All Comments on 'Hero's Lament Ch. 02'

But for the extent of her offenses, even I kind of feel that Nancy was a bit overpunished. I mean, she had an affair, but it was not a malicious one, and she conceded to all the requests Tyler made. She didn't fight the divorce, she didn't attempt to put him in the poorhouse, and she didn't try to take the kids or poison them against him. She was even gracious to his new woman.

Having her live the life of a spinster is a bit much. I would think someone, her kids once they grew up perhaps, might have sent her to a shrink so she could forgive herself. Compared to some of the evil bitches we read about here, she was practically a saint.

I'ts sad to see many authors try to navigate the line between what they want to write and what the public wants to read

Ok this woman had an affair with a pussyhound neighbour,after they were discovered she did everything possible to make it up ,far worse female caracters are forgiven on LW so why not her ?

Laptopwriter i like your work very much but here i think you gave in to the general opinion of some of the not forgiving crowd,sad,very sad

Nancy was a good person who fell from grace, unlike some other cheaters who never really had grace to begin with. So it's not surprising that she doesn't rationalize her affair as "it was just sex," or any of the other common cheater clichés, try to blame her cheating on her husband or try to blame him for his inability to live with what she did. She sees her destructive act of betrayal for what it was, unclouded by the self serving delusions that a lesser person would throw up to shield herself from reality. And the fact that Nancy is not being subjected to the vitriol her conscience tells her she deserves from her ex, her kids - hell, even Susan moves away from the neighborhood, carries out her bit of vengeful scheming to play matchmaker for Tyler and Abby to crush Nancy's hopes for a reconciliation on the QT and doesn't look for an opportunity to rub its success in Nancy's face - only reinforces Nancy's feelings of guilt. Because nobody else is lighting the BTB fire she feels she deserves, she ends up stoking it herself, forever.

I find one sided endings unpleasant. The husband is able to grow and move on. The wife grows, learns her lesson, but is still punished. By the direction of the story I'm not sure if this is the ending that the author wanted or what he did to make the general public happy.

Still, laptopwriter pulled it off, even if the ending was less than satisfying. 4 stars from me.

The ending is good not because Nancy was "punished", it was good because it proved Nancy's underlying love for her family. Perhaps she really was a one man woman that lost her way. There are many people that love one special person for their whole lives.

While I think the ending is good in terms of the logic of the plot, I still do not think that Nancy's character is realistic. She was still a cheater. Cheaters are people that do not love their families more than they love their own egos. Her proven lack of love for her family means that she should have had no trouble finding more men to fuck. As the story ended, Nancy would have her children to love and for many that is more than enough.

It is logical that Tyler would find love again and get married because that was his nature. He is the kind of person that enjoys loving other people, it brings him pleasure. Susan's end was logical as well - revenge. Her future is loveless and dark.

The epilogue was simply removed.

Without the epilogue, we wouldn't have a short, cold description of Nancy's bleak future. Would that perhaps be a more palatable ending?

For sure, there are real futures of cheating spouses where they struggle to 'move on' and find another meaningful love... and just as surely, many of them are content with their lives. I think it's just the brevity and lack of hope in the 3 paragraph epilogue that makes her ending seem unnaturally (and perhaps unjustly) harsh.

I really feel for Susan. First her husband cheats on her, she divorces him, and just as she's about to get out of the neighborhood and away from her ex-friend who slept with him, she almost dies saving the woman's child from a speeding car. That's true heroism, to save the child of someone you despise so much. We can only hope that after Susan accomplished her revenge on Nancy by getting Tyler happily remarried she went and got some counseling so she could move on with her own life.

But it wasn't my story and good enough for max stars anyway.

but when and if she re-dates, don't forget about the spider webs, TK U MLJ LV NV

Well that's one way to end this tale. But I felt you really rushed the ending to this. This story had a good balance to it all the way to the point where Tyler hooked up with Abby. Then things went faster than a speeding bullet. The epilogue left some uneasy feeling. As if Sue had an agenda of her own and willing to destroy everyone else's lives. Thought Sue liked Tyler and Abby. Aparently not.

story was pretty interesting as it showed how a relationship can go so wrong with one misstep. I think that the neighbor had alot to do with the dad not forgiving the mother but then he might have been a hero in the story but he could not forgive her one bit. the new wife might have alot to live with when he stills loves his first wife. might come back to haunt her in her life with him. keep writing

was it's biggest problem. It's nice that Tyler was happy at the end. The story began with the betrayal and followed the natural course of events, like water running down hill. There was no tension after the discovery. The final 75% of the story was a guy living after a divorce and finally getting married to someone. It happens... all of the time. As a reader, I look for tension, emotion, twists, and surprises. This story maintained a level of interest. but peaked early and sort of died a natural death. This writer has garnered a reputation for fascinating characters and interesting experiences in his stories. This one was a bit pedestrian.

That I have some sympathy for Nancy. I saw what happened to my best friend's brother after his divorce and he began living exclusively for his kids. Full custody of three young boys. Well they are all almost grown now. When they are gone then what does he do?

A quick aside It's funny how some in the RAAC crowd can call a months long sexual affair that took place in a man's home probably in his bed "one misstep." Just a small thing that a real man should forgive and forget and make the husband out to be the bad guy for refusing to do so.

Anyway good story.

It had too many elements that I don't like in wronged husband/cheating wife tales. 1st, Tyler was just too damned perfect. Okay, he lost his temper when he found out his neighbor, whose life he had saved, was fucking his wife. Frankly, if he hadn't lost his temper I would have thought it totally unrealistic. But other than that moment, he was just perfect. Perfect dad; perfect husband; perfect gentleman; perfect friend. I don't find too many people who are really like that. Except on Lit in LW stories with a cheating wife. 2nd, the great, beautiful rebound girl is as close to a unicorn as you can get. In real life, people have a hard time adjusting to divorce. There first few relationships don't go well. They need to heal. Meeting somebody even prettier and nice and better than the ex, who the kids love and who also seems just about perfect, and being engaged within just over a year - this is also something that pretty much only happens on LW tales of wronged husbands.

LTW is such a good writer that the story is readable and I read it. But to be honest, his reputation accounted for this as much as the story. I suspect that if this was written by a first time writer, I'd have skimmed it more than read it and the overall scores would be less.

But, I know its hard to write things, and LTW is technically excellent. I enjoy reading his work and enjoyed this, but not immensely.

Being a child if a similar situation.

Made me feel for the character Nancy as I felt for my own mother but, they made their own beds to their own demise. Glad the husband Tyler was able to move on; always possible with the right help, that so few really ever get. I usually feel more for the husband that is never able to get over the love & trust which had been stolen. Even more so for the children that have to grow up with the fact that the one relationship that all their relationships should be based on had been cheated by the one person that should be revered in the family nucleus. Speaking from experience; it is difficult to trust in close relationships when you are a child from such a situation. It's a severe consequence when you cheat; on not only the one you vowed to love, honor & cherish but, your whole family. Even though we are all damaged in one way or another; we need to think of ALL the consequences to our actions and, not live selfishly.

Look she screwed up. Tyler moves on. He recognizes her as a great mother. But since she can't have him back , she only lives for her kids. So sad for Nancy. Life is to short and she should have moved on. We all fall at some point in our short lives . Even though she cheated she is still entitled to a life. Very sad for her . Lap top writer is a great writer but for him this story was a little better than average.

They all don't live happily ever after.

The best story I've seen on here in a few years. Thanks for not having him be dumb enough to forgive her.

It is probably pointless to criticize a writer particularly one as good as Laptopwriter for essentially giving the readers what they want. Based on scores the audience in the LW section wants the husband utterly blameless, the unfaithful wife consigned to the third circle of hell and a new and sexier woman impatiently awaiting the chance to pull the fiercely unforgiving spouse into her bed. To me this contemplates a darkness in the human soul that I find troubling. A man who walks a way from a woman who has loved him for more than a decade, given him children, and is sincerely remorseful for her wrongful acts without even trying to heal the relationship lacks any sense of true compassion. As counterpoint to this story I would urge readers to sample Ohio's Visiting Richard Gronier which demonstrates what a truly loving husband and father will do to save his marriage from the consequences of his wife's affair.

She had an affair, it doesn't say how long which i think is why you're seemingly on the fence but for all we know it lasted a year. Why is he wrong to expect his wife to be faithful and not want to put up with it if she's not?

I can see how and why Tyler would be driven to behave that way. Before the discovery of Nancy's cheating, he probably thought his life really was perfect. Now his marriage has ended, so he's making an extra effort to be a "perfect" father, ex-husband, neighbor, boss, etc., because it's what he has left. He's also seen what he's capable of if he lets his anger over Nancy's actions get the better of him, and he doesn't want to go there again, if for no other reason than that the consequences could ruin everything he still has. But the price of all that "perfection" was that he walled off prospects for a future relationship with someone else; if not for Susan's revenge-motivated matchmaking, he was probably destined to end up living the same lonely "lived only for the children" life as Nancy.

Basically the story underline that everyone who gets into an affair will be big losers but their spouses will always suffer. I have the feeling that Abby will have some bad moments when Hubby has that far away look in his eyes.

Sad that Susan got her revenge but never moved on herself....

mordbrand and friends... Nancy never pursued her goal of reuniting her family or proving her Love to her ex-husband; to once again make him the Love of her life and once again, His. Nancy did not start out to remove the vision of her with her lover nor did she re-build his manhood, his self esteem. She never saw it. Too little, too late, not in the least did she redeem herself only be a good Mother...

ltw, Thanks for sharing your great work on Lit.

x

I didn't particularly like the ending. I enjoy a BTB when the wife is a one dimensional trollop but that is not what you painted. Wife cheated with one person who manipulated her and she appeared to have resisted and not gone out looking for it. She made one mistake, which was a big one and lasted a period of months. Wife appeared to suffer from ennui and possibly depression, she defended Husband to her lover when he attempted to denigrate him and she had already made up her mind before H knew about her affair to stop. W tried to atone and asked for forgiveness. In reality the children would have suffered much more than described here. Except for the big mistake, Wife appeared to be a good mother and wife. Did the H make the right decision. Probably not in reality. What ever happened to in sickness in health and the concept of forgiveness when the person is truly remorseful and penitent.

I may not have been strong enough personally to practice what I am preaching here and am thankful not to ever having the need to find out.

anon.1

A writer on Lit , and a frequent commentator Luedon , calls people of the BTB and the RAAC clans the "moral Brigade". Well that got me thinking (dangerous , I know) for day there is dark , for ying there is yang , so for Moral then there must be Immoral right.

Her main complaint ( and maybe a valid one , sometimes) is that those commentators who like there to be consequences for cheating spouses , to her seem as if only their morality is valid and therefore only one way for a story to end. I will be the first to admit that certain storylines have brought that out in myself. Hell , who among us do not let our emotions control us from time to time. Mea Culpa !

But then isn't it also possible to go too far in the opposite direction ?

In this story by LTW ( a great LW author, I think most would surely agree that) , he gives us a story about a man , who contrary to some, isn't perfect . He has his demons , but he is also a practical man. Only one person in this whole wide world is responsible for their own happiness , and that person is oneself. Tyler is able to realize this fact , Nancy is not.

Tyler knows himself well enough to know that a reconciliation with Nancy wouldn't be good for anyone. As Polonius once said "To thine own self be true" , and I think that describes Tyler's mindset well. His personality is such that , if you give something or someone all you've got , and its not enough , then the why repeat the same mistake over again. Is that being "Perfect" ? In my mind that's being practical.

By all rights , Nancy could have had a perfectly good life after Tyler. She knew the characteristics that she liked in a mate , and if she could have gotten out of her "Woe is me" funk , she could have found her happiness too.

But the Immoral brigade seems to think that " Oh your spouse has been having a Month's long affair, well shit , just brush off your knees and ass , open up that marriage , and go lay naked in a big pile !"

Oversimplified , of course. Far from the truth ?????

LTW , thanks for your story. As always , send more !!! Lol chuckle !

This would be about a 4.5 story , so I'll round up

5*'s

P.S. luedon , sorry about borrowing your word. Hey let's have T-shirts made up. I'll wear my Moral brigade with pride !!! lol. Much respect Lue. You are my favorite from the other side.

A 5 star until the very end. Although I would have preferred a little less 'absolute' as Ex-Sweetie was ably depicted as convincing about her conversion ... starting when The Asshole wanted to resume and Hubby heard her vehemently shut him down. I think Hubby's final rationale to Sweetie was fine, but I feel it was oresented too soon, then repeated ... even though her wish to reconcile was not reported as being presented very directly.

But my biggest grinch is the gratuitous announcement that ExSweetie's consequence was lifelong, while Hubby made out like a bandit!

4*

He just wasn't stupid enough to remarry a woman who destroyed her marriage out of boredom. She realized too late how much her husband meant to her. At least Nancy still has a good relationship with her children, and a civil one with her ex. Some end up with less.

Nice job, LTW.

Well said Crkppr. I thought yours was a thoughtful comment and I agree with your assessment of Laptopwriter's story. Life is not only complex, but it is messy. Nowhere is it written that life has to be fair, and the ending to Hero's Lament is probably one of the more realistic ones.

The story ended with lots of questions about the future for those who are now happy, at least one character now very unhappy, and a decidedly unfair result for the children who are innocent victims in any marital strife.

Stories that end with everything neatly tied up may be more satisfying for those who like to see the Goodies rewarded and the Baddies punished, but life is rarely like that.

Regarding the Moral Brigade, I have used that term to describe those commentators who believe that what is right for them is also right for everybody and what is wrong for them is also wrong for everybody. They would define the Immoral Brigade as those who subscribe to a different morality to theirs. I would define immorality as subscribing to a morality but not behaving accordingly. (eg; paedophile clergy.)

I don't believe that my concept of moral behaviour must be accepted by everybody. I would prefer that the Moral Brigade could accept that their concept of moral behaviour also doesn't have to be accepted by everybody.

Lue

Last couple of paragraphs were ......... ? Authors choice but?Personally did not add to the story Good story none the less

Is Kevin. He had a gun. The A hole was having a mental breakdown and was armed. It cannot end well for him.

JimC

I didn't care for the ending. I know that his ex was the cheater, but I really saw her as a victim also. One she was a victim of a controlling husband that would not allow her to work , and then a victim of a seducer. I know she did wrong , but this oh so good guy husband could not see that his wife was hurting . He was happy with HIS life and just expected her to be happy as well. So he is not the good guy he's built up to be. Also, I didn't care for Abby, there was no investment in her character, that was just to fast .

I don't think they should have reconciled. That isn't what I was going for in my initial comment. I just felt that the 'nunhood' like situation with Nancy in the epilogue was a bit extreme given her utter capitulation to the divorce. I still gave the story 5 stars, because it shows a dramatic amount of skill to make readers care about a character they would normally be predisposed to dislike.

If the epilogue was absent, I would have liked the story even more. You can't please everyone though.

Once again, I am writing these as I go, so somethings may change!

I hope Tyler hooks up with Susan! She wanted kids, that way she could at least have step-children!

"'Now you know how it feels,' she joked" - Shouldn't HE be saying that to HER?

"Damn it, that's not right. He should pay for what he did." - Yeah, just like cheating wives should, and usually don't, at least here in the LW universe!

I know Susan hates her, but she DID save her daughter's life, so why didn't Nancy visit, even if just to bring LeAnn up?

"That doesn't mean you can't pursue him though. Like I said, he's one of the good guys." - Okay, I guess not Susan!

"She could hold out and do her penance for as long as it took, but she needed to believe in the dream" - That's foolish! It's okay to HOPE for it, but meanwhile she has to move on with her life in case it doesn't happen.

"It was just as she thought. He still wasn't over his ex-wife, not by a long shot" - God, PLEASE don't have this be a reconciliation!

"you talked pretty highly of her, saying what a good mother she was" - Yes, what a good MOTHER she was, that doesn't mean she didn't suck as a wife!

"he wasn't sure himself if he was ready" - It doesn't have to be a "relationship" right away! Go out on a few dates and see what happens.

"I love her and we're going to be married." - Wow, not even an "It's serious" first!

While I feel a LITTLE sorry for Nancy, she brought it on herself, and wasted a lot of time spinning her wheels waiting for Tyler to come back instead of moving on with her life.

I think you got people where they lived. The realism was better than Law & Order. Nice, neat, and tidy? Nope. Just like real life. Flawed heroes? Yup. "Cheaters are inherently evil blah blah..." Whateverman.

Real life? People are interesting; and this story was very.

Some praise Susan for saving her enemies child. She DOES deserve praise, but let's not forget that it was also Tyler's child, or for that matter ANYBODY'S child. Now,if she risked her life to save Nancy we're talking real heroism!

As for Nancy's unhappy ending, that's pretty much all on her. With the POSSIBLE exception of Susan's sabotaging any potential reconciliation (that WASN'T going to happen anyway!), nobody went out of their way to make her life miserable. Tyler helped her with her education and babysat while she worked her night job. She CHOSE to hold on to her slim hopes for Tyler instead of getting out and looking for someone new.

It seems there is this never ending desire to punish those who make mistakes for the rest of their lives. Most often than not, people don't go the rest of their lives not finding another mate. In most cases people do learn to get past their mistakes and move on and find happiness.

I believe that the man sets the tone/climate for the home being that he is the leader of his household. The husband screwed up when he neglected her needs to work outside the home and only concentrated on what made him happy. So to me he is no hero. By no means is the wife off the hook, but the husband aided or "set the tone" in the family's downfall.

If I was Nancy, I would have felt bad for making the wrong decision in hurting the marriage, but would have probably wanted to move on from him anyway.

I disagree with you on two points regarding the ending. I don't think that "things went faster than a speeding bullet". True, a lot of narrative was taken up with Tyler and Abby's courtship, but we are told that things took place over a few months, and after telling Nancy in September that they were getting married,it didn't take place till the following June.

And I don't understand your criticism of Susan. Yes she had an "agenda" of her own, i.e. keep Tyler from reconciling with Nancy, but that wasn't going to happen anyway. And "willing to destroy everyone else's lives". Whose lives is she destroying? Certainly not Tyler and Abby's. She DOES like them, and now they are very happy together!

As I said in one of my comments, I'm not sure if it was here or in Ch. 1, it's not that he wouldn't allow her to work, just that he wanted her home by the time the kids got home from school, and despite her protestations, there ARE jobs with "mothers' hours out there. For that matter, we'll never know if he could have been talked into a child care situation if she found the right job,

Oh really. If you kill my child with your car, strict justice demands I kill your child with my car. I thought we'd moved on. Silly me.

I know many didn't quite like the way it ended, but in reality very feasible. It isn't very often in these stories that the wife is portrayed as remorseful to the extend this one was. She was reminded daily of the cost of infidelity. Good read. Well done.(signed ML)

P.S. It's refreshing to see a public feedback without mud slinging. Actually very thoughtful comments. Commendable behavior. There is hope.

she is stupid, and lazy. Its also the reason she never reconciled with Tyler. Kevin was an easy uncomplicated fling, and she focused on the low probability of getting caught, rather than the severity of the consequences. Most of the people doing long prison time thought they would get away with it too. Then, rather than work on Tyler's residual love by engaging him with her remorse and determination, she just mopes and waits for Tyler to come back. She'll spend the rest of her life doing that, waiting for Abby to die, or cheat. Nancy was too lazy and complacent to assert her needs while she was married, too lazy and complacent to resist opening her legs for a complete and utter asshole, and too lazy and complacent to fight for her marriage.

When Abby wanted Tyler she took risks and asserted her desires. When Tyler realized his hesitation was going to cost him a new life with Abby he stepped up and asserted his desires. Nancy just didn't have the character to resist Tyler's dominance, Kevin's seduction, and a remaining life of remorse and regret.

Well told, and very sad. Thanks for your time and talent.

A sad tale, probably more realistic as a warning against cheating than if it was a violent BTB tale.

Because of the kids, Tyler and Abby will be having regular contacts with Nancy for years to come. The way they have been portrayed, sooner or later one or both of them will realize how unhappy Nancy is with the life she's living and will join the kids in trying to encourage her to stop beating herself up and give herself a chance at living again. If for no other reason than for the kids.

this was doubleplus good. thank you!

Divorce is painful. Involving children makes the hurt even stronger. This is a well written story depicting the troubles and emotions of broken relationships. We can be both happy for the new couple and sad for those left alone. The real standouts in this saga are Chris and LeAnn.

Had to step back a day before I replied. Agree with some that the ending (epilogue) seemed kinda rushed. Sad that Nancy wasn't able to move on to some degree. One thing I noticed that as been mentioned by other commenters... Nancy was lazy... lazy isn't probably the most accurate but more ... responsive.

It didn't seem like she initiated... well anything! She always seened to be letting things come to her. The POS next door pursued her, she did nothing; when her affair was discovered, she did nothing; when her husband pursued a divorce, she did nothing; when he was trying to break his moving out to his children, she did nothing.

Sooo... after the divorce? She did nothing. People like that tend to end up in very one-sided relationships.

Again thank you for the interesting story!

it worked well.

She was taken by a predator and realized her mistake - her husband was was too ridged and wreaked havoc on the family instead of showing compassion. His insecurities were too deep seated and were off the mark - too bad but the outcome was too sad!

Nancy was too accepting of everything - from the affair to the divorce. Tyler was a self absorbed dick. I agree with him leaving her but it was all about him, even the kids.

And once again the guy so quickly finds a younger. better looking and/or richer replacement and falls in lust, sorry I mean love. And of course the ex can't because she has to look after the kids.

Like many of the readers, I had to stand back for a couple of days before commenting. The story - well written and compelling. The backstory, in this case, less so. Is Nancy the only bad guy? Let's see: Tyler insists that Nancy has to be there for the children every day - so no job (even volunteering [she did try]), literally no one else in the neighborhood, and what was her comment "... how many times can you clean a house...". Towards the end Tyler has one moment to take on a fair share of blame and justifies to himself something like , "... she probably would had cheated at work as well.." That is pure BS. Sure she was weak, but as a recently retired person who now has lost a good bit of the day-to-day social interaction I was used to, I can understand the bouts of loneliness and depression that Nancy is dealing with on a day/month/yearly basis. Particularly when Tyler comments that Nancy can stay in the house but will have to "get off her lazy ass and get a job..." it is another example of him not taking responsibility for his role in this mess. In this particular story I would have preferred that Tyler and Nancy get back together, together they find some type of childcare to cover the kids. Nancy works and goes to school. Let them meet as equals and see where it falls out. Susan can continue to hate or ignore Nancy as she pleases:however, Nancy was the one that realized the house needed to be secured and clothes, phone, purse,etc. needed to be gotten to Susan. Whether is was guilt/shame/sense of right doesn't really matter. When it came time to take action she did so.

I like this author's style and topics excepting the issues with this particular story.

. . . the story was mildly entertaining, although I find your style of writing in this story a bit stiff and unemotional. I do enjoy most of your efforts. There seemed to be so many different and more interesting directions that your story could have taken, but you didn't seem to take advantage of them. Of course, it was extremely sad from Nancy's perspective, and I think that Tyler was incredibly insensitive and unforgiving - irrationally so. And finally, the ending seemed very rushed - as if the author wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. A bit disappointing overall. I gave you 3*.

The wife is so hot that she had a predator going after her, but she couldn't find someone after her divorce. She was loose enough to break her marriage vow, but couldn't stop pining for her ex whom she supposedly love. This smells too much of a fantasy. Also, it's usually not the wife who cheats out of boredom, but the husband. The biggest problem I have is how fast the husband is able to find a new love. I real life, if a guy chooses to divorce his wife after two kids and having to pay alimony and child support, the only way he gets to have sex again is if pays for it with money.

But how about some Erotica? And some fiction? This felt too much like real life. You could have clipped this story out of the headlines of a large cities Newspaper. Again, a well written story but it wasn't fun or entertaining to read. Just plain frustrating.

Well that was disappointing. And I usually love your stories. But this just deflated like a leaky balloon.

The entire chapter 2 could have been written as an epilogue with three sentences:

"In the end, Tyler never did reconcile with Nancy. He moved on and found a beautiful and wonderful woman with whom he fell in love and married. Nancy, however, spent the remainder of her life alone, mourning for the lost life she used to have."

Kevin and his paranoia and gun? Pffft.

Dramatic tension? Nope. And the manufactured car accident just so Tyler can meet the new woman in his life, doesn't count.

It's simply post divorce Tyler. Sorry, it just didn't do anything for me.

Two other things: One, everything moved way too fast IMO. The divorce, the new girlfriend and remarriage. Just too fast. Second, Nancy was completely unsympathetic, but somewhat realistic in her view on her lost marriage. She never cared for Tyler or his pain. There was no empathy. It was all about her pain and her lost marriage and her loneliness. There are a number of cheating spouses, whom after discovery act just like Nancy. They focus inward and never on the betrayed spouse. Of course, it's that selfishness that enabled them to cheat to begin with.

Love your writing talent - just thought you could have done so much more with this story.

Nice time reading this story laptopwriter. 3*s overall.

Not much emotional connection to characters in this chapter. I mean, I was really happy for the guy moving on but not much about the kids or ex-wife. There should have been more conflict. Maybe from her reconciliation delusion. Some additional drama, somewhere lol!!

Finally, maybe 13 pages was the better story. You can post it in novels. Or maybe include a warning about length. I suspect some good writing was lost in breaking the story into 2 parts.

Thank you for the story.

AMerryman

Sorry, good writing but a downer of a story. Did the wife have to suffer and live alone? This wasn't a BTB story but I still feel sorry for the wife. As for being equally culpable, Kevin was the real snake and worked on her; I'd assign her about 25% of the blame. The reality is that focused seduction with lots of motive and opportunity does work a good amount of the time. None of us are saints- funny, there are soooo many husbands in LV stories that have perfect fidelity. Who would have thunk it?

I hated the ending. I actually had a strong dislike for sue bitter ass. Bitter bitch...Her husband was a fucking pig, if she still wanted to be with him she could have, it was her choice to divorce him. As a HUGE BTB fan, this wasn't even a BTB it was just sad. Why was the remorseful wife sentenced to a life of loneliness? I've read stories where the wives were 100 times worse than Nancy, and they were given a second chance, (even though the whores should've been shot) this wife was remorseful, heartbroken,distraught and devasted over tearing her family apart, I think the husband was an ass, him immediately heading straight to a divorce attorney with no thought of at least trying to see if it can work. He didn't give the divorce more thought. I hated that they didn't get back together. She was one wife I wouldn't mind giving a second chance. One damn story I hope for reconciliation ends up being the opposite... You suck writer...

Five stars. Sad ending for the ex.

After their visit, Sue sat back and savored what her friend said about her former neighbor. She poured a glass of her favorite wine and held it up as if proposing a toast. With no one around to hear but herself, she gleefully spoke aloud, "God, how I love it when a plan comes together," then broke out in hysterical laughter.

so whats was her plan ??? you trow a it in and never explain its just an open qeustion then isnt awsered you should of left it out or explain it but as it stand now i am just wondering what she had planned

liked the story but the end was abrupt and you did not explain the comment wich is a litle frustrating

She fucked a guy cause she was bored. He had no tact. He was discusting, at best. She still fucked him. Over and over. Then, she realizes what she's done. Sorry folks. I'd have divorced her also. No second thoughts. She could have moved on, she CHOSE not to. .

Danger nailed it.

If ever there was a story where reconciliation was proper, it is this one.

No need to give Nancy a life sentence for her mistake (and I do not use that lightly. But the way the author wrote it, it was set up as just that, a mistake)

Things happened way to fast for any type of mourning or such of the marriage. And it certainly did not need to be so long. Especially the way it ended.

Sad.

She cheated, she was punished, forever?

The children were so very much punished also. That was the worse part of the story.

Just a sad story.

Great writing though.

So many did not like the ending. Too damn bad. Write your own stories. He had every reason to divorce. She repeatedly submitted sexually to an asshole. She craved being taken. She thought she'd go insane when he disappeared for awhile. Her character was the one who changed The thrill was in being bad, with the possibility of being caught.Leopards don't change their spots, but her character did a 180. The author changed her into a different person. If you play, you pay. That possibility of being caught, turned out to be, in actuality, a bummer.

I go back to my favorites. To be accurate, this is not a favorite story, but LTW is definitely a favorite author. So, I came back to it.

Enjoyed it again.

LTW certainly demonstrates the gap between the best and the rest.

Well done story, you could feel the pain and heartache..... Fitting end to this story.....

Kevin takes quite a few shots in the comments. Here's a guy who loves his wife with everything he has. He believes he has perfect marriage and two wonderful kids. Saves life of neighbor he never really liked. Then one sunny morning working around yard with wife he hears that neighbor crudely talking to wife about being healthy enough to go back to screwing everyday while spouses are at work.

Wife's reason for cheating-she was bored-got off being naughty and knowing she wouldn't get caught. Planned on reminiscing in the future about her dirty secret and smiling to herself.

Truth is if lover had waited until weekday to propose starting back up, they would never have been caught. She even admits she did not really like character of her lover.

She had numerous other options to fill up days-go to gym-volunteer for few hours-take a morning class at local college.

Admittedly, I felt her remorse, her anguish, how truly penitent she was.

Other than the author, no one punished her forever, her husband ended up being pleasant, she had great relationship with children. She could have found someone if she wanted

Reality is often sad and lonely. Oh the consequences of decisions we make while thinking no one will be hurt. Truth be told at story's end I admired her decision to be happy to live only for her children.

With the exception of I wish she could have met someone also. I think it would have made the story more complete. She messed up but the price paid was total destruction of a life. Nice story, excellent story. Five starts with all your writing.

I think you do a much better job of conveying the gamut of emotional drama surrounding infidelity than most other loving wives writers and the quality of your writing is exceptionally high. In this story specifically, your phrase "drop by drop, her eyes leaked regret" was classic. Thanks for a very good read.

Why are so many picking on Tyler? There's no telling how people will react in cases like this. Some will reconcile, some won't care, some will stay together and suffer through years of painful mediocrity. Tyler is one of those guys that can't get past it and let's face it: Nancy had the affair, she should have paid attention to what she was risking. This is how stories end up in real life. I was happy for Tyler - and the kids. Lets not forget that Tyler was suffering too, but no longer.

Sue did come across as very bitter, but she had reason. Her husband was a crude sumbitch that deserved the beating he got from Tyler. Her plan to make sure Tyler wouldn't be tempted to reconcile with Nancy was thin at best, but it worked. Nancy earned the divorce - now, she'll have to earn her happiness. And, oh yeah, it's just a story. Thanks Laptop. 5 stars.

I'm really glad for the kids, I came from a disfunctual family my mom was married 4 times before I was 8. So I know the heartbreak they can feel. I have read most of your stories and feel they are some of the best here (next to tex tall tails). keep up the good work.A87C

But I know it's one of many that you could have written. It feels a bit rushed, too.

I absolutely loved the "wind shear" line. One of the funniest I've read in a while. ;-)

Thanks for writing and sharing here. Keep 'em coming!

While not your best, still five stars.

He couldn't trust Nancy again for very clear and obvious reasons. If you can't trust someone then there should not be a marriage. Period. End of sentence.

And Nancy clearly didn't love him like she claimed, otherwise she wouldn't have deliberately cheated.

Women are deceitful whores at heart. They'll give up their pussy to any swinging dick to get fucked but when they recognize a good guy... someone of real worth... they hold out on him and play hard to get. So, in actuality, they start their relationship with a fucking lie. Her good guy victim thinks he's getting a good girl when, in fact, he's getting a whore who's whipped her panties off in a roomful of dicks, when she was just looking to get fucked.

In this story, Abby is proof and a perfect example of what I'm saying. The key phrase is the last sentence in the below quote from the story.

((( Now that he knew how she felt about him she was really praying he wouldn't proposition her right away. During lunch there were no dirty jokes, off color innuendos, or risqué double-entendres. He was a gentleman; so different than what she'd gotten used to over the last couple of years.

THIS TIME she wanted a little romance, maybe a couple candle-lit dinners and a walk in the moonlight BEFORE jumping into the sack. ))) What a fucking bargain.

Women are so fucking stupid. They do EVERYTHING bass-ackwards. Wellll... maybe not because, when you get right down to it, they're whores at heart. While their experience and skill levels vary, they're definitely deceitful, manipulative whores.

I still gave the story 5 stars. wtf... why not? I've already married and divorced three whores. All three of them were 'good girls'. Yeahhh, riiiight.

I don't like the ending for Nancy. There was no malice in what she did. I would have been fine if Tyler and her got back together; however, it was ok with him not being able to get back together with her as well (I most likely wouldn't have been able to either). BUT to peg her with a miserable occupation and not finding someone for herself is unnecessary. I say that because this is a story that you want redemption for Tyler, but Nancy paid her price and she needed a better future as well.

It's interesting though. The cheaters you fucked over fine, but you gave redemption to Tyler, but not to Susan. Not enough caring for a female character cheated?

Dude, you call women a bunch of names, but if women are that bad imagine what men are. Let's look at stats. More than ninety percent of inmates are men. Men cheat at nearly twice the rate of women cheating. I'm not saying women are all sugar and spice, but fuck dude, get a little perspective.

If you've had three women you've married and they've fucked you over you have to put it on yourself. Either you pick up the worst kind of women OR you have to look at the kind of person you are that they want to hurt. Som self reflection may not be a bad idea.

brought up so many memories... some good, some bad. But hey, l'm going to go buy some Jimmy Stewart movies

Not bad at all. I normally don't feel bad for the cheaters but this time I actually did for the wife. Hell, I felt bad for all of them except the dickhead guy.

That still doesn't mean I would have forgiven, forgotten, and reconciled.

I'm an ass so I probably would have banged her a couple of times a month at least, just for my own satisfaction and strung her along for a little more payback pain.

I would like to have seen the D-Bag have gotten a bit more Justice metered out on him.

..however, one cannot help but feel sorry for foolish Nancy! One could have accepted an RAAC, especially since Nancy was so contrite and desperately in love with her husband throughout. Whatever was she thinking, allowing a scumbag like Kevin to have his way with her. Would have liked to see asswipe Kevin get his comeuppance! Five stars.

I agree with the previous posts, I felt a bit sorry for Nancy, and in fact wouldn't have minded if they had tried again.

However I didn't like that she was so quick to let Kevin in again after she chased him away the first time. By the way he spoke and the way he acted it was very obvious that he was a real dick.

Affairs that are not malicious.

They are demeaning to the partner you agreed to be exclusive too.They include lies and disrespect by their existence.

I always wonder why the bias is so strong. Another story the wife gets away pretty unscathed. Here the cheating wife gets the f you at the end.

The first paragraph of the epilogue was great. If it ended there it would be one of my favorites. Stop just after they are married and leave it. Who cares how she ended up? Nobody is blameless in divorce. Both sides contributed to it. Yes there are definitely way more responsible, but it truly takes two. Communication was lacking on both sides. No way she just let it happen as meek mouse. If they talked it would be a record short story.

Also Sue as the puppet master was a bit heavy handed. I'd love her saying instead karma's a bitch. She saved his girl. No way she wanted bad for him after her own ex. Up until then I had a lot of respect for her. Still she only push Abby, and that still was a good.

I really liked this story in this one I was really glad it didn't end with they married and a few years later the ex got a good job and met a good man and married him and they lived happily ever after. Sometimes people just have to live with the mistakes they made and the hurt they caused others.

As always. It could have gone either way with getting back together or not and I'd have been happy. It's obvious to Nancy now knows she should have told Tyler about Kevin's visits in the beginning and that would have prevented anything happening. But then again where would this story have gone? Signed: BTW

5 starrs

i see you could have gone either way with this story. it's a good morality play and I am ambivalent about it. thanks in any case.

Glad the cheating slut lived ALONE for the rest of her life!!! Glad he found a HOT red head to marry!!!

Damn, almost felt a bit sorry for Nancy after that. She lost enough, being miserable her whole life seems a bit much. Shame when people can't move on.

Nancy must be dying for the next Apple. Such a bitch

I would like a bit more retribution on Kevin and less on Nancy who obviously was played by an asshole.

Did I read over how long the affair lasted?

Disagree with a lot of the comments.If he hadn't played lord and master and let Nancy get a job,the cheating wouldn't have happened.

Well written fodder for the BTB crowd. Tyler may have been a 'hero' but he was also a

self-righteous prick who never even tried to put his children's needs before his own hurt and anger or make an effort to understand why his wife did what she did.

Nancy's lifetime of misery and regret was a pathetic sop to misogynists everywhere. Laptopwriter has all the skills necessary to produce a decent yarn, but two dimensional characters in a black and white world don't do it for me. People are complex and reality is grey.

1) With anonymous from 3/9/21 - i disagree with you on staying for the kids. (If that's what you're trying to say.) It's better to cut it off than stay in a marriage just for the kids. I've been there as I had parents that didn't trust each other. There's no way that mistrust doesn't bleed out onto the kids. That mistrust slowly turns into dislike then hate. No matter how much the parents try to hide it from the kids. My parents finally divorced when divorce was still frowned upon. Socially, I went to being from the 'wrong side of the tracks' and lost my so-called friends because my parents divorced. However, I didn't dread going home and having to walk on eggshells. Kids are a lot more perceptive than adults give them credit for.

2) As for Nitpic's comment, you're wrong on your assessment of her not cheating because she was at home and not at work. Cheating is a character flaw. If a person cheats in one circumstance, they'll cheat in another if they think they will not get caught. It's never a mistake and I'm tired of writers penning it as a mistake and other people feeling sorry for them. (In stories and in real life.) On top of the cheating, most writers have the cheaters going bareback risking STD's to pass on to the ones that they supposedly love - which could cost lives now a days. Yes, everyone is human, but cheating is never forgivable. Leave the relationship if you're not happy.

And the cheating slut died as a miserable, lonely, dried up old hag!!! Love it!!!

In my opinion Anonymous of March 9, 2021 is an RAAC lover who believes it is always best to reconcile regardless of who the people are, what their needs are and what the circumstances are.

There is no indication of him ignoring the children's needs. He got along with their mother and didn't have the children living in a household without respect or love. It seems incredible to me that anyone can call the cheated upon spouse a self-righteous prick for not reconciling with the cheater-and start take pot shots at the author for not writing an ending where the unhappy husband sucks it up and lives an unhappy life in a misguided and inevitably ill-fated attempt to make the children's lives better. If the husband doesn't feel the love and can't live pain-free, it will show and the children will suffer for it.

One of the saddest LW stories I have read. No, not one of, it is the saddest. But we’ll done. Still cannot rate it as one of my favorites; by the time you are in your very old 70’s you have had more then enough sadness.

“ Chris' prophecy that she'd someday find someone else to love never did come to pass. She lived for her kids and wanted nothing more for herself than to watch them grow and prosper. In her own mind, she had it all and lost it. She never forgave herself.”

And all the children got pink eye,

And all their Harry Potter books were burned..,.

And by extension me by giving one of your main characters the last name of 'Cermak'. Only a long time resident of the Chicago area would ever think of that.

If I wasn't already in Abbie's corner you had me when she named several of her favorite actors. I'm going to guess that in a story about heroes it wasn't an accident the first one she named, Jimmy Stewart, really was one, flying and leading bombing missions over Germany. He certainly wasn't the only one from WWII; Clark Gable, David Niven, Mel Brooks, Jason Robards, Paul Newman, Kirk Douglas and certainly not least the always classy Audrey Hepburn come to mind.

I had a few moments expecting to find out that the hit and run driver was going to turn out to be Kevin in a drunken rage trying to kill Susan. In another story Susan's "maniacal laugh" near the end would worry me that she had tipped over the edge. I did wonder about the future of the 19 year old driver who caused the accident. And yes, I did spot where Chris's named was swapped. It happens to the best like LTW and Q no matter the editor. A story this good proves justice can be served well in a civilized manner. *****'s Signed: BTW

Ugh, the whole "cheater must suffer forever" thing is so tired. Try writing a story where they both can move on instead of these ridiculous stories where the man is so virtuous and wonderful and has no faults.

Why is vengeance, cruelty, hate and sadism at the center of so many stories? Is that the American way, choosing the least charitable interpretation whenever people make mistakes and turn out to be human? Ever considered how much privilige men actually enjoy in our world wide web of patriarchy? Show some generosity for Christ's sake..