All Comments on 'You Could Have Stayed'

I know all the haters are gonna pop up for this one so I just wanted to say I liked and it was good. It always takes 2 to make anything happen, good or bad. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great little story!

5

Well written - 5*

Good story. 4*

Should have been more for how many issues needed resolved but I understood your art with the foundational phrase.

RAAC's are hard. You really have to have overwhelming love for a person to marry them twice. Especially if that person has cheated on you and left you questioning SO many things.

If all of her complaints about her husband were true, she could have filed for a separation or divorce if she couldn't get him to change his ways. You look for a new person to have sex with AFTER you split up.

Very Clever. You just keep getting better and better.

Nicely put together and believable. Both characters admitting their faults and stumbling toward a solution. Who was more to blame? I imagine everybody will have an opinion, but it's the authors decision and he chose wisely if you ask me.

A sensible, lifelike story, nothing over the top, just two people finding one another again.

Gutsy move, NTH. Bunker up for incoming. Beautifully written. They both stayed, just as they needed to.

There will be plenty who hate it.....but it was so well written that 5* is the correct score

A beautifully crafted tale. The turn round was was paced perfectly. Thank you, G

A great read, as always.

But it's 'who', not 'that'.

Great story, very different

I think you live up to your "name" with this story!

That felt real!

I would have preferred that he slept with other women a few times to see if he could find someone else before going back to try with his wife.

I'm not against a reconciliation (against a raac yes) but trying a reconciliation means that we haven't found someone else.

That was beautiful

That wasn't so good

Ok that was good and really showed how it's not an insta fix. How trust takes time to rebuild. And also nice to see the husband wasn't just a saint whose self sacrifice of work was painted as a positive.

The wife was in a bad way but here the reconciliation felt natural and still vulnerable. Believable.

Thank you for writing.

Nicely done. 5 Stars.

G

Poignant, actually. And kinda refreshing for this category. Thank you.

Nice!

Victim blaming sucks

For a No Talent Hack, you write very well. 5 stars. However, I’d like a spin off called, “You Could Have Bathed” about a husband finding out his wife was cheating because of her failure to attend to personal hygiene after her tryst.

For a No Talent Hack, you write very well. 5 stars. However, I’d like a spin off called, “You Could Have Bathed” about a husband finding out his wife was cheating because of her failure to attend to personal hygiene after her tryst.

Great story! Loved it!! Ignore the haters, they’ll be coming for you!!!

After the raft of shootings it was refreshing this morning to read a couple of reconciliation stories

Enjoy the writing but not the last story with reconciliation. Maybe some anger sex with her. Maybe tell her that hope this was better than her lover. Then leave her dry.

Nice

I understand...but it's a no from me dawg

the story confused me.

for the first time

a story from NoTalentHack I didn't like

- maybe the husband was a wimp

- I think the wife was blaming the husband it was his fault she cheated --

huh?

then I think the husband owned up that he was to blame for her cheating

I mean HUH?!

then the husband forgave her and they reconciled...

I think

really confusing...

Not clever or in any way interesting.

Great story. Hit close to home for me. My military career was everything and I pushed her out. There is always someone waiting in the wings that wants what you have. We made it through….barely. 30 years later yes it was worth it.

Chuckles McSunshine strikes again. Damn you, this is not the kind of three tissue experience I come to this site for! 5

Heart warming and....tough

I love a good tear-jerking happy ending! Yours was both warm and (mostly) believable!! 5* cause...I would read this again - if just for the feel good / hope build! O....your insight into his growth of responsibilities and his recognition of the failure to honor and all....NICE. Yeah - worth everybit of 6* (o wait...only goes to 5).

But...two things...

You have a lot of thoughts that get interupted ... I hvae mixed emotions about those...they certainly make each scene (conversation) more believable - but a bit taxing (maybe cause I may be of a more simple mind). And the scene where you talked about the birthday party ...I had to read several times before I could figure what was happening. Perhaps a brief mother-in-law or something might have made it easier (did i excplain my simple mine...?).

Thank you for the read!!!

Love it. So real.

Great story - you are one of my favorite authors!

Great story! I don’t normally like reconciliation stories but this one is a rare exception. Great job!

Totally unlike any other NTH story…and most stories in LW. Repeating the title became a bit stilted, but was understandable. At this point, it’s simply a given that the story is well written, but I suppose worth noting a steady level of quality. Thanks, NTH!

Well done

This chain of female conclusions is very infuriating: Yes, I cheated on you and it was a mistake --> You ran away and left me --> Why couldn't you understand and forgive me? --> IT'S YOUR FAULT FOR RUINING OUR MARRIAGE!!!

One of your best. Loved it

Well-done progression from anger to pain to tentative steps back to final reconciliation.

This chain of female conclusions is very infuriating: Yes, I cheated on you and it was a mistake --> You ran away and left me --> Why couldn't you understand and forgive me? --> IT'S YOUR FAULT FOR RUINING OUR MARRIAGE!!!

How do you do evoke such pathos in a story? You’re stories ring true, they are about love, loss and sometimes making it right, sometimes making it through.

You are literally my favorite author. Thank you for contributing.

5***** Real imperfect people overcoming their mistakes and rebuilding their love for each other. Enjoyed it!

You know, for a NoTalentHack, there was a lot of emotion and the story was very believable. For only letting us see snippets of their time together, you were able to portray a very good story. Easy 5*. Every time I see a story from you, I look forward to reading it.

Brilliant and uplifting. Thank you.

A story with a happy ending: I'm impressed. And I'm even more impressed that you don't sugarcoat the issues, nor the reconciliation. Two adults who have made mistakes acknowledging their mistakes and working together to rebuild. Thank you for an adult story in the very best sense of the term.

Not usually into RAAC but they worked for it. It seemed inevitable.

What a breath of fresh air after the BTB cesspool that’s infested this category lately. Thank-you for that.

I imagine it is very realistic. Five stars

So he went through all the agony and disruption of a divorce just to forgive and remarry the slut.

What a complete dumbass.

He only had to wait another year for child support to be over, and he could sell the house. Then he'd be around 40 with zero financial obligations and much more income after his promotions.

He was in great shape, with a great career... replacing her with someone younger and prettier would be easy.

-

Instead of getting back together with his unfaithful middle-aged wife, he should've taken all the lessons he'd learned from the failed first marriage and dated women half her age.

Reconciling is always a terrible idea. The relationship will always be permanently tainted by her infidelity.

Maybe so. Maybe not. D

Another fantastic entry from the quite talented NTH!

Fantastic. Innovate plot device, adult discussions, and a hopeful outcome. A unicorn of a LW story.

A classic design concept, repeating the same four words to form a unified structure, but changing the context of each repetition to create contrast and propel the plot. Repetition with variations. A novel and entertaining presentation of a common tale of redemption. Fun read. Nicely executed. Thank you.

A clever and enjoyable read. Thank you.

I like that this raac occurs after the divorce, but I wish you had mentioned how many times she cheated on him. It matters to me.

I despise the childish, tired counseling trope, but the writing is generally so good that I have to give this a 5.

Welcome back, NTH. A terrific story.

I enjoyed the way you put the story together. A nice, clever way to move through time and express what was happing to our 'heros'.

Thanks. 5*

Wow - Powerful story with a lot of emotions that thousands of real people are working through this very moment. I was pulled right into the characters and their situation. As someone with five kids who almost got divorced a couple times (not fidelity related), I can really relate to the turmoil of emotions they were going though. Well done, again! 5*

Enjoyed it. Realistic reconciliation, believable, flawed characters. Good use of the hook phrase throughout, good narrative. 5/5

Once again the untalented hack pumps out a pretty nice depiction of real life, with all its attendant daily problems and possibilities. And one again I say..."Well done."

More please.

MLJ

A different concept, refreshing.

The arguments/conversations are a very real occurrence. But the pain and disrespect that still comes with the choice of have an affair doesn’t make a reconciliation very likely.

But an enjoyable read none the less.

You started out pretty well with your first few stories, now just going down the middle, trying not to offend anyone. Got to have a flawed guy so wife gets off the hook. I guess the haters got to you. Too bad, you had potential until you gave in to those who demand weak men.

That was really good bro! 5 stars. I love how efficient your writing style is, while conveying meaning and emotion well.

Interesting manner in which to show the evolution between two people over a period of time.

The first paragraph of a couple of segments were a bit confusing in terms of what had happened prior to the start of that section.

Dammm...Well Done!

Nice. Thank you for a well-done story!

I liked the choices you made; what to tell about, what to gloss over. It left the field clear to work out the aftermath.

Finally, he stayed. Good.

I can already picture the scathing comments because he took her back. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. Hubby did wrong, which in turn lead the wife to doing wrong. Hubby wasn't ready to forgive his wife until he realized/understood the role he played in pushing her away. Thanks for sharing! 5*

I'm so tired of the "I was wrong, but it's your fault for not accepting sloppy seconds like a good little cuck" trope. Making him an asshole to match doesn't really help the story. All it does it give the reader no reason to invest in either character and thus it doesn't really matter how it ends.

You told it well in a diffent way!

This is going to draw down some hate, but I think it's a very realistic story. People are flawed, but they can fix what they break if both choose to.

excellent story of life and love, finished with realization and accceptance.

A good one, and a good reconciliation ending. The BTB types wont be happy, but this is a good one

@

muskyboy

I like that this raac occurs after the divorce, but I wish you had mentioned how many times she cheated on him. It matters to me.

"You were fucking another guy!"

Kelly regarded me coolly. "No, I fucked another guy. - Sounds like just one to me.

I'm a touch typist on my keyboard and rarely have to look at the keys. Today, I looked down and noticed that the '5' on the number 5 key was missing and some letters were in it's place. I put on my glasses to look closer and saw that the letters 'NTH' had replaced the 5.

After reading this story I hit the 'NTH' key to register my vote. Probably for the nth time.

Excellent story.

Kelly still needs to work on forgiving herself.

As with everything NTH writes, this one was also insightful, realistic, full of conflict and emotion, and damn near perfectly written.

Awesome story! Thanks, NTH! Five stars ⭐️ for this thoughtful, mature story.

Original. Interesting construct. Apparently not my cup of tea, as I found myself in skim mode after 1st page.

Really well written but I just can't get oast the only woman in the world aspect. Millions of others out there that wouldn't cheat. File for divorce maybe but be honest.

5* -- you keep proving over and over you handle is a cruel joke! Great realistic story about a couple going through what couples do. Truth is the 3 edge sword. Your side, their side and the actual truth.

Excellent as usual. 5*/5

I've given rave reviews for NTH's other stories, so everyone already knows he's one of my favorite new authors. On this one, he illustrates the perfect use and misuse of the English language, that amateur writers should take note of. Comma, then - should technically be comma, AND then. We know that because well, our laptops, or Grammarly, or the editor, catches it and says so. But sometimes, leaving the AND out says so much more. We, as authors, ultimately need to decide, hopefully by reading it aloud.

Cagivagurl published a story on the same day as this one. Also one of my favorite authors, and quite creative. That story is also very good, but read both stories and compare the dialogue. This one, for me anyway, demonstrates people communicating out loud exactly how people do in real life. This story is laden with some of these classic grammatical 'mistakes,' but are they? I don't think so. They enhance the dialogue. They frame the MC's state of mind when his thoughts are shortened. The briefness is deliberate and well-placed, not just intentional.

It takes a great deal of talent to pull that off. NTH certainly has that.

I really liked it. Part of me wanted to give it less than 5 stars, but the realism of the conversations made me give it the full 5 stars. You're definitely NOT a No Talent Hack !!

I loved this theme and plot with the fabulous "Five Christmases" by TheWorldSpins. This is executed well but suffers from the prevalent "It's always the man's fault"-itis that so permeates mainstream culture in CurrentYear.

***

She's sure sorry about what she did, but if he just didn't have to provide for a family of 4, a mortgage, then things would've been different ... If he just didn't decompress with hobbies and friends after having to earn all for the family it all himself ... It was all fine at first, but ... If he just...

***

And goddamn him for actually liking his job! Imagine the unmitigated gall of that? For wanting to excel at his profession? To make a mark in something that he worked so hard for? It's all his fault. And he MUST atone! But atone not only for her cheating, but for making her do it.

***

I do not understand how the husband was making sooooo much money, was doing sooooo well that his wife says that she wished he would work less, yet the story opens with his request to cut back on support payments. This does not compute. I know support payments and alimony take a bite, but either he was making it or he wasn't. If he wasn't "making it" (and his begging to cut down his payments shows he wasn't), then is the wife delusional that he was doing so well? And that her thinking that he should be working less was *gasp* ... WRONG? Oh, wait. That would put a huge hole in the wife's excuses to why she cheated. If he HAD to work insane hours to cover her desired lifestyle, then she had no room to complain about him being away. Note there was not a single statement from her that she was willing to cut back on her lifestyle that would allow him to work less. And, of course, if he HAD to work, then it wouldn't be a reason for his "admission" of guilt later. Can't have that.

So were they well off or weren't they?

***

No, no no. We can't have logic here. The woman is never delusional. Never. Just like the woman is never responsible. Oh, she cheated. BUT. No, it's always the man's fault. This seems to be a running theme here...

***

Eventually, the man is worn down, falls on his sword and admits, mea culpa, that it's all his fault. "I didn't honor you, I didn't cherish you." First, WTF does that even mean in this context? Second, spare me. Providing for her and the kids the lifestyle she adored wasn't honoring or cherishing her and the kids? She sure wasn't complaining about the big house and cushy life she had. She sure wasn't complaining that the kids had the advantages that his work brought in. What was she willing to sacrifice? Not. One. Goddamn. Thing.

***

No. She was bored. She wanted more. She had to monopolize all his time as well. How much is enough for her? But regardless, whatever he did, she still couldn't keep sanother man's dick out of her for months at a time.

***

The big difference between this story and the tale I quoted above was that in that story, both partners were brought low; their separation clearly devastating BOTH partners and clearing the slate, tabula rasa, to restart fresh. She cheated because she could, and once caught, her fall was precipitous. Here, aside from the first stanza, there is very little difficulty that I took away from the inevitable reconciliation, especially on her side. She wasn't waitressing to make up for the loss of half of his income. She wasn't ready to move back in with her parents because housing was just too expensive. Nope, she stayed in the house and experienced only a loss of her whipping boy.

***

I'm cool with the reconciliation here, that's not the complaint. It's that the path to it was far too easy and there were plot holes big enough really show current cultural biases.

A splendid realistic tale. There is more than one way of cheating.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Nice, four stars.

Captcha

I added it to my favorites.

Just because it's one of the few reconciliation that were not disgusting to me.

I actually enjoyed it.

5*

Great story, had to read it 3 times…… 1st thought it was choppy…. 2nd and 3rd timing got me thinking, and enjoyed the complexity and realism of the story. THANK YOU

Who is ever ready for marriage and then who is ever ready for divorce? Feelings, love, hate, anger questions no one can answer, no one to ask. You're 80 years old and still trying to figure out where did you go wrong 40 years ago. At first you blame the other person and say I did no wrong and then you say to your self maybe I was to selfish or what did I do to fail in that relationship. No, it's all the ex's fault, she's the one that cheated, she's the one that destroyed the family so she could go out and find someone else. She's the one that destroyed your relationship with the kids. Yeah that makes sense but sure doesn't solve anything. This was not a good story and I can't say I loved but it got 5 stars because it's true to life except for the reconciliation, except in my case.

Nicely done.

Liked "you could have stayed" being repeated through the story with the reference and import changing each time, a clever plot device !

5 stars...

Powerful slice of life. Reality.

This is a great story. I guess I will never figure out why some think a story can't have a BTB section and still have a reconciliation for an ending. 5-stars.

Liked everything about this. Sweet ending. Aaron becomes a strong man when he can admit his mistakes.

5. While this would have worked as a straight up regular story I feel the way it was told with conversations made it if anything more if anything more interesting. A nice story of reconciliation, not a RAAC. Liked that it touched upon both had a hand in the end, she messed up worse of course but he helped lead up to it. I sometimes get annoyed with stories that try to blame the husband but this, to me, worked. Wasn't really blaming him, still made him out to be the "victim" of her actions but didn't act as if he was totally blameless either. Very good story.

OK, Sure, Why Not?

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Conveniently void of the details of her betrayal, their eventual slow methodical reconciliation makes sense. They both tried dating and finding new love, but they reconnected with their original love and romance, and lust. Divorce is a great way to end a toxic relationship, but its a self defeating way to punish someone you still love and who still loves you. And in the end, marriage is All about the end. You don't know if you've had a good marriage until it has stayed good until its essentially over. Apparently many marriages time out after middle age, or early into retirement, when people want something, someone, new. The wife experimented with someone new, but that experiment failed. So now they are back, older and hopefully wiser. Again, not knowing the details of her betrayal, its pretty easy to assume they might make it this time. Why not hope they do?

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I think what recommends this story as much as what it included, is what it omitted. Cock size issues, virgin ass issues, money and fame and humiliation issues, just not part of the plot. So maybe this story left out a lot of the sex drama, and focused on the emotional and ethical issues. More brain than cock and pussy, more thinking than recreation/compensatory fucking. That alone makes this story somewhat rare. I enjoyed it. Thanks for the effort.

You have tuned out to be a helluvan author, I really look forward to seeing a story by you on the new story list.