But I had a Hall Pass

"I know I want her to think she has the upper hand till the very end."

Mrs. Samson shook my hand, "I will get the paperwork ready and have her served at school. You need to do a couple of things for me. First, check your credit card bills. We need to find out the club where she hooked up with her soap star. Second, get access to her iCloud. I'm betting there is a selfie of her and Joshua. She is probably smart enough to get anything incriminating off of her phone and download it to someplace safe. With some luck, a copy might still be on her cloud."

Rushing home, I quickly got on her computer. I didn't even have to try to get into her iCloud. Hidden in her pictures folder were the three photos I was looking for. Two of Amy and Soap boy and one with Amy, Soap boy and her friend Jenny. I copied the photos to a flash drive. A quick examination of the photos gave me the other item I need. The name of the club was on the wall behind them.

My lawyer was very pleased with my find. She told me under no circumstances was I to tell anyone that we had the photos. Her plan was to serve Amy at school on Friday afternoon. That would give me time to get the kids to my parents for the weekend. She also told me that I was not to move out of the house regardless of what Amy said or did.

On that Friday, I had just dropped the kids off at my parent's house when my phone rang from Amy. I let it go to voicemail and ignored her texts. I wasn't home ten minutes when she stormed in. I was sitting in the living room and turned on the video camera when I heard the garage door rumble. I didn't want to miss any incriminating statements.

"You son-of-a-bitch. What the fuck do you think you are doing?" I started to answer but she cut me off. "You just couldn't let it go, could you? What is Mark, is your little male ego damaged? You humiliated me in front of my staff and you're going to pay. You want a divorce? I'll give it to you but you are going to pay. You know you can't prove the adultery you put in the divorce and without it, I'm going to take you for everything you have. I hope you're happy. You could have just let it go. Did it bruise your manhood that I had great sex with a celebrity? You could have just let me have a good time but oh no. Well, fuck you."

Amy stomped around all while I sat not saying a word. She came back into the living room with fire in her eyes, "When are you moving out?"

"I'm not moving out. I'm staying right here."

"Oh no, you're not. You want a divorce you have to move out." She looked at me for a few moments expecting me to get up, but I just sat there smiling. Fine, when this is over you are going to wish you would have just shut your mouth and let us move on with our lives."

The next month was very tense in the house. Amy and I didn't talk. The kids were slowly going to Amy's side. Julie was even questioning if her mother had in fact cheated. She was telling anyone who would listen that I made the whole thing up. Her lawyer filed a response to our petition asking for sanctions for false claims. She even tried to get the Court to order me out of the house. That was denied.

The Court fast-tracked our hearing with both sides getting limited time to take depositions and interviews of witnesses. My lawyer deposed both Amy and her friend Jenny. They both denied that Amy went off with the soap star and denied that they even met him or went to a club.

Preparing for my deposition my lawyer told me that it was imperative that I tell the truth but not volunteer any extra information. Her hope was that their lawyer wouldn't ask about the evidence we had gathered of Amy's affair thinking we had none. Just as Mrs. Samson predicted they hammered me on me not witnessing any cheating by my wife but didn't ask about having any evidence of her cheating. I got the impression that he didn't know that she had actually done what I was accusing her of doing.

At the actual court hearing, I'm sure Amy thought things were going great. I testified to Amy's adultery giving the background of my feelings on adultery and opposition to a hall pass. I was cross-examined on the same issues in the deposition. I wasn't present at her conference and didn't see her do anything with any other men.

Amy testified that she didn't do anything and like me, she was opposed to adultery and would never condone the concept of a hall pass.

Amy's lawyer put Jenny on the stand to testify that the encounter with the soap star didn't take place. I looked over to her husband Jack who was in the courtroom while she testified. He lowered his head to avoid my eyes. Jenny started to squirm when my lawyer questioned her about calling Jack and telling him that Amy left with the soap star. Obviously nervous now, she stuck to the story saying it didn't happen.

When Jenny sat down both Amy and her lawyer had smug looks on their faces as the lawyer announced they had no further evidence. Amy's lawyer got up and started to argue that they wanted sanctions for our false claims. The Judge started to admonish my lawyer for not proving the claims we put forth.

With a smile on her face, Mrs. Samson stood up, "Excuse me Judge, we have rebuttal evidence."

Amy's lawyer snapped, "I object, we haven't been notified of rebuttal evidence."

"We have no duty to disclose rebuttal evidence. If their witnesses told the truth there would be no need for rebuttal evidence."

The Judge smiled and told Mrs. Samson to proceed.

Mrs. Sampson called her investigator to the stand. "Judge before we proceed, we are conceding that Mrs. Butler did not have sex with Joshua Morrow." I couldn't believe what I was hearing but Mrs. Sampson gave me a look to shut up and wait. The lawyer put on her investigator who testified that Joshua Morrow was in Europe the week of Amy's conference."

Amy's lawyer shot up, "With this admission that my client didn't commit adultery we are demanding we stop this farce and have the court issue sanctions on Mr. Becker."

Mrs. Sampson with a big grin on her face, "No we are not saying she didn't commit adultery; we are just saying it was not with Joshua Morrow."

Jenny was recalled to the stand. My lawyer asked her again if she was with Amy at the conference and if they had met who they thought was Joshua Morrow. She again denied it. Jenny was again asked if she had made a call to her husband telling him that Amy left with a man not her husband. Even after being reminded she was under oath, Jenny denied she made the call.

I turned to look at her husband who mouthed, "I'm sorry." I mouth back, "No, you will be."

My lawyer hit play on the recording of Jenny's call. Amy's lawyer shot up objecting to the recording. "Judge my client was an invited guest in the witness' home and allowed to listen in on the call." The Judge told the lawyer to sit down and asked Jenny if that was in fact her voice. She had no choice but to admit that it was.

I was starting to feel vindicated when there was finally evidence that I was telling the truth.

Amy was recalled to the stand. Amy again denied that when she came home from her trip she admitted having sex with another man. She let out a loud gasp when the video of her graphic description of her sex with Joshua Morrow was played. Amy was in tears when the selfies and the signed publicity picture was put into evidence.

As Amy walked from the witness stand, the Judge interrupted. "Counsel, I'm confused. You said that Mrs. Butler did not have sex with Joshua Morrow but you've just presented evidence that she did."

Mrs. Sampson recalled her investigator. "Judge, our evidence proves that Mrs. Butler committed adultery but just not with who she thought."

The investigator put up surveillance photos from the club. Several pictures showed Amy and the man she left the club with. Indicated to the photos, "This is not Joshua Morrow, he is a look-alike who likes to pick up married women. He is a known conman who had been diagnosed with several STD's."

I just had to look over at Amy at that point. The look of shock on her face was priceless.

After a short recess, the Judge returned to the bench. He gave a long speech about honesty and faithfulness. The Judge ruled that Amy had committed adultery as spelled out in the pre-nup. He ruled in my favor upholding the pre-nup. The Judge lectured Amy that even if there hadn't been a pre-nup he would have awarded me custody of the kids. On the record he found Amy to be an unfit mother for her extensive attempts at deception.

With tears in her eyes, Amy turned from the counsel table to leave. The Judge bellowed from the bench. "Mrs. Butler stay put we're not done yet." The Judge summoned Jenny to the bench to join Amy. "You both raised your right hand and swore to tell the truth in my courtroom. That oath is sacred in this building." He looked right at Jenny, "I don't care if you have some misguided belief that you were helping your friend. Lying is lying in this courtroom. If this had been a criminal case you both would be in jail right now. I'm finding that you both committed perjury and I'm holding you both in contempt of court." The Judge fined them both the maximum penalty of five thousand dollars.

Amy's bad day got worse when she walked out of the courthouse to a local news team putting a camera in her face. I found out later that my lawyer tipped them off.

"Mrs. Butler, do you have a comment on throwing away your family for a one-night stand with a fake TV star?"

The reporter's question was the straw that broke Amy's back. Amy let out a blood-curdling scream then attacked the reporter. It was a blur of hands and feet as Amy struck at the reporter. Amy had her on the ground pulling her by the hair when a deputy deployed his taser.

The cameraman caught the entire episode on video. Amy was on all the national news outlets that night. Sadly, Amy didn't get to see her finest moment. She was locked up in the county jail, where she would stay for the next six months.

No, I didn't have a beautiful blonde lined up to take Amy's place. I was too busy raising two kids as a now single parent. And no, I didn't reunite with Amy when she got out of jail even though she tried. My mother felt sorry for her and asked me to give her another chance. She had lost her career and was the butt of jokes all around town.

After three months of Amy calling and texting me, I agreed to meet with her at her mom's home. Silently I sat and listened to Amy tell me how much she loved and missed me. She missed being part of our family. (As a result of her arrest and conviction of assault she was only allowed limited supervised visits with the kids.) Amy said she was so sorry for lying about her hook up as she called it and was so embarrassed that it turned out she was conned by a fake. She finished by pleading with me to take her back that she would be the best wife ever.

I stood up and took a deep breath. "Amy, that was an impassioned speech. I believe you mean every word. You apologized for lying, you said you missed our family, you said you love me. I believe you. I really do. It is what you didn't say that is most telling. You've never said you were sorry or even shown any regret for breaking our wedding vows. I think you were sorry that it turned out you didn't fuck your dream guy. I still don't believe you are sorry that you were cheating on me or even that it was cheating. The answer to your question is no and hell no. I will not take you back now or ever. I want you to stop contacting me, period. If you don't I will renew the restraining order I was granted when you were arrested."

Amy stood up crying, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I fucked the guy. I'm sorry I enjoyed it. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Amy, we're done. Go live your life. It will not be with me." I turned and walked out the door with Amy screaming at me with her mom holding her back.