One Bad Year

One Bad Year

I looked at my wife's, Ingrid, phone and I felt sick to my stomach. It was full of messages to someone called Will, messages you would send to a lover. My blood ran cold as I read them. She had arranged to meet after work on days when she told me she had to work late. They had gone for dinner and drinks. They were clearly dating. She was telling him how good a listener he was and what good company he was. He was telling her how beautiful she was. She had told him how much she was looking forward to see him again. There were photos on there of them together, with arms around each other smiling. It looked like they had been seeing each other for a few months.

This was my worst nightmare. How could she do this to me? I had been nothing but faithful. I opened her photos and scrolled down to see us from happier times. These happy memories became gut-wrenching. The phone pinged and a message popped up. It was from Will,

Room booked for Rome for 26 ^th -29 ^th May. Can't wait!!!

Oh my god! That's when she was due to attend that conference she planned to attend. That was in two months. In two months. I look at the messages again. A sense of relief fell over me. They hadn't had sex yet. They couldn't have. Oh, Christ, but they were planning to, in Rome.

"Jack, have you seen my phone!" I heard Ingrid say sharply, unseen from outside the room. I quickly make a show of shuffling bits of paper before calling out to her,

"I've found it!" I called out to her. I stood up and went to her, "It was charging in my office," I smile weakly, handing it to her, my hand shaking. "You have a message."

She looked at me nervously, "Have you been snooping on my phone?"

"No, of course, not," I lied with a false laugh. "Are you having an affair or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" she snapped snatching the phone from me but her eyes were full of nervous doubt. "Remember, I'm working late tonight. I won't be home until 9pm. You can have dinner without me. There are leftovers in the fridge."

I go to kiss her and she turns so I kiss her cheek and she left without a goodbye.

I returned to my office and I collapsed into my chair in despair. This couldn't be happening! I then began to stare at the photos of us on my desk of the pair of us. We looked so happy. As I stared, I noticed that the photos were from several years ago. I looked younger, better dressed, and thinner. Those were the days when I worked for a big corporation. Before I was made redundant and I became a finance blogger.

I went to our bedroom and saw the photos there; they were from back then too. I went around the house and the photos were the same before I returned to my bedroom and looked in the mirror and my despair turned to anger. In the mirror saw what she saw. I was a mess. My hair was a mess, my clothes were old and dirty. I had no idea how much I had let myself go. I pulled up my t-shirt and saw the rolls of fat. Ingrid was disgusted by me; she had stopped loving me. That was why our sex life had disappeared. You can't have sex with someone who disgusts you. Why would she love this guy? An awful realisation hit me; I had also stopped trying. She would spend the day at the office, come home, cook, and clean while I stayed in my home office. No wonder she started seeing someone else. Someone who would lavish attention on her. Someone like Will.

My wife, Ingrid, and I had been married for five years and together for eight. We were good together. We regularly went out together, to restaurants, and meeting friends, trips away. Our sex life had been epic. The sex I had with Ingrid was the best I ever had. We were going to start a family. We had good careers; you would have called us high flyers. You would still call Ingrid a high flyer. She was earning far more than me now.

When I lost my job, I decided to follow my dream of becoming a writer so I started a finance advice blog. Ingrid supported me all the way. I managed to earn a decent wage but it was a fraction of what I used to. The truth was that I could earn more from it. My financial advice blog was linked to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. My dream was to be the next consumer finance guru, I had thousands of loyal followers but I could do so much more with it but I had become a lazy fat slob.

Tears welled up in my eyes in seeing what I had become. Without meaning to brag, I used to be good-looking and well-groomed. Women used to check me out but I only had eyes for Ingrid and now Ingrid had eyes for someone else.

I was furious with myself. I had become lazy and it was going to cost me Ingrid. She had betrayed me because of my laziness and we were on the path to divorce. Despite her betrayal, I still loved her.

Then I remembered she hadn't had sex with Will and I wondered if there was a chance of winning her back. Did I want her back? Yes, I did. She betrayed me because I betrayed her with my laziness and neglect. If I wanted her back, I needed to change, I needed to be the person I used to be. The person she used to love. I had two months. If she has sex with Will then there would be no turning back.

When you have a blog you quite often collaborate with other bloggers. I went to my computer and checked my followers and passed collaborators. There were a few fitness and lifestyle bloggers I liaised with who I gave free financial advice to now and again. I quickly messaged one I knew who lived close by.

Hey Nick

I was wondering if you give me some help offline. I'm looking to lose some weight and get myself fit. Would you be willing to train me? Am willing to pay for your time. Could also give you exposure on my blog too. Could record my story and have links to your blog and photos of us both?

All the best

Jack

Nick's response was almost instantaneous.

What's up Jack

Sound great. When do you want to start?

Nick

Oh boy, this going to be hard.

Thanks Nick

I need to start today or tomorrow. Just found out that my wife is seeing someone else. Need help to get in shape to win her back and I only have two months to save my marriage.

Jack

Nick didn't reply for a while. My heart sank. I could do it myself but I needed a personal trainer to get fast results and at least be in shape before Ingrid went to Rome with Will but he looked like my confession made him ghost me. I needed to be the man she married again. I went to my wardrobe and looked at my clothes. There was a lot of stuff I forgot I had. I took them out and realized that I would never have fit in any of them now. I then looked at the clothes I normally wore and they disgusted even me. They were full of stains and holes. I needed to buy new clothes. I went and got some bin bags and just threw all my clothes in them, even my underwear and socks. Tears ran down my face. Nothing excused Ingrid's cheating but I had given her the excuse she could throw back in my face if I confronted her. Even if it was too late, I should at least do it with my head held high.

I returned to my computer and found Nick had replied,

Jack mate, I am so sorry.

I apologise for not replying quicker. I hope I didn't appear heartless; I was checking out my schedule. Love the collaboration idea but let's focus on you. Can you make today at 3pm in Ashbury Park so we can see what we are working with?

I quickly replied

Thank you so much Nick

3pm today in Ashbury Park sounds great. See you then.

My heart leapt.

Chapter 2

I met Nick as arranged in Ashbury Park at 3pm. Since I found out about Ingrid's cheating my self-esteem and self-worth plummeted, it got even worse when I saw how the world saw me and I think it got close to rock bottom when I met Nick.

Nick was a very good-looking guy and had a well-defined and muscular body. Unsurprisingly, he had a lot of female clientele and fans. To make it worse, he was a really nice guy. Any man would feel inadequate next to him.

I had spent the morning shopping. Ispent a small fortune on new clothes and got myself a haircut. I tried to show restraint because I hoped to lose a couple of clothes sizes but I had thrown out so much that I needed to replace most of it or I wouldn't have anything to wear. I also visited the tech store and bought a camera, background lights, a microphone, and a GoPro camera. When I started my blog, I intended to have a YouTube channel as well but although I created an account it fell about the wayside as my laziness kicked in. That was going to change.

"Hey, Jack," Nick called to me warmly from a distance. Fuck, this guy was good-looking and looked even more ripped in real life. Some guys would probably go gay for him. Nick then pulled a face when I got closer and he saw I hadn't failed to notice.

"Hi, Nick. How are you?"

"I'm so sorry, Jack. For everything and my reaction," he said guiltily. "That was really unprofessional of me."

"Don't worry about it," I reassured him. "I know what I look like. If I didn't I wouldn't be here. I'm not surprised that Ingrid is cheating on me."

"Nah mate, her cheating is on her, not you," he told me seriously with a lot of sympathy. "I'll lay it on the line, you are out of shape and I can't help you win her back but I can help you get into shape so that even if you can't win her back that she will regret it and you won't be on the market for long. How does that sound?"

"It sounds great, Nick!" I smiled. Nick's enthusiasm was infectious.

"If we are going to do this, I will need 100% commitment from you. We have a short time frame but I know we can do this."

"Hell, yeah!" I replied loudly, surprising myself with my own enthusiasm.

"Yeah!" Nick shouted and we high-fived. "That's what I'm looking for. We're on to a good start already."

"Hey, listen, Nick, I'm serious about this collaboration. I brought some equipment to film our training sessions. I want to film my journey and I want you to benefit from it."

"Jack, there really isn't any need. You've helped me in the past with my business for free. I'm just returning the favour."

"No, I insist. What I did for you was chicken feed compared with what you are doing for me."

"Ok, only because you insist, alright."

"Great!" I smiled.

We went to the car and got the GoPro camera because Nick decided we would start with a run in the park. The workout was hell. More than once, Nick tried to stop but I insisted we kept going. I really just stumbled around the park before Nick got me to do some weights and box with pads and mits.

"I've got to say I'm impressed with your attitude," Nick told when we had finished. "Ingrid should be impressed when you get home." I made a painful expression and Nick understood immediately that she was seeing Will that night, "Jesus, I'm sorry! Look, we are going to do this three times a week and I'll send you some yoga exercises you can do when we don't meet that will work on your core so you get faster results. You should see some improvement in about three weeks. Are you good for that? It's going to really tough on you. Also, I think you shouldn't do this for Ingrid, I think it would be better if you did this for yourself. If you win Ingrid back then, great but if you don't you will still have your pride. I don't want you feeling at the end like what was the point. People fall into depression from that."

"Yeah," I panted, barely able to breathe which made Nick laugh but my expression through the pain that I agreed with him and Nick could see it too. This guy was good.

"Awesome! We'll meet here at 3pm in a couple of days."

When I got home and showered, I noticed that the dirty laundry was overflowing. I decided as this was the first day, I would make a big statement so I put as much as I could in the washing machine and headed to the shops to buy the ingredients for Spaghetti Carbonara. It was the meal I cooked for her the night we first made love so I knew it was special to her and I paired it with her favourite Italian wine. I might not be the one taking her to Italy but maybe I could bring Italy to her.

I waited past 9pm for Ingrid to return. Eventually, the hunger I felt from my workout got the better of me and I ate by myself. I left her plate on the table waiting for her. I guessed she had dinner with Will. I spent the rest of the evening hanging up the laundry to dry then I went online for advice on how to deal with being cheated on. Turned out Ingrid was having an emotional affair and it was now up to me how to deal with it. If I wanted a divorce, I would need proof but if I wanted her back, I would need to win her back. I decided that what I planned to do was the right way forward but if it turned physical, that would be the redline for me. Nick, sent me the yoga exercises as well. He must have spent a good few hours doing that for me. He was proving to be a real friend.

It was well after 10pm when Ingrid returned. I had gone to bed early because it had been a busy and emotional day. I was half asleep when she got home and I heard an "OH!" in surprise. I assumed she saw the Spaghetti Carbonara. Then I heard a "What the-?" in surprise again. She must have seen the laundry drying.

I'm not sure what she was doing but she took a while before she climbed the stairs. Ingrid then slowly climbed the stairs like she was afraid she might see something she didn't like. I heard her then enter the bathroom and she began to masturbate as she always did when she got home late. Normally it upset me because it meant she didn't want me to have sex with her or even me to get her off but this time I felt relieved because it meant she still hadn't had sex with Will but it was getting harder and harder for her because she hadn't had sex for so long. I hoped she could hold out just a while longer.

The following morning, I rose early and found out why she took so long to come to bed. She had completely rearranged the drying laundry. I made her breakfast and waited for her.

"You've made me breakfast!?" I wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question from Ingrid, I don't think she was sure either. We ate breakfast in silence and Ingrid ate with a worried expression. I didn't think it was doubt that was on her mind but more of why I was doing it and probably whether I knew about her and Will. "Thank you for dinner and doing the laundry," she said quietly. "I need to show you how to hang it up properly. I'm sorry, I had dinner out last night with my colleagues but I will take the Spaghetti Carbonara to work for lunch. I tasted a little and it was delicious. It has been a long time since you cooked that for me."

When I kissed Ingrid goodbye, she turned her cheek as she habitually did now but this time it was a little less turned. I was surprised by her reaction. When she left the house, I couldn't help but smile. She hadn't come back to me but it was a better start than I could have dreamed of.

I started the day doing the yoga exercises Nick sent me and then I went through my blog and chose some topics to record some videos to upload onto YouTube. During my breaks, I finished washing the dirty laundry and prepared dinner so I could cook it later.

Ingrid surprised me when she returned home at a normal time. She was in a terrible mood.

"You're home early. I thought you were working late again?" I asked tentatively.

"What of it," she snapped, ignoring my attempt at a kiss. "It's my home too! I have a right to be here!"

"I'll start dinner," I told her.

"What?" she snapped.

"I'll start dinner. I found a Japanese recipe that looked nice," I said quietly.

"Fine!" she snapped again but a little less angrily before she shouted, "Oh, for the love of God! Jack, come here!" I found her by the drying laundry. "If you want to keep doing the laundry, learn to hang it properly. Get some coat hangers from the wardrobe!" She then began to show me how to hang the laundry, berating me as she did so.

I was getting confused. She was shouting and insulting me but helping me with the laundry. It didn't make sense. Her phone then rang and she looked terrified,

"I need to take this call," and she disappeared hurriedly into the toilet and locked the door. I couldn't help but eavesdrop but I'm glad I did because I found out the reason for her bad mood.

"I told you not to call me when I'm with Jack," I heard Ingrid hiss. "Seriously? You're still going on about the Spaghetti Carbonara? What was I supposed to do? I had to eat it. Whether it was delicious or not isn't the point. If I hadn't eaten and just thrown it away, he would have got suspicious. It might not matter to you but it does for me. Look, I'm not talking about it now. I have to go!" and she abruptly ended the conversation.

I couldn't help but punch the air in delight. I had my opening. She was clearly talking with Will and they had a big argument about the Spaghetti Carbonara I cooked for her. You had to hand it to Will, it takes balls to have an affair with a married woman and then get jealous of the husband when he does something the wife appreciates. What an asshole! Strike one to me and my weapon of choice was Spaghetti Carbonara. I decided to make all her lunches from then on.

I got the wine Ingrid and I didn't drink the night before and poured two glasses. Ingrid might not have been celebrating but I was. Ingrid sat in the toilet for a while before she flushed the toilet and made a show of washing her hands. Or maybe she was washing her face because when she left the toilet, she looked like she had been crying.

"Here," I said to her holding out her glass of wine. "You look stressed. Take a seat and tell me about your day while I cook."

Ingrid looked at me stunned before she looked at me properly, "Have you bought some new clothes?"

"Yeah, I decided to buy a whole new wardrobe and I have begun to work out," I said brightly, I was in a good mood.

"Oh," she said taking a sip of her wine with a worried expression. "They look good on you."

Chapter 3

We ate dinner in awkward silence. Ingrid's worried expression remained and confusion added to it when I told her to watch tv while I washed up. As we watched tv together, Ingrid, jealously held onto her phone but as the evening wore on, she became more relaxed and left it on the coffee table. Her worry and confusion soon wore her out and she fell asleep on the sofa. I covered her with a blanket, then I picked up her phone and began to look at her messages.

I couldn't help smiling as I read the most recent. They had angrier tones and Ingrid even threatened not to go to Rome with Will. That made him back off. I reread some of the older ones but more analytically and less emotionally. This was clearly an uneven relationship. Ingrid was the one in charge. Will was paying for the whole trip to Rome but Ingrid appeared decidedly lukewarm like they were going too fast. I needed to exploit this.

The following morning, I made breakfast again for us and I made a few more videos. I met up with Nick for my next training session before I went home to make dinner. I was disappointed that Ingrid didn't come home until 8pm with the excuse that she had to work late. I knew it was a lie because it was obvious. I became slightly amused as I watched her eat dinner. She clearly had already eaten but she was trying to eat my dinner as well.

When we got to Friday, I asked Ingrid over breakfast if she was going out with her friends on the weekend, I had now guessed she was seeing Will instead,

"Not this weekend," she told me with her now permanently worried expression. "I have a huge amount of ironing to do. I don't know what has got into you but it is a big help, thank you for doing the laundry and cooking."