Love Conquers Infidelity

Ann was quiet and had a surprised look on her face.

"Your phone is on the kitchen counter where you left it the morning of your affair. You forgot your lunch too. I guess you were too excited to fuck your lover to take both of them with you. The police returned your clothes and your purse to me. They are in that clear plastic bag over in the corner," I said.

My wife got up and walked over to the kitchen counter. She picked up her phone and looked at it and turned it on. Then she picked up the 5 day-old lunch and put it into the garbage; it was beginning to smell. Then she turned her attention to the plastic bag of her possessions. She opened it and took out her purse. She dumped the contents on the kitchen counter.

"I checked your purse; your driver's license and credit cards are missing. Whoever robbed the house must have taken them," I said.

She looked at everything and then put it back into her purse. Then she looked in the bag at the clothes.

"I insist that you throw away those clothes because they will remind both of us of what you did," I said.

"Honey, the underwear was brand new and expensive. The skirt was a couple of weeks old. Do I have to get rid of them?" she asked.

"Ann, you bought that underwear just for your lover; you did not buy them for me because I never saw them. There is no place in this house for anything having to do with your lover or your affair. They go into the trash outside and they stay there. However, if you insist upon keeping the bra and panties you bought for your lover, then you can leave here and go stay in a hotel. You decide," I said.

She thought about it for a minute, then she picked up the bag and went out the patio sliding door. I watched as she put the bag into the trash dumpster. I will check it tomorrow to make certain that she doesn't try to sneak some of the clothing back into the house.

She came back into the house and wiped the tears from her eyes with her hand and sat down beside me on the couch.

"Honey, I did not buy that underwear for Ryan; I bought it for you over my lunch hour the day before the attack. Ryan told me several days before the attack that he wanted to do something 'special' that day over lunch but I was not certain exactly what. Whatever it was, I knew that I would feel very guilty afterwards so I bought the fancy underwear because I wanted to make it up you by giving you the best sex ever that evening. I wore the underwear all day because I didn't know if I could get home before you to change. I did not buy it or wear it for Ryan," she explained.

"I don't believe that story for one minute but it doesn't matter. Those clothes were part of your affair and I will not have them in my house," I said.

She asked, "How did you find out that I was in the hospital?"

"The police came to my office after they had been at the crime scene. You had no identification because someone had stolen stuff from your purse but they assumed your identity from your car on the driveway. They came to my office to inform me of your injury and also for me to identify you from a bloody cell phone photo," I said.

"That leads me to my next question. Did you do it? If you did it, I think I can understand why. Just tell me. I won't get angry!" she asked with tears running down her face.

"Ann, I learned about your affair from the police after the attack. Besides, you should know me better than that! I love you too much to ever hurt you," I replied.

"Do the police have any idea whom might have done this?" Ann asked.

"As I said, for a while, they assumed that I did it - a jealous husband and a cheating wife. They checked my alibi and finally admitted in front of my lawyer and me that it could not have been me. The Barnes's house was trashed inside so it most likely was a burglary. Whoever it was took your credit cards and Ryan's cell phone and laptop. I doubt he had any money on him. If your lover has been seeing other married women, another husband could be the one who did it," I said.

"You had to hire a lawyer because of what I had done?" she asked.

"Yes, I did because the cops were certain that I was guilty," I replied.

"Who all knows about this ..... in case people come here or call me." She said.

"Just about everyone in the US. The local TV stations did live coverage as you were brought out of the house and put in ambulances. The TV reporter told everyone that you both were found nude inside of his house and that you had been having sex together. They also said that you both were married but not to each other," I said.

"Oh my God! No! Did my parents see it?" she asked.

"Everyone that I have talked to has seen it; even your sister told me that she had seen it. I am sure that if your parents haven't seen it, that your sister has told them about it," I said.

"Oh, my God! What have I done? I've really fucked up big time, haven't I?" she said crying..

"I won't argue with that statement. The TV coverage has been causing me some troubles too and we will discuss that in detail when you are feeling better," I replied.

"Honey, I did this. How can it cause you trouble?" she asked.

"That is a subject for later," I said.

We sat quietly without talking. I could tell that it was beginning to soak into her head how serious this affair is. She put her hand on my thigh and then put her head on my shoulder and began to cry.

"When my grandparents were raising me, Grandfather gave me some words of wisdom: 'If you do something that you should not do, you will get caught and the punishment will be proportional to the seriousness of what you did'. I believe that is what is happening here," I said.

Ann pondered what I had said for a couple of minutes. I thought I might change the subject a bit.

"By the way, I introduced myself to your lover. His room was directly across the hallway from yours in the emergency room," I said.

"Oh, God! What did he say?"

"He didn't say much. I asked him if he enjoyed fucking you, but he said he couldn't remember. He did not apologize to me but he should have. I had a couple of parting words with him and I left. I assure you that I did not hurt him although I was tempted," I replied.

"I will hold all of my questions until we can have our talk about your affair. However, there is one question that I need to ask you," I said.

Ann nodded her head yes.

"What exactly did your lover tell you about his wife?" I asked.

"He said that they were not getting along. He had not had sex in 5 months and he was trying to decide if he wanted to leave her. I could tell that he was really hurting from not having any sex," she said.

"As I told you, I met his wife at the hospital. It is true that they have not had sex for 5 months because the pregnancy was not going well. The doctor told her to abstain from sex until after the delivery because there was a risk of losing the baby if they had sex. She was due to deliver in 3 weeks, but this affair just compounded the pregnancy issues and put a huge level of stress on her. I am sure that is why the delivery started today. It sounds to me like your lover lied to you about his marriage," I explained.

"Ryan had told me that he was married, but he never said that she was pregnant. All this started because he told me that he was hurting because they didn't have sex for 5 months ..... but he lied to me about the reason. I had no idea. That poor woman!" my wife said.

"Ann, didn't it bother you to fuck a married man? What if he had kids?" I asked.

"I did not set up to fuck him. I saw pain in his eyes and I was trying to help him by giving him a blow job and that is all. Now, I can see that it was a huge mistake to try to help him and I am sorry that I got involved with him. As you told me what I have done, it is hard for me to believe that I did it. Honey, I do love you and maybe it will all make some sort of sense once my memory returns. I am so very sorry for what I have done," she replied and her eyes teared up again.

We both sat for several minutes without talking.

"It is getting toward dinner time. Neither of us should be cooking. I will have something delivered. What would you like to eat?" I asked.

"I don't think I am hungry. Out talk has upset my stomach," she said.

"That is why I wanted to wait until you were better before we talk. Now, you have to eat something so that you can get well. What sounds good?" I asked.

"Some soup and toast, please," she said.

I found a can of tomato soup and I fixed a toasted cheese sandwich for her. I went to the couch and helped her to the kitchen table so that she could eat. I found some frozen meat loaf for me along with some frozen, mixed veggies.

We sat at the table and ate quietly. As I was picking up the dishes, Ann spoke.

"Honey, I am so sorry for what I have done. I have made a huge mess of our marriage. I can pack some clothes tomorrow and I can be gone by noon."

"No, you will not! I have specific instructions from the hospital on what we have to do every day for the next two weeks. You have had a serious concussion and you are not well, in fact, if you fail to follow the instructions, you could die from bleeding in your brain,' I explained.

Maybe I was over-stating the facts but she just did not understand the extent of her injuries.

"Besides, where are you going to go? Where are your driver's license and credit cards? You don't have your car; you are not supposed to drive for at least two weeks; and where would you go? " I asked.

She burst out crying and sobbing. "I really have fucked everything up. It would solve everything if I did die!" she sobbed.

"You are not going to die on my watch! And you are not going anywhere. Got it?" I said firmly.

I gathered her up in my arms and I carried her upstairs and into the master bathroom.

"Undress and get into the shower. I will be back in a few minutes to help you into bed," I said.

I returned about 10 minutes later and she was still in the shower. She was just standing there. I don't know if she washed so I took off my clothes and joined her in the shower. I started soaping up her back and butt. Then I turned her around and I washed her front side. I rinsed her off and then helped her out of the shower. I dried her off and then myself.

I picked her up and carried her to our bed and I crawled in beside her. I turned out the lights and then held her in my arms. The doctor said I had to sleep with her in case she had a medical problem during the night, but in truth, I could not sleep without her beside me.

"Thank you, Honey, for taking such good care of me. I love you so much. I am so sorry for what I have done and for how I have hurt you. Can you forgive me?" she asked.

"I still love you and always will. However, I have not forgiven you for what you did," I said.

"Thank you for bringing me home and treating me so well. I am so thankful that I have you. Thank you for holding me at night; it makes me feel loved," she said softly.

"After 20 years, I found out the last few nights that I cannot sleep without you in my bed. By the way, I hope that you never fucked him in our bed," I said.

"No, baby, this is our bed," she said and dozed off.

Day Six

The next morning I woke up with my arms wrapped around Ann. I had to go to the bathroom so I carefully disentangled myself from Ann. When I returned, she was sitting up in the bed.

"Hungry?" I asked.

"Yes, I am. I feel like I haven't eaten in days. I can cook us something," she said.

"Honey, I know that you suffer from dizziness and imbalance. I don't think it is a good idea for you to be near a stove yet," I said.

We both got dressed and we went down the stairs together with me holding onto her. I sat her down at the kitchen table and I started cooking. OK, I am no cook, but I can make eggs and toast. She likes coffee so I made some for her by following her verbal instructions. Me, I hate the stuff.

We ate quietly.

After breakfast, Ann called her office and talked to several people. One of the Techs told Ann that the dentists had requested a different salesman immediately.

The senior dentist who owns the building and the practice talked with Ann. He told her to stay at home for at least a month. (My opinion: Not so much for her health but to allow the notoriety of her affair to die down.) They have placed her on paid sick leave status.

Then Ann called her parents and her sister; they talked for a long time. Ann cried a lot.

******

Later that afternoon I was working in my home office when my cell phone rang. It was Annette and she told me that they had a 7 lb. 5 oz. baby boy. I asked her if we could come see it. She said to come about 4 pm because the baby would be in the room with her at that time. Ann said she felt that it would be best if she didn't go with me. I reminded her that I am not to leave her alone. She reluctantly got dressed up and did her hair. I changed my shirt and put on a suit jacket.

I held Ann's hand as we walked into the hospital. I asked for directions to the newborn area. Ann was really resisting so I asked her what was wrong. She told me that she didn't want to see Ryan. I put my arm around her waist and pulled her close to me. I told her that she was under my protection now.

As we entered Annette's room, I immediately saw that Ryan was not there. I saw Ann sigh with relief. I walked up to Annette's bed and Ann stood a couple of feet behind me. Annette smiled when she saw us. The baby was attached to her breast, nursing.

"Wow! That is a beautiful baby! And look at all that hair," I said.

"He is Italian after all," she replied smiling.

"Have you thought about a name yet?" I asked.

'I picked Mario James. Mario for my father and James for you and all your help," she said.

"I am truly honored and thank you," I said.

"Would you like to hold him?" she asked.

She removed him from her breast and carefully handed the bundle to me. I turned around so that Ann could see him. She smiled and touched the baby's cheek. I handed the baby back to Annette so that he could finish his lunch.

"Ann and I will go shopping this afternoon. What do you need?" I asked.

"Disposable diapers are always handy. I had not bought any yet because I didn't know what size I would need," she explained.

"Where is your husband?" I asked.

"They are doing some tests on his brain this afternoon; that is why I told you to come now. I don't think you should be very close to each other. He told me that when you went into his room that you scared the crap out of him. He is very frightened of you. He was with me during the delivery so thank you for asking the nurse to get him," she said.

"He needed to be there to bond with his son," I said.

"Oh, Jim, I called the hotel and told them that I would not be staying there anymore. You paid for last night but I was here. They agree to put my few things into a bag and I will get them in a couple of days when they release me. They are talking about letting Ryan and I go home the same day. When I know for certain that I am going home, my mother will drive up here to help," she said.

I kissed her goodbye on her forehead and we left. On the way home we stopped at Walmart and Ann picked up some tie-on undershirts, some belly bands and a couple of cute newborn outfits. I bought several packages of newborn disposable diapers. Then I drove us to the Barnes' house. Ann became quite nervous when she saw her car on the driveway but she didn't recognize the house.

"Ann, I want you to come inside with me. I hired a company to come in and clean everything up so you should not see anything bad. Annette gave me a key to let them in. While you are inside, it may jar your memory to help you remember something; however, I will not let you go into the bedroom though - just in the living room and kitchen," I said.

She reluctantly got out of the car and walked up to the door with me. I unlocked the door and we stepped inside. Ann laid out the stuff we had just bought on the kitchen table while I went up to check on the bedroom. The place was cleaned to perfection; the cleaning crew did a good job. I found some paper and I wrote a note to Annette and then we left the house.

Ann offered to drive her car home but I reminded her that she was restricted for two weeks, plus she had no driver's license. I have a key fob to her car so I unlocked the car and put the key fob under the driver's floor mat.

When we arrived back home, I called AAA and had them transport my wife's car back to our house. When it arrived, I instructed the driver to put it on the driveway so that I could put it inside the garage. When he was finished, he rang the doorbell and gave me the key fob.

I ordered Chinese food for dinner and had it delivered. While we were waiting for it, Ann and I had a talk.

"I know that this afternoon was hard for you, but you were a trooper and handled it," I said.

"It made me sad to see you holding the baby. It reminded me that we cannot have children and that I must be such a disappointment to you," she said.

"Not really. I enjoy other people's kids because I don't have to be responsible for them. This way I give you all my love and you don't have to share it with some children," I said. "Did going to the Barnes' home cause any of your memory to come back?"

"I was shocked to see my car there but I didn't remember the house. I kind of remember the stairway and looking down into the kitchen because there were dirty dishes all over the kitchen. Ryan must be a messy housekeeper. I can't remember anything else," she said.

"Maybe the exposure will help you regain some of your memory as time moves on," I said.

Dinner arrived and we ate quietly.

After dinner, we took a shower together and then went to bed. I will not make love to Ann but I did hold her all night.

Day Seven

We woke up holding each other and I let Ann cook us breakfast. Afterward, she started doing our laundry so I went into my home office. I called my office. There were a couple of things that needed my attention so I agreed to be there in about an hour.

******

When I was finished at my office, I drove over to my IT friend's business and picked up the memory stick with all the emails on it. Steve, my IT friend, told me that he got into the laptop but didn't find anything interesting except the emails to my wife. The guy was not chasing any other women. He also told me that the computer was "accidently totally destroyed". The phone he cleaned up and donated it to a charity.

When I got home, Ann was on the phone with her parents and she was crying. Afterward, I let her lie on the couch for a while. I went into my office and took care of some business emails.

Later she made us dinner. After putting the dishes in the dishwasher, we took a shower and then went to bed to read for a while. There still was no sex but I held her all night.

One week later

I had been going into the office daily but only for 4 to 5 hours after breakfast. Ann was still home enjoying her month off. She had been cooking both breakfast and dinner for us. Her symptoms of the concussion appeared to be gone and the black eye was almost gone; however, she still could not remember anything about the attack. The wound on the side of her head has healed up and they removed the stitches. I let her sleep with me every night because I was still worried about her health; however, there was no sex. Actually, I cannot sleep without her - I used her health as an excuse.

Ann had cancelled all her credit cards and had new ones issued. She also applied for a duplicate driver's license. She called into her work a couple of times and just talked to the nurses and the bookkeeper, but not to the doctors.

Ann seemed to act normal but she never smiled. It seemed to me that she was afraid of me, like walking on eggs all the time. Whenever I said something to her, she jumped and looked surprised. I found this to be uncomfortable, to say the least. I decided that today was the day for our discussion about everything. I called my office and told them that I would not be coming in today.