The Shared Wife

When I first posted this story, I forgot to thank my editor -- Skubaill. He's helped edit my last two stories, and I can't say thank you enough. As most writers understand, editing is the hardest part. And editing your own work is harder still. Not only that, but it's nice to have a fresh perspective of your story. Sometimes, it really helps to have something pointed out to you that you have totally missed. Skubaill had helped me with that twice, and if he's willing, I'll impose on him for future stories.

*

I knew things had changed when Ronnie Stetzer returned to town. At one time, he had been my wife, Cindy's fiancé. Ronnie had broken up with Cindy a year before I met her. She had been very upfront about the fact that Ronnie had broken her heart when he decided to split with her and marry a rich woman ten years his senior.

I did a little digging as I got closer to Cindy. I didn't want to get emotionally involved with a woman if she would go running back to her first love. I'm a police detective, so investigating Ronnie was fairly easy.

"Detective Bricker?" a young female police officer asked as she approached my desk.

"Yeah, that would be me," I responded as I squinted at her name tag, "Officer Collins."

"What are you working on, Ted?" My partner, Mike Sullivan, asked. He was third-generation police, and he was a good one.

"Just a background check on my girlfriend's ex-fiancé," I responded.

"You think she's cheating on you?" he pressed.

"No, nothing like that. I just don't want to go any further with Cindy and then have the old fiancé show up and have her go running back to him."

"Don't let the Captain catch you doing it," Mike said with a smirk. "He gets his shorts in a knot about stuff like that."

I just smiled and opened the envelope. The contents were unremarkable. Ronnie had, as Cindy had told me, married a Katherine Winton. They had been married for about a year and had a little girl, Stacy. Aside from a few speeding tickets, Ronnie didn't have any criminal history. He worked as a financial advisor for the Winton Financial Group. I knew that the Winton Group was fairly big, handling billions of dollars of investments.

In addition to Ronnie's history, I had also requested information on Katherine Winton. She was the only child of Roger and Margie Winton. Roger had founded the Winton Group. Katherine had a degree from Columbia University and apparently was a financial advisor at her father's firm. She had no criminal background at all.

Everything seemed on the up and up so far. But before I put my heart on the line, I was going to do a little checking. I would discretely inquire as to whether Ronnie's marriage was a solid one or not. Normally, that would pose a little bit of a problem. How do you inquire about a couple of rich people without stirring the hornet's nest? Fortunately, there had been several break-ins in their neighborhood. And, at that time, I was working a series of break-ins in my area. I decided that I could always claim that I was looking for a connection.

I did further investigations on my day off, and I wasn't worried about any blowback. Worst case scenario, I'd get my wrist slapped for pushing too hard. In many quarters my inquiry would still be viewed as a good thing.

What I found was that Mr. and Mrs. Stetzler was apparently a loving couple. There was no sign of any discord between the two. One of their neighbors described them as the perfect couple.

Satisfied that Ronnie was happily married, I continued to date Cindy. She didn't have the gorgeous looks of a model or a movie star, but she was very pretty. She was about five-seven, with soft brown hair and hazel eyes. Cindy had a very pretty face, but it was her loving heart that drew me to her.

We were married about a year later, and almost nine months to the day our little girl, Amanda, was born. Life had been good for eighteen of our nineteen years together. We had our share of disagreements, but nothing serious until recently. Usually, our disagreements would occur when we disagreed about doing something. Cindy was an only child and had been spoiled by her parents. However, over the years, she learned to curtail her stubbornness.

When our daughter was born, Amanda became my little princess. We were especially close, and our family was very tight. However, for the past year, Cindy and I seem to be drifting apart. I began to realize that we did less and less stuff together. Still, our lovemaking was very good, and we did it at least two times a week, most weeks more. Cindy seemed the happiest when we were cuddled together. I knew she still loved me deeply.

I still loved Cindy but in a different way. It was no longer like the hot passionate love we had when we were first married. We were like two old shoes that had seen better days but went together well. Still, I did love my wife deeply, and I especially loved the life we had built.

It was when Amanda finished high school, Cindy's change seemed to accelerate. She seemed to be at loose ends, and the closer it got to when Amanda would leave for college, the more uneasy Cindy became. I was now the Chief of Detectives for the Sheriff's Department, and I had thirty-two detectives under me. Since this wasn't a high-crime county, the job wasn't too stressful. It did have its moments, but usually, it was nine to five for me. Cindy still worked as a dental hygienist.

About a month after Amanda left for college, Ronnie showed up at a BBQ given by a couple, John and Ann Smythe, who were really more Cindy's friends than mine. Still, John and I got along great as he owned a security company, and we always had plenty to talk about. I had no idea that Ronnie would be there, but I was sure that Cindy knew. She immediately detached herself from me, which wasn't unusual, and began to circulate. But after an hour, I went looking for her and found her and Ronnie sitting on the front porch.

When I walked out, Cindy's neck got slightly red, which was her tell that she was up to something I wasn't going to like. She quickly introduced me to Ronnie, and I felt my stomach squeeze. As a cop, you developed an internal instinct, and mine told me that this was real trouble.

Cindy tried to blow it off like she was surprised to see him, and they were just catching up on old times. But her neck flushed red during the entire explanation. I decided that I wasn't going to blow the whole thing out of proportion. As a police officer, you are many times confronted with extremely unpleasant situations. Still, you have to handle them calmly and professionally. Sometimes, it was very distasteful.

I remembered one time, I had to take a little boy away from his mother. It had been ordered by the court. I can still remember the little boy's pitiful screams as I placed him in the social worker's car. The little boy's heart was broken, and his mother collapsed on the front lawn, totally destroyed. I still have bad dreams about that incident, but I did what was required of me. I pray that that little boy and his mother were reunited, but I could never find out. The records had been sealed for some reason.

On my next workday after the BBQ, I did another investigation of Ronnie. What I found out was that his wife had died of cancer a year ago. In all the years since my first investigation, Ronnie didn't even have a speeding ticket.

As the months went on, we kept running into Ronnie at more and more functions. I knew this wasn't by accident, so I began to prepare myself for the worst. I figured any day now, Cindy would want us to sit down because she wanted to talk to me about something. But as prepared as I thought I was, Cindy blew me out of the water when she decided to have the talk.

We had just finished a rare morning lovemaking session, and I was wondering if maybe all of my concerns were for nothing. It was clear to me that Cindy still loved me as deeply as ever.

"Ted, I want to talk to you about something," she said nervously, "and I don't want you to get mad. I want you to let me finish before you say anything."

My stomach then turned upside down.

"You know that Ronnie was my first love," she explained. "We were engaged to be married. Then he fell in love with Katherine, and we broke up. Since his wife's death, he's been devastated. He is so lonely. He tells me that he is still in love with me, and I have to admit that I'm still in love with him. But at the same time, I still love you also."

I didn't say a word, and I was struggling to control my breathing and remain calm. This gave Cindy renewed courage because she smiled and continued. "I want to still be your wife, but I want to be with Ronnie also. Ronnie and I discussed it, and we think it would be fair that I stay with you for a week and with him for a week."

I slid out of bed, got dressed, and left without saying a word. I headed to my office and closed the door. My secretary looked at my unshaven face but knew not to ask as he had seen me pull all-nighters numerous times before. I told her I didn't want to be disturbed unless it was something major. Fortunately, I was left alone.

I sat in my unlit office for hours. I kept going over and over the proposal that my wife had put to me. It was the most selfish thing she could have done. It was clear to me that Cindy wanted her cake and wanted to eat it too. That wasn't going to happen. She was going to have to choose.

About five o'clock, I headed back home. I was super annoyed when I saw Ronnie's car in the driveway. I tried to gather myself and use all my years of police training to remain calm. Still, all that training didn't prepare me for anything like this.

I found them in the living room, sitting nervously. Cindy got up quickly and came over to give me a kiss. I pushed her away, and I could see she was hurt by that. I didn't care.

"We need to talk about this," Cindy said nervously.

"There's not much to talk about," I said curtly. "You either want to be with dickhead, or you want to be with me. You can't have it both ways."

"I don't think you've thought this proposal through completely," Ronnie said as he stared nervously at me. "I'm not taking your wife away from you. I'll just be giving her the additional love she needs. Yes, we'll be sharing her, but she will never miss any of her wifely obligations."

Now the inner rage was almost to a boiling point. This smug bastard had just told me that I should be willing to let Cindy sleep with him because she needs extra loving. I was disgusted with both of them. And at that moment, I knew my marriage was over.

"Except," I said, glaring at Ronnie, "for the wifely duty of forsaking all others. No, I'm not going to go along with this arrangement."

"Ted," Cindy said with a look that told me she was now upset with me, "this is going to happen. The question is whether you are going to be part of it or not."

"Not," I said. "I would like both of you to leave now."

Cindy burst into tears. "Ted, please let me have this. I've been a faithful wife all these years. Ronnie was my first love, but I don't want to lose you. I love you so much, but I love Ronnie as well."

I snorted and looked at Ronnie. "Tell me, Ronnie, if your deceased wife had come to you with a proposal like this, would you have accepted it?"

He smiled at me and nodded. "If it would have made my wife happy, I would have gladly agreed to it."

"Bullshit!" I said with more force than I wanted to. But I wanted to drive my point home, so I turned to Cindy. "And what about you, Cindy? If I came home with a former girlfriend and told you I wanted you to share me with her, how would you feel about that."

Cindy hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "I guess I would be upset like you are right now, but I would eventually agree to it because I truly love you and want you to be happy."

"More Bullshit," I said with a shake of my head. "I will be contacting a lawyer in the morning to arrange for a divorce. I think the split of the assets should be pretty straightforward. The house only has a small mortgage. Once that's paid off, we'll split the proceeds. Our investments, savings, and checking accounts will be split. Amanda's college fund will remain intact. There will be no alimony since you'll be living with dipshit sitting there. Now, both of you, please leave."

Cindy was crying hard now as Ronnie took her arm. When she got to the door, Cindy turned back to me and said, "the door is always open, Ted. If you change your mind, I do love you deeply. I do want you in my life."

Once they were gone, the stillness of the house pressed in on me. I felt hollow inside, but years of being a policeman had trained me to compartmentalize. I shoved the hurt into a box and closed the lid. Then I went to the den and started making a list of the things I needed to do. I knew exactly which attorney I'd retain. Her name was Sally Leoni. She had a reputation for being a real shark in divorce proceedings. Usually, she represented the wives, and the poor husbands never knew what hit them. Over the years, we have crossed paths. I had helped her numerous times when I didn't have to. I did it because I knew the scum, she was trying to stick it to. They deserved to get screwed as much as possible.

The next thing on my list was our assets. The house I would list with a neighbor who was a real estate broker. I would open new accounts in my name only and transfer half of everything into them. I would cancel all of our joint credit cards and apply for a new one in my name only. I also had to remember to tell Cindy to get an attorney of her own.

I looked over the list and realized there was one thing I hadn't done yet. I had to call Amanda and let her know what was going on. It broke my heart to have to tell my little girl what her mother was doing. It took a full five minutes for Amanda to calm down so that I could truly understand her. What came then was a surprise.

"That fucking slut did that to you, dad," she said with venom. "All those years, you have been so wonderful to her, to us. And now she stabs you in the back. If she does this, I don't want anything to do with her."

"Amanda," I said calmly. "You're very upset right now, and I understand your feelings. But Cindy is your mother, and she loves you unconditionally. Don't destroy your relationship with your mother over this. We all lose if you do that. Can you at least wait a few days until you talk to your mother?"

"What if she calls me," Amanda asked. "If she does, I'm going to let her have it with both barrels."

"Please, if she calls, just don't answer for a few days. Promise me you'll do that."

Grudgingly, Amanda agreed to do as I asked.

Later that night, Cindy called me quite concerned. She had been trying to call Amanda but hadn't been able to get ahold of her. I explained that I had talked to her, and our daughter was obviously upset. I explained to Cindy that Amanda wanted to calm down before talking to either of us about the subject."

"I'll bet you poisoned her mind against me," Cindy accused me. "I'll bet you painted as nasty a picture as you could."

"Cindy, how could I paint it any worse than you have already done?" I said calmly, which I knew would piss her off. "Her mother wants her father to give her mother permission to sleep with another man."

Before Cindy could say anything, I decided to take care of one of the items on my list. "Oh, as long as I have you on the line, you should get yourself an attorney."

"Please, Ted, don't do this," she was crying again. "It is killing me that you want me out of your life. I still love you so much. Can't you bend a little for me?"

"Not on this, Cindy," I said and hung up.

I took the next week off to make sure I could concentrate on getting all my ducks in a row. The nights were horrible, though. Lying in bed by myself was beyond lonely. I'd wake up in the morning and reach for Cindy only to remember why she wasn't there.

The first thing I did was call Sally, but I was surprised when she told me that Ronnie had already called her. That scumbag was cagey. He must have already researched who the best divorce lawyer was and now had beaten me to the punch.

"Well, if I can't hire you," I said, somewhat miffed, "can you recommend someone I should hire?"

"I said that Ronnie contacted me," Sally said with a snort, "I didn't say he hired me. In fact, I told him you had already retained my services."

"Wow," I said with great relief. "I really appreciate you doing that."

"Ted, most of the men in this town think I'm a piece of shit," she said bitterly. "You're one of the few who has always treated me with respect. You're one of the few who went out of his way to help me when you didn't have to. I have always appreciated that. There is no way I would take a side against you."

"Again, it's much appreciated."

"You're still going to have to pay my fee," she said with a laugh. "I do appreciate you, but I have to pay the light bills too."

"Not a problem, Sally. And again, thank you."

Even after a few days to calm down, the telephone conversation between Cindy and Amanda did not go well. According to both, it devolved into a screaming match with ugly names hurled back and forth. Cindy called me afterward, almost hysterical, that she had lost her daughter forever. I told her I would talk to Amanda and try to get things settled down. But that turned out to be a much harder job than I could have imagined. Amanda was still spitting mad when I talked to her about a week later. According to my daughter, she had told her mother that she didn't want anything to do with her. Cindy wouldn't be invited to her graduation, to any marriage, and if there were grandchildren, she'd never meet them. Now I understood why Cindy was in hysterics.

The calls from Cindy continued right up until the day the divorce was granted. She continued to plead with me to reconsider and accept their plan. I, of course, continued to refuse. The calls stopped after the divorce, and I tried to move on. Thank God I had my work to keep me busy. As Chief of Detectives, my schedule was pretty flexible. Over the next six months, I made myself much more hands-on. I was often able to point some of my newer detectives in the proper direction. This way, they didn't waste time going down obvious dead ends. I also started going through our cold case files. As a result of my efforts, we were able to close a long-forgotten murder case. It turned out that the ex-boyfriend had done it. They had the evidence all along but just didn't see it. I got a commendation for that and a pay raise.

Cindy and Ronnie got married about a month after the divorce. They wanted to buy out my half of the house. But the thought of Ronnie living in my house turned my stomach. Ronnie threatened to go to court to force me to sell it to him. I told him to go ahead and take it to court. I was friendly with all the appraisers in town, and when I explained my dilemma, they all agreed to help. The appraisals came in much higher than the house was worth. Still, Ronnie didn't care. He paid a ridiculously high price for my home. That pissed me off, but there was nothing I could do about it. In the end, however, I rather liked the outcome. I got way more money out of the sale than I would have.

The divorce went through better than I had thought it would. I have Sally to thank for that. Her questioning of me was so thorough that she found information that helped me. The down payment on the house had come from an inheritance from my grandfather. As such, that amount wasn't considered community property. As a result, I got about seventy-five percent of the proceeds from the sale. I used that to buy myself a condo for cash, not too far from work.

Life went on, but I'd be lying if I said that it didn't hurt. All those years with Cindy and she decided that I wasn't enough. I tried to get back into the dating scene, but that was even more depressing. Most of the women I went out with came with a ton of baggage. Some of them were downright scary. And almost all of them were desperate to get married. I, on the other hand, was not interested in marriage. I had been down that road already. I was not looking to go down it again.