All Comments on 'Puppet on a String'

and then get bombarded with others outlook on your choices, TK U MLJ LV NV

OK first thing is, the talk about trust he had with Karen was so spot on it could be used in a text book.... I was not thrilled with him dating his ex again, that bridge was torched long before the ambush....... Felt a little weak for an landing so ambiguous as well.....

there are many of us that can relate to this one.

Why is this here??No loving wife and no sex.This is a sex site..

Not even a good read..Cuck shit is better than this..

and reveals the core of the issue. So many readers claim they would toss the bitch and find a younger woman with bigger tits that would be as faithful as an old dog. Perhaps some people would actually do that. Perhaps some can simply drop twenty or thirty years of love and marriage and not look back. I'm with the Beast. It just isn't that easy for many of us. A mate of many years will have tendrils wrapped around your heart. Removing them is very difficult. This was a very good story.

The second woman had far too much baggage to ever be in a committed relationship. Having to prove himself repeatedly was no way to build trust. She would never fully trust again and he did not need that in his life. Thanks for the effort and thought, Beast. Well done!

as fucked up as real life -- but that's what made it good. 5*

This was an exceptional story and of the truth in Life type that I've come to expect from this Author.

True relationships ARE Frustrating & can be very Damaging.

Thank you! Finally some reslistic story.

If my new woman tried to get me to talk to my ex, I'd tell her that unless she wanted to join the "ex" club to drop it!

Besides not telling him at the time, I'm now suspicious of the "no spouses" story.

Hey, if his mother likes Dierdre so much, have her over to dinner or coffee!

She needed to succeed on her own and receive validation from others? She did!

She may have already crossed too many lines after being groped in the bathroom, she still didn't have to put the final nail in the coffin by going to his room!

Karen has trust issues, but goes behind his back to conspire with his parents to go against his wishes regarding his ex?

I wouldn't have gone in. I would have said, "Karen, I'm leaving, You can either leave with me, or give me my ring back."

This business of "closure" is psycho-babble bull shit. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that some people DO need it and get something out of it. But when someone makes it clear that they DON'T need it (even if they do!) then people who care about them need to back off.

"You think I'll dump Karen and take you back?" - LOL, I was thinking along those lines! He should definitely delay the marriage, and as I said earlier, how does someone with trust issues go behind her fiance's back?

"I'm praying you begin dating other women again and you allow me to be one of them" - Dating other women might not be a bad idea, maybe it will be a wake-up call for Karen, but including Deirdra, no way!

Karen couldn't/wouldn't trust his words. Despite what she's saying now, every time he works late she';s going to wonder. Just like we say when the cheating wife swears she won't cheat again, and the husband believes her, but he knows the trust is gone, and they have to call it quits.

"It wasn't so bad." - If you don't consider a broken engagement bad, I guess not.

Karen has serious problems. She SAW what a mistake it was getting involved with his parents, yet keeps bringing them up on their dates?

Was four stars until the end. Letting Deirdra back in his life cost a star.

I didn't find this twist too unpalatable. I am one who enjoys happier endings than the typical BTB.

They can tell quite the tale, leave you laughing, crying, horny or mad as hell. I look forward to reading their stories.

There are a few, a very few, that paralyze me in my chair. Our friendly neighborhood Orc is one of that class. He is so difficult to edit, not because of any problems in writing, but because I get so caught up in reading the story that I discover I have read three pages and haven't made a mark. This story perfectly captured the meddlers, those who always think they know best for someone else. They are always so full of advice.

These parents and this fiancée take careful aim and shoot themselves in the foot, repeatedly. The ex-wife is also captured as someone who implodes her life, understands her tragic foolishness and sets about to make the best of an awful situation. Perfectly told tale by a master of the craft. Anything less than five stars would be... unworthy.

Good story, I like the BTB genre but I like RAAC in the right case. This one makes more sense, he's not taking back a cheating wife, they have both changed, the wife hopefully has learned her lesson(it was supposedly a one off), the husband had learned not to trust so blindly. Sad in both cases but as the song says " I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then). Characters believable and likeable, I liked the story, found it very well written. 5*

He was blindsided by a one time affair. Put up a solid wall and shut out everyone to his own undoing. So hardened and unforgiving so much pain for his now x girl friend his parents,his friends, a x wife who loves him even though she slipped up me night. To much pain and no resolution what a waste.

from one of our best authors.

The protagonist is exactly like his father: stubborn, inflexible, and not interested in anything but his own feelings.

Very hard to care about any of these people...

That was a funny one!! Well written and almost realistic. At the end there, as Bill and she are speaking, Deidre says, "...,but it looks like I should regain that level in a year or two." indicates that her ambitions are for her lack of self worth to be filled by her career goals and not her integrity or respect of others. Well done, wonderful story! Please continue!! Cheers!

then he allowed himself to repeat the same misery he had experienced for the last two years for the prospect of less to be gained. The dysfunctional group was "interesting", the stupid individuals were just cringe worthy. The story was just so good up until the ending, that is what makes it a bigger disappointment.

anon jerry

Perfect writing and pacing, great plotting and character development, superb editing. Everything just as it should be. 5 stars.

I didn't talk or had any contact with my mother for six years because of almost the same thing as this story. Father was only a sperm donor thought parenthood was a crime that carries an eighteen years to life sentence. Only reason I did was because I married and had kids and thought she would want to know. And yes my wife did have a hand in me trying to get back to a relationship with my mom. Now she wishes she didn't because my mother is still the same person she has always been. Only she has more targets for her to stoke at now. We had to move a thousand miles away and still I sometimes think it's still too close. Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only person that has been through this before. Whatever gave you the idea for this story, it mirrors my past too.

Well written for sure. I only noted a couple of technical errors and they were minor. But this whole story made me feel bad. Every one in this mess seemed to feel the need to put in their 'Two cents worth", regardless of Bill's wants or needs. Been there, done that as the old saying goes. I think you summed up his dilemma when you wrote at the end - "I hadn't started out trying to remove Deidre from my life"..."Back then I needed to separate myself completely from her". Quite a problem. Especially when all his friends, family and children want the opposite. I completely understand his never wanting to get married again. What I don't understand is how he would EVER consider even dating Deidre again. It just doesn't seem like that would be possible, considering all the water that's passed under that particular bridge in the elapsing time. Why would he even consider putting himself into that position. I suppose since I've been thru a similar situation, although my kids were much younger, I simply have no sympathy for Deidre and can't see Billy putting himself into any position that forces him to have contact with her. Like I said - well written story. But the ending just pissed me off. Which probably means you wrote a good story.

4 stars

I've read several stories in which the friends/family/"helpful others" seem to think the victim of cheating needs a "come to Jesus" moment with the cheater. Usually, the new "great wife" thinks the poor husband needs "closure" with the cheater or kids who turn their backs on the victim.

This is how that should be handled. Perfectly done. Bravo and five stars.

right up until the end. Damn it I hate when a good story gets you involved and caring about the characters and then leaves you hanging at the end. The story went from 5 big stars down to 3 much smaller stars.

Always glad to read your stories. Don't know what I would do in this situation. He got the hell out of Dodge but even that wasn't enough.

Boyd Percy

l enjoyed your story very much...lts about the only one with the man having the balls to tell his parents and anyone else to fuck off when they keep trying to intrude into his life, fucking fiancee cunt included...

This is a well told, sad story. Some parents....

Usually I comment about the quality of the writing.

You tend to write well, but you characterization is normally exercises in sound and fury. Binary characters who are not just righteous but self righteous.

Here you painted with a far more delicate brush. Well done!

I particularly like the shared laugh, A grudging sense of connection unsought but real between two people with a history. A subtle bit of character and writing.

Just eliminating anyone who dares speak of Deidre is a bit chilish. Its like the proverbial cry for help. 20 years and 3 kids and he still gets all triggered when anyone mentions her. Lighten up Francis. The meddlesom parents and the fiance, god bless her, are dealing with sweaty dynamite and should never have pulled this stunt but it did demonstrate Bill's irrational obsession with Ex Avoidance.

In my opinion BlackRandy and Kimi said all that was important about the story.

Compared to his parents and fiance, his ex-wife's apparently one-night-stand was actually the lesser betrayal, and she didn't act as if she was entitled to expect anything from him.

...until the self-cuck ending. Now he's back in the same boat with the cheater who destroyed her family for the sake of an ego stroke, except now he's got a lower paying job. Progress!

Hell, he may as well apologize to his parents while he's at it, because it seems they knew what he wanted more than he did after all.

But again, it was good until the end.

Thankfully my parents would only answer questions, and never meddle, however I cannot say the same for my MIL. No wonder we never speak! 5*

Well constructed, well told 5* all the way.

For good And bad.

Thanks

This was 5*s all the way. Character development was right on and the conversation between Bill and his fiance' after the trap was incredibly articulate. Every word was expressed perfectly.

Well done, DFW on a well crafted and a well written story!

Title says it all. After all his hate and family destruction on his part he needs this. Give the guy a break in your responses.

Without being sappy or contrived.

Real pleasure to read a well-written, well-thought out story. Thank you for sharing.

Good read. Decisions and mistakes we make rarely just effect us. There is collateral damage. 5 Stars. Thanks.

Loved it!

Finally, no cuckolding here. Oh it happened and was dealt with immediately. Mom and Dad surely need to be put in place. Great reading by a great author. Thanks again. Please keep writing more.

He is a total asshole and deserves to be miserable for the rest if his life. Too bad he is making so many people miserable as well.

I really like the concept of having to compete with others in the dating pool to win him back.

Nice read.

The parents were pretty awful!

Crackked me up that the forced meeting actually achieved his parents aim, nut Karen's not so much. Sounds as though Billy is just as stubborn as his Pa though.

This was a decent tale. For an amateur psychologist such as myself it gives you a lot to think about. First off I won't call the ex-wife the normal names I usually call cheating wives. A one time mistake does not make a woman a slut. In Billy's defense he lost his trust and with that lost the love he felt. What the parents pulled was horrific and it destroyed both the relationship with them and also the fiancé, who now was not trusted because of her jealousy. However I do not see the ending as it was written. Other commenters seem to feel the same way. I feel he would have either turned down her deal or possibly would have left to start over again somewhere else. He didn't need any other pressure in his life. He lost almost everyone and he was comfortable doing what he was doing. It wasn't the ex's right to reappear and mess with his head.

Just my opinion.

Four Stars

" A one time mistake does not make a woman a slut. "

Well said.

Lue

TRUE!

However, her action does make her a cheater.

Furthermore, her action destroyed the required marital trust.

I have grown more than a little weary of people describing an intentional decision to commit adultery as simply a mistake.

During the party, in full view of colleagues and friends by her intimate touches and close dancing, not to forget leaving party in arms of her lover, she proclaimed her intention to cheat.

As well you know luedon, as indicated in your signature story, if he had been the one to make '' one mistake'' she would have reacted in a like manner

shut up, old whore.

It wasn't the mentioning of her name, it was the attempt to force reconciliation. If they had supported, or at least accepted, his decision, I'm sure that HE, in turn, wold have been much more amicable regarding his ex.

Wonderful writing, great plot, well crafted metaphors. Keep it up Beastie!

After a short break from Lit , it's nice to pop in on a gem like this .

A person who is in the wrong needs to act and to actually feel remorse for the hurt they cause . I actually feel like his wife did that .

She got full of herself and had a major fuck up ! It happens . The only thing that she did that I didn't agree with after she was discovered was to still work in the same job as her boss that she cheated with . If she was that good at her job , she should have been able to take a comparable job elsewhere.

Yes , his parents were very immature IMO, the kids aren't 7 years old anymore , but they still treated them all that way , too their own detriment.

The Fiancé was just a very damaged soul . It may sound harsh , but sometimes a person just isn't in a place themselves to give that much on a bet that might not work out anyway .

This was just ' Real Life ' as Hell !

Congrats Killian , nice job !

How old is he.Throws his toys out the pram and insults the only people who love him.Maybe if he didn't have a true mother he would not be so quick to throw her and them away.Hes gonna be a very lonely man.Needs to grow up and grow a pair

Very well written. I like a BTB as much as the next person, but sometimes a reconciliation just makes sense, and in this case it might just work. The story had real people making stupid mistakes and paying the consequences. Thanks for a good 5 star story.

This was far too close to my real life. And I am far too close to how I react to things as the husband of this story is. I do not believe in wasting time on second chances, when it comes to the really big things. And because of their interference in my life, I haven't spoken to my parents and my brother in almost 30 years. Now I have to ask myself so serious questions about my choices.

Divorce is a great way to escape a toxic relationship, but a stupid way to punish someone you love. His precipitous cut off from his wife seemed immature and self defeating. At best, she might have a plausible, or at least forgivable, excuse. At worst he might have grounds for a law suit against her predator and her company. His knee jerk divorce response was way too emotional and lacked the calculation and evaluation of an intelligent adult.

His poor pitiful fiance', what a piece of work. You just have to wonder what that marriage would have been like over the long term. Now we don't have to wonder.

An interesting and compelling drama, even if the main character was a cry baby shit, just as his father summarized. And who would know him better? Some day in the future, when he and Deidre have reconnected, will the son have the humility to admit that their reconciliation probably never would have happened if his parents had not of intervened?

P.S. Thanks for having the stones to allow anonymous comments.

I don't think his parents' "intervention" had anything to do with the potential reconciliation, it probably set it back!

Like they say, you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family. Some parents (or other family members) seem simply incapable of allowing their grown children to make their own decisions as adults.

While my own family experience was nowhere near this revolting, my mother's insistence on imposing her religious beliefs on my brothers and me led us to keep our distance from her even as we entered middle age. This was a shame, since she had many other very positive qualities.

In this story, it isn't love on his parents' behalf, it's a childish need to get their own way.

I really enjoyed it. The interaction with the ex was solid but that sort of interaction is the foundation of this corner of Loving Wives. The part that really intrigued me was the interaction with the fiance and to a lesser extent, the parents. As you said in the intro, this storyline is common but rarely the primary focus.

Looking forward to the next one.

TayJK

tayjk42@gmail.com

the dialog and the issues with his family made this more believable than what may writers could pull off. Thanks for the read. 4*

felt real. thanks!

Your are a very good writer. Even once I realized there was probably zero sex in this story, i was already hooked. Well done

This author is a brilliant writer, and the characterisations were so good. I'm not sure if I can really go along with the main character's incredibly unforgiving attitude. "Cutting off your nose to spite your face" comes to mind, although he scored very well with his taunt to Karen as to how she would have reacted if the situation was the other way round. Some of us believe that parents should be suffered rather than slammed down however annoying they are: when they are dead you can no longer even rant at them, and then you regret your unyieldingness. As others have commented the slide back at least to an understanding with Deidre was an unexpected consequence of Karen's complicity in the ambush -- which could yet result in more as the storyteller says.

And yes.... the case can certainly be made that Deidre would not have sought his forgiveness so earnestly if he had made it too easy for her, an easiness that might have entailed loss of respect.

But what a competent author, whichever way round your sympathies lie. He sets the gold standard in the analysis of key issues over such a short space.

Well, as I've said many times before, I am not a fan of two older longtime couples who split due to one incident. Pride is a destroyer- if she was sleeping around and lying constantly, I'd cut him slack, but one drunken indiscretion and toss out a quarter century? His complaint that she didn't immediately confess is BS. She knew it was a possible deal breaker, so why would she take the risk? There are many tactical omissions in life. We don't need to know everything. And poor Karen- I feel sad for her, because she didn't set up the confrontation, and all she did was lose in the end. Yes, damaged. Have some compassion, guy. The parents are strange grotesque folks, alienating their children one child at a time. Anyhow, nicely written, but just not my cup of tea.

reconcilliation stories are difficult without making hubby seem weak, think you managed it though. i kinda believed her remorse was genuine.

The beginning was good till the end when he decided to start dating the slut!!!

A shame, was a decent enough story, though it was laid on pretty thick, but the end ruined it.

Okay Beast, be honest now: This is some new kind of avant garde storytelling you're trying out; one in which the reader's comments reflect what Billy had to deal with during the divorce? Some newfangled sort of "immersive literature" where the readers supply the dialogue which resulted in the protagonist's angry response? LOL. Well, maybe not.

In reading some of the comments though, I was struck by how many completely disapproved of Billy's actions after discovering her betrayal - and weren't a bit shy about judging him by their belief system. "This is how I think Billy should have behaved and since that's NOT what he did, there's something wrong with HIM."

Great story and writing, Beast. Gave it a 5, of course. Always a pleasure, thanks!

I've always been irritated at readers that try to take it upon themselves to determine whether or not the characters are actually remorseful or if they are being truthful... the story and the characters are what the author says they are... there are people here that make remarks like... "once a slut always a slut... she'll fuckup again down the line"... these are the author's creations... they do what he wants them to do...

as to the story... she made a mistake... she paid dearly for it... she also learned from it... at their age they have a lot more to look forward to with each other than with anyone else... if the author says that she deserves a second chance... so be it... it's his story...

I've also always been puzzled by the plot device a lot of writers use where a husband or wife uses the fact that their spouse didn't come clean beforehand as a deal breaker... who the hell in real life rats themselves out... especially with their marriage at stake... and what fool would expect them to... jmo

-jaye-

No mistake!

She stated she knew what would happen if she went in hotel room

She went anyway

She stated she could have stopped herself

She decided to not stop

She stated she knew any infidelity would result in ending marriage.

She chose to be unfaithful anyway!

She did not make a mistake.

She made a clearly thought out beforehand decision to cheat on her husband and intentionally destroy her marriage!

If situation was reversed I doubt you would be defending him for his mistake!

A marriage is like an anchor. So when one partner shoves the marriage over a cliff bycheating, lying, or any other acts of betrayal, why are they surprised when they are unable to move that anchor back to where it once was. This was a fairly decent story. The ending, however, left me disappointed.

This story had the tag 'moving on' which turned out to be a lie.

Not a good ending, yet another lackluster reconciliation story where the author is forcing things.

I enjoy your stories. I think the characters seem real and the plots are plausible. But I read for enjoyment not criticality.

Two things trouble me about the beginning.

In reverse order, was her supposed need for "validation." She didn't get that from all the accolades and awards? I think I did say this before, but it still holds true!

I'm not sure if he says so explicitly, but I think if she had come home and confessed, or at least answered his questions honestly, instead of the lie about being "sick," there was at least a chance that they could have worked things out.

"I told them this was a very bad idea but they wouldn't listen." - So, they wouldn't listen; that doesn't mean that she had to participate.

"I'm sorry, Will. I needed to know for certain." - His TELLING you should have been all you needed to know if you really loved and trusted him.

I STILL don't think he should let Deirdra back in his life.

To a lot of commenter's remarks! You heard of a "Standing Dick Has No Concience" WELL THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENS WITH A THROBBING WET PUSS! That is why a lot of women get into a situation they can't get out of (brain has deleted the word NO) Also every person on this beautiful planet is entitled to a second chance If Given Don't Abuse It!

THIS STORY IS REALLY GOOD THANKS★ ★ ★ ★ ★ WOOF!

Bummer of an ending. After the guy actually grew a pair and basically told his parents, his ex and his fiancé to fuck off, he backtracks and lets his ex wife back into his life. What the hell happened to the nuts on the guy? Disappointing. D

I liked the story but hated the ending. I feel for ANYONE with parents like that. Talking about overstepping parental bounds. The guy is an adult with adult kids. Parents turn loose the reins unless the kid asks for help!!!

Most of the comments listed on this story are on target with my personal assessment. The ending soured the story overall for me. Grade C.

Good story... right up to the end. Both of these women and his parents are too needy and he finally got to the point where he could tell everyone 'No'. He was right in dumping Karen. She wanted a 'sure thing' guarantee and there is none in this life. And leaving town and taking a step back in his career was a mistake. If they won't leave him alone, get a restraining order. Running from his situation won't work. When the ex showed up at his new place he should have just shut the door in her face without a word. She might have finally gotten the hint. Until he gets rid of all these toxic people his life will be shit. 5* up to the end when he still had his balls. Lost 2* along with his 2 balls.

I like the reality of the meddlesome friends and parents. It's a shame when your own parents take sides against you but I think that really happens much more than people think. Very few parents really respect their children's ability to make the "right" decisions about their lives. Some are just shittier about it than others. I thought the plot was well presented and that the fact that the wife fucked her boss in the restroom and then went back to show off her indiscretion to all of her co-workers and then went and fucked the night away with her boss showed just how little regard she had for anyone else. I can appreciate the agonizing he went through to try to get his life back on track and I did like the way he handled his "fiancé" and his parents as well as his friends. I didn't like the fact that he considered getting back together with his ex. But, I am not the one who has to live with her or myself over that decision. Billy has to do what is best for him and if he can't get past her, he needs to at least consider forgiving her for being such a piece of shit wife. He will need someone in his life because realistically he is much too damaged to be with anyone else. And it looks like his daughters are so put out by the way the family treated them that they will probably put all of the participants on the cut-off. I gave it a 5 star rating for everything in it, but especially for the realism of the characters. Good job and thanks for sharing.

Pappy

God what a child Billy is, he acts like baby having a temper tantrum. She had a one time one night indecretion with another man that she is very sorry and apologizes over and over. Christ you’d think he just found out she was one of Charlie Manson’s girls. He needs to grow a pair, man up and forgive her. They had decades together and kids her indescretion is to any real man who loves his wife just a blip on the radar screen. Even at the very end of the story his attitude that he will never marry again and his dim is all of Karen shows he is still a wimpy kid.

A well written story and full of emotion. I find the comment by timriv amusing, why?, because he has the same attitude as Billy's parents in this story. He writes in his bio that he is married and his wife cheated on him, obviously he was able to overcome the indiscretion and continue with his marriage. Good for him, well done. But how would he have felt if he had constant pressure from family and friends to divorce his errant wife. The exact opposite of the above story. All of us can advise and encourage others but we have no right to tell others how they should feel. We are all different, what suits and is acceptable to one is not automatically right for another.

So his wife shows up. Wants to be in his life. But he probably doesn't want to get married again. Well she's good in bed, available and willing. Why not?

Nothing stops him from dating other women. If the ex doesn't like it no big loss. She would probably be content as a friend with benefits. If he were to get sick she'd be there for him.

I agree with those that thought he shouldn't move away however, that depends on his reasons. For example, I'd move from PA, OH, NJ, or NY to FL if given the chance. I guess he's in his late 40's. A nice warm climate, plenty of mature women around, no state income tax, and being single with a good job, sounds like fun to me. Plus it puts all the baggage behind. He may be running away from a nightmare or running to a dream. It's up to him now.

My gut feel is that by shunning the parents, he just might be able to reconnect with the rest of the family.

Who the fuck cares what 'Timrim' says? A 'Real Man' makes his own decisions, and doesn't give a shit about what raac or btb dummies say.

Yes, the protagonist should be able to make his own choices. In a perfect world, his wisdom and prudence would clearly guide him down the correct path at every turn.

AT EVERY TURN.

But...is our protagonist perfect? Is he the font of wisdom? Is he dealing with his feelings in a mature and balanced way?

He clearly admits he is not. He states he was a dead person and only SLOWLY regaining himself.

And what has happened here at the end?

He is thinking VERY hard about restarting a relationship with his ex EXACTLY WHAT KAREN AND HIS PARENTS TOLD HIM HE NEEDED TO DO!

So at the end of the day, Karen's fears were justified and his parents were absolutely correct (albeit very undiplomatic). And because they were correct, he is punishing them for it.

Perhaps this is not how DFW wants to portray it, but whom is he making eyes with at the end of the story? Would he have ever acknowledged or acted upon his feelings WITHOUT his parents?

Why...no. Hmm!

I can understand him hating them because they were assholes, but at the end of the day, DFW told us they were correct. They were causing momentary discomfort to give him actual healing.

And if his parents are assholes, the horseapple does not fall far from the horses ass.

Back for a reread and wish I could change my rating to a 5*.

Having been through relatives and “friends” pulling you in ways you really don’t want, DFWB hit the nailhead fairly well.

Nicely done.

Fifteen16, you make some good points. But I don't see where timriv gets off talking about 'real men' and forgiveness. Yeah he had a cheating wife and forgave her, good for him. But did you read the part where he had a cheating wife and divorced her?

So how can he sit there and pronounce judgement on those guys who decide to get rid of a cheating wife. He dumped one, he kept the other. Don't we all deserve a choice when our spouse cheats? We all have to do what is right for ourselves.

Were his parents right? They might be, but timing is everything and being told to get over it by someone who has not gone through it is grossly insensitive and callous.

It has been said that finding out your spouse has cheated on you is the most painful emotional experience a person can have. It shatters your belief in yourself and how you see the world. You don't just rub some dirt in it and walk it off. If his parents had been supportive and given him more time, things might have been different. They should have been pushing for him to take care of himself and to see a counselor.

One specializing in trauma would be preferred. They now liken the effects of infidelity on a person as trauma. Every bit as devastating as a rape or losing a limb (referenced from MarriageBuilders.com). It could be many, many months of not years for him to recover and even feel halfway normal. With that in mind it appears that his parents conduct was at least very cruel and at most borders on mental abuse.

Timriv, lay off the crack pipe and adjust your cock cage.

Nice plot, well written. I liked the well-balanced perspectives: drunken one-off mistake vs. hiding it so long, and seeing a PI report but not the typical visual evidence that burns the deepest scars. And then the passage of time and the new engagement which helped heal some of the damage and restore some ego. And the open-ended conclusion, because not every situation like this is the same.

why did you have to ruin a great story by taking her back

it just shows his parents were right

he goes nuclear on everybody and in the end he takes her back

what a fucking waste of a great story

Now, seconds before tapping in this box for my virtual keyboard to appear, and the Web page redraw, I realized that this seems very familiar. I guess it's a less oft used ending...specifically, stalking into your town or complex.

Martial weakness involves at least one of two people, and here is the vanilla career ingredient, not that there's anything wrong with it. Relationships are harder for some than others, for too many reasons to bother mentioning. The author seems to make a point that a moment of personal hubris and implicitly selfishness and explicitly delusions of omnipotence, along with I guess martial distance allowed the affair.

Well, in the end, she showed remarkable insight, especially the statements surrounding and including the blurb about taking the eyes off protecting the marriage. Despite the grievous damage she caused, only to be compounded by the inanity of his twilight zone world insisting to get back together (...maybe they were right after all?), I don't remember what I was originally going to finish this sentence with.

I find the idea of risking it again too much, but man the story was compelling. Partly because I believe, "once an ex, always an ex," to trust your original decision, because they can unfortunately go crazy unexpectedly, even when it's been a decade and seem like friends. They will, they have, I've seen it, and it's never happening again. Then again, I don't recall any worse sins than hubris and selfishness here; not the fetish femdom to unwilling sub scenario that makes reconciliation something not even a spineless man would do.

I wouldn't object to setting up cameras in the house for personal protection, then accepting her for training to become worthy to collar. Then again, maybe the person who's given up on marriage might be in the right place to get married.

The premise of the story started of good, but...."Deidre? I... I don't know, maybe." From that point on, it nose-dived.

I have read this many times. He reacted because he loved her so and she dealt with it as she saw best at the time considering her acute feelings. They both ended up with mental health issues. I would have done the same and divorced her. When that occurred the marriage was over, she had paid for the reported one off failure. He may have been better if the others had not interfered with him of reconciliation at that time and thus his parents and friends caused his suffering to go on longer. Thus, if he wanted to have some sort of relationship with her later on so be it. It seems she did not have an affair, did not mask her actions before hand but did the deed and did not report it, very bad, but no bad enough for a possible reconciliation later on as seems to be happening here.

cub is right you ruined this great story with a wimpy ending

I'm with sas6446. The story fucked up beyond all repair after he entertained the possibility of dating his ex. This was a 1 at best.

You're a talented writer, and I've seen plenty of your other stories. Most of them deserve more than a 5. But this? Just plain awful

i love this story, but only because it is my wildest fantasy. my ex wasn't nearly as repentive, and I wasn't nearly as strong. it is pure gush, but it will find an audience.

Do you know how to f--kup a story! Turned a man in to a wimp.

Up to the point where he opened the door on his ex, was utterly destroyed and rendered meaningless by the ending. This was a masterclass in how to completely ruin a good story.

Blah, blah, blah......a lot of whining and complaining by those who can't hold a candle to your talented writing. Keep up the good work, there are a lot of us who appreciate your stories!

Why even enter the den of bandits?

About face, into car, gone!

Thanks son, see lawyer to start action for stalking, contact press tell whole story.

Spread word with friends about ex- fiancee.

But damn some of these females need to get smacked around to get the idea in their head that it is ove

If he’s gonna end up with his ex after all maybe his parents were on to something.

I, for one, would love to see a continuation. Your main character is a very interesting study of emotion. Your style of writing is superb and your insight into dysfunctional families Is top notch.