John and Diane

"Morning, I brought you some coffee."

Her head came up off the pillow. She slowly sat up in the bed.

"Have this, it might make you feel better. The kids will be up soon, and we have things to do. I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. I'll get the breakfast started for them and we can decide who is going where for soccer and basketball."

I turned and left her and went to the bathroom with my cup of coffee and got in the shower. When I came out Diane was gone. I got dressed and took my empty coffee cup back to the kitchen and we got on with the day. Diane said nothing to me and only a little to the kids. The look on her face was as if she had been told that she was going to die next week. Maybe that's how she felt.

I was going to wait for her to want to 'talk' and then we would see how things were going to unfold. Would this be nasty, or would it be less painful? Would my wife of over a decade want to be civil or would she want to go to war?

I figured that she would want to preserve her family as much as she could. Did that mean that she would want me to remain as her husband and the father to the kids, or was Tom lurking in the background and waiting for the right time to divorce his wife and take Diane as his wife, and my kids?

Yes, he was the sperm donor that made them, but by fuck, I was their real father. I raised them, taught them, loved them, guided them, paid for them. I wasn't about to see some snake-in-the-grass creep in and take my whole family from me. Not gonna happen.

The day went like always. Kids had things to be at and we had to get them there and cheer for them the same as always. Supper that night was a very quiet affair, at least between Diane and I. The kids were always noisy and talking. That didn't change; thankfully.

After the kids were in bed, I waited for Diane, expecting that she might want to talk. That didn't happen. She went back to the bedroom and closed the door. I'm sure I heard her voice talking quietly so I knew that she was on the phone to someone, most likely Tom.

The jig was up. They were busted. I'm sure that he might have been shitting his pants thinking that I would tell his wife something. He was also thinking that if his father could get away with being unfaithful for most of his adult life, so could he. He was essentially fire-proof. All he had to do was buy off his wife and it would all be good. Money can make problems go away. When push came to shove, Diane would be expendable. He would pretend that he didn't know her and move her to another job in the company or find her a job with another employer.

I poured myself a beer and took Diane a glass of wine. She was hiding out in the bedroom. "So, when are we gonna talk?" I passed her the wine.

"I don't know what to say."

"How about we start at the beginning. I have a lot of questions that I want answers to, but you need to understand right off that I know a fair bit and I know that you have been involved with Tom for a long time. Longer than we have been married. I feel like I'm the outsider here. I feel like you've been lying to me our whole marriage."

I took a drink of my beer. "But I look back and think of all the things that you and I have done together and all the things that we have done with the kids, and I don't know how you could have been so...cruel to me, to not tell me some truth. If you didn't want me to be the father of your children, why would you deceive me for our entire marriage. Why would you do that?"

"You're a good man. You're a good husband. You're a great father." Diane's mouth wanted to say more, I could tell, but the words wouldn't come out. She exhaled and looked at the floor.

I looked at her. "Yes, I am all those things. But the fact remains that I'm not the biological father of those four children."

Diane's head snapped up, her eyes were wide, and she looked at me with tears rolling down her face and onto the floor. "I'm so sorry I did that to you."

"Do you love Tom so much that you wanted him to be the father of your children?"

I wanted to say more but I waited for Diane to answer that question. There wasn't an answer coming.

"I guess that answers my question."

The next few minutes were long minutes. Every minute felt like an eternity.

"So, what's your plan? What do you want to do?"

There was no answer to that question. Diane was speechless.

"If you don't have a plan, then I do. You might not like my plan. I can't decide for you what you should, or should not, do. That's up to you."

There was a few more minutes of silence. "I talked to the kids. They don't know anything other than I told them I have a job opportunity in another part of the country. They're excited to move. They want to move, with me, and they think you."

Diane's head came up again. I knew that I was threatening her life with Tom. I knew that the idea of giving him up was possibly more than she could accept. She'd been with him before I even met her and her love for him was greater than her love for me. I knew that. I was the guy to be the father for her children when Tom clearly wasn't going to do it. Even though he wasn't going to raise the kids, it didn't mean that she didn't want him to be the one make the kids. No, he would be the one to father the babies, but I was the one to take care of them. For me, the thing was that until I learned the truth, quite by accident, I wasn't any the wiser. I was happy in the knowledge that I had four great kids and a wife that cared for me. Little did I know the reality. Some changes were coming and soon.

"So, you have a decision to make. I won't pretend to tell you what to do. That's up to you. You tell me and the kids what you want."

I got up to leave the room. "For now, I think it's best if you sleep in the spare bedroom." I walked out of the room.

**********

Diane

John was so calm. His expression scared me. I don't think that I've ever seen that intense a look on his face before. I haven't a clue what to do. If John leaves me, how do I take care of four kids by myself? Shit, did he say to sleep in the spare bedroom?

**********

Diane

I got up after a night of no sleep and got dressed and went down to the kitchen. John and the kids were all there and all talking at one. That was normal. He shouted over the din and roar, "Leaving in 10 minutes, 10 minutes! Do what you know you have to do and grab your backpacks and get outside." He poured himself a cup of coffee and grabbed his car keys and went out to the garage. He didn't even look at me or say a word to me. I felt a cold shiver run up my spine.

If this was my future with John, I'm not sure that I can handle it. What do I do? I decided that I would go to work and talk to Tom. He always has a plan. He would know what to do. So, that's what I did. I went to the office and pretended to everyone that everything was normal. My life, my world, was imploding, exploding, whatever; and I was trying to pretend it was all normal.

Tom waited until almost noon before he said one word to me. He merely nodded his head and motioned towards his office. I went in after him and closed the door.

"Tom, we have a problem."

"No, stop right there. You have a problem. Don't involve me in whatever is going on between you and John right now."

I couldn't believe what he was saying. Before I could say anything, he carried on. "I thought that John was okay with our relationship, at least that's what you've said for...fucking forever. Now he's not?"

"I never actually told John that you and I were in a relationship. I never told him that we were having sex every week."

"Does he know who is the father of your kids?"

"Yes, he does."

Tom sat down on his sofa and exhaled deeply. "Fuck me, he's gonna come after me. I fucking know it."

"What are we going to do Tom? How do we deal with this?"

"Fuck if I know!"

We sat in silence for a moment that seemed like an hour. Then he spoke, "Oh my Jesus, he's gonna talk to Margaret. I'm fucked if he does that." He looked at me, "You have to make fucking sure that he does not go to Margaret; do you understand?"

I looked at him, "How the hell am I going to do that? What magic powers do I use to stop John from telling anyone?"

Tom looked at me, "Does he love your kids?"

"What? Of course, he loves the kids. What are you saying?"

"Tell him that if he does anything to me that you'll take the kids away from him, that'll fix him."

I looked at Tom, "John will never take that threat, not from me. I'm on thin ice here, already."

"Then I'll tell him."

"And just what do I do if he leaves me?"

Tom grimaced, "That's up to you."

"What!? Are you going to step up and be their father and support us?"

"That wasn't our agreement, Diane. We never talked about that kind of thing. No, this is your problem to sort out. Just keep me out of it."

"What the fuck! You rotten bastard! You've loved having your cock sucked and fucking me, for the last ten years but now when I need your help, you're running off. You bastard!"

I ran out of the office and grabbed my coat and purse and left the building. I went home.

**********

John

I had silently dubbed my plan for what to do after Diane's lengthy infidelity was exposed, OPERATION EXODUS. Or OpEX for short. Phase One of OpEX was started several years ago and was already in place and earning me more and more every day. I had the financial resources to do pretty much whatever I chose to do. The real question was in the details.

Would Diane, in some way, try to make amends and stay as part of the family, or would she decide that her best interests were elsewhere, probably with Tom. I needed the answer to that but all in good time. She and Tom needed to sweat a bit more.

I intended to continue with the silent treatment to make Diane rethink her past actions. I wanted to keep her, and Tom, off-guard and keep them thinking about what I might do. In the meantime, I also wanted her to think that what was good for the goose would be equally good for the gander. That old quid-pro-quo thing.

The most important part of my plan was to secure my place as the father of my children. There was no way on earth that they were going to be taken from me. I could afford lots of lawyers and would fight to the end to make sure that Diane was unable to take my kids away from me.

**********

Diane

This week has been agony at my house. John hasn't said much to me, other than things about the kids and I'm sleeping in the spare room. This is just about as bad as it can get short of him throwing me out of the house. I don't know what I'd do if he told me that I had to leave.

John announced that he and the kids were going camping with the truck and trailer this weekend. He said it in such a way that it meant that I wasn't going with them. Even if I went, I'm not sure where I would sleep. The trailer only has so many beds; maybe the pull-out sofa.

Thursday night was going slowly for me and then John said to me that "we have to talk." My heart stopped beating for a minute. I figured the hammer was going to fall now.

John went to the refrigerator and got me some wine and himself a beer. This seems to be the pattern when he wants to talk about serious stuff. He poured the drinks and took them to the dining room table and sat down, indicating to me to take a chair across from him.

"So, have you had a chance to talk to Tom and figure out what you want to do?"

"Sweetie, what do you mean?"

"Really? You're gonna play that game? Okay, what did you and Tom discuss this week? Are you moving in with him at the apartment where you two have sex every week?"

I sputtered a bit of wine. "No Dear, I'm not moving in with anyone. I'm not leaving my home."

John continues, "You do know that I've had the kids DNA tested and you do know that I am not their biological father?"

I swallow hard at that. "What are you saying Dear?"

"Really? What I'm saying is that you have been cheating on me the entire time you and I have been married. You've had sex with Tom very week for over ten years and he has fathered your children. That's what I'm saying. What is it you want me to say? Are you wanting me to say that it's just hunky-dory. That I don't mind that the two of you have deceived me for our whole married life. That you actively decided that he would father your children rather than me. That you married me only to have a meal-ticket to support your cheating ass and your children. That you could care less about me and what I want. That you..." I ran out of steam.

I sat at the table and took a big drink and tried to let my blood pressure and heart rate calm down.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't boot your ass out the door."

"Because you love me and because those children are yours. No, you're not the man that made them but you're their father. You have your life invested in those four kids. Your life would not be the same without them."

John looked at me, "Will your life be the same without them?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You just implied that my life would change drastically without the children. Is that your plan, to take them away from me?"

He took another drink. "What is your plan, Diane? What is it you want?"

I took a drink and looked John square in the eyes. "I want you and my children and my home and my life. I want to make very sure that our life together continues. If you don't know that already, then you don't know me that well after all out time together. I love you and our children and our life..."

"But it's clear that you also love another man. You've loved him for a long time. So, I go back to my earlier question; what's your plan? There can't be three of us in this marriage."

I didn't know what to say. It was true that I loved Tom, but it was also true that I loved my family. How would I manage them both now that John knew about Tom and the kids.

**********

John

The level of delusion in Diane was difficult to gauge. She knows, very clearly, or maybe she doesn't realize it enough yet, that I'm not happy with her deceit all these years. She knows that she's gonna have to make a decision, sooner than later, about what she wants. I may have to push things along a bit. I have a plan for that.

**********

John (three months later)

Andrea is growing up fast and she told me that she wants to start training for a triathlon. She has asked for a new racing bike and so we went to the bike shop and looked at ones that are very light and fast and also expensive. An entry level triathlon bike is about two thousand dollars. That and all the other gear will tally about three thousand by the time we're all done. She takes after me a bit. I used to race mountain bikes, when I had the time. Now, not so much.

Keith wants to play hockey this year. His equipment will be about three thousand, not including some hockey sticks that are engineered by the same people that design airplanes, or whatever.

Laura wants to play soccer, thankfully kitting her out for that won't break the bank.

Last, but certainly not least, Brittany wants to take music lessons and play basketball.

The schedules of the kids are going to be the death of me. I can't get early enough and go to bed late enough to get all the things done that need to be done in the day. Diane is going to have to take up some of the slack. That might put a crimp in her activities with her boyfriend. Maybe that's a good thing.

My plan to force her to make a decision: Tom or her family, is coming near. The kids are going to be major players in this drama and so I need to get some things in place before I kick things off.

**********

John (two months later)

I've talked to the kids, and they are all onboard with my plan. I explained things is such a way to let them know that their mother needed to make a change and what I wanted us (the five of us) to do was help push her to make that decision. The kids thought that their mother needed to quit her job so that she could spend the time at home with us. I explained that we had enough money and didn't her to work. I wanted them to help me convince Diane that she would be better off not working and spending the time with us.

It was the start of summer and school had just finished so we were free to get on the road with the camper. I quietly loaded up everything that we needed, including that expensive bike that I got for Andrea, and we got ready to get on the road.

The night before we were scheduled to go, I talked to Diane.

"So, have you made a decision?"

"What decision is that, John?"

"You know what I'm asking. Are you lonely enough in the spare bedroom? You've been there for months now. Are you tired of trying to justify your dual existence. It's time. Time to make your choice." I turned and walked away.

The next morning after breakfast the kids and I finished loading the truck and trailer and got on the road. Diane wasn't with us. I knew what decision that she had made.

We drove out of Albany and started our drive to Canada. Andrea was in the front passenger seat and acting as my navigator. The rest were talking non-stop about what they wanted to do at the campground.

**********

Diane

When I got home the truck and trailer were gone. Johns Subaru was parked in front of the garage. I went in the house and called their names. No answer. I went to the kids bedrooms and saw that they had taken quite a bit and then I went to the master bedroom and looked there. John had cleaned out a lot of his things and his closet was almost empty, and the drawers of his bureau were almost empty.

I ran down stairs and went to the kitchen where my purse was. I found my cell phone and opened the Find My app to see where they were. They all had cancelled the ability for me to see their location. Oh shit!

I called John's phone, and it immediately went to voicemail. "John where are you and the kids? Call me please."

I waited a few minutes and called him again. "John, honey, call me, please." My voice was getting more urgent with the second message.

I tried calling Andrea's cell phone and it also went to voicemail. "Sweetie, its's Mom, please call me. Thanks."

Shit. He did it. He took the kids and left. He wasn't kidding about making a decision. He told me several times and now he did something about it.

I called Tom. "John's taken the kids and left. What do I do?"

Tom's voice sounded like he was uninterested in my problem. "What do you want to do?"

"Jesus, Tom! You have to help me."

"What am I supposed to do? He's your husband." There was a pause. "You knew that eventually he was gonna know everything. I mean, the man's not stupid. You could only fool him for so long. What did you expect?"

I hung up on Tom, I was on my own in this. I had shit in my own bed and now I had to lay in it. Fuck!

*********

John (a week later)

We're in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. This place is fantastic. The scenery and terrain of this part of Canada is...majestic. The kids are having a blast and we're busy every day hiking, swimming, playing and doing all the things that make summer great.

We drove to a town called Huntsville to stock up on food and the kids all got hoodies from a designer shop that sells locally made clothing. Very popular stuff, and not exactly cheap. But what the hell.

I've not turned my cell phone on once since we left home. I have no idea what Diane is doing. I don't really care at this exact moment. If she's frantic wondering where we are, that's just great. She might get some idea of the pain that she's caused me when I found out about my kids and her deception. Yeah, that might be cruel, but what the fuck; she deserves it and more.