All Comments on 'The Bridge'

Rereading a few of the best and it struck me how similar this story is to DQS's first story here, "A Moment of Clarity".

Both wives profess to love their husbands but lust after someone else. Both wives "want their cake and eat it too." Both wives give their best lovemaking to the other man, and expect their husbands to just accept mediocre sex (efforts) from themselves.

What makes this situation exceptional (to me) is THIS wife is supposed to be pretty smart AND with an actual Ph.D. in psychology and yet acted so very stupidly. Or just actually acted meanly to her own husband - the man she professes to love. She humiliated him very publicly and with his boss, so that he would always be reminded of it both at home and at work.

The wife in the DQS story acted the same way - not actually sleeping with her boyfriend in front of him, but acting very flirty AND putting her own husband down in public before her family and friends. And yet both women expected their husbands to merely accept their own obvious lack of respect for them and want to stay married to them.

"Never marry a beautiful woman" might be one moral from these stories - BUT, RG set this one up so great because when he married Gloria she wasn't that beautiful, but it was his own love and support that allowed her to make herself beautiful/sexy and thus become both the bait and the trap.

Life is full of Catch-22's and good luck to one and all "living happily ever after."

I realize that the story would have folded up, but at the point when Lyle found out that Gabe and Gloria were having discussions about going away for the weekend it should have been an immediate "NO!" from Lyle. He already knew that Gabe was overly physical with Gloria at the Christmas party. And that should have been addressed with both of them that night. Boss or not, back off dickhead. But then we would not have had all the sturm und drang. And the pleasure of seeing old Gloria kicked to the snowy curb.

I have read 1000's of stories and for whatever reason this is the emotional line I have ever read. She says to the person she loves that you were the best I could get, but now that someone better wants me I'll give them a try.

Thank you for the story, they had it all and she threw it away.

2nd or 3rd read, and it's still good. I have to agree with sbrooks on his points.

I do like happy endings as much as the next person, when it's warranted, but not in this case.

I would have liked a chance to get even with Paula, without which none of this would have happened. I wonder how many lies, and how much manipulation she has done over the years, or ruined marriages she has been an accomplice in.

How could this woman have been so stupid? She had a husband worth his weight in gold and she threw it way for a cheap roll in the hay! It's exactly as you say with these boys - flash in the pans - and that she fell for him is just plain stupid. Even having been the fat girl sounds more like an excuse than a reason. She did not even discuss it with him. Stupidly thought he would just go along with it. He is a Lawyer for fucks sake! Did she not think? So glad the bitch got burned!!!

There are holes. Especially what exactly is Paula’s role in all of this? I can never quite figure it out. But, none the less, I keep coming back to this story.

Not perfect, but just so entertaining. 5-stars.

Why did Lyle not tell his wife he marriage as over it slept with Gabe to give her chance to change her mind,then when she did not carry out his plan.Who was Paula? And why did Lyle not seek some revenge on her for helping set up the weekend?Finally how come something remote had phone reception.

Why didnt he record all his objections to her fucking his boss??!! Are the readers out there so stupid?? ....."He was everything a woman wants in a man!!!" That comment out of the mouth of your wife for 16 years is the ultimate coffin nail to the marriage! He, not I her husband!!!

No ending? Needs another chapter or epilogue. Again another stupid woman, but husband didn't mann up Should have stopped it at the get go. However she has remorse they still love other and have kids. Counselling would in order her. Forgiveness on his side as well.

Lyle's making a lot more money now . He can get woman just as sleek in body , enjoys who enjoys reciprocates carnal oral sex ...not t just receiving it, who isn't looking to use him as stepping stone to a " perceived " prince and leave him as a eunuch . Shoot, if Gabe had paid Paula a couple extra thousand, it could have been a face saving couple swap .

Lyle still wouldn't have walked away feeling good about it , but he was left nothing but open bar and high end frozen food while Gabe and Gloria trysted. Her betrayal was too callous and calculated to forgive . When kids are involved, I usually opt for reconciliation, but her behavior was beyond the pale.

Bottom Line : Mega kudos to Richard Gerald for existential question posed - when does a hubris from a " lost weekend " tip the scale against 14 years of a synchronous , productive and prosperous marriage ? Gloria found a way for a normally , compassionate man to harden his heart . People whine for sequel ?

To me : that was the most important dramatic point of tension and it was answered unequivocally and emphatically. I understand why people want more because the characters roles were so superb . But it would be mere prologue , anti-climatic. You can't burn bridges as an encore without it seriously risking hollow parody of sublime original.

Your comments are a perfect description of my thougths, I could not agree more,

AndI'am among the pople wihi like reconciliation and heppy ending.

This seems to me to be more of a therapy piece than erotica.

It's really hard to think that a woman could be THAT crazy. But obviously she was and is. But DAMN,, why did he just let it happen? I mean, he's really just as stupid as she is.

There was no reason to stop it. She showed exactly what she was and what she thought of him. She made her bed and he got to burn it down.

The wife showed her true colours, a selfish slut who loved no one but herself, she sacrificed her children's happiness for a naughty weekend. Showed she was lower then whale shit💩

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

She had kept her boys out of trouble all the way through college, she had built herself a team that was going to rule the world. They found that she really wasn't ready for prime time, and the best she and her boys could manage was pure bush league.

Too bad they ran into a major league pro. A little humility would have served them well.

Thanks, and another one please.

You did a fine job with the story and yes I knew this was a story because the wife for No reason stabbed her husband in the back. Towards the end when she was giving reasons for her infidelity those would have been reasons not to cheat. Now if you could have shown some type of mental/ personal defect on her part this would have been more believable. As written there was No reason for her to cheat. Women are a mystery but one thing you can count on is never to forgive the people who mistreated them in the Past. All of her reasoning she(writer) gave showed why she would never cheat.

Rewrite her character and turn her into a untrust worthy sneaky person who had to be watched.

2 for that reason.

I love most women and there must be a good reason for them to cheat on a good man.

The reason for a woman to cheat on GOOD man, especially her husband-especially when they have children-DOES NOT, NOR WILL IT EVER EXIST!

REASON, the word indicates mental acuity, thought out(reasoned)logically arrived at plan of action.

Females do not have reasons for adultery-they fabricate self-deluding rationalizations.

Your comment indicates either you are XXer, or have been for lifetime dominated by one.

Males always have reason for stopping for meal at diner, instead of glancing at today's special posted in window and continuing on home for home cooked supper.

In case of 40s males reason most always is wife no longer allows oven to be turned on!

ignore the psychobabble of the basement dweller, twits like that think that their free fuck story site philosophy has gravitas - too much fox channel where opinions mean more than credentials

just how dumb and retarded he is. ANNONY!! If you drink the Obama and Clinton cool aid you will never grow up to be 1/2 a man and your dead ex wife will destroy your other 1/2 a brain completely! Just keeping reading these stories and drink the cum

It was in his hand to end it before something happen. On the evening before he was awardsomething is up to happen and later on the next day when he cum back from the hike he has to say or do it is enough maybe fight for her. Latest in the kitchen he turnt away so she didnt see his pain. All he has to do is NO you are my woman!!!

But nor do or saying, it only let it happen in my eyes he as guilt as she is! When you do nothing its more worse when get hit. So in this case i call him a whimp.

for a person to cheat begins with a defect in their moral and social being

One of the best stories here. Stupid, cheating, whore loses everything. Powerful , dominate male gets his too. All good.

Please give us an epilogue where they get back together and work it out, The world needs happy endings!

Burn the Bitch! Get back together? No way!

I don't get why some writers leave their stories hanging. The story was good until yuo killed it in the last parragraph. *3 for me.

This, is a beautiful, very well written story. A mix of sexual predator, essentially a dumb ass egotistical wife, a swingers group, and one husband who wasn't going to buy into this horseshit at all.

The revenge- first, to replace a bridge like that (usually on the historical register) is going to cost big bucks- like, a few million. (You know how hard it is to get wood of that quality? "very expensive" is an understatement)

I strongly encourage you to read chapter 2: Lyle ends up becoming a bit like Gabe. Gloria's background is explored in depth. The conclusion,,,,is like kicking a sleeping dog in the balls. The results are satisfying, if nothing else.

Good story. Well written. But .... I find the Gabe/Gloria business on the mountain unnecessarily crude. Suppose that instead of being obvious and publicly humiliating, the interactions between Gloria and Gabe were covert, or at least more subtle. Suppose after they got to their room Gloria told Lyle something like “I’m going to Gabe’s room. It’s just a one-time thing. Just this weekend. It will be discreet. No one needs to know.” And Lyle says “But we’ll know. Don’t do this thing.” And she says “I have to. Trust me! It will be all right. I’ll make it up to you.” For me, anyway, the effect is the same, but the situation is more plausible. In the current version it’s really hard to believe how a supposedly intelligent woman could fail to see she was leaving her husband no way to save face, to go along with a pretence.

Who actually was Paula,why did he not get charged with arson,how many rental helicopters have only one seat,why did Sharon bring Gloria home she lived no where near them and how did Robin who had gone out with Sharon get home.?Also telling the police to put it in writing does not avoid a visit to/from them.

Exactamente what age were you when someone apparantly pissed in your cornflakes and the resultado left you unable to read a great story and come away with nothing but a plethora of petty, petty nitpicks ?

I agree with questioner,plus it is impossible to build a bridge in three days.

I agree with questioner,plus it is impossible to rebuild a bridge in three days

I just read the latest comment, and while I don't remember the length of the old bridge, there ARE temporary bridges that can be erected quickly.

I also looked back at the end, and this exchange always infuriates me!

"Are you so crazy that you believe that after hearing you scream in pleasure for him we could have anything together?"

"OH SHIT, you can't be that stupid. That was all an act. I wanted to be good for him. I put on a show. Men like that, need and expect it. I never behave that way in bed, and you must know that after sixteen years of making love to me."

It was an act? She wanted to be good for him? "Men like that, need and expect it?" - So, she didn't want it to be good for her husband? Isn't her husband a man? Doesn't she think that HE would "like that, need and expect it?"

As for her always being the "fat girl," all the more reason to be loyal to the man who loved her when she WASN'T a catch, instead of going to the man who,before wouldn't have given her a glance, let alone a second look!

A decent story despite the flaws.As Gloria seemed very remorseful I think he should take her back,if not for himself,for the kids.Also a flaw the earlier commentator missed was how did he know Sharon and Robin had split from their partners as they don't live in the same state.

I’ve always been emotionally unsatisfied with the ending to the story. I finally realized what has been bothering me. It is the fact that Gloria was emotionally vulnerable and was taken advantage of by Gabe. Her husband should have intervened and as such bears some responsibility. I see a path to reconciliation assuming Lyle can tone down his cynicism regarding their relationship being an illusion. I’m curious if RG sees Gloria as a sympathetic character.

Why should Lyle take back a cheating whole? Gloria knew what would happen if she fucked Gabe! Lyle loved her when she was the "fat kid", he loved her for 16 years. Gloria loved herself and thought she could fuck Gabe and Lyle would not object. If Lyle would not have kicked her to the curb when he did, Gloria would keep fucking Gabe until either Gabe got tired of her and or Lyle kicked her out. The kids were better off with them separated by learning the lesson of not cheating on your marriage partner or there will be a divorce. Gloria sealed her fate when she started screaming out in passion that she never did for Lyle then trying to explain it away as "Men like that, need and expect it"; Gloria was "that stupid"! Was Gloria saying Lyle was not a man? Sure she was!

Reconciliation would not pass the closet-cuck sniff-test. Those tender little guys would never intervene in the middle of their own cucking. If you are looking for men of action, try a Winterfrog story.

Another one for the file,why did Gloria not drive Gabes car home.?With regards the bridge episode,Three days is not possible.Firstly you have to find some one to build it,then no matter how basic, it as to be designed then the materials have to be sourced and delivered and some one as to be gotten to the otherwise to help with the construction.

"Her husband should have intervened and as such bears some responsibility." - Intervened? When he asked if he had a choice, she said, "Not really, it's decided. I'm just telling you, so you know," What intervention was possible? Do you think that she would have left willingly if he tried to drag her out? Do you think that Paula and the others would have let him, especially if Gloria wanted to stay? My only problem with him was at the Christmas party when Gabe gave her a "passionate kiss" under the mistletoe. He SHOULD have walked over, pulled her away, said, "That's my WIFE, you asshole, I QUIT!" Punch in the gut optional.

"I’m curious if RG sees Gloria as a sympathetic character." - Read RG's letter to the author of the sequel,https://www.literotica.com/s/the-bridge-a-little-more for that answer! I think that you might agree with him!

Can I join in the fun.Who has an out door pool at a mountain lodge and how many mountain lodges have five bedrooms?

This has gotten over 440 comments! I've never seen that many comments on a story, let alone on a story that's only 3 pages! You wouldn't think these few words could stir SO many people but the evidence is right here. This was obviously a well written story. Just as obviously, it inflamed a lot of people. Emotions are running high in the comment section. Let me just say that while I enjoyed the story, I hated what I consider to be the non-ending. They're divorced with a complicated child sharing plan. But what happened after that? How did they get to that point? What happened to Gabe and the rest of the people at the cabin that weekend? Why did his wife decide to cheat and throw it in his face? What was her exact thinking? You cover it a little, but I would have liked more. This should have been an 8 to 10 page story. Thanks for the effort. But more please.

I think he should show some compassion and take her back,she obviously regrets what happened and the boys deserve a stable home and family.

I think they should go back, grab some of the remnants of the old burnt bridge, and fashion them into sex toys.

In fact, the next Christmas, Lyle can once again come home to find her apparently huddled on the steps in light snow . . . but as he gets closer, he realizes she's actually masturbating with a lovely 'staff' he'd carved from a piece of the old bridge. He's flattered, and a little turned on, so he agrees to share Christmas with her "for the kids sake" (and because he felt like sort of a stubborn prick for not spending Christmas with them the previous year even if he was angry at his ex-wife . . . after all, the kids weren't to blame).

They could then get back together "for the kids", but as part of his revenge, the only sexual stimulation he would provide for her would be through use of the sex toys made from parts of the old burnt bridge, adding unnecessary complexity to (or perhaps even ruining) the burnt bridge metaphor.

Lyle then fashions a small bat from part of the bridge and a severely contrite (and now religious nut) Gabe, takes this part of the bridge and alternates flagellating his crotch or shoving it up his own butt nightly.

Lyle also fashions a beautiful statue which he uses as a sex doll regularly, to further frustrate (or mystify) his wife.

Now they're back together, sort of serving those who wanted that, but they're still apart, and she has to suffer for her selfishness, which sort of serves those that wanted that. Gabe is torturing himself, sort of satisfying that crowd. And finally, the rest of us can now be vexed by what was once direct but has now become an extremely complex set of burnt bridge analogies, sort of satisfying those of us who enjoy being needlessly perplexed.

The next year we can all sit on their steps in a light snow, pondering burning bridges, sex toys, and foolish behavior . . . wondering if we're better off there, or back with our families, until someone says, "What the fuck are we doing here, shouldn't we be partying with our families . . . even the ones we don't like?".

And I'll look at him or her and say, "I don't know. That's a good question but I have no answer to it."

But wiser heads will say, "Yes you moron, we should be with family, ESPECIALLY KIDS, and even with those adults we might not like."

And everyone will agree saying, "Fuck, yeh.", and we'll head off to various celebrations, because we'll have burnt enough bridges for the night, and because it's Christmas dammit, and you don't behave like a shit on Christmas even if someone deserves it.

I don't think it's been said here, though I've seen it in the "Corporate Whore" stories, if an employee is competent, he doesn't need his wife to whore herself out to advance, and any company that demands that, is going to find itself saddled with a lot of incompetent employees as the competent ones seek employment elsewhere!

Re: the "fragile male ego." - Male egos are SO fragile that they still think they are studs with their pot bellies and comb-overs, while the women fret over every grey hair! Isn't it the stroke to THEIR egos that makes women so susceptible to the pussy hounds?

For the umpteenth time to those who say that he didn't say, "No." He asked if he had a choice, and was told, no, so what good would his saying no have done? If he tried to physically interfere, Gabe's crew probably would have held him back!

There's a lot to work with here.

What man, in his right fucking mind, would sit on his ass and watch all this shit happen? Frankly, that asshole is just as bad as all the rest. Any man that allows that shit to go on in front of him is a pussy. In this story, NONE, of them should get off easy. As for the whore, why is it ALWAYS a mistake, AFTER the fact? FUCK,,, THAT,,, SHIT....... and I still gave it a 5...

This woman is upset because of what her actions cost her. Now she returns and expects her ex to just forgive and forget. And she blames HIM for her bad decisions and for breaking up the family. She is a whore, will always be a whore and cannot be trusted to do anything but act like a whore. He is right is simply stepping over her. Sad for the kids, but she did this to them too.D1D1

The problem is his fragile male ego . . . I mean it's like, super duper fragile. He even wears makeup . . . that's how fragile his easily shattered male ego is. It's like a thin porcelain ego, a thin, easily breakable, XY chromosomed porcelain ego.

Sorry, odd day at work. I don't have any idea why that made me feel better . . . could be I need it to soothe my fragile male ego . . . and it makes me feel in good company that most males have similarly fragile egos. One way you can tell is by watching to see if they complain about people identifying fragile male egos for what they are. See, if you have a tough resilient ego, you could care less about the assessment 'fragile male ego'. Your tough ego can handle or even ignore that. But, if your ego is quite fragile, you will be frustrated and annoyed when others use the term, and feel the need to argue its validity.

Now, egos not withstanding, this is a really good story, with great imagery at the end, at least for me, which just always makes me want to work things out somehow. Very well done!!

sbrooks and the rest of the sissies promote the "husband runs away" trope because it is what they would do - drop their rifles and run as soon as the bullets started flying.

if you want to see a guy stand and fight, Winterfrog has a few.

My second read.

I think the key to the story is that if this story was reversed, what would have the commenters say then.

He was left with no one the whole week end, and Paula didn't play. Very bad planning on all involved. Deliver your wife to me and watch what I will do.

After she told him she settled for him because she thought she was fat, and couldn't do any better, that statement says a lot about their relationship.

I believe in reconciliation, when warranted, but not here.

The only ego more fragile than the male ego is the only other ego, the female ego. "I need to be constantly validated by not only my husband but others that I'm still pretty and sexy or I might die."

“We will accept her behavior. We may admire Lyle but we condemn his actions“. That is a direct quote by RichardGerald.

We commenters try to understand the actions of the characters by evaluating their biography and previous behavior within the context of the story.

Rarely do we get a candid glimpse of the author’s true intent.

In a related story entitled The Bridge - A Little More by justbobkc, RichardGerald provides his candid comments about several characters in his story. I suggest that any commentor read the introduction to justbobkc’s story before coming to any conclusions about the original story as you may well have misjudged the characters and the author’s intent e.g. acceptance of Gloria’s behavior.

So for all you folks who support Lyle, be aware that the author condemns his actions!

Interesting.

I even liked the sermonizing.

Of a Preacher Man:- Hate the sin-Love the Sinner! I must admit I had a clenched fist when His slut Wife betrayed Him! B.T.B!. FUCK! and OATH! Surely the Feds could nail that Adonis Horse with (well you name it) Anyway that's my Comment 5 Stars WOOF! Oh Story is Brilliant!

Of a Preacher Man:- Hate the sin-Love the Sinner! I must admit I had a clenched fist when His slut Wife betrayed Him! B.T.B!. FUCK! and OATH! Surely the Feds could nail that Adonis Horse with (well you name it) Anyway that's my Comment 5 Stars WOOF! Oh Story is Brilliant!

Again! For those of you who want a bit more of this story I found a this:--

The Bridge -A little More by justbobkc

See Ya WOOF!

Don't bother reading a little more by justbobkc. It's not good and it doesn't even seem like it's the same story. Don't bother with it.

The biggest deal in this story doesn't seem to be touched upon by this story.

Let's ignore the humiliation of fucking his BOSS in front of his FRIENDS for days while he is THERE! That is a cunt play right there and no mistakes about that. I am absolutely amazed that Gabe somehow thought that this was any kind of good idea. How do you go to work Tuesday and look at one another over that desk. This was an Alpha Dick move too.

But ignore that. His wife told him straight up a) she thought she had settled marrying him, b) that he didn't crank her motor as a man, and c) that she felt that she personally was more valuable than her husband and that SHE should now be calling the shots, as exemplified by her choices at the lodge.

She's been poor. Well...so was he! She worked hard...well, so did he! But Princess deserves Prince Prick. That is some pretty entitled nonsense.

But after she has a ball or two, she will gladly go back 'slumming' with her minion husband...

What a treat for him! Because every glance he sees from his wife around that Christmas Tree would be framed in her thinking 'I wish I was somewhere else'.

Okay...now she is.

Excuse me. Richard Gerald did touch upon it with the shattered illusion of the marriage.

But the commenters seem obsessed with the lodge and not the headspace of the wife. She was a cheater walking from the time she fit into a size 2 dress. It was just a matter of her selecting which offer to take.

From January 2016 to now, 462 comments and still those like FD45 are getting stirred up about the characters, the story and other comments.

I find it interesting that many comments have such an emotional intensity, not merely criticising or praising the story and the author which happens with so many other stories.

RG's story has to go down as one of the classics in the LW genre. I still find the line "It's decided. I'm just telling you so that you know" to be one of the most uncaring dismissals of a husband by a wife that I have seen in a story.

Lue

I have met and worked for hundreds of his type. I smiled and played ignorant to their condescension. His type put money in my pocket being a construction worker.

While those 'boys' were out cuckolding their subordinates, I was hard at work, shirt off, hemmed jeans cutoffs, muscles rippling and glistening in full view of the wives, fiancees, and girlfriends of the masters of the universe.

True enough those ladies immensely enjoy and desire the lifestyle of their 'Gabes'.

However, as much as their fellows eyes and body parts wander so do the thoughts of their ladies.

Being good looking, extremely fit, charming as well as smart enough to work commando, I or should I say, my tool drew a great deal of attention.

Until my final check cleared I kept an appropriate distance.

But by the next day, I would be knocking at the backdoor...just checking that ''all was satisfactory''.

Ninety per cent of the time seemed a couple of items had popped up on the lady of the house's ''punchlist''.

While Gabe and his ilk kept after the wives of underlings, a certain blue collar nobody was having his back and buttocks clawed by the Suzy Socialite's.

Have to love that type of woman. They love to spread the word. My crew kept quite busy do to the word of mouth advertising. Not to mention, a number of Gabes are putting my progeny through private schooling.

I've never commented on it though. The "lack of an ending" in any story clearly bothers a number of people. In this story, I think the ending is perfect. This is a story I wouldn't want a sequel to, although I'd gladly read one from the same author. It's the rare story here that makes me weigh the pros and cons of all possible decisions. Like Lyle, I still don't have a clear answer as to where I'd be in a similar situation. This story may not be for everyone, but it certainly is for me.

At least Gabe had made it to the top of the organisation.

So what is so different about:

"While Gabe and his ilk kept after the wives of underlings, a certain blue collar nobody was having his back and buttocks clawed by the Suzy Socialites"

and what Gabe was doing?

Those Gabes are everywhere. Chief executives and blue collar nobodies; much of a muchness, really.

Lue

Although very sad, heart breaking even, I keep reading it over and over again. I can't get over how entitled Gabe thinks he is, how totally clueless Gloria is. I'm quite sad for Lyle, but love how he handed Gabe his ass on a platter not the mention Gloria. Could she be anymore lame to think that a devoted husband of sixteen years is just going to sit still for the betrayal and humiliation she dealt him. It was so good that I loved it and hated it at the same time.

You simply love to drop your men in the drink. At least this time he divorced the slut. But that certainly wasn't a win for him or his kids. And he won't be rid of her since he'll have to see her all the time, talk to her all the time - because of the kids. Complicated custody agreement my ass! This was too much like real life. This is what happens to peoples lives. One bad mistake. One error in judgement. One drunken fuck up and lives are ruined. Why am I reading this on a porn site???????

""When I met you, I knew I had found the right man. I was a virgin when we married. I didn't make a big fuss about it but I thought you knew. You are no prince now and you certainly weren't then. You were just an ordinary guy, but I loved you with all my heart. Yes. You were a bit smarter than most, and more ambitious, but we were always broke.

"I learned to live with lower expectations because I loved you. It hurt me to see you struggle so hard. Then Gabriel came along and things seemed to get better. He was everything a woman wants in a man. For once the prince wanted me. It was flattering. After the Christmas party, he kept calling me. It wasn't serious, just flirting."

My ending:

"Well, now you get to live with the consequences of what you did to us. Try to keep that in mind when you think about fucking over the next man you have in your life. Now, if you don't mind, I want you to leave. I have your last gift to me, a new life that I never wanted, to get used to."

An alpha male. Gloria a rotten birch. Well done Lyle to introduce them to the world of the hurt.

One of this author's best. For me, # 1.

Your best story. Great ending.

"Answer me this," she said, "Are you better off alone without me or would it be better with me and our kids around the Christmas tree tonight?"

I said “I would rather be with my family around the tree. However, a mistake is failing to fill the car up with fuel, a catastrophic error is failing to put oil in the engine, you did not make a mistake, you seized the marriage up by failing on our marriage vows. You are your own person and you proved what you thought of those vows and for the love of your family. I questioned you but your mind was so made up you heard but did not listen. All this is on you and you alone. If you loved your family you would not have done it. ”

Another chapter could have been written about reconciliation and family.

Then you made him a wimp.

Instead have him go after Paula and every ahole at the cabin. Take them down. Hard.

And to keep his wife from being such a downer. Kill her. I'll loan him a gun.

But I think this is one of the few stories that could use a reconciliation, while the revenge was entertaining the end is just to depressing, no decent man should be left alone on Christmas without his family.

Give her a second chance?? Are you out of your fucking mind? The cold hearted bitch has callously proven how much value she places on her fidelity and their marriage... so what happens the NEXT time they get to a bump in the road? The bitch is a cold blooded whore, when it's in her favor, but who's currently having a bad time of it so she's contrite and asking mercy from the husband that she showed no mercy to when she PLANNED for and then spent the weekend fucking his boss/her hot stud and getting her jollies.... irregardless of what he thought, felt or wanted... consequences be damned.

He was far to gentle in not saying "FUCK YOU, SLUT. YOU THREW AWAY SIXTEEN YEARS OF 'MY' LIFE, TOO. ... But, after what you did, you can bet your whoring ass that I'll never be so stupid as to give you a chance to pollute another minute of mine."

You disgusting fucking wimp-ass Liberals let your women push you around, as if you're worthless pieces of shit, until you ARE....

Just don't try to regain your manhood by selling your gutlessness shit to the rest of us as 'the right thing to do'. Go suck last night's random group of men's come out of your wife's gang banged cunt. Make her happy and show her what a good little Cucky-poo you are.

Gave the story five stars but Lyle should have had someone 'visit' Gabe and put him out of sexual circulation until, 50 years later, the County assigned mortician injects the embalming fluid.

But she lied. She had that new revealing bikini just for her lover, she knew ahead of time what was going to happen.

Take her new body and give it to who ever she wants.

He...DESERVES....better than her.

I am sick of society putting women on a some ivory tower.

He sacrificed everything for her, and all he wanted was her love. Cheating isn't love. Humiliating isn't love. And calling her deliberate and selfish decision to disrespect him, not ask for consent, and force him to be there is NOT a mistake. She cannot accept that she's the bad guy. It's soooo much easier to say, "I made an oppsie" like she dropped some plates. She doesn't want to feel evil. But she was evil.

If he took her back, she might be try to be faithful, but not because she's sorry. She's a mindless beast. All she cares about is 'what can i get away with, and what can't i?" that's it. like a mindless beast, her actions got her hurt, so she'll avoid (maybe) doing it again.

Admit it readers, he's only sad because he WASTED years on her. She still thinks that golden boy isn't bad, shifted blame of her decision of cheating onto her ex, and used the children as a bargaining chip when she clearly didn't care about them when she cheated. She's a mindless, selfish, human.

I read this every time I come across it. One of my all time favorites in LW.

I have read this story several times and enjoy the twists and turns.

... as I was reading and realized what was about to go down, I thought to myself, "I'd drive the fuck away and burn down the bridge on the way out."

The line that most makes me reconsider reading literotica is this:

"Would you be happier alone or with your wife?" Otherwise good stories go stupid with this line. You can't HAVE the wife you believed her to be back! The proper question would be:

"Would you be happier alone or with the cheating slut she is now? Bye bye, bitch!

He let HER dictate shit to him during their final meeting. SHE has anger issues? He should have told her to shove that up her ass. Ditto for HIM supposedly 'destroying their family'

He should also have told her he WAS better off without her, because he can't trust her anymore. What was with the 'I don't know' bullshit? What's there to be conflicted about?

RG

Your story has two strong features that make it one that can be read several times. Your characterisation of the principle players is particularly strong but is done with an economy of language. There is no evidence of padding out your story - it contains the pure essence of what it required to get your message across. Hell I thought his wife was a complete deluded bitch you deserved everything that was coming to her. Zilo the great alpha male was in fact a straw man with little real substance when it came to dealing with non-linear problems. In fact one of the most important things that I have taken away from this tale is that it is an illustration of chaos theory in action with a financial and interpersonal twist. Zilo and his creepy associates were OK managing things provided they progressed in a regular linear fashion. Bit once uncertainty and unpredictability crept into the mix, symbolised by Lyle it became a nonlinear system which was extremely difficult to control despite the efforts of the ubiquitous Paula the "fixer" a sort of female Michael Cohen if you will. Lyle introduced chaos into the existing system and beat the bastards at their own game which gives folks like me some hope that sometimes the good guy gets to wim. Cheers

By arguably one of the best Authors on Lit ! Thank you. 5* !!

It needs a better ending!

Well written and enjoyable tale, thanks

Had to read this one again to see why I like RichardGreald. This is his best and one my personal favorites. Just great to read.

"Answer me this," she said, "Are you better off alone without me or would it be better with me and our kids around the Christmas tree tonight?"

"I'll answer yours if you answer mine first", I replied. "When you decided to fuck my boss, did you ask yourself,'will I be better off with, or without my husband', or 'is this worth destroying my children's stable home'? "I guess you decided it was".

This story needs a second chapter. I see a chance for forgiveness and reconciliation.

Exactly.

I disagree with Lyle's philosophizing just a tad. The "Golden People" aren't golden and special because of their money, so much. It is because they ARE beautiful and naturally viewed as superior by so many in the sexual attractiveness sweepstakes.

Lyle contributed just as little to actually "building" things as Gabe did. After all, Lyle was just a lawyer - a paper pusher - that facilitated the building but drove no nails himself.

Money men ARE needed in any society - it works best in capitalist societies as the most efficient "survival of the fittest" competitive society that rewards "success" far more than just "inherited wealth." Wealth can all too easily be dissipated in any society. In socialist/communist societies government bureaucrats control and manage the wealth - which is why every communist society so far has failed. Political loyalty counts far more in those societies than personal management acumen. Mixed communist/capitalist (socialist) societies last longer, though the actual outcomes of all these societies are still in doubt over historical timeframes.

The actual "churn" of the wealthy in American society is some of the largest in any country, worldwide, ever. Americans don't even use the "aristocracy" myth to stratify society and slow the rich "churn." It is almost all based on merit, here. Gates didn't inherit his wealth, nor most of the other Forbes richest list. OTOH, the Rockefellers and Carnegies are now where on the richest lists? Only ONE Rockefeller (out of 150 heir descendants) remain on the Forbes 400 richest lists. Why? Because they spend money rather than earn/grow it thru wise hands on management. AKA "work".

Gabe was at least an OK manager of his money, investing it in a company and managing it profitably. It was his amorality that done him in - certainly a form of incompetence, itself. That made him susceptible to another's amorality (and criminality, actually.)

And even Lyle became a "money man" as well as lawyer at the end. Maybe he won't become as corrupted with his new power as Gabe became corrupted by his sexual attractiveness power, as Gloria became corrupted by her own acquired new beauty and sexual attractiveness power.

Maybe. :-)

Pardon me if I'm wrong, but that whor-wife never apologized di she? True sociopaths have no conscience, therefore no apology.

Excellent story!

Idiot Anon...."Great story!

This story needs a second chapter. I see a chance for forgiveness and reconciliation."

Only a WIMP would consider reconciliation!

Why do so few of these entitled pricks get their asses beat????

" shouldn't have to, goodbye gloria"

five stars.

Great story. 5 stars!

Hooked

Without her. There are countless Prince Charmings and countless excuses to be selfish enough to forget about spouse and family.

His biggest problem is hoping her DNA didn't wreck his childrens intelligence potential.

This is one of the first LW stories that I ever read, and still in my top five. I like the event sequel , by a different author, also . RG's best.

...500 user comments on a three-year-old story. 'nuff said.