Rules of Marriage Ch. 04

Plenty of blame to go around

Yes, she cheated. Yes, he was justifiably upset. And I know this is a fictional story. But I'll never understand why anyone "runs away" from a problem like this. If you can't talk about whatever issues you have, you'll never know if you can resolve them or if you're just plain done. I never side with the runner.

Divorce was for the best

She cheated and drove him away. She still didn't show any remorse. She just did as she always did, blame someone else. I cheated but it was the fault of alcohol. It was the lovers fault for being too attractive. It was Sam's fault for being beneath her. It was daddy's fault for not approving of Sam. She didn't push Sam away, its his fault because he "ran away" before she could foist her excuses on him. She never once considered that Sam might be hurting, she only focused on her own pain, not the pain she caused others. Her attitude and lack of remorse at the end hurt Sam more, ending the marriage. This she still blamed on Sam. Yes, Sam should have stayed nearby for his kids, but she focused more on the fact that he wasn't there to help her through her problems. She made no attempt to change anything in her life that would lead her to cheat again. "I'm sorry so now what". That's it? I've gotten over it now its your problem? Your pain means shit to me, I'm better and stronger now so be a good little boy and beg MY forgiveness! Better and stronger alright, more confident in her abilities to seduce and cheat again and her ability to conceal it better. She was adamant that she loved her job and was staying there. Obviously, since that gave her the opportunity to meet men. Pity the new guy at the end, because this woman can't think of anyone but herself.

Started out really slow...

... and just fizzled out in the end. Not good! But, hey, not many stories written from a female point of view end up being very good and this one certainly didn't break the mold.

Get Over It and Move On

It always amazes me that the average person, after screwing over someone else, usually thinks "why can't they just get over it, and move on". This is particularly true, if the perpetrator also "suffered" as a result of their own actions. They aren't capable of understanding the difference between "self-inflicted injury", and the innocent person having "injury inflicted upon them".

As a well known TV character said "the pain is more significant because it's mine". The perpetrator invariably thinks that "understanding why they did what they did", and possibly apologizing, has somehow made their victim whole.

It's a sad world we live in.

I thought Sam should have dumped her and moved on, as soon as he returned. Her idea of taking responsibility was pathetic.

Robert

Loved it

Not the ending I expected, but a great story. Five stars.

Eh?

Didn't care for the ending. Really didn't care for the two selfish people who didn't give a crap about their kids. Really didn't like anyone except maybe the mother.

Bitch

The cheating whore wife thought she was entitled to her own life without consideration of her husband and children. When you cheat you deprive not only your spouse but your children as well. Fucking cunt. I hope her new husband had her sign a pre-nup so when she cheats on him, and she will, she gets nothing.
Damn

You were right

I hated your ending. She killed their marriage twice. Once by cheating and again by being an insufferable bitch.

Every time I read these stories, I run into the Ethical Double Standard

A woman meets a guy not her husband. This man through looks, compliments, and maybe the occasional touch, gives her a case of sweaty panties like she's never had. She is EMOTIONALLY ENGAGED. Should she be given a pass if she fucks him?

No. Every single commenter would tell her to pull up her big girl panties and act rationally. She is a moral failure.

So...hubby comes home. He finds wife with her legs in the air with some guy pumping away between them. He is shocked. He leaves. He goes to a bar. He then goes to a hotel and cruises his laptop for Gander Mountain. He stops by an ATM and withdraws $520. He then RETURNS to another ATM and withdraws the taxes he forgot to add. He purchases a pistol, and shoots his wife's lover.

He said he was so angry he couldn't control himself...and about half the commenters would agree with him.

OR...in this case run away like a little girl with some passive aggressive bullshit about 'figuring things out'.

Why is HIS emotions of rage somehow exculpatory but hers of lust not? Because you are a dude? Because your wife cheated on you?

Just because a person is cheated on, doesn't mean they can't act very badly indeed.

This guy hasn't grown a day since the cheating incident. She has.

Waffles

First let me say the writing was good, not great, good. This last chapter would have been a better read if fleshed out (same ending is fine) and take into account these three items...

1. They both dumped on the kids. Neither showed any decent parenting skills. The kids felt like a prop. They need to weigh in especially for the end.

2. Sam ran using a perceived notion of what his father in law and wife felt he should be. Given they kept pushing their "views" over the years not an unrealistic action when tied into his feelings. A year was a bit much but over-seas assignments generally run 6 - 18 months or more. Then he comes back with a mild submissive streak? If anything, an assignment like he took would re-enforce the opposite.

3. After a year, breakdowns, counseling, parent talks, self analysis, she is still the same self centered bitch portrayed in the beginning.

The end was all wrapped around her anger (so much for counseling). For a multi chapter story, we need the other pieces; the kids, the rents, and Sam's.

Failure all around

She was selfish and disrespectful of her husband, her children and her responsibilites to both of them as a wife and mother. His reaction? He walked away and spent a year apart from the family changing himself into a male version of her. He should have preserved the man he was and divorced her as soon as he caught her. Then the kids would have had at least one good parent.

Amazing!!!!

She figured out why she had been fucking over her husband for 7 years. So he should get over it.

Why is it people who fuck up always say, "oh well, it's in the past, get over it".

The next time someone commits a crime, instead of jail time, how about if they say, "I'm sorry, it's in the past , I'll never do it again, let's just move forward".

Does anyone who is not a woman (and the author) believe in this woman's logic?

I agree with the comment that he was "waffling". But he should have dumped her before he left. Contrary to her protests, her counseling showed that she did not love or respect him. Whether intentional or not, she abused his trust, and their relationship for 7 years. And "poor her", she had a nervous breakdown when she realized what a worthless cunt she was.

Regardless how long you have been married or how much you think you love someone, when you find out your love and trust has been completely misplaced, it's time to move on. Just because you want her, doesn't mean you can have her, or that she is good for you.

Robert

I agree with all the negative comments (on both sides).

I was not pleased, either but I guess it turned out as well as it could have for what we had to work with. I did not give it a poor rating (I rarely do that) but though that it was one of the most unsatisfactory (to me) of all thecelt's stories I have read. Both were at fault, she more than he but she had a big chip on her shoulder when he came back. A lot of servicemen (and women) are required to spend over a year at a time away from home. He had told her that his lawyer could get in touch with him. Did she give his lawyer any letters telling him about the breakdown and that she was able to make progress with the questions he had asked? No, she would rather nurse her perceived wrong feelings. If she hadn't been fucking around he would never have left. I agree, he should have just divorced her cheating ass and let her find another husband to fuck around on instead of just leaving. The poor baby had a hard time just because he didn't want to talk with her for a year. he did support her. It would have been good of him if he had communicated with her but then she could not have built up all this anger at him and practically forgotten that she precipitated all these problems. The women are usually right even when they are dead wrong. I don't think I will read any more of this writer's stories for a while. I still have ten or fifteen that I have not read. Maybe later. As usual, the children have to pay, both parents are deep into their own feelings and the kids have to take third best.

Doh!

Hubby was a moron for not doing anything when he found out. Then his whole "walkabout" thing for a year. Then he STILL couldn't make a decision on their marriage when he returned! He even admitted to cheating on her while he was overseas. Two wrongs don't make a right. I've said this before and I'll say it again: Revenge fucks without intent to leave the cheater are a "circling the drain" style to trying to save a failed marriage. It's doomed to fail. He should have either:

A. Kept his self-respect intact and divorced her immediately after discovering her affairs, or...
B. Taken her back, in only for the sake of the kids (not my preferred option).

It was well written as always from Celt, but the tale itself left a lot to be desired. Two stupid people doing stupid things, and the kids were caught in the middle.

3 Stars.

The title should have been "Rules of Engagement". It seems that both parties were working against each other. She went to war against her family with the first fling. She continued with her second fling. He continued the battle by his actions of running away. When they split, he changed the battle into guerilla warfare. Neither considered the children and the effect of the battle on them. There was no communication between them for a year. Was anyone surprised when the marriage went down the drain. Sad

One of the few

realistic endings to a story. No over the top BTB or tear jerking reconciliation. Both parties realised that the cracks in the marriage were too deep and moved on with their lives - a win win for all.

Sam was a fool

A year away and then two years of trying to work on a marriage that had been fatally wounded the first time his wife spread her legs for another man. He should have filed for divorce the day he found out instead of wasting three years.

She was right about one thing. With her lack of respect for her husband, even if she hadn't cheated on him, she would have driven him off some other way.

Stayed Together?

How can she doubt that they'd stay together if she hadn't cheated?

Three of the stupidest things I keep reading in stories...

One, "It's just sex. " If a man and his wife are walking down a sidewalk and he's turning and ogling beautiful women, is his wife going to be ok with his reasoning of "It's just her body. " ...? Of course not. If a man would rather watch another woman than pay attention to his wife it will negatively impact her.
Why should anyone believe that a man wouldn't be negatively effected by a woman wanting to have sex with another man rather than pay attention to her husband...?

Second, "It has nothing to do with us. " Of COURSE its has to do with them. Remember the coffee commercial way back where the man asks for more coffee from someone else and the wife in her head thinks "He never asks for a second cup of MY coffee. "
If you were happy with whatever you were getting from your spouse you wouldn't want or need to get it from someone else. Since you're willing to get it from someone else you're basically saying your spouse isn't cutting it. So that does have something to do with them.

And third, "I love you more than anything or anyone. " Clearly the exception to that is yourself since you're the only one of you two getting something out of your affair.
If you loved your spouse more you would never create a situation that could crush them just to please you.

Sheesh people, keep your delusions to yourself.

Interesting story though...

Why did you change Sam into a whiny, confused man and

The wife into a hateful, controlling bitch. I mean she didn't respect him before and with the attitude you gave her in the final thing coupled with his indecisiveness and confusion made her seem a shrew and him a cuck. I have to admit, I didn't see that coming. Might as well have read a JPB story.

Sorry, didn't like it much. First several chapters were pretty good, he was a man, she was a normal woman who didn't respect her husband much, but we encountered extremes that don't mesh with the rest.

****

Good writing and reading. The marriage should have ended at the Savanna hotel room. She cheated three times, but only two to his knowledge. Her third betrayal was unconscionable. Cheers!

Good ending

Better than others' endings. People do learn from their errors.

Disappointment

As usual the writing and character creation is first rate but I find the ultimate resolution anticlimactic and unsatisfying. Why in the world would a reader want to slog through four chapters of character development only to have the story end the same way it would have ended if it had concluded after chapter one? Oh well, never mind the nervous breakdown, the dual voyages of self discovery and the love that still survived the infidelity,they got a divorce and a family broke up. And it was all the Bitch's fault.

fair comment

they did the right thing, two flawed characters as stubborn as each other who grew apart. not much of a home for the kids. Sure her cheating was the catalyst but one fells they would have drifted apart anyway.

Sam's mistake was leaving for a year

Sam should have filed for the divorce right away. Since it took her own parents' condemnation, a physical and mental breakdown AND months of therapy for her to finally see her disrespect for him that was already obvious to him before he left, he could have kept the job he liked, would have been there for the kids when she collapsed under the realization of how bad a person she was and could have gotten on with the business of moving on with his own life.. He might even have ended up with custody of the kids, being their only parent who wasn't in a fugue state. Instead he pretty much threw away an entire year of his own life and came back just as hurt and wounded as he had been when he left.

Finally, look at the "quite well off" man she chose for her next husband. She may have recognized that she had diminished and disrespected Sam in her own mind, but she never really changed her view of him; she just decided that him being happy was more important than him being a man she could respect and that she was willing to make a sacrifice and lower herself for the sake of staying married. She still saw her multiple betrayals of her marriage to Sam as "petty," and in the end she "traded up."

one commitment too late

To honor.......

Usual fare

She cheats, treats his like shit, has no respect for him and looks down her nose at him. She puts everyone else above and before him, and even at the end has ZERO remorse, only always thinking of HER needs and what She wants, what SHE demands should happen.
But it's still ALL his fault! As I said, usual fare. Either she does who and what she wants, with no remorse and no consequences, and they stay together, or she does who and what she wants, with no remorse and no consequences, and he leaves her, because it's all his fault for not 'Getting over her lying, cheating, disrespect, humiliating him, manipulation, scheming.......'
Do we see a pattern yet, anyone?

abandoment

I doubt she could have filed for abandonment as he continued to help support his family. She was in total denial of he feelings. Isn't it interesting that she hooked up with a well to do professional? I wonder if they would have broken up sooner after her first dalliance

Still selfish after all these years...

Kristen's betrayals were "petty affairs," but Sam's getting a "real job" like she and her father wanted was unforgivable "desertion." The only reason she hasn't cheated on Jeff (yet) is "there was nothing lacking in my life." Her daughters are nothing to her but a weapon to use against Sam.

That said, it's still a good story, and it rings true because there really are men and women as selfish as Kristen, and there are people unfortunate enough to love them. Just deserts would have Jeff cheating on Kristen, so she can see that it really is a big deal, but neither life nor this story necessarily works that way.

Mixed Emotions

First a couple of thoughts from an earlier part where we couldn't comment:

If all they need is Rudy’s signature, why does she have to go down there? Can’t they just mail or courier the contract?

She’s so regretful of the previous meeting, and she agrees to ANOTHER evening with him?

Now, for the ending:

I find this ending vaguely unsatisfying -

First, I DO agree that his desertion was the wrong approach, but she is also wrong to so hold it against him.

While divorce, after trying for two years with professional help is probably for the best, her description (even if true!) of his new wife as "mousy" seems a little snide.

And it's a little to neat for her new man to be well-to-do with a place in the country, and horses for the girls and travel!

And her comment that she doubted that their marriage would have continued if she didn't cheat is too self-serving to be believed!

What a load of crap

Life is so complicated for the godless. (Another term for the STUPID) Their priests (mental health professionals) have the daunting task of dancing around right and wrong and trying to find rules for living that ignore the obvious. Well, maybe not that daunting; their congregation is comprised of the STUPID.

I can't stand it anymore

Sorry Mr Celt, but this is the last story in a long list of stories where I'm tired of the women getting their strange cock and the men getting half of their possessions taken away from them in the process. And what did the interloper get? Another piece of good pussy and a free pass to move on to the next whore. Your writing may be adequate, but your concept of a proper marriage is as fucked up as your stories. Another 1* for this effort and an end to me reading your stories. Go back to flipping burgers while your wife bangs the men in the neighborhood. Don't worry about her though, she'll have half of your stuff so she has the means to survive while she finishes off the rest of the neighborhood.

CRAP

Yep. It's always the husband's fault. What a fucking shitty ending. Author must be some cunt.

Disappointed

Not up to your usual level of excellence the ending seemed contrived to appeal to the btb crowd but just fizzled. Additionally the wife and husband's personality both did a 180 degree change. The wife went from a weak appeaser to the dominant character in the relationship, while the husband went from dominant to a subservient partner.

WTF?

A throughly despicable woman who cheats on the man she claims to love, while disrespecting him and looking to trade up. And damn if she doesn't get exactly what she wants at the expense of her husband. He winds up with a "mousy" stay at home mom, while she gets the successful business owner who buys their daughter's affection. So what if Sam likes the guy. He still gets dumped for someone much like the two guys she cheated with.

Good start but rotten ending...

But, Mr Celt, you knew that when you wrote it, didn't you?? You even warned us!!
So let's look at some other aspects of this story such as the re-learned truth that a self-serving, disrespectful, cheating slut will still be a self-serving, disrespectfull, cheating slut no matter how far you run or for how long you are gone. Next we have to accept the fact that it is always someone else's fault, never theirs. Oh, and the one that just ticks me off, the psychiatrist/counsellor who has to blame the parents, in this case her father! Really! Daddy is a big reason why she has turned out to be the bitch she is today. Come on, when has psychiatrist ever solved anyone's problems? Been there, done that and it didn't work for me, my ex or her severely beaten lover. Same results for some of my acquaintances as well! Suspect we all could have had better results from a native medicine man while smoking peyote.
Just have to keep wondering how long before another smooth talker come along and ties the horns to Mr. Jeffrey. Bet he won't be quite as polite as good old Sam.
Always remember ONCE A CHEAT ALWAYS A CHEAT!!!

Wow, second read for me

to see if I could figure out why you threw a little pissy fit in writing this last part. If you didn't want to write it you shouldn't have but I guess your little hissy fit was to discourage anyone from ever asking for more of a story. I gave you a one on this last chapter but I have noticed that most of your stuff tends towards mean and narcissistic wives and confused and slightly bumbling husbands. Close to home?

Too bad, you are a good writer so unless you are just doing what you do to piss people off you must have a very serious problem you are trying to write through. Good luck with that.

Respect

She gave herself a lot of highfalutin reasons, and I'm sure her Psy helped her out, but basically she did not respect her husband. She thinks she respects her second one, but really, it was his money. She probably wouldn't cheat on Sam again, but who the Hell would want her?

Weak Ending

It seems that the cheating twat thought that because she went to a shrink after betraying her husband and family that she was free from the responsibility of her acts. Sure Sam had left,mainly 'cause she was an unfaithful,not to be trusted twat.
Now she wants the divorce because it's all his fault?She can't understand why he doesn't have faith in her? What a turd she is!

I was with the rest of the lambasters

on first read.
However.
The thing about humans is, we can learn. We can change. Kirsten did learn and she did change. But Sam couldn't accept that she did, and that's his prerogative. He also couldn't get past what she did.
Kirsten's issue is that, instead of staying to deal with it, even if through a separation, he abandoned her, he abandoned their kids, he abandoned what was left of their marriage. How much is she supposed to apologize? What more is she to do? What penance?
Sam couldn't move on so she pulled the plug.

Second read

It was a good story well written. Can't say as that I liked the ending but on refection, in my view, it is probably the most realistic and inevitable conclusion. She got an attitude but I saw no remorse. She was not contrite as one would expect and wish for. She didn't offer or ask for forgiveness. Pride...we all need some if we are going to live with ourselves but pride can be a killer. It killed their marriage.

5*

a painful dose of reality. these are damaged people. much food here, for thought.

Bad ending

She cheated, that ended the marriage. She still is rationalizing what she did, and blaming him for not accepting it. She really is an awful person as written. Very selfish. Much better off without her.

Arrogant cheating bitch!!

Yeah, so he runs away to try to come to terms with her cheating, so what? Sure it was hard on her to be left alone with the two kids, so what? What would have made it easier for her if he had just pulled the plug and got the divorce right away? Then after all those months of consultation she thinks that all she has to say is SORRY and everything will be good. What total BS and after all that she has the nerve to refer to her cheating as 'petty affairs'! A petty affair doesn't cover things like screwing other men. That comment is a strong indicator that the door is still open for yet another opportunity as soon as the situation is ripe.
We just have to keep remembering "ONCE A CHEATER ALWAYS A CHEATER"!!!