Selfish Spouse

During the following weeks I broke out all of the stops. I bought gifts (well, Stephanie did); I had roses delivered to her job (well, Stephanie did that too); I even made reservations at Vinnie's (of course Stephanie did this; but I'm a busy guy). She actually stood me up. I didn't know what to do. I was out of ideas. I gave it my best shot and she shit all over it.

So I decided to give her space. I spent more time at work than I ever had before, and that was saying something. My secretary Stephanie was always a good shoulder to cry on and had a knack for making me feel better. In fact, she knew just about everything about me. She knew how to pump me up and get me ready for court, she knew what things I needed to help me through those days that don't end, she even helped me reel in some clients if Chris was too busy with her "life". Sometimes I believe that I would go crazy if Stephanie wasn't my secretary.

Because we were so close, she became my way of venting. I needed her shoulder to cry on. She was there, and Chris wasn't.

The further Chri and I got, the closer Stephanie and I became. Pretty soon, I actually preferred Stephanie's company to my wife's. Not that Chris provided company anymore. Anytime that I spent with Chris were filled with her explaining the ways I was disappointing her, or silently getting ignoring. Stephanie told me things that lifted me up, while Chris only wanted to break me down.

Before long, we'd gone an entire 3 months without having sex. That's when I knew that she was cheating on me.

It all made sense. All of the evidence fit my theory. She didn't want to be around me, she was spending more time away from me, and she constantly turned down sex.

That fucking bitch.

I needed more evidence. I needed to know everything about her. She didn't know who she was fucking with. If you think that you can cheat on a lawyer and see the light of day, you have another thing coming!

We all know the first step in the "wronged husband's handbook". Yep. I hired a PI.

He told me that he would follow her around and see what he could come up with. He promised that if she were fucking around, that he would get the goods and give me irrefutable proof. Being a lawyer, I knew what I need from him. I took solace in the fact that he was the best in the business. He would give me what I needed to burn this bitch.

He called me a couple of weeks later. I could tell by his voice that it wasn't good.

"Mr. Ross, we need to meet asap. There are some things that you have to know. What are you doing later on today?"

"Well, I have a couple of meetings that I have to attend and I'm taking a client to dinner. The closest free period that I have is tomorrow evening. Meet me at Vinnie's at 8."

"Mr. Ross, I strongly suggest that you meet me TODAY! If you want to save your marriage, you will meet me ASAP!"

"Look, first of all, I have no intention of saving a marriage to a lying, cheating, bitch. If you have some evidence for me, I can get it tomorrow. I can burn the bitch just as well then as I can now. Now, good day". With that I hung up the phone.

*********************************************************

When I got home at about midnight, Chris was sitting at the kitchen table. It was like she was waiting for me. In front of her was a glass of wine and an envelope.

"Welcome home honey! I almost gave up waiting for you to come home. " Her voice dripped with cynicism and disdain. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement.

"Chris? What are you doing up?"

She finally looked up at me and I saw that her face was stained with tears. Her make-up looked like someone smeared it all over her face. She appeared as if she'd been sitting there crying for the last few hours.

She took another sip of her wine and slid the envelope across the table to me. I grabbed it and opened it. The contents inside almost made me lose my lunch.

"I hired a Private detective to follow you; you know, like you did to me. But I hired mine's months ago. He's been keeping tabs on you."

I barely heard her in the background. My attention was focused on the pictures that were in my hands. I leafed through photo after photo of Stephanie and I at several restaruants, in my car, and entering and exiting motel rooms. Some pictures where innocuous, others were of us kissing and holding hands, but it was the explicit ones of my dick in Stephanie's talented mouth that gave me the biggest shock.

"Chris, I can explain..."

"EXPLAIN WHAT TERRY? HOW YOU'VE BEEN FUCKING YOUR SECRETARY FOR MONTHS NOW!"

"But Chris, it wasn't what it looks like. It was just sex."

"Just sex! Tell me Terry, if it is JUST SEX, why did you hire a PI on me?"

My face must have shown the blankness that came into my brain, because she shook her head and gave a cynical laugh.

"To think that you actually thought I was cheating on you. I bet you were planning on ways to throw the book at my cheating ass when YOU WERE CHEATING THE WHOLE TIME!"

I tried to talk but words failed me. I couldn't get a word in otherwise, because she was just getting warmed up.

"To think that after everything I did for you that you could go out and do this to me. I put up with your lecherous clients because YOU ASKED ME TO! I eat at your favorite restaurant because that is where we first met, despite the fact that I HATE ITALIAN FOOD! I even sit and watch basketball with you because that is the only time that I can get a moment between you and your job. I even put off having kids because you wanted to have 'freedom'. I do all of this for you and you have the fucking gall to FUCK THAT BITCH!"

"But honey, I thought we both wanted those things."

"No Terry! YOU wanted all of that shit. I just sat by like a fucking retard and hoped that one day you would think enough about me to put me first once and a while. I tried to be the best wife for you and hoped that you would realize how much I mean to you. But I should have known that someone as narcissistic as you would only see what you wanted to see."

With that she got up and made her way out of the kitchen and towards the front door. That's when I noticed the packed bags.

"I love you Terry. I probably always will. But I refuse to be arm candy to you anymore. I'm not an accessory to be worn when it makes you look good. I'm a person with feelings."

I fell apart. I became a blundering, begging mess of a man.

"Fuck! Chris, please don't go. PLEASE! Look, I fucked up. I get it now. But I can change. I WILL change. Just put the bags down and give me one more chance!"

She put her bags down and sniffled. She turned, looked me in the eyes and gingerly touched my face. For the briefest of moments, I saw a ray of hope. Then her face turned sour, like she saw an image of me and Stephanie. She slowly retracted her hand and shook her head.

"You don't love me Terry. Hell, you would let one of your clients fuck me if it got you ahead." She turned away from me and picked up her luggage.

"All of this time you spent trying to make partner. If you gave half of that effort trying to being MY partner then we wouldn't be here. My lawyer is going to have you served tomorrow. That is where I've been this past month by the way; meeting with my lawyer and the PI. That is why I've been coming home so late."

I stood there, like an idiot. All of the time I spend in control of everything I touched, the one time I needed it I was useless.

"I loved you Terry. God knows I loved you with every fiber of my being. I would never break my vows that I made to you. I was able to put up with a lot of your shit because I loved you. But once I found out that you were fucking Stephanie, I was done. "

I saw her form disappear out of the door. The tears formed slowly, but once they were there I wept like my life was over. I dropped to my knees and sobbed so loudly that it echoed through my now empty house. Outside, I heard her car start and pull out of the driveway.

And just like that she was gone.