The Plan

"And would you want her after what you know now?" Larry added.

"You're probably right Larry." Turning to Bill, "Bill, give me a day or two to decide and I'll call you. ok?"

"Sounds good Matt. Can I start the framework of the docs and we can add the details later or trash the whole thing if you want?"

"Yes, let's do that."

Larry followed me out, he handed me his card.

"That has my personal number on it, Mr. Franks. In case you ever need me on the side."

"Please Larry, call me Matt. Thank you."

"Matt, I know some people who could help you get revenge if you decide to go that route ... I mean they call me 'Larry the Sleaze' for a reason." He stated with a smile.

Laughing, I said, "Good to know Larry, I'll let you know if I need that kind of help.

"Seriously though, thank you for the offer. I don't think I could do that to Kels but I like knowing I have a friend if I decide to go down that path." Larry smiled at me and waved as he headed for his car.

I thought about my choices all weekend long, I could barely concentrate on anything else and it appeared Kelsey never even noticed I was deciding the fate of our family, it did occur to me that she had already decided that for all of us. I wrestled with all the feelings of doubt, anger, fear, and frustration. The humiliation and loss of my perceived Manhood are what hurt the most, my self-identity was my work and my family; 'Who would I be without my family?' I thought.

I worried about Caitlin and how she would transition into this next chapter. It irritated me to think about that arrogant bastard raising my daughter; I even had flashes of him walking my daughter down the aisle at her wedding! My emotions and thoughts were all over the place. No matter how much booze I poured over them, I didn't receive any clarity until Sunday morning.

Sitting on the back deck nursing a hell of a headache, it occurred to me, this was probably going to happen no matter how much I fought it. I had already lost my wife; I could see the contempt in her eyes. I had already lost my family. What mattered now was on whose and what terms was I going to lose everything. Then an old saying hit me, Lead, Follow, or get the hell out of the way. Well, I wasn't going to get out of the way, and I wasn't ready to follow those cheaters. So, I had only one choice, lead.

Monday morning, I called Bill.

"Bill, Matt Franks here."

"Good morning Matt, come any closer to a decision?"

"Yes, I have. I would like you to complete all the documents required, add only the legal pics that Larry obtained. Split everything 50/50." I paused.

"Do you want to sell the house?"

"Yes, we took a low-interest loan from my trust fund to buy it, so we had been paying ourselves all this time. We'll split any equity we get, but I'll recover the full loan amount and interest we have paid over the years. It's a win for me." I answered.

"Also, please add 200k for Kels out of my trust; consider it payment for services rendered. She might be more amiable if she knows she isn't walking out of this completely broke.

"I want primary custody of Cait, I know that will be tough, but maybe Larry can find some dirt on our boy Jason that would make him look less like a suitable father to a young girl. I heard he was a first-class frat-boy in college, maybe he got a little fresh with some of his conquests. Sick Larry on him, please.

"Have a back-up plan for Cait, if we get too much pushback on the primary custody thing, please write me up the most generous shared custody plan you have ever heard of." I stopped for a second to allow Bill to catch up with me.

"Also, I want to sue Jason for alienation of love and affection ... and find out a way to get his wife Shannon involved in the mess, I want her to be aware of what's going on in a complete legal above board kind of way. And speaking of her, please create another divorce set-up for adultery and have it ready for her, I'll pay her fees, I think she should get what's coming to her, and make it ugly."

"We can have them both served in the alienation suite, but you have to know it won't go anywhere. I'll also need to get her to sign a contract with me, I can get the forms started but without her consent or information, there isn't much else I can do." Bill explained.

"I understand, I just want to shake the tree some and since you're at it, I want to sue Kelsey's company for allowing her to sleep with her boss. I'm pretty sure they don't have a morality clause in their handbook, but it has to be shady for any company to allow this to happen under their watch. He is her direct supervisor. I know it probably won't go anywhere, but again, let's shake that tree and see what falls out."

"Ok Matt, this is going to get expensive and then go up from there, you are talking a lot of man-hours, and if it is contested, even more."

"I understand, it's only money and at this point, I will empty my trust if I need to make sure those two do not profit more than what they are due ... and as my Daddy used to say ... "Anytime you get a lawyer involved, you're just negotiating how much it's going to cost!" ... I've got it, so I might as well use it."

Bill was laughing at my snide comment about lawyers as he spoke, "We'll he sounds like he was a smart man! You know you don't have to give her any money from your trust. Your prenup is airtight."

"I know Bill, but I have thought about this all weekend and figured if I don't leave her destitute, she might be more willing to go along with my demands and she kind of deserves it. She has worked hard and helped me protect it from unnecessary draws; both of us were counting on it as our old age nest egg.

"I was thinking it might give her an edge over Jason so when she finds herself out on her own, she doesn't have to be as reliant on him. She deserves more, but there is no way in hell I'm going to give that cheating bastard Jason anything more of my life than he has already taken. I mean ... my wife should be enough!" I was feeling the rage as I spoke just thinking about Jason taking over the life that was supposed to be mine. I always considered myself to be fair in my dealings and I wanted to make sure I treated Kelsey fairly, even though she hasn't returned the favor. My solace was that I was sure Caitlin would approve of my actions later when she understood how our family fell apart.

"One last thing, Bill; don't file yet. I want to have everything done, 'I's' dotted and the 'T's' crossed and ready to roll. I want to wait for her to make the first move; this will give me more time with Cait in our family home. I'm aware there will be a time when I need to pull the trigger, but I want it to be at the last moment when I can't hang with it anymore."

"Got it, we can leave it undated and not notarized till you're ready, I work on Saturday mornings from home, so if it falls apart on a weekend you can give me a call. We still won't be able to file till Monday morning, but I can have somebody standing at the door when they open and have them served the same day."

"Good, it's a plan." We said our goodbyes and hung up.

I pulled Larry's card from my pocket and dialed.

"Larry, Matt Franks. How are you?"

"I'm good," he replied. "Are you ready for some sleazy fun?"

"Well, sort of ... but I want you to wait for my word, okay?"

"No problem Matt, what are we talking about?

"Can we meet in person?"

"Yep, give me an hour and I'll meet you at the Dunkin' on 6th?"

"Sounds good," I replied.

I was already waiting when he pulled into the lot. He got some coffee and a snack and then sat down opposite of me.

"I want you to put together the nasty file, photos, video, recordings, everything you have. We need to find a way to get it to Shannon Stanton anonymously, maybe email?"

"No problem, I know a guy who works the dark web." Larry stated.

"Is that all? What about posting the videos to a porn site, or sending the 'nasty' to her parents or co-workers?" He asked. Boy, he is sleazy I thought.

"No, Kels will still have to be seen around town, I wouldn't want her so humiliated that she leaves town with Cait ... and I still love the stupid bitch! Even if she isn't in love with me anymore." I slipped an envelope with $5,000.00 cash in it across the table. "This should get you started but let me know if you need more."

Larry thumbed the cash and looked up at me, "3k would get this done." He may be sleazy, but at least he is honest.

"Keep the rest as a retainer; I may need your expertise later. Don't forget, sit on the file till I call you. I want them caught off guard and I have my reasons for letting them make the first move.

"Oh, we should also get an idea of what issues his wife has, her medical history might play into anything we decide later. Is that possible?" I asked a smiling Larry and then I just smiled and nodded back to him. "And did Bill ask you to look into Jason's college days? I'm looking for something I can use against them if we fight over custody." He again nodded his head and made a couple of notes in his notebook.

We finished our coffees and chatted about his career as a cop and people we might know. We finished, shook hands, and parted ways.

That was three months ago.

I was brought back to reality as Bill arrived and then shortly after his assistant and Larry.

"So, it's 'go time' ... huh?" Bill asked as everyone seated around us.

"Yep, sounds like it ... Larry, do we know if Kels has been to a lawyer yet?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I did a quick search of her emails after Bill called and didn't see anything mentioned. I'll take a closer look today and will know by Monday morning." Larry Stated.

"LALALALA, I didn't hear that!" Bill exclaimed while plugging his ears with his index fingers, "I can't know these things, Larry!" Larry smiled and nodded while giving me a sly wink.

"What about Jason, any dirty laundry?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah, he was investigated along with his frat ... something to do with date rape drugs and some underage girls at parties. I got copies of everything and passed it along to Bill already."

Bill looked up and nodded his confirmation and added, "I've got them if we need them for the custody hearing." Pulling out the documents we had been working on for the past few months, showed me where to sign. As I signed, Bill's assistant notarized, I spoke to the group.

"Larry, can you find out who Shannon Stanton hired as a lawyer? And let Bill Know? Then, Bill, if he's worth a damn, can you share our legal file with him?" I asked the group.

"What if he's not a decent lawyer?" asked Bill.

"Then we get Shannon in touch with you somehow, but I would rather we do it the right way. Larry, I don't think we need to send her the 'nasty'." Larry nodded as he sipped his coffee and Bill looked between the two of us.

"Bill, can I pick up the docs Monday afternoon? I'll give Kels the docs first myself and let her know what's going down, and then can you have her officially served on Tuesday?" Bill nodded his understanding and spoke to his assistant about the fillings and to get a server ready for Tuesday.

"And then, I would like Jason and their company served on Tuesday afternoon. I guess we can take Shannon off the alienation suit since she will be in the loop soon enough. Bill, you can share the file with Shannon's lawyer on Monday afternoon as long as he doesn't blow my chat with Kels Monday night." I sat back and sighed, "By Wednesday, this should be well underway."

"Matt, have you thought about where Kelsey will stay Monday night?" Bill inquired.

"Not until just now ... any issue with her staying at the house for a few days?"

"No, as long as you don't get a restraining order and she agrees. I wouldn't sleep with her, legally I don't think it's an issue but might be uncomfortable for you. I would be concerned of what a less than scrupulous lawyer would do with that information," Bill added.

"Ok, I'll give her a week to find a spot, we aren't having sex now. I don't see a problem ... oh, did you mean, actually sleep in the same bed? Oh, but our docs do give me temporary control of the house and Cait, right?" I asked.

"Yes, till her lawyer files a motion and gets it all reversed or till we all come to an agreement. I meant actually sleep in the same bed, it just might give a strange vibe to the filings," Bill stated.

"No worries, we are not sleeping together now.

"Hey Larry, what did you find out about Shannon's medical?"

"She has been fighting depression and a bipolar disorder for years. Apparently, the meds killed her sex drive and Mr. Wonderful went looking ..." I could tell Larry was going to add more and cut himself off when he remembered I was married to the more Jason found, I smiled at him.

"I don't suppose we want to know how you found this out?" Larry just smiled and shook his head and Bill feigned shock.

"Bill, is that any concern to us?" I asked.

"No, not now, it might play in later when we get to the custody part and find out who is staying with who and when. We can have it mentioned as a condition in the final draft for Caitlin to never be left alone with her." Bill was busy making notes on his iPad as he spoke.

"Ok, I don't see that being an issue since they don't have kids and they are divorcing as well. Might as well be safe than sorry later." I grimaced as I spoke, 'Divorce is a fucked-up business' I thought to myself.

We all chatted for a few more minutes and one by one broke up our strategy session and moved on with our day. I felt a little depressed the rest of the weekend; my duties to be executed on Monday were weighing heavy on me. Kelsey never noticed, not that I expected her to.

Sunday, I called my aunt and arranged for her to pick up Caitlin from school on Monday and for her to spend the night so I could speak with Kelsey about some important family matters. They lived on a farm outside of town and Cait loved playing with their dogs and feeding the animals. She would drop Caitlin off at school Tuesday, I figured we would break the news to Caitlin Tuesday night. I let Caitlin know of the arrangements and she was excited though a little confused why on a Monday night, I again just passed it off as Mom and Dad needed some private time to discuss stuff. She bought it, reluctantly.

I'd been sleeping in the spare room more and more and again, Kelsey never mentioned it. She looked relieved when she saw me head to it at bedtime. I lay there Sunday night, reviewing my checklist and double-checking my plan, finally drifting off to sleep somewhere during the early morning hours.

Monday morning, bright and early I called my VP of Operations and explained that I needed the week off. I also called my assistant and my senior production manager to pass on any details they needed to know while I was out.

Around 1 PM I dropped into Bill's office and happened to catch Larry there as well. I saw the stack of papers on the desk and the flurry of activity in the office told me everyone had been busy.

"Matt, we filed at the courthouse this morning, and here are Kelsey's documents like you asked and we have arranged for the official service at your home around 9 AM on Tuesday, does that work?" Bill asked as he handed me the envelopes.

"Yeah, that should work, I'm going to encourage her to take the rest of the week off. I'll call you if that were to change," I responded.

"Fine ... Fine ..." Bill paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing, "Larry found Shannon's lawyer and he is rather good, so I sent him our files and he was salivating.

"At first glance, it looks like he will be suggesting a counter-suit for adultery and a ton more of their assets than a 50/50 split and he has promised not to do anything till the morning ... so we are good there."

"Ok gentlemen, have we forgotten anything?" I asked, a little depressed and down.

"It looks like Kelsey has an appointment with her attorney next week, best I can tell from her calls and emails today. And Matt, please let me know if you need any other assistance; yeah?" Larry asked discreetly, earning another sharp look from Bill as to what we had going on.

"Ok, good. I will Larry, but I think we are good," I responded, hoping I didn't need to get any dirtier than I already have, I guess it all depends on Kelsey and Jason now.

I left Bill's office and texted Kelsey.

[Matt at 1:55] Kels, are you going to be home at a decent hour tonight?

[Kelsey at 2:02] 5:30ish, why, what's up?

[Matt at 2:04] Nothing, I was a little distracted this weekend and wanted to try and make it up a little tonight.

I arranged for Aunt Alex to get Cait tonight and stay over

Thought I would bring home dinner, any cravings?

[Kelsey at 2:16] How sweet 😊

Chinese!!

[Matt at 2:20] Done, I'll have dinner ready at 5:30

I felt like a total ass setting her up this way, but it wasn't uncommon for me to do this lately. I hoped she just figured I was going out of my way to be extra nice and loving.

Monday night @ 5:30:

Kelsey got home around 5:15 and changed clothes as I set the table and distributed the food. I poured a couple of glasses of wine and was sitting at the table when she showed up. She took a long tug from her glass and we passed the food back and forth. We carried on small talk as we ate, and she didn't appear to have any clue about what was going to happen.

"How does the rest of your week look?" I asked as our eating died down and we both were just picking at the favorites on our plates.

"Pretty light, did you want to plan something?" she asked, giving me a sideways glance.

"No, I thought you might want to take the week off after we chat," I spoke in a monotone voice trying to keep any emotion out of my voice.

"Why would I do that?"

"I know Kels ..." I started as I placed the envelope on the table in front of her, she just looked down at it and then back up at me taking a sip of her wine, "I know about Jason and you planning on filing for divorce."

She coughed a little as she choked on her wine and gave me a blank stare. I could see the gears working in her head trying to figure out how I knew or what she was going to do to slow me down. "What divorce?" she finally choked out.

"The one you are meeting with a lawyer about next week and the one Jason already filed on Shannon. I know you are in love with him and are planning to take Cait and leave me."

I opened the packet for her and slid a some of the photos towards her, her eyes got big and she set her glass down and picked up the photos and looked through them. I could see her eyes moisten, and she started to hiccup a little as she does when she gets over-emotional.

"I'm so sorry Mathew, I never meant for any of this to happen ... I ... I, I ... I don't know what else to say ..." She trailed off looking down at the table.

"I know Kels, I've known about your plans for months. I've had time to make some peace with it all. I'm greatly disappointed in you and I'm extremely hurt ..." I held my breath for a moment to regain my confidence and to control the anger swelling inside of me. "The only thing I want to know is ... is ... did I do something, or not do something that drove you to Jason?"

"Oh God no!" she exclaimed looking me in the eyes for a second and then retreated to the table, I'm guessing because of guilt and shame. "I ...it ... it just kind of happened, you haven't done ... you didn't do anything to drive me away. You were a great husband and father ... I ... I just fell for him..." she finally got out.

I was both disappointed and relieved; I guess I can't help it if she just fell out of love with me and decided to take Jason on. He has had plenty of time to worm his way into her heart and push me out and there was nothing I could do now to prevent it, our marriage was dead and all that was left was the paperwork. I pulled out the terms of the divorce and handed it to her.