Divorce Party

Divorce PartyUnique BTB ending to a marriage

Divorce Party

Unique BTB ending to a marriage

Chapter 1

When my wife and her lover stepped out of that hotel elevator, they had no idea what was in store for them.

Lisa's behavior slowly became 'different' starting about nine months earlier. I almost didn't notice, but then I did. She said she was stressed at work. We'd been married for sixteen years and together for three years before that, so I just rolled with it at the time. I thought her attitude would change yet again as it had in the past. She'd had an occasional 'mood', but this one seemed to last more than the few days of her prior out-of-normal behavior.

She got some new job responsibilities and started to work later than usual a day or two a week, when she'd make it home for a late dinner, or on Saturday morning when she'd work at our dining room table finishing up one week and preparing for the next. Weeknights, I'd typically feed our two teenagers, although they were old enough to forage for food in our kitchen, provided we had the 'right' groceries.

Lisa had a job as an inside sales rep for UltraPharm, a specialized pharmaceuticals company. She had a wide range of duties, everything from remote client contacts using phone, video, text, and emails, to account management and lead generation for the field reps. She made input to the company's website, but was not a technology geek.

Our dinner conversations were often about the latest drug, contraindications, dosages, benefits, side effects, and compliance with FDA regulations and labeling protocols. She was an expert.

Lisa would occasionally travel, meeting up with one of the many field reps in our region to visit key doctors or hospitals, helping to make the pitch for what UltraPharm was pushing. She was making good money, as I was, so we were living the good life, albeit a busy one. She was a sharp dresser, and so attractive that I often saw other men checking her out.

Recently, she'd been having more overnights away than earlier in her job. She explained that her marketing trips took her just far enough away that she couldn't comfortably get home and then back to her job the next day. I shrugged at that point.

Lisa and I had reclaimed more of our social life as our children -- Brett and Brenda -- moved into their early teenage years. I'd been steadily involved myself in their activities since they were toddlers, and on weekends often played chauffeur to their friend's homes, athletic games, or other school-related activities.

One Saturday, I arrived home from a cancelled game that Brett was to have played, and found Lisa on her phone. That wasn't a surprise, but her reaction to our sudden arrival back home surprised me. She quickly ended the call and looked guilty, as though I'd caught her with her hand in the cookie jar. I almost teased her about it, but caught myself. Instead, I asked, "Everything okay?"

She brushed off her reaction and hastily reminded me of our plans later that day -- too quickly, I thought. "Yeah, fine, and John, don't forget we're going to Mitch and Ellie's party at five p.m." Her use of my first name seemed unusual.

Mitch Janson was my closest friend, and Lisa referred to his pretty wife Ellie as her BFF occasionally. There were two other couples also in our social circle -- Ben and Casey Ledder, and Lee and Jana Cross. The eight of us tried to do something together as a group every other weekend. We were close in age, each couple had two children near our kids' ages, and we had family in the area. We were neighbors and our kids went to the same school.

Other than our excessive busy-ness and running around, I thought Lisa and I were doing fine in our marriage. That changed one night we had a communal dinner on Mitch and Ellie's patio with the eight of us present. Our kids were either with friends or minutes away and old enough to trust alone in our homes.

Just after the meal, I needed to head inside for a bathroom break. As I left the table, carrying some of the leftovers, Lisa and Mitch stood and collected some of the other tableware to bring inside a minute behind me.

I was fast at my bathroom task, opened the door, and started to stroll back through their kitchen to the door out to the patio. Before I got to the kitchen, I overheard a comment that changed my life and everything in it.

Lisa and Mitch must not have heard me; however, I heard, Mitch say in a sexy, low voice to my wife, "I can hardly wait to kiss and lick that little tattoo by your pussy again. Being with you like this makes me want you more than I usually do."

I froze, just out of sight in the hallway, but only a few feet away from them.

Lisa confirmed my worst fears when she dryly stated, "Me, too. You're good at licking pussy and you make me horny. Just hold on; we'll have Tuesday after work to ourselves again."

Rather than confront the situation, I silently backed up, returning to the bathroom without a sound. Instinct told me to think and not panic about what I'd heard -- about my marriage and my friendship with Mitch. I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror and repeated in a whisper what I'd heard so I locked every word and nuance away in my memory.

Were there other interpretations of the remarks each said? The pair didn't seem to have been teasing. If anything, it sounded like two lovers catching a few seconds together.

I needed time to think, but the only thoughts I had boiled down to 'What the Fuck!'

I guess that I was quieter than usual after that. My brain was jumble of unorganized and disjointed thoughts, ideas, and commentary to myself. Lisa noted my behavior, and Ben tried to involve me more in some discussion about the parking problem downtown in our small suburb. I tried to act my way through the rest of the evening and had to call on my reserves to do so. I felt as though someone had hit me across the back of the head with a two-by-four.

I watched my wife interact with Mitch. Damn, I caught them more than once making eyes at each other, and one time Lisa blew a kiss in his direction when she thought no one was looking. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I wanted to say something, to call them out, but I couldn't. If the pair were having some kind of affair, I had to know more about it. I wanted facts. Was something going on? I was a details guy at work, and I needed some details about what I'd conjured up as their likely behavior.

That night after we got home, I accurately claimed I had a queasy stomach and wanted to sit quietly at my computer until things settled down. Lisa went to bed and I researched private investigators. I found three in our area, and noted their contact information. I'd have to wait until Monday before I could do anything.

When I finally went to bed, Lisa was asleep. I thought of that tattoo, a remnant of her days in the KDA sorority in college; two reddish lips as though someone with a lot of lipstick had kissed her about two inches from her sexual cleft. The tat was so close to her pussy that it didn't show when she wore her scandalous bikini. She'd long ago stopped mentioning it. I took it for granted and barely noticed it when I was in the area.

I lay awake most of the night. Sunday morning, I suggested that 'we' go to the beach, an activity that I knew the kids would like but that Lisa would deflect. The beach was not her thing. As I hoped, I took Brett and Brenda to Carson's beach. They were teens and loved the shore. Further, there were always other kids close to their age there, and they were social and made friends easily.

I sat on the blanket with my phone, and started to make a list of the open questions I had and things that I needed to do if -- when? -- I got confirmation of Lisa's infidelity with my ex-friend. I wondered whether Mitch's wife, Ellie, knew what was going on? Somehow, I doubted it.

That evening, I had the sudden urge to organized the shelves in the garage before going to bed. Lisa called me crazy and driven, and went to bed as I waved over my shoulder at her. I was avoiding sex with her, and adding to my list of things to do 'just in case'.

Monday morning, after seeing the kids off to school, I called into work and told them that I'd be late. Lisa had left for work. No problem. I called Greg Parsons at Parsons' Investigations, the first name on my list. He could see me in an hour. I was on his doorstep after a long cup of coffee during which I made more contingency notes.

Greg inspired confidence in his capabilities. He was late thirties, an ex-MP and police department detective, and seemed professional about his work. I told him what I'd seen and heard, including about a possible rendezvous on Tuesday evening, and my fears about fidelity, and the open question I had. He asked, "Do you want proof or do you want confirmation?"

I told him, "Both. We have a prenuptial agreement that would kick in if there's proof. That'd be important to me -- and my children, since custody is discussed in the document. I had family money coming into our marriage and my parents insisted on the pre-nup."

I shuddered at his cost estimate, but paid Greg a hefty retainer. I gave him information about Lisa and her work, car, and then what I knew about Mitch. I had multiple pictures of both and uploaded them to his technology. I left him after our hour together, and wondered when I'd ever hear from the man that month. He couldn't promise any time scale to the investigation, but did say that he would try to 'surveil' on Tuesday evening.

I got more into my role as a busy husband and father the next few days, avoiding any serious intimacy with Lisa and minimizing our conversations. She seemed more than content with that situation, I noted. Then on Wednesday morning while at work, I got a text from Greg asking me to call him.

Greg told me, "Unfortunately, your wife is having an affair with your friend. I can confirm that but would need some more material to support any legal case. How much detail do you want me to tell you about what I saw and heard?"

Just based on his few sentences, my whole GI tract had gone into sudden and painful spasms. I told him that I had to remain in my family and would find that difficult if I knew a lot of nitty-gritty details. I wouldn't be a good 'actor' if I was thinking about those details about cheaters. I just wanted some broad generalizations about his results. Greg understood.

The PI told me, "I assume you know that your wife worked late last night. So did your friend Mitch. They were together in that timeframe at the Holiday Inn on Washington Street." He paused, "Is that enough detail or do you want more. I have some pictures and audio, but not enough to support any legal action or your pre-nup."

I shook my head, "That's what I need for now. It confirms to me that her late nights that started months ago are probably not related to her work. Thank you. Keep gathering. I have to decide what to do." After ending the call, I had to spend time in the restroom with my cramps. After that, I stared at a spot on my office wall for two hours, felt numb, and was generally useless at my job.

Somehow, I made it to and through the week and weekend. Without my teens and being able to interact and help them, I would have broken down and cried over the demise of my family. Instead, I steeled myself to be a better father. My garage was also turning into a showcase of neatness and organization.

Chapter 2

I resisted a dozen urges to do something that I knew I'd regret later.

I'd briefly been in the denial stage as I processed what I heard Lisa and Mitch say to each other at the prior week's gathering of friends. I realized that I'd ignored Lisa's attitude changes towards me, a significant decline in our frequency of sex -- including her always declining my advances on Tuesdays and Thursdays, her work late nights. A few times, she been more occupied with her cellphone in the evenings more than usual. I'd ignored it.

I entered the anger stage in my grief process -- grief that my marriage was over, that my wife was an unfaithful slut, that the mother of our children was fucking some other man, that my best friend was stabbing me in the back, and that the life of everyone in my family and circle of friends was about to change in a major way.

I did not immediately confront her. I didn't hit her with my son's baseball bat, although I wanted vengeance. I resisted doing the same to Mitch, as well. I needed to do something significant, but didn't know what that was yet.

Instead, I pretended that things were okay between us and that the family was doing just fine. I made it to Monday morning, but couldn't pretend as I'd been doing -- at least in that state of mind.

I arranged at home for a work trip out of town for the rest of the week. It was sudden, so I wouldn't have to see Lisa Monday night, but I would miss the kids. The trip was fake. I told Greg how to contact me and about my suspicion about Thursday nights. If there was anything important that he needed me for, he knew how to reach me.

I called Lisa at her office and ended up leaving a voice mail on her phone about my trip. I tried to sound 'normal' but my head was anything but. Every organ in my body was physically reacting to her betrayal. I felt sure I was losing weight, since I could barely eat. At least, that might turn out to be a slight benefit.

I got a room at the Motel 6 on the other side of town and wondered whether she and Mitch had fucked on the bed in the room. There was a park nearby and after work each day, I walked and walked and walked, stewing about the changing tide in the family.

Back in the motel room, I started a journal on my laptop about my feelings and emotions, and created a 'to do' list. I also cried at the losses in my life: the normalcy of life, my loving wife, maybe time with my children, and more. When I was sure there was no one nearby I screamed out and called Lisa every derogatory name that came to mind, because that was what she had become to me: a slut, whore, cheater, tramp, and colossal bitch. She was a liar, con artist, and a sinner of the worst kind.

The grief over the loss of honest and faithful love in my life turned first to hatred, but I knew that would consume me if I dwelled there. I struggled to find that narrow neutral territory between love and hate, where only apathy, disinterest, and indifference resided. I had long talks with myself about how I wanted to view Lisa at the end of this sudden unplanned journey where I'd leave her behind. Once Greg had confirmed her infidelity, I never had a doubt about divorcing her and enforcing the pre-nup.

Lisa had been gaslighting me, lying to me, and obviously had no guilt or reluctance to continue with her affair with Mitch. If they'd been fucking around as long as I suspected -- nine months -- they might keep going for years. I couldn't handle that. The apple cart needed to be turned over.

I changed the vocabulary about Lisa: builder to destroyer; wife to acquaintance that I didn't know that well; mother to liar, cheat, and traitor; family contributor to selfish and self-centered monster. I listed both her good and bad traits, and then literally burned the list on the edge of the motel parking lot. She was worthy of neither extreme in my new view of her. My love for her was dead, and apathy didn't deal with extremes.

I resolved to become her friendly housemate or roommate for a few months as we separated; unless I could evict her from the house. I'd pretend the kids and I were living with her on temporary basis -- until she left for someplace, but I wouldn't care where.

I spent hours creating a vision of myself in my new life with new circumstances all around. I had the stability of the job, and thanks to our prenuptial agreement the house, my income stream and retirement accounts, and guaranteed significant time with the children -- hopefully, as their full custodian. I wouldn't shut Lisa out of their lives, but I wouldn't make co-parenting exactly an easy task for her when visits or schedules were inconvenient.

There were things that I'd need in my new life, and that started me thinking about my stamina, physical conditioning, and diet. I instantly cleaned up my act, and put more effort into exercise at the small gym at the motel. I'd need to run on a tighter budget, unless I could get child support from her. That prompted me to move some funds to an account uniquely in my name, and changing the beneficiaries on my insurance and investment accounts to my children. My list got longer, and I found the Internet helpful as I did my research. Some moves, such as cancelling credit cards I'd do when I was ready to go public with the upcoming separation and divorce.

I went home on Friday afternoon and never had to lie about what my week had been like or where I'd been. Lisa never asked.

Over the weekend, I started on my plan to confront Lisa and Mitch. I needed to do it in a way that they couldn't lie their way out of their betrayals, or just back out of the situation leaving me holding the bag. The infidels needed to be seen for what they were by the people that were collateral damage -- parents, children, relatives, friends, and co-workers.

A plan to humiliate the couple took root in my brain and became a humorous game to think up the twists and turns I could introduce into some 'event'. I envisioned a 'Reveal Party' and what would be revealed was the couple's outrageous behavior and affair, the divorce, and other hurtful things to the pair of them.

That thinking led me to think about Ellie and the children she had with Mitch -- Marianne and Beth. That disturbed my thinking further. The two of them were fucking up another family, and not just mine. I realized that I had to share what I knew with Ellie. Fuck. I'd be the messenger of bad news and I really liked Ellie.

I surprised Ellie at her house on Tuesday morning as she was getting ready to leave for work, but right after Mitch had left for his job. I watched him leave as I sat in my car down the street.

Ellie was full of curiosity when I asked her to come to coffee with me. I told her that I had a story to tell her and needed her help. As soon as I said those words, I think she knew that bad news was coming. I resisted her insistence to immediately reveal why I was there until we had some doughnuts and coffee in front of us. We got our orders and I then drove us to the city park, which at that time of day wasn't too busy.

We sat across from each other at a picnic table. She looked at me and then tears started to roll down her cheeks. She used her napkin. Ellie said, "This is about Mitch, right? Tell me. What the hell is going on that has you so secretive. You worry me, and from the look on your face, it's obvious that you have something going on, too."

I blurted out, "Mitch and Lisa are having an affair. It's been going on about nine months, I think. I have a private investigator gathering information, but there's enough to know that I have confirmation. He's getting proof, which I need legally because of a prenup that Lisa and I have."

Ellie put her head in her hands and shook her head. I heard a muffled sob and then crying. After several minutes she spoke but didn't look up. "I knew something was wrong. Shit!" She sobbed. I changed seats so could gently rub and pat her back. I knew the stage she was in. Her tears made my own eyes teary, so I joined her. This was a sad event.

After a couple of minutes, she raised her head and reluctantly asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Divorce," I replied without hesitation. "We've established a 'once and done' boundary about this stuff years ago. She won't get much from me. Our prenup laid out what would happen with infidelity -- basically, the offending party leaves with no more than they came into the marriage with. I brought the house into the marriage, so I keep that. I hope for custody of the kids, too.