All Comments on 'But Honey, It Was Just A Dance'

As has been said here before, the actual sexual congress is only the end result of the infidelity. All of the contact, flirting and secret meetings and conversations leading up to the act are the cheating. Fucking is just the end result. During the build up you have the transfer of loyalty and devotion to the new lover, that's where the disrespect and the lack of sex in the marriage come from as well as the feelings of superiority that come with the fact you put something over on your spouse. So she's not going to tell her husband, just hope he doesn't find out? Not something to bet your marriage on. The longer it takes for him to find out the harder she's going to fall in the aftermath. It will be brand new to her husband but the edge will have worn off for her, she is thinking she has gotten away with it and it is less significant and they won't have the same intensity of reaction with each other. Too bad, she'll lose big on this.

What she put her husband through - for what? She was only worried about what she might lose. She never gave a shit about her husbands pain. That is NOT love. That is simply selfish fear of losing her meal ticket. A person who loves (cares) about another person is concerned about how their words and deeds affect that relationship. Linda expressed no concern for Harry off by himself in a creepy hotel for two weeks. He might have been suicidal for all she knew. Fuck her.

Well told & written. Yes, she did cheat emotionally & I guess that in many cases the husband might leave her for that. But, I think for most men the hardest part to forgive is the certain knowledge that their wife has had a sexual relationship with a lover. It's even harder if he actually sees them " in the act " or obtains photos of their actions, once seen, never forgotten. Well done. 4 ****

Lap you are the best. She was on her way to give up some pussy for sure. Her "friend" had a large set on him. Luckily the husband had the bigger set of balls. I know lots of guys like her "friend" , they think married woman are fair game and that it is sporting to pursue them.

I would have made her tell me all the details if I came back to her. Her "friend" would at least have an impression of a 7 iron on his forehead.

But that's just me.

I wonder how many times situations like this happen? Many times I suspect, and with luck they end like this one did. Good story, and even better ending. (Lots of stars!)

I agree with Pappy7 comment 100% . Can't really add much more

A rare story where acts of stupidity are not taken to their unnatural conclusion when intelligence intervened instead.

Wouldn't it have been ironic if it had been the same guy trying to seduce her friend, Cathy?

Perfectly unfinished story, as our lives are. There are so many long run possibilities that Linda should be trembling in her boots. I wonder what the best solution to her situation, two years afters. Personally I would bet that with two kids in the family Harry would not walk again after she told him, but it certainly would be unfair to him to tell him now. I wonder why Terry did not tell him that they were going out together. That would have had an excellent chance at kicking her lose at little cost to him.

Yippee, even before reading I know this going to be good, yes I am a laptopwriter fan. I have only read page 1 so far but I wondered why in so many stories that an aggrieved husband packs a bag and leaves home, surely to deny himself of the home comforts and interaction with children just makes a bad situation worse, you cannot fight a battle if you do not engage the enemy, you fight on your own turf with all your resources to hand plus he is the one who has deserted the home. had to get this out and will now read on.

One small quibble. The husband tells his story in first person. The wife's story is in third person. I would think she'd tell her tale in first person, the same as the husband.

However, she did cheat on him emotionally.

I enjoyed your story. I am a sucker for a happy ending. A couple of the comments are also instructive. Plainly some people will never be happy until a witch is burnt , guilty or otherwise.

Jennifer is what, 10 years old now? She'll be almost 11 when the new baby arrives. Doesn't make sense that they'd have waited this long for a new addition to the family and that Jennifer would be that excited about giving up her only child status. I'm glad Linda caught herself and that she was given a couple weeks of hell for her considerations and attitude.

Well written about "coming close to the edge" without jumping in.

Thanks for the post

This story is me. Except I'm the husband. I did almost the same thing to my adoring wife. I got caught up in an online affair that was mere moments from becoming physical.

Without to much detail, I became moody, withdrawn. I took my family for granted. Then I found Ashley Madison. The vilest website ever created for marriage destruction. I met a married woman we chatted and exchanged photos. She wasn't a raving beauty but the illicitness fueled my want. I was a fly to her spider. Like the story I was being seduced and didn't have a clue until the confrontation.

I told her I was taking my wife out for her birthday, why I did I'll never know. I was enjoying the evening, she showed up and asked me to dance. My wife who had been put through months of hell by me protested. I rebuked her and had my dance listening to the syrup, and becoming mired in her web.

She I returned my wife was gone. I woke up and my life almost played out like this tale, I told the other woman I was done. The exceptions were we have two young children. It took a month before I was able to come back home.

I never had the courage to tell her the truth. This happened a few years ago, and like the character I deservedly live with this guilt, and do my best to ensure she knows my love. I put her first. I am always second or third. I do this out of love for I realize the grass is greener in my yard not the neighbors because I take care of it, and we take care of it. Our grass is lush and green.

For those that want to burn me, so be it. I did cheat emotionally for a short time. I was selfish and self absorbed. I am lucky, and pray she never finds out. So go ahead vilify me. I deserve it, but for those that show compassion for my short period of abject stupidity, and can forgive. I appreciate it

Thank you Laptopwriter for telling my story, and very capably too..

David

Well she was slipping down a deep slop and he smelled and felt the problem. The disrespect at the club over a potential lover coming over to her table being rude and wanting to dance was over the top but he did the right thing in leaving at least she woke up before her marriage ended. And having a second child after 10 years , did you just have to fill up space here.he was successful so you can assume another child would come in before the first one was five. Plus I think u posted this story on SOL earlier. A great story if people learn the grass very rarely is greener on the other side.

We all know most marriages have there ups and downs, if we stayed focused we will not stray . The tempt ion. Is great with both men and women who are looking for whatever. In this case the husband was strong but most of us are not built that way . And either man or women could blow up there marriages. Some times there in a bad marriage , but they should recognize that and seek help or separate. But in real life we look for an easier way . If kids are involved what a mess. Pain is everywhere.

"Hello Harry, this is Bruce. I've been suspicious of Cathy lately, so I put a bug in her purse. I found out everything I needed to know. Unfortunately, I also found out something you need to know." Thank you for sharing your story, I hopefully await Chp. 3

So enjoyment of it was a given. Not too long, not too short. Sends a positive message. The husband isn't so OTT saintly not to accept his part of the blame. He makes her accountable for her mistakes, but correctly guages her sincere regret for them. Yes he does follow a trust but verify model, but ultimately knows you get out of a relationship what you put into it.

I have to say that I really liked "her side" of the story being told. Now, sombody commented about POV tense: If he tells his in first-person, why tell hers in third? Well, OK, I'm NOT sure if that would have been better or not. What I LOVED about her side was that instead of just retelling the reader the same story but it being her version of events, what we get is her actually telling the story to her friend who was about to make the same kind of mistake. I loved the device of having the cheating wife actively helping to prevent a friend from cheating themselves, by sharing her story. What a great way to show that she has learned her lesson! She learned her lesson so well, that she can teach it to others. Perfect!

Many times authors like to end stories leaving the lingering doubts about the future for the married couple. I suppose that this is to reflect the reality of perhaps never knowing for sure whether or not, if this kind of thing will happen again. LTW has correctly identified just how frustrating that is, and I really like this way of removing the doubts for the reader, and showing that the reconcilliation was well deserved, as well as being the right thing to do for the child involved.

Thanks LTW! Very nice to see a new post from you, even if it was something you had to renew and update from your past writing. It may have been an old story to you, but you still managed to give it a fresh voice, and a timely message.

Always appreciated!

Semper Vigilius...ever vigilant

is the shit from licking ass holes I have this a 5 to help offset the fag annony!

enjoyable read. In my opinion, this was better than a burn the bitch type story. The husband was a strong man and refused to let his wife disrespect him. On the other hand the wife came to her senses before you did something that couldn't be apologized away. Good show.

Thanks for the hard work and look forward to more of your work.

Woodmanone

Strong sense of deja vu, so dont know if you prev posted this, or just the circumstances matched another story, but that kinda detracted from overall score.

In a similar situation, I don't think my wife would dance with the asshole but it wouldn't matter because I'd have knocked him on his ass soon as he talked to me like that. Still, I like it that Harry didn't take any shit.

During the course of a long married life I'm sure both spouses come across situations where they might be tempted to cheat. Flirting, lunches, even proximity can create an atmosphere where people think about cheating. Nicely told story. Keep after it.

I agree with the "Harry did ok" comment. Wannabe Bull would've been out cold before he had a chance to blink. Some douchebags don't have any respect for marriage, and they need to be taught a lesson. That lesson is this: "If you see a ring, turn around and walk away. Her husband will curbstomp you if you don't."

Before you ask, yes I've done that before to some punk who didn't take NO for an answer from my wife. It felt good. He put his hand on my chest to push me first, so it was self-defense... on an elevated scale. lol

Great writing as usual, LTW. Some couples go through that, when one or both of them decide to be obstinate. Men can do it just like women sometimes do, too. I like tales where the (almost) cheater wises up before doing something they can't undo. Putting Wifey's POV in there helped.

5 Solid Stars

Laptopwriter, you have described what the war between the sexes is all about. Harry would not take Linda's disrespect or attitude. To keep a marriage good, just like a great breakfast you have to break a few eggs. For scrambled you break the yolk and over easy the yolk is not broken. Marriage between two loving partners needs the same attention. A most enjoyable read, Five Star*****

Well done laptop, I remember this from another site and name. This reworking really improved on the original from my recollection. Always good to see realistic tales of marital drama, and some fun ones too. This category is littered with cuckold and wimp garbage so it is great to actual read a story instead of skipping.

You seem to be the last of the old guard posting here. I miss HDK, woodman, and so many others. I like this style of story and judging from the scoring I am not alone.

Keep it up!!!!

Maz

although terry should have to have someone pick his feeble ass up off the floor and taken to the ER. Linda should have been served with divorce papers and made to suffer for 2 months before he withdrew divorce petition

either another writer or another site. but I enjoyed it anyway.

Let me say it here, in the comments. Some have said they've read this story before--very possibly. It is a re-write of a story I wrote years ago under a different pen name.

It was among the stories I deleted from this site due to a disagreement with management at that time.

Thanks for all the comments, so far.

So many stories the Hubby knows every aspect of Wifey's cheating. That is unrealistic. This seems closer to the true-to-life norm. Thank you for sharing.

Great story, five all the way, especially Linda's half. HDK was on target with the mechanics, but Linda's rescue of her friend's marriage was dynamite.

A real concern about one aspect of the content. Linda was incredibly wrong about the dance. Now Harry handled his end poorly, but her decision to dance with a man she knew was a cad was in real poor taste on her part.

I thought she might have been having an affair and her paramour was the employee of the PI Harry hired.

Alas I've read this in another venue also.

And last, like so many others I'm so sick of all the 'happy cuckold' 'semen slurping' 'bull bossing' stupid stories. I've never, not once met a married man who liked that crap.

Keep writing ltp!

And all he had were his suspicions, leaving his wife for two weeks was an over reaction. Women need a reason to have sex, men need a place. The difference is that Hubby "claims" he was the perfect husband, but no ones perfect. The author "claims" hubby was perfect; but we are all human and ALL of us will fuck up our marriage.

If the author had talked about hubby accepting that he needed to work on his relationship with his Limda, I would have given this 5 stars; but considering it was just another woman hating piece of excrement, it barely deserves 1.

...is a man-hating piece of gutter trash filth. How could you overlook the blatant disrespect she showed her husband in front of her lover? That is the last straw in any marriage, even if the husband is an ass; you just don't humiliate each other in public.

Him moving out brought the floozy to her senses, but it's a shame she didn't make this rationalization when her lover and husband were both in her presence. She chose her lover and she's lucky she's still got a marriage that can be worked on, because no man - apart from Whackadoodle cuckolds - would stand that from someone whose supposed to be a faithful spouse...

Is that the wife didn't change her mind because of the husband being perfect or anything like that. She changed her mind because of how much of an asshole the potential paramour was. He played his seduction well all the way up until the anniversary night. Then he completely misread how to go forward with his seduction and ruined his chances with the wife. Even before she realized her husband was gone, she was angry with the would-be-lothario and was attempting to get him to leave her alone. Before that, he had set himself up as a better alternative than the husband. After that, he showed that- while the husband wasn't perfect- the husband was still a far better option than him. He continued to prove this when he would not leave her alone, no matter how much she asked him to- even going so far as trying to forcibly take a kiss from her. When she responsed with violence, that was the moment his inferiority was cemented in her head. Most women do not respond to that type of aggression with violence, but rather will choose to escape the situation in a much more passive way. That only makes sense, since most women are not as physically strong as men, and there's no telling how a man would react, even to something done in self-defense. Just look at some of the expressed willingness to be violent with women in LW comments. She had to have literally seen him as not just inferior to her husband, but inferior to herself in order to knee him in the nuts like that.

The husband never claimed to be perfect. He claimed to be uncertain, unhappy, and suspicious. He claimed to have tried to speak to his wife about the problems he sensed developing. He claimed to look back at the time around when the issues started to try and see if there was something he did to instigate everything. People who believe they are perfect don't question themselves as much as he did, nor do they seek how a situation may be their own fault. They're perfect, so of course it's not their fault. He did not become sure of anything until the incident on their anniversary- at which point he did what I sometimes find myself begging characters in LW stories to do- immediately took action and laid out for her in detail what he saw happening and what he intended to do about it. Some people say that his two weeks away was an overreaction without him having proof. Possibly. I feel that him staying away until the P.I. finished the investigation was pretty normal and sensible. So many stories in the LW section have the husbands playing the parts of little super-spies, carrying on an elaborate subterfuge to keep the cheating wife from knowing his true suspicions or actions. This guy was just a regular person who wanted to know if his wife was having an affair. If she was, he was gone. Nothing more than that. He didn't want to pretend everything was ok until the investigation was over, so he stayed away. That seems reasonable to me. When the investigator found nothing, he was relieved. He was glad he was wrong (or at least that he seemed to be wrong). He never truly let go of his suspicion about a relationship between his wife and the jerk, but that's also pretty reasonable, since there was plenty enough around it to be suspicious about. He didn't ever bring it up again, or let the suspicion keep him from enjoying his marriage, though- so no big deal.

Finally, I don't think the wife is an awful person for letting things go as far as they did. She is human. The fact of the matter is that men and women are both designed to seek variety in mates. This biological drive triggers deep attraction to people other than your spouse every now and then. Coupled with that person being a skilled manipulator, and it becomes a difficult situation to resist. She resisted a lot better than many people, men or women, do. Still, those biological urges were trumped by the exposure of the manipulator's character. Some people would have proceeded with the cheating anyway. She was weak, she was targeted, but she ultimately did not fall. And, as a result, she strengthened her resolve not to fall prey to such situations in the future. It's a fortunate thing in life if you can learn what your weaknesses are without losing or breaking something. You can then set about strengthening that part of yourself. The fact that she chose to become stronger makes me view her as an admirable person and a great wife.

In short, laptopwriter wrote a great and believable story about a marriage that faced trouble and came out better on the other side with no super-spies, navy seals, and not a single blood bath.- just two regular people living their lives together and hitting a rough spot. Good stuff.

Only wish that there were more like this.

5 Stars. Very good story.

just write a story! 5* nice work.

I will NEVER understand the stupidity of "people" who post anonymous posts trashing annony, especially when it's so easy to copy and paste the fucking comment title.

<P>

Oh, and BTW, while I disagree with the person who made the original statement about "bad taste" at least that person comment on the story, unlike this cretin who commented on the commenter.

<P>

The story was one of the more realistic LW stories I've seen for some time. This was not a RAAC story but a reconciliation story that really did take it's time to come up with a reason why they are still together.

She did cheat though. If you wouldn't do it in front of your spouse then it's cheating.

"I'm sure most women go through the same thing. It isn't that you don't love your husband; I love Harry with all my heart, but...well, all of a sudden it seemed like it wasn't enough, like there was something missing."

Of course, if her HUSBAND has these feelings, he's a dirty cheater who needs to get raped in a divorce.

your work is always exceptional. we really enjoyed your other work such as the fourth man. always well done and very entertaining and not the usual pablum. wonderful! a 5!

Good read and it's seems like it had a mostly real storyline. I'm sure this situation comes up a lot in real life and hopefully most will end with the person coming to there senses before making a major mistake. I just can't see a married man or woman for that matter handling that situation in the club without it turning into a real ugly situation. Pride would take over before walking away tough guy or not it would get ugly. It also bothers me that she knew she fucked up but still didn't tell him the truth. He probably would never believe she didn't sleep with him but that was total betrayl. She knew that sneaky dick was abusing her husband and she should've realized it then because he knew he had her if she danced with him while he disrespected her hubby. If he didn't take that hard stand and leave she most likely would of been fucking him the next sneaky date they had.

A good story full of intensity and above all full of people become blind and some shock make them see again the light...4*

He had confirmation of her disrespect and betrayal when, despite his voiced concerns and limits, she went ahead and went with the guy. That is fact.

It's sad when people don't recognize that betrayal is not the physical act as much as it was the intent. It was obvious what her intent was because of her disrespect and how obvious it was that she and the aggressor knew each other and planned to meet. The jerk was so disrespectful and in that the wife sided with him, the husband leaving for a couple of weeks may have been the only think to get through to her.

At least that's my take.

she was able to avoid the discussion that should have occurred about the behavior, attitude, and disrespect. Of course after the husband put her at warning by leaving her she stopped all inappropriate activity.

1 Spouse goes out and fucks somebody twice a week for six months.

2 Spouse on a business trip has a 2 night affair with somebody

3 Spouse tongue kissing and feeling up somebody else

4 Spouse dancing too close to somebody else

5 Spouse discusses intimate details of their marraige with someone else

6 Spouse and friend tell how the would love to fuck so and so.

7 Spouse likes to look at others and fantacise aboud sex with other

8 Spouse masterbates thinging of somebody else.

9 Spouse writes erotic sex scenes far hotter than anything the do in their

marriage, by imagining that they were fucking someone they new

Some would say only 1 & 2 were cheating, some all nine.

Who's to say?

Pretty much my experience..her emotional affair went on for a long time. It was a very difficult time for us. Finally, I confronted her. She stopped but our relationship has not been the same, since. I'm still contemplating a divorce.

A well told story. 5x5

this was fantastic. A five star story.

what she did was wrong, inappropriate, inexcusable, but not cheating. She cheated her husband, committed emotional adultery, but did not commit actual adultery. Am I splitting hairs? Yes. But that is the thing with morality. There are shades, degrees, etc. does she need to come clean? I don't think it is necessary. Does a person need to come clean for every lustful thought? Had hubby directly asked her after he returned, then I believe she should have been honest. But he didn't. She confessed her inappropriateness in dancing with this guy.

Only one story worth reading in three days.

Spouses are not so dumb and clueless after all should have been the title. Her affair between two different men went on for how many years? Now true I admit there was no sex between her and the two men, however her behavior in the start of her affairs was inappropriate, her attitude before the anniversary dinner and dancing and of course at the bar was inexcusable. The plus to this story, the marriage did not end in divorce and Linda finally woke up and realized what she was about to loose if Harry decided to divorce. I for one, believe in all marriages, and with that, I believe in laws protecting spouses from their significant others that commit adultery or engage in affairs even ones exampled in this story that did not have sex involved. I wonder if the men involved in Linda's little fling would have pursued a married woman knowing the consequences would mean financial losses going to Harry's benefit in a lawsuit.

Unless u posted it at another site.

This is a re-write of a story I wrote years ago under a different pen name.

....look at pornography and masterbate? Is that cheating on their wives?

LTR, Interesting story.

In my mind, her emotional cheating was as much so, as physical cheating. She'd slept with this new man in her heart, so what is the difference between that and actually sleeping with him?....under the law, we are not prosecuted for out thoughts or intents, only our acts ...we are supposedly only guilty of our acts, not our thoughts. These days, though, people seemingly get held to account for their emotions, their thoughts, and their imaginings. It seems to me we can't have it both ways. If something I imagine gives me guilt with respect to my spouse, it would qualify as a betrayal, with or without the actual act. But to prosecute me for what cannot be substantiated nor be of any effect in the physical world we navigate, is in itself criminal. While I empathize with the wife in this story, I support the man's actions. He did not need to wait until she slept with the slug to perceive he was losing her. His actions and the confrontation and separation that resulted were exactly the wake up call she needed, and in the worst possible way.

If only I had pitched a fit and taken the rug out from under my spouse when a similar set of circumstances threatened my marriage. I did not act on my suspicions and watched my life become first, a nightmare, then a sob story, then a sad tale, where I have lived every day since....If only.

The reason that so much infidelity occurs is that most people agree with you that there are shades of gray. Nowhere in the wedding vows does it say forsaking all others except for intimate lunches and dinners and sharing with another the details of you marriage, all the while showing disrespect and aggression to your mate because you have lost respect for them because you are slipping around behind their backs but they haven't caught you so that makes you and your new pal smarter than them. That was certainly the mind set of the wife in this story, "I cheated emotionally but he didn't catch me so" so what. This type of intimacy always makes the other male lose respect for the husband and that leads to open disrespect. And around here, retribution with extreme prejudice.

Was a good story and was well written. And for LW land this is about as close as you are going to get to a true "loving wife". Of course, that's not very close. This wife will do it again when she gets some more time under her belt. She got away with it, will empower her in the future. Course, if he catches her and finds out about the lie on this one he might put her to the curb. Or maybe into the hospital. But hey, that's just a guess.

The betrayal, the deception, and (in my opinion along with a good chunk of society) has committed the adultery. She has proven that she could not be trusted and had Hubby not left her would most likely have sealed the deal. It, also in my opinion, is naive to think otherwise.

I'm not sure which story I liked best. I read the one written under your other name, nakdsub, a few years ago, and have gone back to reread it many times, I kept trying to determine if she was cheating. Certainly her behavior towards him and then the confrontation at the dance club indicated a problem. The trading of smiles I rationalized was a normal reaction of one person smiling at another, and that person smiling back. It didn't mean they knew each other, let alone they were having an affair. I didn't, like her husband, want to believe she was cheating. But now, with her story, we know she was. By her own admission she cheated emotionally. She also admitted that she would've fucked Terry if she'd had lunch with him again. The only thing that prevented that was the blowup at the dance club. I'd like to believe that your ending indicating that they 'lived happily ever after', but considering she gets wet when close to a handsome man, I don't know. Maybe she's learned her lesson about what kind of man tries to seduce a married woman I guess you've forced me to read THIS version over and over again until all's right. :) Thanks for your writing. In case it's not obvious, the original version is one of my all-time favorites.

neglecting your wife to look at porn is bad. And, it can lead to greater transgressions. However, it is not the same thing as sleeping with another woman. I am not justifying the action, but it does not deserve the same punishment. The whole fabric of our legal system is based upon these shades of wrongdoing. Someone who steals a candy bar from a store should not be given the same punishment as someone who embezzled thousands from his company. Are they both stealing? Yes, but the distinction is obvious. I am not arguing that she was not wrong in her actions, and I even agree that she probably would have cheated had hubby not taken such a dramatic stand. I am just being careful not to cast to many stones.

i see your point. I don't think the concept that there are moral shades of gray is what has led to so much infidelity in our society. It's that we think the lesser shades are not as bad as the greater shades. Stealing a candy bar is wrong, and should be punished - just not as much as embezzling $100,000. I originally stated that what the wife did was wrong. Very wrong. I think she was punished accordingly and learned her lesson. In fact, had she tried to blow the dance off as no big deal, then I would not have reconciled (even if she privately decided to not pursue the affair).

Good writing and reading. If it were me (NOT-- thanks heavens) coming home would not be lovey dovey. I couldn't, as it would be person to person and the dance hall episode would come back to mind upon seeing her. A cooling off at home with re-familiarizing myself with the former unhappy environment would be in order. I don't forgive easily and NEVER forget. Cheers!

her actions would have destroyed her trustworthiness had she not come to her senses. I believe people can learn their lesson. I am not sure that is being naive. Since we all commit countless private transgressions on a daily basis, no one would be able to trust anyone. And yet we do, even knowing the shortcomings of others. And why is that? Because we all intuit gradations of shortcomings. When we see shortcomings in others that we have seen in ourselves, we tend to be more forgiving. She crossed a serious line, but she did not fall off the cliff.

As soon as you finished the husband's story and went into the wife's story, I thought, aw jeez, expecting a blow by blow recap of exactly what I just read from the other POV. Those just waste my time as a reader.

Instead, you handled it in an entirely different and interesting way. The way a pro would.

Thanks for the story.

I'm with DrB on this one. Wifey wised up before she crossed the final line. She realized what she was about to lose. A nice house. Her daughter's respect. Her husband, whom she loves (by her own admission). She decided, rightfully so, that she didn't want to chance losing her love and the life they'd built together. People can come back from the precipice, as long as they don't fall all the way over.

Should she have told Hubby everything and thrown herself on his mercy? I believe that if he acted as most men would, then yes. He would need to know the truth sooner or later. If he runs into Asshole someplace, and the douchebag tells Hubby about all the things that he and Wifey talked about, that could screw up her marriage horribly, all over again. If she comes clean of her own volition, she's showing him that she learned from her mistakes, and that she won't do anything like that again. Since she never slept with Asshole, that's a huge point in her favor. Hubby was pretty reasonable, in not asking her for any details when he first came back. If she volunteers the information, it will help him to fully trust her again.

I say that because no matter what, guys do not forget about blatant disrespect like that, especially when she sided with Asshole in disrespecting Hubby.

the one thing to me is that she pulled that shit on their anniversary. to me i would really have to think about that. even though she didnt go through with it it still would drive a wedge between us. im not sure if i would believe her that she wasnt cheating. just that she had stopped what she was doing.i would check up on her for a long time.

Finally someone with some sense. You got hold of the wife's senses in time. What would or could have happened is divorce. Great eye opener.

as valid. I am somewhat hard line when it comes to fidelity whether it is on a marriage or to an ideal so your take is very realistic but some things need the clarity of black or white. I think that what she didwas very damaging to her as well as to her marriage. We are the sum of our experiences and the longer she hides what she did the more painful it will be for her husband as well as the taint to her persona.

A characteristically well written story, but I feel that the gods of Literotica did not sufficiently punish this unpleasantly self-centred, insensitive, rather stupid woman. To go off and dance with another man that is hitting on her during an anniversary celebration, particularly in the face of her husband's objections would have incredibly rude and disrespectful, even if she had not been essentially having an affair with the guy. Since she was, and knew that he planned to be there, to go with the guy is an even more unpleasant thing to do. The sincerity of her apology for her behaviour is tarnished by her refusal to come clean and tell her husband the truth. She is essentially hanging on to her marriage for her own purposes and under false pretenses, regretfully shelving her desires to cheat for fear of losing her emotional meal ticket. Harry deserves better.

...she woke up just in time, It has been a lesson well learned. Has anyone heard of a man flirting with a woman and getting burned? The marriage has a chance to survive long term. Ok, - the same story can be found on lit. several times, but I greet the fact that this one was extended by a complete chapter 2, thus explaining her side of what happened. Furthermore we now get to know what had really happened. Had she betrayed him or not? No more room for assuming. She was close...but resisted nicely. Fine story. Rated it 4* (almost but not quite 5...)

The "resistance" only showed up when he left. I hope that the marriage survives but I'm not so sure.

Well written but missing that something to make it great. Hubby not demanding any sort of explanation from his wife regarding her actions prior to and on the night of their anniversary seems way off to me. The phone call between them just before he returns to the family home would in no way be enough. The scumbag who was trying to get into wifeys pants, doesn't seem the type to not try and cause trouble afterwards and I could easily see him trying to fuck her life up by spilling the beans.

@Irondragon, EgoTrixi and DRB

Did we even read the same story? Wifey did not wake up, do the right thing or resist temptation in any way and it was only her husbands actions that saved their marriage. She made the wrong choice time and time again until hubby walked out of the club and she was then FORCED to see what she was about to lose.

The wife in this story was a cheater who got lucky via plot device, in that hubby put a PI on her after the events in the club (beforehand would of been a much different outcome) and for no valid reason, chose not to grill her ass over her actions.

..I was wondering if there's a code of conduct here for fictional characters?

The husband knew that she knew this guy. Why would he let that drop? She is maintaining her marriage in a state of deceit, not forgiveness and atonement. The physical actions of having lunch with the seducer are less important than the emotional and psychological betrayal, and the subsequent lying. She jeopardized her marriage out of boredom? She continued seeing this guy over a period of weeks? If the husband had been meek and understanding she would have been fucking this guy within a few days. All of that needs to be brought out into the open so they can reevaluate their marriage and determine what is best for them and their child. Her current remorse and regret are diminished by her maintaining her earlier deception and lying. And as others have said, what happens when husband finds out the rest of the story, through some other source. How about meeting a friend one day who asks the husband who that handsome guy was his wife was having lunch with several months ago? When husband asks wife about it, in a way that indicates he has very little evidence, she denies it. Then husband asks again, revealing that he has a reliable eye witness. The whole scenario spirals downward from there, putting the marriage at real risk, not due to physical infidelity, now due to lack of honesty, lack of trust. All this would occur to him and her over time, so I think the truth would eventually come out. Too bad you didn't write that story, it would have been more dramatic and interesting.

Thanks for inducing such great discussion and thinking. That says a lot about the quality of this story.

@Jounar

I agree in principle that Hubby should've at least asked for an explanation of everything that happened at the club and what might've happened before. I STILL believe that she should come clean to him, in order to avoid having him run into Asshole and hearing it that way. She DID wise up, though. When she realized what she would lose, she shut Asshole down.

Oh, and before even discovering that Hubby had left, she was already pissed off at Asshole for disrespecting him, which she admitted while talking her friend Cathy out of having an affair.

A lot of couples go through rough spots in their marriage. Wives AND husbands sometimes start to take each other for granted. The key is Communication, but quite a few people don't realize that until it's too late. Confiding in a potential asshole outside of the marriage is a good way to screw up your marriage even more, but it's also a common mistake that some spouses make.

Was Hubby too forgiving after finding out that Wifey wasn't actually having a physical affair? Possibly. Was he too forgiving of her disrespect at the club and siding with the Asshole Wannabe Bull on their ANNIVERSARY? Most definitely. She owed him an explanation for that, at the very least.

This reminded me of some of the tales that Slirpuff writes. He excels at writing flawed characters, which are more true to life than most characters you find in fiction. LTW writes some good flawed characters of his own.

good point about hubby running into the asshole later on and finding out the truth. I might be rethinking my original assertion that she was right in not telling hubby. This was somebody she ran into from the supermarket, so he is obviously in the neighborhood. He was also spurned by her, and probably a bit mad (considering she kneed him in the nuts). Given how he originally treated hubby at the club, he would most likely take great joy in telling him the truth if they ever met. If hubby finds out she lied both initially (at the club) and then later on by omission, it will be worse for her.

i assume you are being facetious by asking about whether fictional characters should be held to a moral code. Boy, would fiction be even worth reading if fictional characters didn't wrestle with the same moral issues we face each day? Would Star Trek be as engaging if the Federation didn't feel the need to stand in the way of the assimilating Borg, for moral reasons? I maintain that it is the moral nature of a story that's makes it so engaging. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't. That is the fun in reading fiction. And yes, that is why I love the LW category so much. Not because I secretly hate women or have a subconscious desire to be cuckolded. Nope. I love LW because of the multi-layered ways that these stories play with morality. Does that make me sick?

One could say that the husband walking out on their anniversary Dinner shocked here into realizing what she was doing... and its implications but the wife did NOT in anyway wake up on her own.

The reconciliation is based on massive lie on the part of the wife. The whole marriage in now based on a state of deceit, not forgiveness and atonement

"If this ever got out I'm pretty sure it would ruin my marriage. That's why I've never told anyone, but...well, you have to hear it, Cathy, before you ruin your own marriage."

Linda never woke up enough to own her betrayal and address it with the one she betrayed. She "woke-up" because essentially got caught. She stepped over the line well in advance of the night of their anniversary and she revealed her true character when she sided with Terry, dissed her husband publicly, and defied him by going with her paramour to dance. That is the true Linda, the Linda who had stepped over the line long ago and far away.

It is my belief that she has no contrition about the essentials of her betrayal just that she almost lost what she had. She absolutely no contrition for the pain that she inflicted.

I prefer reconciliation but only when there is true contrition and honesty about the betrayal. Linda is not contrite and, as evidenced by the above, is still a liar and lies every day.

@Harry

I didn't say that Wifey wised up on her own. She did wise up, though. Yes, it took the shock of Hubby walking out to make her see her mistake and learn her lesson. Doesn't change the fact that, as written, she DID wise up. She admitted it while talking her friend out of a similar situation.

@LTW

If you write a Chapter 3, please make it about Wifey's confession to Hubby about what really went down, and how she learned her lesson about what's real and what isn't. With how Hubby reacted in the tale itself, I believe he'd listen to her and forgive her, and it would help him to trust her again. Either that, or you could write a "final nail" style finish where Asshole and Hubby run into each other, and Asshole tells him everything.

Either way, it would make for a great read, IMO.

@ Irondragon

Guess were going to have to agree to disagree on this one mate. I'm firmly in the wife in no way wised up but was caught red handed camp and it was through no actions on her part, but the usual badly plotted RAAC storyline, that her marriage to Harry was saved. Nobody, absolutely nobody, would accept that level of disrespect and not demand a damm good answer for such behavior. This is not even taking into account Harry's suspicions of her previous actions which we know were her sneaking around and lying about meeting's with dipshit.

Linda knew before hand that dipshit was going to be there, she saw and flirted with the asshole while heading to the rest room and she still choose to dance with him and rub it in hubbys face even though she knew her husband was majorly pissed off. This was all done on their ANNIVERSARY ffs.

Now she might of been pissed with her wanna be fuckbuddy but it was more down to it causing trouble for her and screwing up her affair, rather than out of any respect for her husband. She even allowed the fucker to stick around at the table knowing it would not end well. Every time this woman had a chance to do the right thing by her husband, she choose wrong.

Every. Damm. Time.

As for them staying together as a couple, every anniversary celebration they have, if she is ever asked to dance by another guy or she is ever caught checking out another guy, the memory's of that night will come back to fester. Harry admits he lacks the trust in his wife not to know if she had cheated on him while she admits the truth will destroy her marriage. Add to the mix that dipshit could live nearby and personally, I don't fancy those odds.

Love watching people try to talk sense into the btb crowd. They're never going to accept a story where no women had their lives ruined and no violence occurred. I think guys like seekeraz and Harry can't get it up unless they read about a woman broken and ruined and contemplating suicide, so no point trying to convince them to give even a story like this, where no sex actually took place, a chance.

@Jounar

I do agree with you that she should've stood up for Hubby instead of disrespecting him like that. That's why I believe he should've asked for an explanation when he returned home after finding out that she didn't have a physical affair. Hubby's almost blind acceptance at that point still doesn't sit well with me. If it weren't for Wifey's POV in Chapter 2, the reconciliation at the end wouldn't have worked at all.

As it was, the shock of almost losing the man she loves made her realize her mistakes and learn her lesson. It also taught her not to take him for granted anymore. She then used that experience to talk her friend out of doing something similar.

With LTW's writing skills, I think he could write a believable Chapter 3 in which either Wifey DOES come clean before something horrible happens, or Asshole beats her to it when he runs into Hubby at the supermarket or someplace similar. It could go either way.

Yeah, I don't like loose ends, especially a loose end THAT big! Asshole strikes me as a vindictive POS. lol

But... After a couple of months of being treated like SHIT, and to top all of this off with the dance incident... I simply do not believe that hubby would let this go. I wouldn't, even after the P.I. results. You can NEVER forget what you see. Lover-boy had balls and shown his contempt for the husband with the way he confronted him at the table... so I certainly don't buy that wifes knee to the nuts would have stopped lover-boy from trying to contact her again. But still... all and all a VERY good story! 5 stars!

Just shoot me!!!

I actually agree with Frontlinecaster!!!

Well said, and oh so true.

Your friendly neighborhood anonymous person

Oh 5 stars

It was nice to see the sniffer being sniffed out and the knee in the balls a nice touch.

I would just like to see the relationship restored to harmony by ending the ongoing lies. I think that is the sense of most of the the posts I've read. Am I missing something?

You posted this

..."Love watching people try to talk sense into the btb crowd. They're never going to accept a story where no women had their lives ruined and no violence occurred. I think guys like seekeraz and Harry can't get it up unless they read about a woman broken and ruined and contemplating suicide, so no point trying to convince them to give even a story like this, where no sex actually took place, a chance..."

No one ..Not 1 post in ALLLL the responses to this story has said "Burn the bitch"

Not one reader has come out against reconciliation. Not one

pointing out that reconciliation is based of false premise and deception is NOT saying Burt the bitch

Poor little Harry and Seekeraz got their feelings hurt? Don't worry, I'm sure someone will post a story of violence and rape and misogyny so you two and your little anon friends can jerk off and then cry about being dumped tomorrow. This is still, sadly, Loving Wives, where such stories appear like clockwork.

This is the first one of your stories I've read, but it won't be the last. This is truly a LW story. It had the jealousy and conflict, which I like, but in the end, it made us happy. There were a few word mistakes, but I gave you 5 *'s anyway.

This smacks of a somewhat more tame version of a Winterfrog story; the big-balled Swede, and one of my quirky favorites here on Lit. For the husband to trust his gut in the way that he did, and also to take no BS excuses and hit the door once the conclusion became obvious...that was like my man Winterfrog. Except, WF would have had the predator guy's balls served back up to him on a plate.

Many of these other "Look Ma, no hands!!" smart, snappy writers have way too many implausible situations, characters, and dialog. But this was very well done.

Thank you, Lap.

Tired of all the cuck out there. Appreciate some backbone!

Many people believe that emotional cheating is as bad as physical. I don't. There are many people you meet in the course of a marriage that you might have thought a little too much about. Everyone has emotions that sometimes we don't understand. It depends on the love you actually have for your mate if you act upon them. Here our wife didn't act out on her thoughts. Maybe because the possible lover turned out to be an insufferable prick and she came to her senses. But for whatever the reason she stayed true to her marriage and it flourished. Will it happen again? Who knows. But here she stayed true. Five stars for the non-cheater.

Hell yes! She was way out of line the the moment she called Asshole for lunch. This is not emotional cheating, it's full-blown, in your face, fuck you honey, cheating. It just wasn't consummated yet. Only Harry's proper reaction to her cheating saved this marriage. His leaving, snapped her out of her insanity before there was no way back. Should she confess her crime? Hell no! It would only cause needless pain, and risk ending her marriage. Is that worth getting it off her chest? I don't think so. Let sleeping dogs lie.

There is no excuse for Linda. She cheated on her husband, right up to the precipice of the cliff. The only thing that saved her was Terry's arrogance in showing up at their anniversary dinner. Linda was trying to keep it all a dirty secret. She KNEW she was going to fuck Terry the next time. Terry's arrogance alone didn't stop her. She was almost exposed and she still arrogantly danced with Terry, effectively spitting in her husband's face. It was Harry's reaction, leaving her there, that FINALLY shook her up enough to stop.

One thing that bothers me a lot is the excuses that women claim, and that men let them use. Linda's betting older. Linda is bored. Linda feels trapped in her life. Cathy, ditto. This is passed off as just the way things are; understandable; excusable. Well, it's not. Men have the same emotions and feelings at times. If a older guy was feeling bored and trapped by his job and family responsibilities would it be understandable, even excusable if he had an affair on the side? Why should a woman get a pass just because she is a woman? We also get the explanation that "you know how I can get" for the reason that she dances with Terry. Again, an "understandable excuse". But when a guy gets angry or stupid, is it OK that he is just being a guy? Nope, the woman gets a pass, the guy gets hung out to dry.

Having said all that, this is a great story because it captures these dichotomies of society so well; sympathy for the woman; none for the men in essentially the same situations. Linda's was not a drunken, meaningless fling. She invested herself in it eagerly and completely. She didn't stop herself; she got shocked awake by the actions of Terry, pushing the limits, and Harry, fighting back. There is little credit to Linda for getting seriously dope slapped and finally waking up. And now she is selfishly carrying around this little secret because she is terrified of paying the consequences for the truth of her perfidy. I, personally, hate lying, especially from a spouse, so I am really against Linda getting away with it. There is no true justice for Linda's actions. Also, Harry is forced to carry around the possibility that Linda had sex with Terry. He suspects it but can't prove it. It's a small but persistent doubt that he is forced to carry.

But........Linda did stop. The way she tells her tale to Cathy shows it isn't viewed as an exciting time. It is a cautionary tale of the frailties and stupidity of women. She could have said that Harry wasn't paying her enough attention. She doesn't. Harry is completely exonerated. The affair was completely Linda's fault because of her own failures. Linda alone is responsible. Her penance was a couple weeks of terror about loosing her husband. She lives in continued fear that he will find out the complete story. She hopes that her excellent behavior since will benefit her should Harry find out. She also has straightened out her attitude and rededicated herself to Harry and their family. So she has redeemed herself. Even a thief caught, convicted, and imprisoned is eventually released, their "debt to society" considered paid. Maybe her debt can be considered paid some day. That is part of the cost, the burden she must bear. Since Terry was such an arrogant prick I wish we had seen him get an ass kicking, even indirectly. Linda's story could have included an observation that she heard that Terry started chasing another married woman and the woman's husband taught Terry some manners and Terry left town afterward. But that part is a detail.

So I like the story because of it's sense of reality and imperfect justice. It's not a Pollyanna world. The writing and the emotions are well done. I like the way the wife confesses the affair. She comes clean to help a friend. Maybe that is also a part of her redemption.

So she is still dishonest and will lie to ole Harry the first time she wants to manipulate him or get out of something. I'm sorry but a marriage based on a lie like that just straight sucks. The author tried to redeem the wife but her whole world came down around her and she is stilly LYING!!!!

Thanks for sharing your story. I don't think anybody will crucify you for what happened considering you stopped it. I think the thing most people would have issue with is continuing to lie about it. Maybe that is best for your situation and keeps the peace in your household but living a lie is dangerous and the danger never goes away. That's a tough way to live. I hope everything works out for you!

Were I in the business of doing marriage counseling. And were these two individuals to grace my door. After the one on one sessions I would suggest they get divorced. I would suggest this and when the husband asked why I would tell him that for a marriage to be healthy there has to be total honesty. One of you has not been honest with the other.

For those of you who say she did not cheat because there was no sex, you need to seek counseling. She most certainly cheated. You can walk down the street and see someone and think to yourself I'd like to fuck that. That is not cheating. Having intimate relations with someone does not mean having sex. Intimacy usually happens before sex even enters your mind. The secret get togethers are the cheating and it is as damaging as fucking. This is well portrayed in the story. The end message in the story is morally very bad. Lying to save one's feelings is sophistry. She never completely learns her lesson and even though she helps someone from continuing to cheat on their husband. She does not stop disrespecting her husband and suggests that this other person do the same.

I gave this story four stars because to that flaw message at the end. Wife not completely learning her lesson will only reinforce a feeling of superiority and contempt which will lead to future infidelity.