Betrayal: Candy

"Tim, please meet my wife, Rose," Jon said. "Rose, this is Tim Burns, our brand new account representative." Tim shook Rose's hand as Jon opened the bottle of wine.

"Good to meet you, Tim," Rose said with a smile.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Mrs. Carlson," Tim said.

"Please, call me Rose," she said. "Mrs. Carlson sounds so formal." They took their seat at the table and Rose dished out a helping of lasagna as Jon poured the wine. Tim had never tasted lasagna this good and offered his thanks.

"This is the best lasagna I've ever eaten," he said.

"I'm glad you like it," Rose said. "It's one of my specialties."

"So, Tim, I don't mean to pry, but I'm curious why you decided to leave Jake so fast," Jon said. "Did something happen?" Tim nodded his head before he began.

"Yeah, something happened alright," Tim said.

"Please, Tim, tell us about it," Rose said. Tim gathered his thoughts for a moment before giving them the story.

"Damn," Jon said. "That's cold. I feel for you, really. I had something similar happen to me, but the circumstances were quite different. So what are you going to do now, besides change jobs?"

"I've seen an attorney and I'm filing for divorce," Tim said. "My lawyer says it'll pretty much be an even split."

"What about counseling?" Rose asked. "Have you considered that?"

"It's too far gone," Tim said. "I don't know what got into Candy. It's like she just flipped a switch and became a slut all of a sudden. I never knew she had it in her to be like this."

"How are you handling all of this?" Rose asked.

"Not too well," Tim said. "My lawyer says I should try to act normal around Candy, but I'm finding it very hard to do that. Right now, I can't even stand to look at her."

"Maybe you should consider counseling," she said.

"I may do that," Tim said.

"Trust me, Rose is the best in the business," Jon said. "I think she can help you get through this if you want. Besides, it's covered in your benefit package."

"That's certainly a plus," Tim said, laughing.

"I'm serious," Jon said. "Rose was a godsend when I needed her. I know she can help you as well." He turned to Rose. "Do you think you can fit him in your schedule?"

"Of course," she said. "I think an hour a week should work. What about it, Tim?" Tim thought about the offer before answering.

"Okay, I'll do it," he said. Jon smiled and patted Tim on the shoulder.

"Good man," he said. "I'll make sure you get the time you need for counseling. Work it out with Rose and let me know what you come up with."

"I will, thanks," Tim said.

"And now, if you don't mind, dear, Tim and I will retreat to my office so we can discuss his new job," Jon said.

"I don't mind at all," she said with a smile. "And I'm looking forward to working with you as well, Tim."

"Thank you," Tim said as he stood with Jon. They retreated to Jon's home office where he poured them each a sniffer of brandy. They spent the next two hours discussing his new job. By the time they were done, Tim felt as if he was taking control of his life again. Tim shook Jon's hand and headed back home.

...

It was about 10:00 pm when Tim pulled into his driveway. He looked and saw the lights were still on in his apartment. He hoped Candy was there by herself. He got out of his car and went into his apartment and saw Candy sitting on the couch.

"So, how did your little meeting go?" she asked.

"Very well, thank you," he said. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. Goodnight." He went into the second bedroom where his computer was and began to get undressed.

"Are you sleeping in here now?" Candy asked from the door.

"Yes," Tim said. "I'm still not feeling too good, so I'll sleep on the futon. Is that a problem?"

"Uh, no, I guess not," she said. "It's just that you've been gone for three days and I was hoping we could, you know, play around a little bit?"

"I'm not up to it tonight," Tim said. In reality, the thought of touching her right now made him squeamish.

"Okay," she said quietly. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"I don't know," he said. "We'll see." She nodded her head and turned away. She couldn't help but wonder what, if anything, he knew about her activities lately.

The next day, he got up before Candy, grabbed his resignation letter and poured a cup of coffee. He saw Candy's purse on the kitchen counter and grabbed the audio recorder, then downloaded the audio from the previous day's phone call. He left the apartment without saying goodbye or telling Candy that he loved her. She heard the door close when he left and lay in bed, tears falling down her cheeks.

When he got to the office, he barely spoke to anyone. He said hello to his secretary, then went into his office and closed the door. He was packing his things when Jake came into his office.

"What's this?" Jake asked. Tim reached into his briefcase and pulled out two envelopes.

"One is the signed contract from California," he said. "And the other is my resignation, effective immediately. I believe you owe me a bonus for getting the California account and you owe me my final pay, with the balance of my vacation time."

"Resignation?" Jake asked, shocked. "What the fuck! Why are you leaving? I need you!"

"Seriously?" Tim asked. "You honestly don't know why? You think I'm stupid or something? I'm not, you know. Frankly, some things have come to my attention and I've decided that I can no longer work here. So I've accepted a position with another firm. I'll be out of your hair in just a few minutes. Then I'm going to HR."

"Wait, Tim, can't we talk about this?" Jake asked. Tim shook his head.

"There's nothing to talk about, Jake," Tim said. "I'm done. Finished. I considered you my friend, but you stabbed me in the back and destroyed my marriage. You can find someone else to cuckold."

"So that's what this is all about," Jake said. "Well, just so you know, your wife was more than willing to have sex with me. We don't need to let something like that ruin your career. Just go with the flow for a while. Let Candy sow a few wild oats for a while. When she's done, she'll be all yours again."

"God, you are a slimy piece of shit, aren't you?" Tim asked. "You honestly think I'd go along with something like that? How long have you been screwing her, by the way?"

"Well, the first time was at the campout," Jake said. "On the second day while you and the others were out skiing. And you should know she came on to me that day, sucking my cock right there in your tent. She even told me I'm bigger than you. And when I ate her out she just about exploded right on my face. Then she begged me to fuck her, right there."

Tim had never gone down on Candy. He had tried several times, but just couldn't do it. He couldn't explain why, and Candy never said anything about it.

"And that's about the time you suddenly had me leave to take care of something at the office, isn't it?" Tim asked. "You wanted me out of the way so you could fuck my wife." Jake smirked as he nodded his head.

"Yeah, so what?" he asked. Tim wasn't finished.

"And that whole thing about hiring her to be a waitress at your party was just another excuse to get her into bed, wasn't it?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, it was. So what?" Jake asked. Tim pulled out his phone and stopped the audio recording he started when Jake walked in the office.

"Thank you for your admission," Tim said. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm done packing. I'll go to HR and I'll be out of your hair."

"Wait," Jake said. "You can't use that recording."

"We'll see," Tim said. "I'm outta here. Goodbye, Jake. Rot in hell, okay?"

"You forgot something," Jake said, picking up a photo of Candy that Tim kept on his desk.

"I didn't forget," Tim said. "I don't want it. You and your son want the skank so much, you can have the skank. I'm done with her. And you. Goodbye." With that, he left the office.

Jake looked at Tim as he left, wondering what the hell just happened. How did Tim find out about what he and his son had done with Candy, he asked himself.

...

"What do you mean, he resigned?" Candy asked when Jake called.

"He just handed me a signed contract and a resignation letter and left," Jake said. "He knows, Candy. I don't know how he knows, but he knows."

"What did you tell him?" she asked.

"The truth," Jake said. "I told him about the first time, on the camping trip."

"You idiot," she exclaimed.

"Well, he asked, so I told him," Jake said. "He also left the picture he kept of you on his desk. Said he didn't want it."

"Terrific," she said, tears falling down her cheek. "So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Not my problem," Jake said. "He's your husband. You deal with it. Unless, of course, you want me to come over and make him see the error of his ways."

"No," she said. "You've done enough, thank you. Stay out of this. I'll deal with it."

"Whatever," he said. With that, he hung up. Candy looked at her phone, tears falling down her face. She didn't want a divorce, but she knew Tim wouldn't stand for her cheating. She decided she would do everything she could to hang on to him. She sat on the couch, her head in her hands, sobbing over what she had done.

A few minutes later, Tim pulled into the driveway. He saw Candy's car and looked to see if Jake's car was anywhere around. Not seeing it, he grabbed his box and briefcase and went inside. He saw Candy on the couch and saying nothing, went into his office.

He closed and locked the door, then checked for any voice recordings. He found the recording and listened to the call between Candy and Jake. He forwarded it to his lawyer, then gave her a quick call.

"Hello, Tim," she said. "I just got your latest email. I'm in the process of filing your paperwork now."

"Good," Tim said. "When can they be served?"

"If you want, I can pull some strings and have my process server deliver them late this afternoon," she said. "Will that work?"

"It will, thanks," he said. After hanging up, he went to his gun safe, opened it and pulled out his old .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol. He had no plans on using it, but he didn't want any problems with Jake or Candy. He made his way into the kitchen, set his briefcase on the table and looked at Candy.

"We need to talk," he said, setting the pistol on the table so he could get to it quickly if he had to.

"Is that really necessary?" she asked, pointing at the gun.

"I hope not," he said. "I just want to make sure, just in case your lover decided to come barging in."

"My lover?" she asked.

"Don't play coy with me, bitch," he said. "I'm in no mood for your games. Now, sit down. We have a few things to discuss." She sat down, scared, not knowing what her husband was planning to do. "First things first," Tim said. "Later today, someone is going to come by and serve you with papers. Divorce papers." Candy recoiled in shock.

"Divorce?" she asked. "Why? I don't want a divorce. I love you."

"Bullshit," Tim said. "I know all about you and Jake and his son and all the others you've been fucking these last few days. So, I filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery."

"Adultery?" she asked. "You don't have any proof of that." Tim smiled as he pulled out an envelope. He dropped a few time-stamped photos, all of which clearly showed her having sex with multiple men, including Jake.

"I also have video and audio," Tim said. "Would you like to watch?" She shook her head, knowing it was a lost cause. "Good," he said. "Considering the circumstances, I've been more than fair. No support, you get half of what's in the bank, we each keep our retirement and you can have all your stuff. I've already paid off and canceled your credit card. I have a cashier's check for your half of what's left. There's also a restraining order that says you have to remain at least 500 feet away from me, my residence and my place of work. So you have from now until you're served to pack your trash."

"You're kicking me out?" she asked, tears falling down her cheeks.

"That's pretty much the size of it," he said.

"But what if I decide to fight the divorce?" she asked. Tim laughed.

"I don't think that would be very wise," he said. "What do you think the school board would say if some of these photos and videos just happened to appear? Do you think the parents of your students would want someone like you teaching their kids? I know I wouldn't."

"You wouldn't dare," she exclaimed.

"You wanna take that chance?" Tim asked. Candy looked down for a moment before shaking her head.

"No," she said. "I don't. I'll need that job."

"That's right, you will," Tim said. "There's a couple other things you should know."

"What?" she asked, dejected.

"You'll be required to surrender your rings and give up my surname," he said.

"My God, you have become a heartless bastard, haven't you?" she asked, pulling her rings off.

"Yeah, well, You gave me good reason," Tim said. "I just wanna know one thing. What happened? What made you go from being a loving, faithful wife to a walking cum-dump for anything with a dick?" She looked down before speaking.

"It happened the second day of the camping trip," she said. "You were out on the boat and I was in the tent. Jake came by and saw me. I had taken off my clothes and was laying there trying to rest when Jake came by and walked into the tent. He seemed embarrassed at first, seeing me naked like that. We started talking and then he pulled his pants down, and that was it."

"So, some asshole with a bigger dick than mine drops his pants and you're on it like white on rice," Tim said. "And that's all it took for you to become a cheating slut. How many times did you fuck him on that trip?"

"Twice," she said. "The first time when you were out water skiing, and the second time when Jake sent you back to the office." Tim shook his head and pointed at the photos.

"I see that none of your lovers used any protection," he said. "Weren't you worried about getting pregnant or getting something from one of them?"

"I'm still on the pill," she said.

"That doesn't mean you can't get pregnant," Tim said. "And you can still get a disease. Is that what you were planning?"

"Oh God no," she said. Tim shook his head.

"You know, in all the time we've been together, I've been hit on a lot -- by women who look like goddesses compared to you," he said. "I turned them all down. You know why? Because I thought I had a loving and faithful wife at home and I would never do anything to hurt her. But you... You didn't even think about what you were doing. You didn't give a damn about what I would feel. All you wanted was a big dick. Or ten. I hope it was all worth it to you. Now, get your shit packed. I expect you to leave when you're served."

"Tim, please," she began. "Can't we get some counseling? Please? I'll never do it again, I promise. Can't you forgive me this time?"

"I will never forgive you for what you've done," Tim said, his expression harder than she had ever seen before. "Ever. Maybe if you had slipped just once, were raped or drugged or something, I could overlook it. But that didn't happen. From the moment Jake dropped his trousers, you were his willing slut. And I can never forgive that level of betrayal."

"But don't you love me enough to get past this?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No. Right now, I can't stand the sight of you," he said. "The sooner you're out of my life, the better. Now go, start packing. Whatever you leave behind will either get burned, thrown out or given to Goodwill." Sobbing, she stood up and went into the master bedroom to pack.

Tim watched as Candy brought out one full trash bag after another. She stopped once and looked at him.

"Can you at least help me get this in my car?" she asked.

"Nope," Tim said. "Your trash, you deal with it. And remember, whatever you leave behind will either get burned or tossed. That includes pictures and your wedding dress."

"You'd burn my wedding dress?" she asked. "My parents paid thousands for that dress."

"Well, then you'd better take it if you don't want it burned," Tim said. Sobbing, she carried the bag out to her car and came back for another. Damn, Tim asked himself. How much shit does she have? A couple hours later, she sat down at the bale, exhausted.

"I can't fit anything else in the car," she said. "Can I come back later for the rest of it? Please?"

"No," Tim said. "You won't be allowed within 500 feet of the place. Ask your parents if they'll come by for it if you want. I'll hold off throwing anything out for a few days."

"Thank you, Tim, I appreciate that," she said. "Oh my God, I just thought, what will I tell my parents?"

"Try the truth for a change," Tim said. "Tell them you cheated on me with my boss and others and I kicked your ass out."

"Seriously?" she asked. "They'll disown me if I do that."

"Not my problem," Tim said. "But I guarantee you it'll be a lot worse if you try to make me out to be the bad guy or sugar-coat it with them. You know how your parents feel about lying." About that time, there was a knock at the door. "I think that'll be for you," Tim said. Candy went to the door slowly and opened it to find a sheriff's deputy.

"Candace Burns?" he asked. She nodded her head.

"That's me," she said.

"Do you have some ID?" he asked. She pulled out her drivers license and showed it to him. After he inspected it, he handed it back to her then handed her an envelope.

"You've been served, ma'am," he said. "There's also a restraining order that requires you to vacate the premises immediately. You can sign the divorce papers now if you wish." She nodded her head and pulled out the divorce paperwork. After looking it over, she asked for a pen and signed the papers.

"I'll get this back to the attorney," he said. "You'll need to leave now. If you try to come back, you'll be arrested and put in jail. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she said, tears falling down her cheeks. She looked back at Tim.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

"Yeah, me too," Tim said. "Bye."

"Goodbye," she said quietly as she left. The deputy looked at Tim and nodded his head before he left.

...

The next few days were hectic for Tim. Candy never tried contacting him, but Jake called the house phone twice and left threatening messages.

"Goddammit Tim, I know you're there," he screamed. "If you don't drop this lawsuit, I'm going to come and kick your fucking ass." Tim smiled, copied the voicemail and forwarded it to Ruby, who in turn, notified the local sheriff's department.

Candy's parents also called, wondering if they could come by to get more of her things.

"Yeah, sure," Tim said. "Just make sure she's not with you. There's a restraining order on her."

"Okay," George, Candy's father said with a sigh. When he and Candy's mother, Bernice, came by, they grabbed what Candy had left behind and used the time to encourage Tim to drop the divorce.

"Tim, she made a mistake," Bernice said. "Surely you can get past what she did and take her back. She's crazy about you."

"What did she tell you, Bernice?" Tim asked.

"She said she screwed up with your boss," Bernice said.

"And that's it?" Tim asked.

"Well, yeah," she said. "She didn't get into any specifics and we didn't press it." Tim grabbed the envelope with the pictures and DVDs and showed the photos to Bernice and George. They were shocked when they saw the photos.

"I'm sorry she didn't tell you the whole truth," Tim said. As you can see, it was a lot worse than she made on."

"Oh my God," Bernice said. "I had no idea it was this bad. I'm so sorry, Tim," she said. "I don't blame you for what you did." George's face was red with rage.

"I'm going to have a long talk with that stupid daughter of ours," he said. "Have you done anything else with these photos?" he asked. Tim shook his head.