch of gobbeldy gook. You are trying to stretch something out so you will have something to do with your life..Have you ever concidered jerking the old pud...I hear it does wonders for some one that has a boring life

I think lots of people are reading what they want into this story and not what's actually there, or what the author intended. They focus on the things that fit their ideas of what should happen and ignore all the rest. <p><p>

This sentence proves that Molly is a conniving slut.<p><p>

That sentence proves that Chris is an amoral cold fish who stomps on people that get in his way.<p><p>

etc etc etc<p><p>

Im beginning to believe that many of you dont even want to see stories. You want essays or point form diatribes that spell everything out in black and white - as long as the black and white agrees with your pov, that is. What is the point of reading fiction if thats the ideal you're looking for? You can just go read a self-help guru or advice columnist who agrees with your perspective and listen to them dwell on the evils of cheating in the abstract. No characters to muddy the waters. No human failings or differences to get in the way. <p><p>

This story may not be perfect but its a lot better than most stories on this site no matter what way the author chooses to finish it. Its a real story with real characters. There are mitigating circumstances, outside influences and no perfect, easy choices. Even if I dont agree with everything the main characters do or say, I am still very glad the author wrote and shared it because its a very good story and thats what Im here to read - good fictional stories.

enough indecisions. 4 years, and still thinking about it. its becoming UNREAL. and the story is slowly going down the drain. too bad, really.

One thing that just occurred to me is how easily and steadfastly Chris has been to cut Helene out of his life and maintaining a platonic relationship with Myra. Yet, he is not able to cut things so cleanly with Molly. Do the boys have something to do with it? Yes. However, if he can so easily rationalize the other two relationships and hold to them he should do the same to Molly if there is not something with which to build a future on. Yes, he has said numerous times that there is not future, but you cannot tell me he means it to the same degree he did with Helene. I was hoping to see the end by Ch. 9 but I am still hanging in there. Look forward to each and every installment.

Love it all and look forward to the next day. Keep up the great work and could read the story forever. Thanks 4 your excellent writing!

GaryAPB, this started out as a great story with heroes and villians, characters that, good or evil, were real and we, the audience, could identify with. It has bogged down into drivel and drek with sub-plots that go nowhere, characters who act in ways contrary to their original personalities and protagonists who deserve less and less sympathy and more scorn. Chris walked out on his family when Molly admitted to an affair with Peter. Then 5 yrs later everyone and their dog is trying to convince Chris to take Molly back? Puh-lease, I've been divorced for 4 yrs and I have ZERO desire to date, let alone marry, my ex-wife and she didn't even cheat on me. All I'm saying is that the actions, thoughts and emotions are not consistent with reality or even your characters themselves and that really ruins the story for me.

Your story remains enticing. You've done an excellent job of vilifying Susan with out making her the center of a chapter, an excellent technical feat. I applaud you.

HERE IS THIS GUY; BUSTING HIS ASS TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE LIVING IN A HUT;BEING HIT EVERYDAY BY HER ATTORNEY FOR MORE AND THEY SAY HE DESERTED HIS KIDS BECAUSE HE TOOK A JOB TO MAKE MORE MONEY??

HE DIDN'T EVEN DEFEND HIMSELF.

BY THE WAY I THINK IT; THE STORY IS RATED AT A 5

The story and writer sucks !

Great story. Wish that you were still writing.

Thanks god he stopped to pollute this site.

Good riddance !!

Shit just is, it doesn't just happen.

Now Mega Shit....... That happens.

Hats off to Mr. Murphy.

Thx!

Holy crap! Knowing that Susan deliberately sabotaged whatever chance there might have been for a reconciliation, and has been actively working against Chris and Susan getting back together, I think the price of any reconciliation with Molly has to be an estrangement of Susan. I have NO idea how that could work without hurting Ralph and/or the boys, but Susan HAS to pay some sort of a price!

“I think I was just saddened by Susan's behaviour, but I didn't know whether she had done any real damage, except maybe to Ralph.”

I think he is far too kind. Yes, Molly, made the initial mistake, and maybe she should have had the guts to go see him herself, but for Susan to LIE about talking to Chris, removing hope from Molly, is unforgiveable!

If Molly is SERIOUS about getting back with Chris, she HAS to leave Peter, with NO guarantee about Chris. Even if that means she has to be a single mother, she can’t ask Chris to take her back while she is with Peter

Congrats. Very good as always. This time I gave this chapter a five out of five. That is the highest score I have ever given Gary. and it is all because of this sentence from Molly.

"I've just had a long hot bath, and I lay there, wondering if I actually know the truth of my own history."

That is brilliant and it totally sums up this story. No one really knows their own history. For the first time I actually like Molly and feel some sympathy for her. Her actions and her explanations have been a bit annoying to date, to be perfectly honest.

But I found the late night conversation between Molly and Chris even more powerful than the big reveal in the last chapter. Her gown falling open, her seeing it, looking at Chris and then sheepishly closing it and apologizing for undressing for him the previous day was also perfect. Cheers Steve

i hate it so much blaming other poeple for your choices!! she is a grown woman for god sakes how the hell can she axpect it to be okeey to see one of the 2 persons that is responseble for the stat of her marriage even if momma told her it was okeey anyone can see that would be completly suicidal and beside if momma told her to jump of a building she according to this story would just do it becouze momma said it was okeey

and i qeeuse this chris guy is better then me couze i would have ripped my mother and brother a knew one for setting me up no two ways about it to be ambushed like that is just nasty

ur characters dont seem to know what mental illness is

Molly does not seem to be honest with herself or Chris, or Peter either.

She is still trying to justify her actions or inactions without taking responsibility for being such a bitch... saying she did not deserve Chris, was not good enough for him... so, it was okay to cheat.

Maybe oversimplified, but essentially true.

BULLSHIT.

If she has justified her actions to herself that way, then good riddance.

Susan had a share of breaking Molly, Chris, Ralph, and to a lesser extent, Peter. Of course, Peter the home wrecker had it coming. Molly realized that she’d been wrong and lived in depression for a long time, not knowing she’d been manipulated. Her anguish and guilt are an enormous load to carry. Chris is the lamb led to his own slaughter, then survived to feel pain for years. He didn’t deserve it, and still doesn’t understand his depression, or the depth of his compartmentalism. It seems he wants molly back, but needs time, many more answers, and a reason to trust her. Ralph has to be wondering what else Susan lied about, how many times she’d manipulated him, Molly, or others, over the course of their marriage.

Excellent job with the story and character development.

"but how much was she sort of brainwashed into doing it?"

Seriously? She's a grown-ass woman, Susan isn't some MKUltra operative. Molly wasn't brainwashed into anything, she did all that shit on her own volition.

@WhoGivesAShit

Molly was not depressed. She said it herself, while she wasn't happy, she was never unhappy being married to Douchebag.

Shit, Molly STILL defends and talks him up.

Anyways, I'm going to have to give this 2 stars. Too much excuse making, trying to whitewash Molly's adultery, cowardice and later whoring.

Carole is a cunt.

I agree with whogivesashit. This is a very good story with very good character development and it has to be longer because of that and the nature and complexity of the story itself.

I must admit to becoming a bit bored with this soap opera. I'm starting to skim. Chris is self assured and decisive at work but sounds like a bowl of Malt-O-Meal in his social life. The constant rumination and self reflection is becoming tiring.

It really is being dragged out, but I will plod on. It seems it's a definite reconciliation. However I seem to have got Susan wrong. She wasn't very nice helping to destroy a marriage to ensure she saw lots of her grandchildren, but I can live with that.

I really like Carole. Chris is lucky to have her.

Exactly as others have stated. I can tell when I’m losing interest, as I start to skim read or miss certain paragraphs. The thing that I find amazing is that, despite being this hi-performance, highly successful business man, Chris is totally useless at making decisions. He stumbles around like a wet weekend in Bangor & vacillates over simple decisions.

Also, having been through two divorces myself, he speaks to too many people about his personal, private life.

The fact remains that his wife and mother of his two children, cheated on him in the worst possible way and no amount of excuses, no amount of discussion, no amount of decision by committee, changes the fact that she cheated on him and he could never truly trust her ever again. It speaks volumes as to her character that she tries to use sex to get her own way by doing that ridiculous striptease.

I am rapidly losing respect for all the characters as they seem to think that airing their dirty laundry in public is an admirable quality.

Get a grip, make a decision and get on with your life rather than pussy footing around like a big girl.

BtB crowd is so... I don't even know the word for it. Naive? Inexperienced? Narrow minded? Sincerely, I think they are just against any sort of redemption or reconciliation on principal and are ignoring the characters and plot in the story. To me - Molly is suffering greatly. First off, Chris refused to talk to her and reach out to her in any way other than divorce. He didn't even really yell at her, or let his feelings out. He just walled himself off and ran away. I get that he did this to protect his feelings and not because he was actually done with Molly. He really screwed up in that regard, because if he had at least allowed himself to engage with her and demand answers then he would have hopefully been able to put the issue to rest eventually. Instead, he's clearly never moved on from that night 5 years ago. In addition to that, Molly was obviously seduced and manipulated by not just Peter, but her mother. People can scream at her for being foolish and stupid and gullible, but that's just what she is. She's a gullible person who was easy to manipulate and both Susan and Peter used her guilt against her. She's been living a rather tortuous existence for years now and in many ways is an obvious victim in her own story of betrayal. It's sad. Ultimately, it's obvious that these two characters deeply love each other and the drama is if they will be able to find a way back to each other. Some people can, some people can't, I don't think either is wrong depending on the situation. But that's a pretty adult and mature thing to do - to take nuance into consideration when making a judgement. Personally, I think that Molly needs to come around to the fact that Peter was a predator and I question why Chris is holding this information from her. She needs to understand how she was manipulated - sure it will add to her shame, but it's also like... people can't improve or get better if they don't know their faults. She needs to face hers with her eyes open. Right now she is just blaming herself for having no will power in the moment, rather than seeing how she was set up. I think that's a big deal in reconciliation - because you need to have trust going forward that your partner will be safe for you and until Molly can understand her weaknesses, she can't really be safe for Chris. However, inversely, if she comes to understand more about herself and what happened, it doesn't excuse her actions or her naivety, but it gives them both a path to reconciliation and an assurance that this won't happen again. Life is complicated and I think this story (while sometimes repetitive) is doing an excellent job of displaying the intricacies of reconciliation after an affair. In any case, I hope that some day Chris will learn how to be emotionally vulnerable again. He won't be able to have a fulfilling relationship until he can get back to that stage and Molly needs to come to terms with her guilt and remorse and stop allowing people to manipulate her through it. She's been a dead woman for years now and she's reaching out to Chris to bring her back to life, but ultimately - it's been her own decisions, or lack of agency, that has lead to this sad outcome. She needs to not just accept responsibility (she's fantastic at that) she needs to work on herself. Badly.

I loathe cheaters but I cant stand a woman in pain. I feel a little bad for Molly, she'd holding on to what is just a sliver of hope. She and Chris are both very different people after those five years. I think it would be worth it to go on some dates with Mallory, see where it leads.

Hanging this on the actions of a deranged grandmother seems a bit strange. Susan must be aware that Peter is a research scientist, that he works for a company that is part of a much larger international concern. Why would she think that (a) research scientists don't get opportunities for jobs elsewhere and (b) that the company wouldn't be relocated or sold etc.

It just makes no sense to imagine that just because you've got a job, you couldn't find yourself next year working in Australia or America etc., unless you're rubbish. Clearly Peter isn't, so why wouldn't he be forced to move or do so voluntarily?

It'd make more sense if he was a Dr, nurse, fireman etc someone who'll always have a job locally and isn't so highly sought after that they'd get headhunted away.

@anon 8 months ago.

If the story is to be believed, Molly cheated once, probably under the influence of alcohol and immediately regretted it. She didn't ha e sex with Peter again until it was all too late to matter.

The question then is not so much can she be trusted, as she's learnt from her mistake so there's also that, but does he actually still want to be with her? Does he after learning how little she cheated, and how much Susan and Peter colluded against her, decide that her actions can be overlooked.

As reconciliations go, given the information we know, it's pretty certain that she wouldn't cheat again and could be trusted to have learnt a valuable lesson. But whether the MC can get over himself and believe that is another matter altogether.