All Comments on 'A Simple Act of Greed'

Don't read this story if you'r looking for juicy sex or even for a very dull and dry kind of sex, for there is no sex in it at all.

Read this story only if you'r interested in complete unneccesary relatianal problems between maried people.

All the stories written by this guy have been well done leapyearguy has a gift

The guy took way too much blame, but a good story nevertheless.

I don’t think hubby has taken too much blame on himself. I’d say equal shares are about right. I have two quibbles.

The average woman is a yapper, especially one with siblings. She's had to speak up or act quickly in order to get anything before the others got it. She would immediately attack with information of her husband’s infidelity and demand answers.

Hubby, as an only child, is used to being alone and entertaining himself. He’s used to being brusque to the point of unsociability. People might think he’s being argumentative but he’s not; it’s just his conversational style. He’s also a manager/executive. He doesn’t walk away from confrontations.

A “couldn’t put it down” read. Thanks.

Phil

Interesting story about two people who never really learned to communicate. Unfortunately, it happens all too often. A good read.

good story but the are signs that the author is becoming a wimp writer.

How is ANY of this the Hubbys fault. ? How...

The story as presented has the hubby trying for 30 days to find out what is going on... yet isnt the sterotype of most men that they will NOT to try for that long a period to get their wives to open up?

In this instance didnt the hubby try and try and try? Does the author have any idea how long 30 days is?

surely the Hubby once he found out what he was accused of by wheom and where Might of been able to prove that it was NOT him or he could not of been there. Of course once that is done its time for him to leave anyway.

I mean once your wife accusses YOU ... which you know is a lie...then wont tell you for 30 days... THEN you have to Prove your innocence.... Well that marriage is soooooo fucking over its not worth the paper it is printed on.

Lets talk about the pregancy. Folks there is a high % chance that the baby girl isnt his. The timing is extremly unliekly... possible but just barely. And WHY did the wife HIDE and LIE and LIE and LIE again about the entire seperation from her own mother?

Can anyone explains why a pregnant woman would LIE to to her own monther when she has no other support and her husband is away?

That baby girl isnt his....

Good Story by a fine writer.

With all the feelings and emotions and the fairy tale ending, I would have added a twist.

Either, have the baby black and therefore not his and describe how his feelings and situation changes or two, have Jane send porno pictures of Tonie's "get even" affair that was set up by Jane 8 months earlier, thereby placing the child's paternity in question and the wraught this brings to their marriage.

Otherwise, no twist

Even though this story had no SEX scene at all and totally not in context with the category (should be in Loving Husband cat, if there is one hehehe) I still like the way you wove your story.

Even though Tonie the wife acted like another moron with an IQ of zero who prefer to listen to Jane (fuck what kind of friend is that) than Bill I still like this story.

Even though you make Bill a little wimpy (not really, just forgiving more like it) I still like this story.

What can I say, you are a brilliant writer. I likened you to Mitch Albom, BUT (hehehe) I can't give you 100 because as I've mention no sex and wrong category. So 75 here but psst...I rated 5 on the little button.

The writing is technically poor.Detail is missing from all areas that would tie this piece together and give some coherence.However ,these alone are not responsible for the failure to communicate.Leapyearguy seems to imply that Tonie is not accountable for her actions because she was under the influence of a bad friend( Jane ).No matter that Tonie wronged an innocent person ( husband Bill ).This is all swept under the rug because she is fuzzy-headed and unable to think as an adult.Essentially, what Leapyearguy is proposing is that women be given a pass on their stupidities based on the number of stupid friends that they know.Therefore, a women with an infinite number of friends could not be held accountable to an infinite number of stupidities. Ain't it great to be a woman?

Don't know why he would just up and leave because his wife was torturing him. I mean that sort of stuff happens quite often. Maybe not with as serious a subject as cheating but something more devastating should have happened to make him leave. Even though Torrie was really making his life miserable his hardheadedness made Bill as bad as Jane in this one.

Why do you guys always blame the man? What should he have done differently? She wouldn't talk to him. He tried to find out who had lied about him. Many times. She refused to discuss it with him. What would you have done if you were him?

I think you wrote a decent story without relying on sex to get your point across. Thank you for that.

I don't agree that Bill shouldn't have left at all. If he wouldn't have nothing would have changed and things would have gone in the crapper even then. You would think that after a couple of weeks, when she wanted to talk about the divorce, he should have given her an audience and listened to her, just in case she had figured old Jane out. I thought it was a pretty good story.

Good story, well written, and believable.

I do have one request though to ask of you and the other authors. Please let the wife character complete saying her apology to the husband and not have the husband character cut the wife character off in mid-apology.

I have read a few too many stories now that have the husband never let the wife finish her apology. It helps with closure of the story especially in a reconciliation story where her apology will most likely show that she understands her part in the problem(s) in the marriage.

nicely written and i liked the story. not alot of drama but very plausible.

It was a very nice story of lack of communication between two people who have no idea how to talk to each other. They should sit down and tell the other how they perceive the others way of handling discourse. It is something you learn to control as it is part of your makeup and personality how you react to situations. It’s all part of interacting with people and especially with the one’s you love. I feel for Bill to react so forcefully with complete conviction of he’s had enough, there would be more then just this one incident that put him over the top to move out. There has to be a growing problem that built to this decision to end it all.

I got a kick out of Tiggertoo’s comment: “The average woman is a yapper, especially one with siblings.”

He obviously didn’t have multiple siblings, as in any family or group of people there are those who are reserved and thoughtful, those that scream and yell for everything and those who are sometimes both and so many other personal traits to numerous to mention. Coming from a large family means there are more different types of personalities to deal with. In a majority of large families the oldest has more responsibility experience and the youngest has been given more room (spoiled sometimes) to develop. Less selfishness is one good trait people get to TRY and develop and is one up side of a family larger then three people. I’m sure Triggertoo doesn’t think all women are screamers and yellers.

As always great story and writing, you developed this short story so very well.

What a pleasant piece of entertainment.

Thank you

PT

I missed the 'greed' reference in the title. It was Jane's jealous desire of him and his wife's lack of trust that caused the problems.

I don't have any problem with his leaving, thought he could have let her know that he couldn't put up with the haranguing any more and was moving on.

He should have also called his wife or sent her a note telling about Jane coming to his house.

Nicely written - keep up the good work.

Regards, DJ

I have seen numerous posts from folks who assert that this is a failure to communicate on BOTH parties... the wife and hubby.

HUH? what? I mean what the fuck? what stories are these people reading....?

the hubby is begging and pleading for days and days and weeks and weeks to COMMUNICATE with his wife...almost to the point of lose his identity as a MAN... and the Hubby is stll gets 50% of the blame?

Peggy asserts that this is a couple who doesnt now who to talk to each other. I could not disagre more...

EXCUSE ME?

He wanted to talk---she did NOT. Even though he was falsely accused the Hubby stilled believed in the marriage.

she neve gave a crap about what the hubby did or did not have to say., She never gave him a chance..

The hubby got less respect than the courts gave jeffery Dahmer.

You dont have to be Dr Laura to know that is NOT a good sign

Gotta go with Harry here. I'm baffled by the moral of this story and the various reader comments that followed.

The whole point of them failing to communicate is totally and completely off base it's really not funny. She failed to communicate. He tried to communicate for a month, and even on the final day to communicate, but she refused up till he left. And then it was only after him being missing for "2 days" that she even called him on his cell to see where he was.

I guess the old adage of "Listen to a woman and when she says "no" take her at her word. No means no" doesn't work here. I guess he was less of a man because he didn't pester her till she started hating the sight of him.

I mean look at these parts of the story here:

__________

..Try as I might to explain things to Tonie, she won't listen. I know how hardheaded she is at times, but this time it is more than what color to paint the house. We don't usually fight, I just let her pout or give in. Not this time, I won't admit to something I didn't do. I'm going to get to the bottom of this today one way or the other...

__________

Ok, on the first page 3rd paragraph in says this. The 2nd one says that this has been going on for a month. I'm sorry but someone who is trying for a solid "month" to convince someone else of something isn't lacking in communications. The other person who refuses to listen, or at the least investigate what they are saying, is the one at fault. This was as one sides a conversation as I've seen.

__________

..."Is it more important than our marriage? I'm going to sit right here in front of this fucking door until you tell me who told you I was cheating on you."...

__________

Ok, how is the husband not trying to communicate here? Someone that points out that they need to fix a major problem in their marriage and that fixing it is more important than anything else isn't someone who lacks in communcation.

___________

...Look, I've told you a thousand times that there was no other woman, but you'd rather believe somebody else. So I'm not going to move until you tell me."...

Or

..."No, I'm not budging until you tell me. This isn't going away until we settle this. You've been treating me like shit for a month now and I've had it up to my eyeballs. Tell me who and I'll get out of your way."...

__________

Ok again, after a month of pleading, begging, and trying to fix a problem that someone else created this guy finally puts his foot down and says that he's not letting his wife out of the house till they start to fix this problem and misconception. "HE" makes is making all the moves here. The wife would rather treat him like dirt and kick him every chance she could and he keeps going back for more because he believes that fixing the marriage is more important than his pride is. Anyone willing to put up with verbal abuse and being treated badly for a month when they are innocent is going above and beyond the communication level.

Yet you still stuck this in at the end:

__________

... We had a communication problem and we were too hard headed to talk about it. If Tonie would have trusted me there would never had been a problem, if I hadn't have ran away we could have worked it out....

__________

I have to ask, what would you have written differently as there "NOT" being a communcation problem? The only reason the husband left was that the wife didn't seem to want to fix the problem and he was tired of her treating him like crap. Why would anyone stay where they were made feel unwanted for such a long time? It was easier for her to grill him for a month over it. So he left for 7 months.

Would it have been seen as less of a communication problem if the husband, who didn't know the wife was pregnant, got ready to continue his abuse from half a country away? As far as he knew thats all he was in for. He tried to get a divorce because of how she was treating him. That's not running. Running is if the other person has no idea of why you left. The wife "clearly" knew why he left. If the wife wanted him to know she was pregnant she could have passed that on through her lawyer, and the lawyer would have made sure he found out. But her character didn't. As far as the husband knew the wife was going to continue to beat up on him, so he gave up, asked for a divorce, and tried to avoid the abuse any further.

Sorry, I would love to say I see it the same way as you or various other folks, but this was someone in this story who tried to communicate. And after getting kicked in the teeth for a month stopped trying. And various folks go "Yep they both had a communcations problem?" I guess he should have physically restrained her in the house for a couple days till he physically "forced" his wife to believe he was innocent huh?

I never will understand some folks I guess

-Risq

My comments are meant as constructive criticism. I have only a couple issues with the story elements and I will mention those last. This story has a lot issues, mainly with construction. You seem to have a problem with how you manage ‘time’ in the story.

In your first three paragraphs, I could not determine if you were speaking in the ‘now’ or in the ‘past’. The confusion was in part caused by the last sentence in the first paragraph. That sentence gives the impression that you are talking real time. However, you are not. It turns out that you are telling the story of what happened some 7+ months in the past. This should be made clear to the reader.

Then parts of your story read like an outline. Conversation amongst characters is a way of providing insight into their motivations for the reader. Aside from our listening to the thoughts and reasoning of the main character, the only people he converses with at any length are Jane and Ruth. The exchanges with Tonie are worthless in terms of understanding how she thinks. She is two-dimensional.

Furthermore, you have Bill take a remote assignment with his current firm, a fact that reads initially as if he changed employers, then after six months he’s made a Vice President. You laid no basis for that, particularly when you present Bill as an immature character in his marriage. Yet he is mature enough to be an executive? His elevation therefore, was not credible.

In addition, it might have been more appropriate to have a premature baby viewed by her parents not brought to her parents. If she needs to stay in the hospital for observation, the child is unlikely to be handed around to her mother.

In summary, this story cried out for a good editor. You released it too soon. You should have clarified the time elements and fleshed out the characters and motivations. By writing the story in a form of vagaries you left too many questions unanswered.

if there is no trust,respect and communication in a marriage,there is no marriage.if hubby or wife take others word over spouses, marriage want work.

Absolutely great story line. Absolutely lousy writing. (Take some classes; get an editor; learn some spelling and grammar.)

Seriously, don't give up on the writing. This story shows huge potential. Just progress to the point that the writing, itself, doesn't detract from the story being told.

-- KVK

I admire Authors like you who write to life's complexities in the theme of marital consquence. I and many others can relate to that theme as most of us live it or have.

It is unlike the weird non-realities otherwise found here that are written for but a few who need the humiliation, pain or subordination in freakie sick ways not even close to normal life even in the extreme.

Look naysayers, this author does well, is largely appreciated and he is growing as he and we hope he will continue to do. In the interium, he is better that 75% of the others with promise of more.

Again Author - thanks and we hope for more at interval.

With High Regard

Another of the many variations that makes life interesting. Communication and trust are still primary to a happy marriage.

Boyd

leapyearguy:

It's different enough to make it entertaining. Others have commented on the problems so I won't pile on. I'll just say Thank You. Ronnie W.

if you wanted to focus on the "no communication" "crap", as someone aptly observed, then the MOST logical explanation is that TONIE's been having an affair.

Jane or whoever that person which easily lowers your IQ when you talk to?, she couldn't have been that convincing to start with, so to say she --- with her intelligence --- is able to confound NOT ONLY Tonie but also the hubby (in a way that made it IMPOSSIBLE for him to get through to his wife; she Jane really did confound BOTH, not just Tonie) --- so to say Jane's RESPONSIBLE for their failure to "communicate" is idiotic; it makes no sense.

the only LOGICAL explanation for such behavior from Tonie is simply that she's been having an affair and thus to pre-empt her husband's actions, what-not, this was the only assured way. With, of course, Jane as an excuse.

frankly, it is NOT a very believable story. that is, if we go by the given "logic"/plot

I see Risq's point of view, but if Bill wanted to get to it all he had to do was tell her, standing in front of the door you sit and tell me everything going on and we will discuss this or I’m really leaving you for good. He just said tell me who said I was cheating and I’ll let you go. She did respond and he mumbled as he left her, it was done as far as he was concerned. She didn’t grasp that, no one was really listening.

That was a loose paraphrase.

He did not talk to her he grunted and she grunted. There is more to communicating then TALKING to hear your head roar.

My point of view is these two people never communicated they talked to themselves more then to each other. They never learned to listen to each other or how to understand each other. I do mean both of them. This is the cause of many misunderstandings in a relationship.

I won’t get into it now but MOST men and women listen and say things with a different understanding of what is meant and said. The trust issue is the other real problem.

Risq I’m not arguing with you but trying to say why I take this short story as more then what was specifically said in the dialogue, to much was not told us in a background.

Sorry for taking up people time.

PT

When my pathetic little stories can evoke this much emotion, I'm in awe. It still amazes me, that anyone reads the stories I write. I would like to make a few comments to my readers.

1- to all of you that think I should get an editor, Well, I tried that a few times, and to tell the truth, I spent more time trying to correct the story after it was edited than it took to write it in the first place. I won't go into details.

2- I appreciate all the comments, good or bad.This refers to point 1. If I am to improve the next time, I need to know what it was that was right or wrong. Ronnie W, please fell free to pile it on. It is some times very hard to cull the comments. Some comment to help, and some just want to pick. Risq, you truly do amaze me at how thoroughly you consume a story. I may not always agree with your accessment, but I still have learned a few things.

3- To try and analize what is logical, or believable, to how a woman or a man might react in any given situation, is in its self very illogical. thank you all LYG

Husband is accused of cheating by wife. Husband denies charge. Wife refuses to believe husband. Wife punished alleged cheating husband for at least a month before she reveals source of alleger. Husband gets angry and sues for divorce leaving area. Wife wants to talk to husband but refuses to tell husband about their child. Alleger (Jane) reveals motive for lying to husband. Husband moves back to area due to job and goes to settle matters with wife (wife's family is kept in the dark about divorce). Mother-in-law tell husband that wife is pregnant (Surprise!).

I am sorry - these sequence of events seems so unrealistic to me. They had been married for 5 years and there had been no reason for Tonie to believe that Bill was unfaithful. Why did they not go together to confront Jane? Why didn't Tonie ask Jane simple questions like date, time, other witnesses (they may know the other woman's name) and a description of the other woman to check out this sighting? Why didn't Bill talk with Tonie since he wanted the divorce? Where was Bill's and Tonie's friends during this fiasco? Where were Tonie's many siblings? Before Bill left she did not believe him but upon his return she apologizes for not believing him - huh? What happened to change her mind?

If every married couple got a divorce because of an argument the divorce rate would be 99.9%. So we have two fools acting like kids now having a child. The fact is proving one's fidelity to your spouse is almost impossible unless you live in a police state (sometimes not even then). That is what is so destructive about cheating. Once you have been caught at it how can you prove to your spouse that you are (or will be) not at it again? Bill was in an impossible situation but he made it worse by not talking to her. A separation was ok because they were not communicating and sometimes you need to raise the stakes.

Once again the husband beats himself up when the only thing I see him doing wrong was not talking to his wife during the divorce talks. She believed her friend over him. She made his life miserable. She hid the fact that they were having a child. Should Bill have divorced her? No- since he still loved her and the separation would have

revealed if she really wanted to stay married to him.

Good happy ending though!

SleeplessinMD

But I think we may have to agree we disagree on this one. I guess the reason I say that is that the husband, according to the story tried to discuss this for a month. I guess if I was in his shoes and nothing worked I would have just did the same. I mean I probably would have went also "Just tell me who said it so I can understand." And once it was told it was someone who I always disliked, and my wife knew it, but choose for a month to accuse me without proof, I'd hit the roof too.

I guess the reason I see it as one sided, was because the husband "did" say in the first few paragraphs how important it was that they talk. Then after he couldn't get anything out of her, he compromised and just asked for the name of the person who was ruining the marriage. I mean you don't say stuff like "we're staying here till we work this out" or "I think our marriage is important" and etc if your just talking to hear youself speak. You don't stop maintaining your innocence when your being accused of a serious crime just to keep peace in a household. But again that's just my opinion. The first 6 paragraphs were him grasping at straws get her to believe him. She wouldn't, he saw no end to the grief she was giving him, so he left.

But I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree on some of those points. (^_^)

Leapyear,

I didn't think the story was bad personally, I actually liked it all the way up to the blame shifting. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blow smoke at ya, but I only focused on the one part that seemed to seem strange to me.

You wrote the husband (to me) as someone desperate to get to the bottom of a marriage problem, but gave up when he realized that his wife would rather take the word of someone he really hated over her husband. I didn't see that as running. Not when the wife waited two days to even ask where he was. To me that seemed as her being more stuborn than him and being more determined than he was. He only became that way to avoid more grief. He finally gave up fighting with her about something he never did.

As I read the story, he was only stuborn at first when he was trying to make her see he was innocent and she was being stubborn trying to convict him on hearsay from her friend without any proof. In a situation like that he was in a no win situation. If he said he did it, he would be admitting to a lie just to keep peace. I can't see the marriage working well if the wife thought he was sleeping around on her. Specially if she wanted to get even for him doing it or she said she couldn't get past it. If he fought for his innocence she would make his life miserable till he confessed (like she was already doing).

See no win.

I thought it was a good story, but couldn't handle the husband getting 1/2 the blame at the end, when at the beginning of the story he was desperate to work it out before it got to that point. But the wife seemed more willing to ignore him than work on it (Had to leave for work - get out of my way, waited two days to call to see why he didn't come home, etc).

But again just just my take, on what you wrote =)

-Risq

I think that pretty much sums up the better parts of your submission. Why would you even bother with such dribble?

I really don't have anything else to add, i think risq and harry said it best.I don't know what story the rest read but it dosen't seem like the one i read.Thanks for your time and effort author.

An unbelievable story, someone said. Ha! If a woman is involved, it's believable.

A good read and a happy ending! Works for me!!

I appreciate the author’s courage to write a story in LW where there is no cheating. Some thing new for a change. Regarding Harry’s speculations about the wife’s cheating:1.The story does not suggest it .I’d say that with lack of specific suggestion it looks like you are ‘reading into the text’ The wife could have very well wanted to hide the embarrassment of being left by her husband from her parents. No need to read any more into it.

Like many others who commented on it, I wish you did not jump to the “mea culpa” of the husband. The only MUTUAL blame I see is stubbornness and refusal to trust and communicate ONCE the other side was willing to do that. They both act as if they were in a ‘zero sum’ game –you win I lose; you loose I win, rather than a win/win game, where more cooperation leads to more benefit. That does NOT mean equal distribution of blame. Clearly the wife was the main offender. With regard to that there are some important peaces missing in the puzzle.WHY should we buy the premise that it is credible for her to believe such accusation?

At the end of the day in their life span each party of the couple is likely to fuck up at least once, But if the unit that wins or looses is the COUPLE (Like a team in a match) it does not matter much which player ‘won ‘ ‘ it’s always the team which wins or looses. Yet, this couple will need to mature much more to realize that. .

A lack of communications on both parts but especially Tonie's. Hopefully besides learning to trust in the separation she learned to communicate. Thanks for the story.

dull dull dull..you have a good grasp of writing, but this category should be all about the cuckold, right? I have a feeling that man in the story will have a miserable life, the fact how she held back on something so important.HE shoudl have fucked Jane, by the way, and then lied about it to his wife, that would have showed her...

Lack of communication I mean. What makes so many lonely souls flock here, anyone? :) Quite right Leapyearguy, but it's extremly hard to be that open with anyone, we all have things we don't want to share, only a lier would pretend otherwise... Or a saint :) So we do as good as we can, hoping it will be enough... Cheers Yoron

She did not have faith in her husband. She listened to people who poisoned her and never even tried to get proof. This is a form of infidelity as damaging as fucking around. It has all the classic elements. I would take a long time to forgive if ever. Good story although the wife does not show enough contrition.

This guy works for a living i hope he not taken care of someone money or health. He's a loser.

After reading that they had been fighting about his supposed cheating for a month before he left her, only to find out she was eight months pregnant when he gets back, i,m afraid I wouldn,t be so quick to take her back, after baby is born I think I would have bided my time and taken a DNA sample and ran a quick ck ,to make certain she was mine, after all Tonie seems like a spiteful woman ,one that might get even on a cheating husband

This is more about Literotica author formulas and personal stupidity than lack of communication. So many stories here have no feel of reality because only the man and woman supposedly aren't talking. What about everyone else in their lives. Is it so hard to write a more complex story that includes real interactions between humans? Simply saying the man is prideful or stubborn is a cheap out for the author. You're (notice the spelling?) using words to tell the story so use your imagination and get everyone involved. How come it takes forever for the mother/mother-in-law to talk to either one when the family knows something is going on? Put some reality into a story, don't use a simple, unbelievable narrative as an excuse for lack of effort.

Bastard kid. Yeah, I know, It could be his, but she's such a bitch why not go for the gusto and just assume it's not.

I usually don't agree with the dimwits who call the husband in these stories a wimp, but in this case I must make an exception.

Where the hell did this lame-ass story come from?!

Good writing technique, stupid story.

I see a lot of negative reviews but to me it is an emotional story, and it is a realistic one too. Things like this DO happen, because women are jealous bitches and men are keen to run away from problems. I'm surprised he returned to another problem though that could be seen as the dual nature of gifts in life (they can also be seen as blessings in good times). 5 stars, simple but emotional because it's easy to empathise

Great story

im liked it, 5 stars

The story is impossible. You cannot force a divorce while the wife is pregnant. Aside from the fact that he would take his attorney's advice and talk to her, it is not possible that his attorney would hide from him the fact that his wife is pregnant. Her attorney would know she is pregnant and would be required to pass on that information to the court and thereby the other attorney because the divorce decree would have to state if she is pregnant. If not pregnant the decree would say "and not now pregnant."

Furthermore, if she wanted to talk, her attorney could request a trial. A date would be set and he would have to show or be in contempt of court.

Finally, it is not possible that she could hide her pregnancy. Jane, her family, her lawyer, coworkers, friends, and neighbors would know she is pregnant. And, while she is pregnant, Jane wouldn't be going after the husband. The entire story stinks.

Are you living in the 1920's? Pregnancy is not an incapacitating event? Last I checked, any lawyer is free to dispute this, a judge may hold off child support if the paternity is in dispute until a DNA test is performed. However, a divorce can proceed at any time during the pregancy as long as the mother is not mentally incapacitated.

Sorry, Dwornock but I have seen women get out of an abusive relationship through divorce even if pregnant.

Thanks for a perfect posting to emphasize the need to communicate in any loving relationship.

If Dwornknocker say's it is stupid it has to be okay

Nice little story. Recriminations can and do destroy relationships. That neither cheated is a plus, however, misunderstandings can be just as devastating.

Some, well, maybe one, commentator, apparently has no real fixed experience in life's vagaries, and the attendant complications and legal ramifications that go along with life. With that stated, I found the "facts" of the story to be within the realm of possibility. It's not like some good friend has never tried to steal the spouse or significant other from their friends. And she wouldn't be the first woman to go through a divorce while pregnant.

Anyway, I enjoyed the story and appreciate the caliber of writing.

The problem seems to be that his world is black and white on ethical/moral matters. It also seems that he gets his knowledge of the world from reading LW stories.

That's really too bad because most of LW is pure fantasy.

This attempt to make a story out of misunderstandings, lack of communication and pure larceny missed the mark.

"I love her/him like crazy; with all my heart; unconditionally; then the character does something to completely cancel the statement. Lack of consistency in words versus actions is one of the most common LW faults.

of trust, fidelity or truth. TK U MLJ LV NV

I would have insisted on a paternity test before any reconciliation was considered.

By a consummate Author. Well done .

Everything Dworknob mentioned is absolutely wrong or not the way the story was written. I figured he would say Yuk a pregnant women no one would want her after having a kid, 1*. That's usually the limit of his intelligence.

The only one more stupid is Harry. Really, the kid is not his. Why introduce things that are not in the story. He was gone for six months and back for a month. She was eight months pregnant. Where did the author suggest she was cheating? What a douche bag.

I will say that Toni was right about one thing. Bill is a stupid bastard. She was wrong in the way she treated him. But he finds out that she has an eye witness that he cheated on her and he runs away like a little pussy. He doesn’t stick around and have a confrontation with Jane and Toni. Why not? Hey he was probably cheating on her with five other women. Yeah that’s it. It makes as much senses as what Harry came up with.

Marriage is about work. It’s about good times, bad times and disagreements. It's about working together to overcome each others stupidity at times. Bill and Toni are a prime example of why there is so much divorce.

If you're not willing to fight for it the marriage will never last.

Thanks for sharing.

I think Bill's question (on hearing of the pregnancy) should have been "is it mine?" I know that would have crossed my mind in the circumstances given. Also seems like the lawyers would have shared the info - in this State, at least, no divorce is allowed to become final during a pregnancy. They want hubby 'on the hook' until paternity is established, and judges don't like to 'illegitimize' children. Also odd that he'd let Jane enter his place - she could so easily have claimed assault, etc. - trusting soul, old Bill.

both have consequences beyond. TK U MLJ LV NV

So the bitch that plotted the destruction of their marriage was never punished? As a wife I would've been in the parking lot waiting for the slut to come out.. But of course I wouldn't of believed her, a tramp will lie to get your man samething as a man lying to get in your pants. I think the wife wanted to believe her trashy psychotic friend. If she really knew her husband & trusted him she wouldn't of even pay the silly bitch any mind. . The whore needs an ass whupping she'll never forget. Bet he would be the last husband she tries to steal

I'm sad to say that this story is entirely possible. There are women who act like that and worse. And they do that with the man they love.

I can't explain why they act like that. My theory is that they want to test the man's commitment by measuring their reactions for outrageous accusations. The problem comes because they are not sure what a 'good' reactions is supposed to be like. So, they end up being more upset and consequently make the man's life a hell.

Trust me. I'm living that life.

Looks like she got pregnant right about the time she was first told that he cheated. I'm thinking she fucked around and got knocked up that night and couldn't tell him he wasn't the father. Fuck her.

She lacked trust in me, I ran away, we had a communication problem. The way the story read she did not trust him and did not verify the story she was told. She refused to discuss it with him (the communication problem). She berated him and called him names. After a month of this with him constantly being blamed for things he had not done, he left her and asked for a divorce. She refused the divorce and did not tell him she was pregnant (the communication problem). Sorry no where in this story do I see where he was to blame for any of it. The wife comes across as a retarded, self centered bitch. Question is, is she mentally fit to be a mother or should the child be removed for its own safety? Sorry just another RAAC story but without the cheating.

after all he did take an unsupported state of a friend and declare war on his wife.

he did refuse to discuss with her who said what when and refused to offer evidence.

he did cut her off from intimacy.

he did carry a child but refused to tell her.

Yep he shared the blame ok, he shared the blame in marrying a woman who was so self centered, pigheaded, unintelligent, oh is he sure he really wants such a woman to birth his child.

She didnt trust him, why should he trust her

for sure.

on the baby's time line can get the author into the same kind of problem with the LW audience as Jane got Tonie into. I enjoyed the story and the ideas especially but with our crowd you can never have a division of guilt! I certainly wish LYG would write some more stories!

get really upset if you don't give 'em a woman to hate, and if you don't, they'll make one up. I miss LYG too.

only stupidity on multiple parts, TK U MLJ LV NV

than a man who finds out that another woman deliberately destroyed his marriage and does absolutely nothing to fix either the marriage or the bitch who did it. "BTB" isn't restricted to cheating wives and husbands, but the assholes who deliberately destroy the relationships of others, especially those they call friends.

The husband is painted as the villain when, in fact, the wife is the principal problem here. And, whatever happened to Jane?

Would have been much more tense and emotional if the baby wasn't his, and they both had to live with consequences.

I almost always disagree with the decisions you male lead characters make! I don't know if it's for dramatic effect or what but your male leads make a whole lot of bone headed decisions!

The pregnancy would have stopped the divorce cold, as both lawyers are ethically bound to inform the court of a circumstance such as this immediately. Bill's lawyer was also bound to inform him immediately.

Those who comment that the husband is at fault are just plainly large piles of bullshit. She is the issue, not him. And, yes, he should of divorce the untrusting bitch. Even if (and, a big if) the kid was hers; so long bitch.

DNA that is what he needs.

Would you think about what she said or take as the gospel? Always listen but always verify. Then and only then make your plans!!!!

...knowing that real women are in fact like that.

its a chick flick story all his fault boo hoo waa waa, okay the author writes a story,and she the wife is clearly at fault or so the author tells us with the husband trying to save the marriage, and then its his fault at the end because???????-- that is called a shitty writer plot hole you can drive a car through, or its a female writer, or a one of those self hating males programed by women.

The only reason he had a change of heart was the baby. Was the baby really his? And did the baby magically change her attitude? How about getting the divorce and sharing custody? What happens the next time when she gets a burr under her saddle? You move to Maine? Better off divorcing her and sharing custody IF the kid is really yours. Oh - a little revenge on Jane might be in order.

Kid isn't his. Part of the reason Toni was acting as she did was that she had discovered that she was pregnant by her lover. Bill should of had a DNA test done, which would of proved she had cuckolded him.

Sorry LYG, I didn't get it! Nothing seemed to make sense, bitch wife (believed friend, not husband, didn't tell husband about pregnancy), bitch friend (nuff said), and a poor weak ending.

I could have believed she had broken off that fight in order to cover up her own infidelity; leading to her pregnancy. I would have never expected an ending like this.Tonies´ friend was madly in love, almost an obsession. Why didn´t she - being as selfish as described - try to seduce him earlier? Always happens in life, doesn´t it. Hard to beliefe she would wait several years to then break up that marriage.

I had the feeling you wanted to "get this story over with"; it seems to me you rushed the final part. Nevertheless a fine story.

Maybe I'm an asshole, but the first thing I would ask her is "Who is the father ?"

And get a DNA test.

Women tend to accuse men of cheating out of the blue when it is the woman cheating.

I'd be asking her the same thing and demanding a DNA test to prove it. Trust is a two way street. Wifey didn't trust Hubby, so why should he trust her? It's said "The cheater is always the first to accuse their spouse of cheating". She took the word of her "friend" over his without so much as any kind of communication with him. Well, other than to call him a cheating bastard over and over and over again. He got fed up and left. I can't blame him. No Trust = No Love. Can't have Love without Trust.

To sum it up: Wifey never loved Hubby. No matter what she says. If she did, she would have tried to talk to him and find out what really happened instead of making unfounded accusations. She wouldn't have taken the word of a known skank over that of her husband.

4 Stars, but next time you write something like this, include something that shows that she didn't cheat on him and that the baby is his.

He left when his wife chose to believe her "friend's" lie about him and his lawyer was in touch with her the whole time he was gone. She could have let him know any time that she (a) believed him and (b) was pregnant.

He acted irresponsibly as well as she did because communication is a two way street. Communication has to be built BEFORE a crisis hits. It takes both people to communicate. That is how he participated in the "Acting Irresponsibly". If two people have a life of no communication, they can't suddenly blame the other person for not telling them something important. If you and your wife communicate on a daily basis, it will be really difficult for another person to tell a lie about you. If you don't share with each other, then how are they supposed to know and trust the real you?

@Javmor79

I have to disagree with you on this one. Read the first few paragraphs again. He TRIED to communicate with her for a whole month before the final confrontation that caused him to leave. He tried over and over to get Wifey to tell him WHY she believed he'd cheated. He wanted the name of the person who told her, but he wanted to know WHY before that. When Wifey told him that it was the woman that she knew he disliked, that was the last straw. She KNEW that he disliked her friend, but she didn't care. So yes, Hubby DID try to communicate, and Wifey wouldn't listen. She wouldn't say a damn thing to him except that he was a cheating bastard. Wifey has trust issues. Like a guy once said: "There's a fine line between stubborn and stupid." Wifey wasn't stubborn. She was stupid.

I still don't blame Hubby for leaving like that. He was fighting a lost battle, so it was time to un-ass the A/O.

anyone who has actually been in a relationship knows this story is just fodder for insecure adolescent boys to indulge while on a break from playing Magic: The Gathering.

Grown men whose balls have dropped clear up all this shit Day 1 and spend zero time running away and crying and hiding like little bitches.

How do you communicate with someone that refuses to talk with you ?

How can he be irresponsible for leaving her given that he did not know of the pregnancy ?

To leave an intolerable and irreparable situation is not cowardice.

After he found out she was pregnant, he decided that they both had made mistakes.

Other than marry someone who was clearly too immature to be allowed to marry, what was his share of the mistakes?

I'm a bit confused. Some of the commentators seem to think that the accepting anything your partner does is a sign of maturity.

Robert

How does he really know it's his?

An unsatisfying ending. I'm not saying BTB, but there's trouble ahead if he accepts more "blame" than he should. He needs to set ground rules, and let her know that if she ever is uncommunicative again he WILL leave forever. See the excellent story "500 Annies" for something similar.

They had been fighting for at least a month at the time of confrontation at the door and he forced the issue regarding her accusation of his cheating. Even though it doesn't come out and say it in the text, with her feelings about his fidelity, she probably had him cut off from all sexual relations.

1

He was on the new job six months when he was offered the promotion to VP.

Then before coming back to corporate from phoenix it took him "a couple of weeks" to get everything settled before he could leave.

6 1/2

And when he got back to town,

"when I moved, within a month I was settled in to my new job."

1

We are now up to

8 1/2,

when he is told his wife is 8 months pregnant.

She very easily might not have known she was pregnant when he took the new job in Phoenix. So, the baby might have been his, but if Donna was significantly premature "The baby was in ICU, being premature ". . . maybe not?

So who is the father ?

She was eight months pregnant when she gave birth.

He was away from her seven months

He left after she would not talk to him for over a month.

Was she having sex with him during that time ?

Highly unlikely, most women won't have sex with you if they are too angry to talk to you.

She was accusing him of cheating, a common tactic of cheaters to "justify" their own cheating, deflect attention from their cheating and keep their spouse off balance.

#1 to see if they are catching up. TK U MLJ LV NV

8 months pregnant. He is gone for over 7 months, didn't speak to him for over a month before he left. So, who is the father? Because he certainly isn't . Can you say 'Revenge fuck'?

What else? Wifey wouldn't allow the divorce, because she wanted to talk first. Why didn't she go see him? Jane certainly had no problem finding him.

What else do we have? How did his mother in law call him immediately after his return? He changed his phone number, remember? He moved to a new apartment, remember? So she wouldn't have a number for him.

What's next? Emergency cesarean at the hospital on an unconscious woman, yet nobody told him a thing? They need his permission to perform surgery in a case like that. He would hace to sign off on it. Yes, they can do proceedures like that in an emergency if the head of the hospital signs off on it, but it would be so much easier with his consent, seeing as he was present when she came in, and they wouldn't then be open to being sued!

Anything else? Oh yes, another author that believes a baby fixes ALL problems in a marriage, no matter WHAT has happened previously. Another magic baby. Maybe someone should send a few fresh babies to Iraq, maybe that would stop the fighting there too!

Perhaps, LYG, a little logical thought before letting the fingers go crazy at the keyboard next time?

Read Risq001' s comment. It says it all. 2 stars for effort for this story, 5 stars for Risq's comment!

the comments showed that most people that read this story didn't understand what ir was about!! It's about how two strong positions can destroy a realation...The pregnancy was used as the touchstone that saved the marriage...

Of course reactions to the story are of being pissed off. Up until the point of his returning home the actions of the couple are of her being an unreasonable woman with what I call Female Personality Disorder, that of being unable being unable to hear, understand their male counterpoint, and most important being unable or unwilling to admit when they are wrong. She believes unquestioningly her girlfriend, rejects unquestioningly her husbands word. Acts like a cold hearted bitch for a month. It doesn't state but no doubt cuts him off for a month. For the seven months he's away gives no hint that she's pregnant. So he comes back to town on business and find out she's knocked up, immediately does the right thing and goes to her. She has emotional overreaction and goes into labor. He hangs in there for her. After all of this the author first brings up personality clashes that supposedly occurred prior to the story. Of course reader are up in arms. The time to bring up these issues is at the beginning of the story. Sloppy, lazy, writing to achieve a plot twist that wasn't necessary to the story. Just cutesy crap, trying to appear to clever. It could have easily been a good story