All Comments on 'February Sucks - Aftermath'

Excellent!

Please please please let this be the last as its yet another load of rubbish!!!

Excellent follow-up to GA's original story. I never liked the fact that they stayed together after her gross betrayal, but, this story, somewhat, mitigates those sentiments. It is good to see Linda, truly, realize what she had wrought and what it cost her.

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Thanks for the excellent read.

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Pasqual

Excellent and insightful. This is the true sequel, in my mind.

P,S,

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Had there been stars, I would have given a rating of 5. I did bookmark it in my "Fb Sx" folder.

Perhaps one of the best follow ups that stayed true to the source. It has been said over and over that Linda never understood or really apologized, but in truth as this take suggests the damage was already done. We all know some wounds don’t heal and leave permanent scars. It’s also refreshing that Linda never finds the answe to why for herself, meaning she knows she is and was fundamentally broken not just momentary unthinking. Well done.

I thought this was well done and plausible except for the Dee character. I suppose there are people who are as selfish and insensitive as she is, although having been divorced by her own husband you'd think she'd have some insight.

I did not realize, until after my initial postings, that you authored "Fb Sx - Leap Night", as well. These two stories are good 'book ends' for GA's original tale. As you know, from my post on your first work, I did not like it. I still don't. But, it makes a great companion piece to "Fb Sx - Aftermath". If you had put them together in one story, I think there would have been less negative reception to the first half. The two stories make great counter points to each other. I like how Linda, still can not understand why she left with the Asshole.

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Your writing is continues to be very good, IMHO.

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Pasqual

Whether he will actually be there for his grandchildren is another question. Long term stress is going to significantly reduce his life expectancy.

Say no more!

Very well told story with some good ideas what the consequences of cheating could be. If voting had been an option it would have received 5* from me.

excellent story. Well balanced self analysis but not overly dramatic. Believe this POV had indeed not been adressed before but , in my opinion, only the two stories together make it better. You leap night alone does not stand out.

A sad story that proves that divorce is the best way out of a marriage in which a wife cheats. A strong man would. Unfortunately, Jim is a wimp who has a victim and martyr complex. For his children, he remained in an unhappy marriage that brings him pain, mistrust, lack of self-confidence and humiliation. 2*

Legio Patria Nostra !!!

Best thing to do is to get divorced and deal with that instead of all the pain. Saying your staying for the kids is a stupid excuse. Be a man get your head out of your bitchs ass and man up fuck the slut move on and be happy alone or with someone else. Its her lost at the end of the day specially if ur a good man

very insightful

I like this a lot. I never really liked the reconciliation in the original story as I didn’t buy into Jim nearly leaving the club on Linda’s birthday.

But this catch up makes the actual consequences feel true.

Excellent writing and a really good epitaph.

Kicking her to the curb would have been the best solution

I still say, too bad the throttle wouldn't have stuck wide open on that Maserati, and they hit something really solid and completely demolished the car, AND THEMSELVES, TOO... BOTH OF THEM DESERVED THE WORST ENDING!

I think you need it. 5 stars. I thought as I read the original story that things would never be the same.

A horrible end, Marc escaped completely the punishment he deserves, Jim and Linda had to live their whole lives miserable and broken, YES it´s just a story BUT please make Marc suffer...

what an awful depressing story

1starr

Well written and thoughtful. Kinda sad but truer to life than most. Thanks

The real problem here is that these characters are not endearing in any way. Jim is an incredibly unsympathetic victim/cuck/wimp that just comes off as pathetic and useless.

Linda is simply a deranged whore.

The only real victim is Jim but I can't even feel empathy for him because he didn't have to be.

The premise is truly ridiculous and the characters, as written by GA, are irredeemable regardless of how much they are written about.

GA writes well. He just doesn't write characters that are well.

This is very, very good. Thank you for writing this.

Well done.. I enjoyed ur take on the story..

Your first story was just useless to the February Sucks universe. It was probably well written but still, in the grand scheme of things, didn't add to the tapestry. This however, a timeskip and a review of life 20 years later, that was incredibly worthwhile. You got into both of their heads and didn't make excuses. You made valid points and with solid justifications. You even had Dee play the part of person who just figures Jim either should have gotten over it or never showed how he was affected by it.

I'm glad I didn't comment or vote on your previous story because even if this was already written and submitted, my comments and vote piled on with others, might have dissuaded you from writing more. And you have solid talent. This was something sorely missing from most other takes where they stayed together. They showed the immediate aftermath and maybe a snapshot of life in the future, but this one really dug into the realness of how they both were affected by that night. Kudos to you!!

Make up your mind, is Tommy married or not, it flipped a few times. Those sort of details are distracting.

I think you captured the selfish Dee quite well. Though it sounds like Jim and Linda have both settled for half a life. At some point after Michael leaves one of them will be desperate for the passion they have been missing for 20 years and that will signify the end of their marriage.

Look forward to more from you.

"The tenets of G. Anderson's original story". Lmao. There was only the setup or were you not aware of how invitationals work? His ending is one way he finished his story. The setup is the only real tenet there is.

5/5

That's a great sequel.

Superb writing and logical.

I wrote FTDS which you have done! It is not the ending I would have chosen however it is your ending. To be honest there is no good ending to this type of story everyone loses because of a selfish motivation. If scoring was turned on I would give you four stars. Next time write a story from your own ideas I really think it will be a good effort. Overall this was a well written sequel!

Self inflicted injury, with luck pain will be with her to the moment of death!

Good story. Possibly the best conclusion to "February Sucks" I have seen yet. A thought, though:

When Linda responds to Dee's question, "How could Jim know?", in regard to knowing that Marc had fucked Linda "really well", Linda should have mentioned the part of the letter that read: "Marc is a very, very skilled lover...It was by far the best sex I've ever imagined, let alone had.", not some drivel about being possessed.

This is very good. Very good. You've effectively connected and developed the story of the human emotions (particularly Jim's) resulting from Linda's infidelity. As I commented about your previous story, men fear the idea of a more powerful male stealing their mate. (I once knocked a guy around in one of the old Playboy Clubs because he made an innocent pass at my new bride). The point is that men fear other men taking their female companions and you've explained that fear quite well in your story. In addition, you've developed Linda's (and Jim's) aftermath of her night with Marc. Good job. Good story. Good writing.

this whole story shows why you DON'T stay because of the kids. She should be a lonely cat lady or continue to be a whore like Dee was and apparently still is. Once again the husband is the only one whom truly suffered. And the things that Linda feels were cause by Linda and her actions. He should have cut his loses and moved on.

This is by far the most realistic depiction of a reconciliation I think I've ever read and also the most probable aftermath of Jim staying with Linda "for the sake of the kids".

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As you say, their relationship would never be the same after she ripped his heart out. Her betrayal fundamentally changed Jim from a happy guy who was in love, to someone who was deeply hurt, and filled with mistrust and suspicion. Jim turning into an introverted shell of the sociable guy he used to be was very accurate too, as Linda and his friends hurt him so badly, he'd never want to risk exposing himself to that kind of pain again.

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A good bit of writing and refreshingly different from every other ending to "February sucks". I think most men would've divorced Linda without any hesitation, but Jim was a dedicated family man and I can see him sacrificing his own happiness to save his children from growing up in a broken home. Sad, but accurate portrayal of the horrible cost a reconciliation has on the betrayed spouse... and the cheater too, who realises they can never truly fix what they shattered.

Wow - your first 2 stories being FebSucks stories? Bold move, cotton. Well-written, though. Perhaps more well-written than this creaky universe deserves.

5star

This well written story just reinforces my reaction to the original,. Jim should have divorced her and taken the kids with him.

Absolutely the best rendition yet. I really enjoyed your new and refreshing take. I did miss seeing something violent happen to Marc but that would have been so out of place in your story.

Very good story and a lot of insight that was missing in your last try of Linds side.

5 stars for this.

I felt like it was a great after story. Well written.

I truly enjoyed this

Another well written story and a valiant attempt to right the wrong (your previous version). Maybe the setting should have been 5 years afterwards and maybe show a little more progress to regain true love and his trust in her. As I was reading this, I was getting the impression that Linda was becoming less and less sincere in her desire to get back to her previous life - seems she was expecting Jim to get back to normal just like her expectations the day she returned home. Still in counseling 20 years later? We know that doesn't happen and she was still the self-absorbed person described in 50+ versions of this story. Back to your writing - keep it up, but please, no more Linda's.

Very well done.

I dont think anyone has done it from the kids point of view as they grew up, that might be a good tale.The original story was so good and craeted so many thoughts its inspired many sequels.

I like that.

This is the best I read about after effects.

She really did destroy her family. In a way they have been in emotional torment for 20 years.

Much better second instalment of this story. Well done!

sad story but probably the most real. if jim did take her back all those emotions would have consumed him. wish you had allowed grading even though sad it is a 5. well thought out and well crafted thank youl

If this was a follow up to your first story it was quite fine. We have a beginning and an end, but the middle part would be the most interesting.

I think you just wrote the best reconciliation story for February Sucks. Absolutely fantastic.

This isn’t a marriage, it’s a prison.

Jim’s action proved that he never forgave her and in his own way, by removing his love, he hurts her.

This is petty and not the actions of a strong man. This is what a little boy who is hurt and mad does. It is like a little temper tantrum where he continues to martyr himself like some religious prophet of old.

So no. Jim does not have my respect, only my disdain and disgust. Be a man, forgive and move on or divorce; but this….misery is unbecoming.

An interesting and entertaining addition to GA's story.

Nice job!

I was sure that I didn’t want to read another ending to February Sucks. This was masterfully written, credible and gave nuanced insight that precious few writers here are capable of. 5+* for sure. Not only that you posted on consecutive days! Wow, sure hope there are more stories in you.

Unbelievable for your 2nd story just having been published. Just to perfect in execution and emotion. On the reality scale, started out very intensely candid, but did get a bit overboard in the end. 2nd GA ending I have read in two days. the story that just won't die!! Keep 'em coming!

Very good story. Would rate it as five stars.

Decades later and still great pain. Helps one understand the hateful comments so many readers leave for authors. They hurt and lash out.

I really liked this story. I think this serves as a great epilogue that the original story really needed. The only criticism I have is that while you did touch on the reasons why Linda might have cheated, I think it was lacking. While some reasons are theorized, the main reason still seems to be that Marc was just so irresistibly attractive. This was my biggest problem with GeorgeAnderson's original story: he uses the incubus/succubus trope. The reason why Jim is able to move forward and really reconcile is because he is seduced by a woman whom he can't resist. The woman is even compared to the sirens from the Odyssey. Jim only returns to Linda because the woman stops her seduction and makes him look at how Linda is responding. Thus, the idea is that there are people in the world that have magical seduction powers and if your spouse is taken by one of these people you simply have to accept it and move on. In reality, while there are very charismatic and attractive people in the world, none have such irresistible seduction that we can say people lose their free will.

Linda made a conscious decision to go with Marc and I think it would have been good to have Linda recognize and deal with the aspects of herself that allowed her to make that decision. Linda describes herself as selfish a couple times as well as having self-esteem issues, so I think those should have been expanded upon to make her a more 3-dimensional and realistic character. However, I know you said that you accepted the assumptions of the original story when writing this so I can understand why the reasoning aspect isn't fully fleshed out. Still, I do think that flaw holds down the story from its full potential. Overall though, I think it was a well written story and I hope we get to see you publish more.

Good story. Can’t buy the RAAC, but well written. I guess it wasn’t really a reconciliation though. It was more of a Cold War stalemate. If they’d divorced, the kids would have adjusted and recovered. Twenty years of pain and misery shows Jim and Linda haven’t and won’t.

Affairs are painful. Some people can work thru it, most can’t.

Excellent story. Well written and it adds a positive touch to this saga.

Who really gives a shit about the whores loss. Jim made a martyr of himself for his kids. They would have been happier and stronger over all if they had seen him dump the whore. Now, even though they don't say it. They know what he did and accept the sacrifice he made. They don't really respect him the same way but, they still love him. As for the whore it will come to a head with them sometime and her input will be ignored or just told to keep out of it. As they won't want her influencing any of their kids.

So, Jim lives a shadow of his expected life and suffers the pain over and over, all because he wasn't man enough to fight for his right to be happy.

Oh well, his choice. As for me if my wife ever did something like this. She would know being completely irrelevant feels like. She would have only been in the house again if she got it in the divorce. As for the kids, they would know exactly why I dumped the whore. They could either accept it or not. They would understand that I would always be there for them but, that I have to look at myself in mirror every morning. So, liking and respecting myself is more important in long run than anything else. Lose that and you are less to everyone in the future.

The new kid Michael would have been better off being born with a woman worthy of being his mother.

Ah hell, I would never have to deal my wife being a whore like this anyway. I might have to move on with my life it happened. But, I would never have to put with her coming home and trying to act like everything is normal. No, I would come home to all of her stuff being gone and only awaiting her signature on the divorce papers as a last act of attrition on her part. She would know how futile any action on her part would be.

She knows "IN THE ABSENCE OF RESPECT, I'LL ACCEPT FEAR. She would know trying to continue would end very very badly for her.

As for lover boy, He would learn that disrespecting someone you don't know and getting a thrill from feeling like you are better than them by taking from them something precious. Has consequences that are sudden, painful and if you are very, very lucky not final. But, the repercussions of what would happen to you would be a reminder for the rest of your life. Oh, the alpha male perception you live with now would never be available again. He would go through life knowing that there is at least one person that is more capable then them. Justice would be swift, painful and everlasting.

Some people you just shouldn't fuck with.

A decent story but ALL happily married cheaters are sorry after the betrayal. Hopefully, as their retribution, none of them will ever be truly happy again... just like their spouse. If they were not drunk or drugged beyond normal reason, then it was an actual conscious CHOICE made to betray their most loved one. Sorry, no pity from me.

I really really liked the story.

The fact that you showed the consequences of the decisions based on the original story and how without even there being any BTB, there is karma!

Number one fill out your Biography. I liked this better than the story you posted yesterday. The character Linda in this story contradicts the Linda in yesterdays story. I think you hit the nail on the head about the changes a spouse would go through after being cheated on. I personally can't understand why a man would ever stay with a woman that cheated. You hit most of the reasons I say that in this story. Why live the with some one who would do that, always in doubt, and obviously a loss of the love once shared. Move on, find a good person.

An excellent extension of the original story. Well written, but more impressively, well thought through. No rating stars present on the last page so I can’t click 5 - a rating I’ve given only a handful of times in reading hundreds of LitE stories.

Excellent description of the after-effects of betrayal. And, I assume, why many/most such betrayals end in divorce.

I thought this was a good follow-up to the original. Seemed very realistic to me.

The only happy ending to this if Jim fucks 5 other women without her consent. No apologies.

This was a decent sequel true to the original.

You write almost too well.

That’s awfully good. The insights into Jim’s psyche are completely realistic. It’s not in your story, but if they’d divorced, it wouldn’t change Jim all that much. The jim you described would forever question his trust in any woman.

Almost didn't read this, after the "debacle" I considered the previous chapter. Perhaps, with this chapter, we see a bit of what you meant by "seeing things from the woman's perspective".

“Then why did you do it?" Dee asked.

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"You know, I've thought about that, a lot, and I really don't know," Linda ruefully replied. "I never have been able to explain it, and that bothers me."

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Linda lies to herself. Not only does she KNOW why she did it, but she is asking the wrong question of herself., to wit: “Why didn’t she REFRAIN from doing it?”

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She did it because she WANTED TO. The excitement of being picked up by Mr Stud excited her. So much so that she literally dumped her husband of several years and the father of 2 children to leave with Mr Stud and go fuck him all night. And as she related herself in the previous chapter, was not only a willing participant but a continuous INSTIGATOR of ever more sexual activities for FIFTEEN HOURS. And at NO TIME during or even after the romp, had ANY regret for her actions.

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No, the question she avoids asking herself is why she did not STOP herself from doing that. Because an honest answer to that question would require herself to admit that she is a rank slut. Full stop,

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This “aftermath” is, therefore, inconsistent with the Linda the author presented in the previous chapter. THAT Linda was, actually, up front with her desires. THIS Linda is not.

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Still too cowardly to turn on scoring. But as before….the plot sucked, but the technical writing was good. So 2 **

Good variant. Entirely plausable path

Outstanding.

Hard to recover and get trust back. Did good job of describing the emotions

This was so damn good!

Not sure why you have ratings turned off.

This is a VERY realistic ending to this story that has way too many alternative spin-offs.

we have had a ton of these, but this one was different, liked this one

The usual LW bullshit. Following GA Jim is transformed by the Martian Cuck Ray into a pathetically semi-functional, weak, needy cuck, and we get this feminist bullshit to justify it: "Oh, God, no! Jim is the strongest man I know. He did one of the most difficult things that a man could ever do when he chose to keep our family together." Yes, a "strong man" sets a bad example for the children by letting the incredibly cruel, slut wife have her cake and eat it, too (the "regrets" horseshit is a day late and a dollar short). The "keep the family together at all costs for the children" is a tired cliche trotted out by elderly writers suffering from low T and an impaired sense of reality and right and wrong. In a such bad situation as GA wrote, you do justice: you divorce Linda and stay involved with the children. You must show them the correct consequences of adultery for their own long term good. Instead, Jim is written as showing the children that a wife can commit adultery in the most heinous way possible and keep "90%" of her husband and the entirety of the family. IRL, staying with a toxic cunt like "Linda" would never result in a happy home life for either the parents or the children.

Of all the follow-up stories, this is one I really like. They stayed together, but at what cost? Great effort! Thanks!

Well written

Interesting perspective. If there was scoring I would have given it a 5. Once trust is shattered it never truly comes back 100% no matter how much you try.

Excellent! Shows the real cost of cheating!

Nice...a very good look at tge ripples in the pond. Thanks.

What an awful life they lead. Guess it wasn't just that one night and then everything would be just like before. They should have ended it twenty years ago. She's not worth the heartache she caused.

5 stars

Now this is the ideal response that should have been posted the day after GA's horrid nightmare story.

GodivaFan - please keep writing - I like your style.

I like it . A somber tale that shows what can happen with one selfish, disrespectful act of betrayal.

I really hope you keep writing on this site. You really dig deep into the psychological reasons why people do the things we do

Good follow-up but why no voting?

You did better here.

That is the truest ending to the original story there is! 5***** all the way! Excellent story and very, very true. No act of physical revenge can erase the betrayal. Every word of it rang true. Thank you for sharing this.

THIS is the reason why GA's story keeps on going, and I'm glad you posted this. Thoughtful people can argue all day about whether or not you should reconcile with a cheater, but the proof lies in the results that you create. Once Linda had damaged her marriage and her husband so severely, their Disney life was over; since 'second-best' was the best they could ever hope for again, could they even achieve 'second-best' together? Or did they need to split up in order to find a new 'second-best '?

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This story answers the question of "what does second-best look like?" It fills a very important niche in the arc of February Sucks.

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And the analogy about test-driving the Maserati is spot-on; if you are test-driving sports cars, you're clearly no longer happy with the sporty sedan in your driveway. It's just a matter of time until you jettison "Old Faithful" because it has too many seats. So the act of test-driving IS buying, so far as the sedan is concerned.

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Thumbs up on your use of "deusy" from Deusenberg, even though some sources say that's not accurate. Your victory over the spellchecker makes it worthwhile.

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Yes, it's a little slow and psychological, and I must have slept through the sex, but this story needed to be told, the characters were consistent with their GA portrayal, and the significant benefits of longterm counseling were acknowledged.

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But I don't like Jim closing the door on Linda when she didn't do anything wrong.

I really liked the story. A sad tale of two broken people trying so hard to stay together. Some in the LW section would say "get a divorce" or burn the bitch and blah blah blah. But I would ask them, What makes you think, in this day and age on the dating world that you would find better than what you have now?

This offered a thoughtful examination of the range of thoughts, emotions and consequences of a snap decision by a marriage partner and the long term destructive effects that linger. It got me to recall an similar kind of incident that happened to me 47 years ago that still lingers and permanently distorted the relationship with my spouse.

Must confess that I have at least glanced through most of the “follow up” endings to the Anderson story, and with rare exception they are poorly crafted and not entertaining. To your credit, this ending provides detailed insight into a fractured marriage. Yes, Dee is a bit clueless (not inconsistent with her behavior years ago), but provides a foil for Linda’s tale. And I think this storyline is better than your Leap Night piece which despite the sex was not erotic. No rating opportunity? So, 4 stars for this story (Aftermath), but only 2 stars for Leap Night.

This is the best of the sequels.

wasn't any better or worse than the other sequels. if you don't have enough confidence to enable scoring then you already know it's not good. why bother????

I loved this story. It is the one of the bunch and true to the original.

Everyone and their dog has had a go at this story, this is by far the best. 5*

Yep, wish you had allowed scoring on this one. 5☆ for telling it like it is. No one committing a crime of the Heart ever gives full consideration to the fallout they are about to release from that H-bomb! Linda refused to look any farther than her "Night to Always Remember". That is until the day after the night revealed the aftermath of the storm she caused. Think of a picture perfect pastoral scene, beautiful fields, lovely farmhouse and strong handsome barns with livestock grazing in the fields. Now think about what this same scene looks like only moments after a category 5 tornado plows through it. What took years to build in seconds is destroyed. The ground stripped bare, the house and barns torn apart, the cattle scattered and beaten by the storm. Linda did this to a decade plus happy marriage in the moments it took to walk out on Jim at the club. For Jim the storm raged for 15 hours. For 15 hours Linda showed Jim the meaning of indifference, because tornados don't think, feel or care about the picture perfect landscapes they plow through.

EEhhhch

Most realistic version yet for the RAAC crowd. Would easily be 5 stars Great angle.

Another magnificent entry. You really crystallized the depth and breadth of the hurt Linda caused. I can’t wait to see more of your writing.

In which story did Dee fuck Marc