The Art of Living Well

"You're with Jennifer now, son," he stated, "You're going to get married, start another family, and your kids will be with you in Adelaide soon enough. Are you still angry at her?"

"Not really. I've moved on."

"She probably hasn't. It's her own fault and I understand why not wanting to even see her, but let her say her piece, then just leave all this behind you."

"Fine, I'll talk to my lawyer and have him sort it out."

It was the next week that we ended up at the court house. My lawyer explained that, as soon as the meeting was concluded and she signed the paperwork, the judge was prepared to sign off on our divorce, and I'd be a free man one month and a day after the judge granted the Divorce Order.

I hadn't seen Kylie since the night she'd departed for her date. She was waiting in the room when Jennifer and I approached my lawyer. He explained Kylie was inside with her lawyer and no-one else. Taking Jennifer by the hand, I led her and my lawyer into the room. Kylie looked up in shock to see me entering with another woman. I barely looked at her as I escorted Jennifer to a spare chair, pulling it out as always, making sure she was comfortable, before I took the chair in the middle, my lawyer to my left.

Taking Jennifer's left hand in my right, I made sure our hands rested on the table in full view. She added to it by moving her chair as close to mine as possible, resting her head against my upper arm.

I finally took a look at Kylie. She looked like shit, if I was honest. I'd heard often enough that life hadn't been easy since I'd walked out on her. I had no sympathy whatsoever. She'd made the choices that cost her everything. No communication with her daughter at all. Our son barely talked to her at all. My entire family had broken all contact with her. And from what I'd heard, even her own family were disappointed but felt they had to take her in once my father kicked her out of the house.

"Right, say your piece, Kylie, so we can get this divorce over and done with. I have a life I'd like to get on with. You're the past, where you firmly belong."

"Who is she?" she asked quietly.

"Who?"

"The woman to your side."

"This is Jennifer Morris. Once our divorce is finalised, I will be proposing to her and, one day soon, she will be Jennifer Williams."

"And I'll naturally be saying yes to his proposal as I want nothing more than to be his wife and mother of his future children."

I smiled for a moment though I didn't avert my eyes from Kylie's. "Once she says yes, we'll be organising a simple wedding ceremony. With any luck, by the time we're wed, she'll also be carrying our child."

I knew hearing all that hurt. I still knew my soon to be ex-wife and the hurt in her eyes was real. "You've moved on rather quickly," she stated.

"I wasn't the one cheating, Kylie. You were. I remember leaving the evidence."

"You never let me explain. I went out that night and you didn't say anything. You didn't fight for me."

"I shouldn't have to fight for you because I was your fucking husband. Therefore, in the end, you weren't worth fighting for. You were cheating on me, Kylie. You showed your true colours after twenty years together. I remember our conversations regarding monogamy and fidelity. I warned you that should you prove to be like my mother, I'd leave without any hesitation. All you did was make the decision easy for me. Are you even sorry about what you did? Don't bother answering that, because you're not. You're only sorry you got caught, not for proving our marriage was nothing but a fucking sham and you're a worthless whore, just like my own mother." Her lawyer cleared his throat. I glared at him. "Fuck off if you don't like what I'm saying. She wants to talk, fine. I'm allowed to talk as well."

"I made a mistake."

"Cheating is not a mistake. Cheating is a series of decisions you made to eventually have another man stick his cock in you. I don't care if you were seduced by him or you purposely went out to try and fuck him. The simple fact is that you did fuck him, and therefore you lost any right to calling me your husband."

"It was just sex!"

"And there it is! The line that so many whores use to justify their decision. Sorry, but most people equate sex with love, and considering you were my wife, I'm the one you should have been having sex with, not some fucking wanker you worked with. We also discussed that before we married, Kylie. You just don't remember. Once again, I warned you what would happen if you cheated on me. Thing is, you forgot that my mother cheated. Once I took my head out of my arse, I realised what you were doing, so it was just about gathering evidence."

"If you'd said no that night, would you have still left?"

"Yep. I was gone regardless. I wouldn't have left in the same manner though. What you did that night was so fucking disrespectful, you deserved everything that happened afterwards."

"You took all our money."

"Consider it payment for twenty wasted years." I paused and shook my head. "No, that isn't entirely fair or correct. You gave me our two children. That wasn't a waste. I also checked they were mine."

That upset her. "I never cheated on you then!"

"No, you only turned into a whore later."

"You sold our house!"

"No, I gave it to my father as a gift. It's still in his name and he's renting it out. He's already told me that he'll sell it and give me most of the money so I can buy another house where I'm living now."

"You didn't even give me a chance, Mark."

"Because you didn't fucking deserve one, Kylie."

"Where are you living now?"

"None of your business. I don't want that information known by you. The day I walked out was the day you no longer mattered to me. Our children are grown and can choose who they want to be with during their special days, whether it be birthdays or the festive period."

She fell silent as she knew nothing she said was going to change my mind. "Just sign the papers and move on," Jennifer stated, "He hasn't seen nor spoken to you in twelve months. He's moved on. He loves me and I love him. We're going to marry, start a family of our own, and grow old together. You chose to throw him away. I'm glad I was the one who caught him, held him, whispered he'd be okay, and I'll never let him down. He owns my heart and I know I own his."

"I didn't want..." She met my eyes and I could see the tears. I kept my face blank. Waterworks would not work on me this time. "I still love you, Mark."

"Good for you. I don't care, Kylie," I replied coldly. The tone made her almost jump. "I don't hate you any longer. Don't let the cold tone fool you. I just don't care about you any longer. You ceased to be my problem the day you let another man fuck you."

We sat in silence until her lawyer finally cleared his throat.

"Kylie, this is clearly getting nowhere," her lawyer stated, "Just sign the paperwork and end the charade. He's clearly moved on as he intends to re-marry. No judge worth their salt will prevent that from happening. Your marriage is over. Your kids are grown. You no longer share any assets. It's over. Do the honourable thing, sign the paperwork and move on."

He took the paperwork from a folder and placed them in front of her before offering her a pen. Kylie met my eyes and that's when she did cry. I knew her enough to know that she was genuinely upset. Wiping her cheeks, her hand was shaking as she gently took the offered pen and glanced over the paperwork. At the bottom, she signed and dated the paperwork.

"Is my presence necessary in the court room?" I asked my lawyer.

"No, Mark. You can go. You'll receive the Divorce Order in the mail."

"Good. Then we're done here."

Rising to my feet, Jennifer took my hand and I lead her out of the room. "I'm sorry, Mark," I heard her call out, "I'll always love you."

I appreciated the apology, though it meant nothing any longer. It was far too little, far too late. But as for those last three words, I'm fairly sure she did still love me, but I didn't care. The woman I loved was currently holding my hand, and in a month and a few days, she'd be my fiancée. Walking outside and down the street, my father, Naomi, Steve and Charlotte waited for us in a coffee shop. Gesturing with my head, we walked further on the nearest pub as I was gasping for a drink.

After buying a round, we sat down at a table and I explained the discussion. They were amused when I admitted I probably did more talking, getting anything I wanted to say off my chest. "How did she look?" Charlotte wondered.

"Like shit. Definitely looking her age, if not older."

"Definitely earned yourself an upgrade," Jennifer whispered into my ear.

"Did she sign the papers?" my father asked. Nodding, we clinked glasses and sipped our beers. "I went through the same shit with your mother. I'm fairly sure whatever Kylie told you is what she tried to tell me."

"She didn't try and blame me, Dad. Mum blamed you for working too much."

"Did she try and justify it?" Steven wondered.

"Yeah, the old line of 'It was just sex'."

"What the fuck is it with these slutty women claiming it's just sex?" Charlotte wondered almost to herself, "I married my husband and wouldn't dream of stepping out of him just for sex. If I want sex, I'll approach my husband and ensure he fucks my brains out whenever I'm feeling horny." She stopped and blushed, realising she'd just said that in front of her father and grandfather.

We exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. "Well said, girl. Well said!" my father exclaimed.

"And words to live by. Whenever I'm feeling randy, your grandfather doesn't stand a chance," Naomi stated, "And if he does need a little chemical assistance, he knows there are other things he can use."

"Naomi, that's my grandfather!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"He's not dead, nor am I. I'm sixty-five years old and still more than capable of a good fuck," Naomi retorted, "Your grandfather met me at the right age. He was still a randy bugger and I was almost constantly horny. But as soon as we were together, we made a promise to be good to each other. We've both come from failed marriages due to infidelity."

"I'm just glad it's nearly over," I admitted, "I hate the fact I'm just another divorcee, but as I said in the room, cheating is unforgivable. Fair play to those who choose to work things out. Maybe if you kids were ten years younger, I'd have felt trapped. But then I looked at my father. It was a struggle, but he always had my support."

We remained in Sydney for another couple of days as I discussed with my family their plans. Charlotte and Tom immediately agreed to come to Adelaide. Steven was still assessing his options, but would more than likely join us. To my surprise, my sister suggested she'd be heading out to join us. Taking her out for dinner, when she arrived alone, that's when I learned her marriage was also over.

"You can stay with us while you sort things out," Jennifer offered, "Any family will be welcome. You're now my family, and my family is now yours too."

"I'm selling the house here and we're going to make bank on it," I added, "House prices in Adelaide are much more reasonable than here so we're going to buy a large property."

"With rooms to fill with little people," Jennifer suggested, taking my hand and placing it on her stomach, "Soon enough, I'll be carrying our first child. How many do you want, Mark?"

"As many as you want, Jenni. I love being a father."

A month later, I received the Divorce Order that told me that my marriage to Kylie Daniels, as she hadn't kept her married name, was officially over. I never heard from her again, but I learned through the grapevine that she left Sydney within six months of our divorce being granted. From what Steven told me, as he was the only one who still spoke to her, she headed north to Queensland for a fresh start. After that, I simply stopped asking, and Steven stopped telling me, as I no longer cared what she did.

Two days later after receiving the Divorce Order, I proposed to Jennifer on the beach in front of our families. She could barely get a word out, nodding as I slid the engagement ring onto her finger. Six months later, we married on the same beach as our new home was barely a few hundred metres away. As she walked towards me in her wedding dress, no-one would have missed the baby bump, but my soon to be wife simply glowed as her father walked her towards me. Taking her hand, neither of us could stop grinning as we turned to face the celebrant.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."

*****

Epilogue

I'm a year from retirement age and life couldn't be any better. Jennifer and I have been married for nearly twenty years and we're still as happy today as the day we met, our first date, the first time we made love... All those firsts leading up to the day we married.

Within six months of returning to Adelaide after that trip to Sydney, my daughter and son were living in Adelaide. My daughter is still married to Tom and I have three grandchildren. My son is married to a wonderful man and they have adopted two children. My father and Naomi joined us in Adelaide a year after the divorce, where he lived for nearly a decade before he passed away peacefully in his sleep. Naomi was heartbroken, and the first thing we did was insist she live with us. She resisted for a while until she realised our house was enormous and we eventually built her a granny flat so she still had independence.

My sister joined us in Adelaide almost immediately after leaving her husband, taking the kids with her. Like her brother, she was a victim of infidelity, and he didn't fight her when she took his children away. We found her a place to stay after she'd lived with us for a couple of months. She eventually married one of my co-workers and good friends, and they've been happily married for fifteen years. My brother remained in Sydney and he was the only one who kept in contact with our mother. I learned when I was sixty that she'd passed away. Having had no relationship with her to speak of for nearly forty years, I found it difficult to feel any grief at hearing of her death. Jennifer suggested we should still attend her funeral.

Again, it was about being the better man so we all flew into Sydney to attend. I was surprised to learn she'd remarried and pretty much adopted her husband's children as her own. They were not shocked to learn of our existence, but were surprised that she wouldn't have admitted to being completely estranged from two of her three children. We could have explained why we were estranged, but a funeral wasn't the time. We simply stated we were attending to pay our last respects before returning home. With no family remaining in Sydney, my brother joined us in Adelaide within the year.

As for Jennifer and myself, we eventually had four kids together, two boys, two girls. My older daughter and son were thrilled to have siblings, and were happy to babysit, not that Jennifer and I headed out too often. But we remained deeply in love, always ensured we communicated, never went to bed angry, and our sex life remained as vibrant today as it was when we slept together for the first time.

I look back at my life and that time of my divorce. I'm sure there are those that would have preferred me to go scorched earth on my ex-wife, but what would the point have been? Walking out without a word actually hurt her far more, nothing but silence on my end for a year before I returned to simply make sure the divorce was done. She knew my thoughts on fidelity and she broke the contract. As for those who believe in reconciliation, I can't agree with that either. If your wife cheats and you find it in yourself to forgive her, then that's on you. But the trust is broken, and can it ever be fully restored? I don't believe it can. You would spend the rest of your life being suspicious and resentful, and a divorce in the end is more than likely inevitable.

Instead, I took the road not travelled often. No real revenge, at least not to the extent of burning it all to the ground, but there was no chance of a reconciliation either. I just walked away and chose to get on with my life without Kylie. I found Jennifer, my one true soulmate. I still state that meeting in the supermarket was fate. I'm not religious, but I'm fairly sure there are those Old World religions that talk about the gods of fate.

"Are you ready, Mark?"

I turned around to see my wife looking utterly resplendent in a gorgeous red ball gown. What made me smile is when she lifted up the front to show me she wasn't wearing any panties. "That's yours later tonight, lover," she whispered, "I'm fairly sure I'm already dripping wet from the thought of you fucking me senseless."

"What about right now?"

Walking towards me, she stopped and leaned up to kiss me as her hand caressed my crotch. When she felt my cock start to stiffen, she broke the kiss and smiled.

"Still have the old magic, I see."

"Heard from the kids?"

"They're either on their way or getting ready to leave."

"And the young'uns?"

"Will be fine without us here for an evening. As long as they don't burn the place down."

"So do we have time to fool around?"

She smiled at me. "Well, it would be shame to waste an erection. Got your little pills handy for later, just in case?"

"I don't need them that often, Jenni. You still turn me on something fierce. And if that needs time to work, I have other ways and means to get my wonderful wife off."

"I should bloody hope so." She cuddled into me as I held her tight to my body. "I love you, husband."

"I love you, wife."

"Many more years of happiness?"

"I should hope so."

"Well, maybe we have a few minutes to make love before we need to go. I'll tell the kids we're delayed for a while."

"They'll know why."

"And?"

She smiled and took my hand, leading me towards our bed. It wasn't the same bed we'd first made love on, though it was the same bed on which we'd conceived two of our children, and spent many a night making love for hours. It was never going to be a quick thing once her gown ended up on the floor next to most of my suit. And once we were completely naked, we couldn't help smile at each other.

"Fuck it, we'll just be fashionably late," she moaned as I slid inside her, "I still can't say no to this after all these years."

This old boy still had it, at least.

*****

A/N - Well, there we go. My first and probably only attempt at this category but I'm glad I gave it a good go. Hope you enjoyed it, no matter which side of the fence you reside on. Perhaps more 'Romance' than 'Loving Wives' at times, but I tried to focus on the affair first and then drip-fed the fallout of that affair through most of the story.

For those interested about why the story flowed as it did, these are some of the divorce laws in Australia. There's quite a bit here but some of you not from my homeland might find it interesting, particularly comparing it to some states in the United States where things can be rather different:

Divorce is legislated at a Federal level and divorce proceedings take place in Federal Courts in each state.

Australia is a 'no fault' country and has been since 1975. Before this year, adultery could be used as grounds for divorce.

If married for less than two years, counselling is mandatory as ordered by the court. The couple must obtain a certificate from a marriage counsellor stating the marriage is irreconcilable.

The married couple must be separated for a minimum of twelve months before applying for divorce and prove the marriage has irretrievably broken down with no likelihood of reconciliation.

The separation generally means the two people live apart. 'Separated under one roof' is possible under certain criteria. Legal advice is necessary. Many men are recommended to pursue this so they have equal opportunity when it comes to child custody. The worst mistake many men make is to leave the family home.