1. Into the Abyss--Chapter 10


    Date: 7/7/2016, Categories: Love Stories, Author: prairiedogg, Rating: 22, Source: LushStories

    yesterday. I've prepared a list of what we are seeking in the divorce settlement. Actually it's not much of a list. We want the divorce, of course, and an even split of all assets. No maintenance payments, meaning no alimony. You should walk away from this in pretty good shape, Frank." "Tom, what happens if they don't agree?" "I really don't think they will dispute our requests, Frank. If this thing goes to court, Susan's affair with Mr. Woolf will be out in the open. Martin doesn't need the negative publicity and he could drop her entirely and cut his losses. There's a real chance she could really get burned if she contests it. In fact, I'd bet the ranch that Martin is advising her to take the deal. She'd be crazy to push her luck on this." That was good news. I had Rocco to thank for digging up all the dirt on Susan. "Thank you for everything, Tom. Keep me abreast of any developments, will you?" "Of course, Frank. Just between you, me and the fencepost, though, this one looks like a slam dunk. Rocco made my work easy this time. I'll let you know how things progress. Bye for now, Frank." "Thank you, Tom. I'm looking forward to more good news from you. Goodbye." Well, that was looking up. Hopefully she would see the consequences of rejecting my settlement offer and do the right thing. Not only would Susan lose out if she contested this, her friends who were in on the deceit would be exposed as well. Their lives could be ruined if their involvement became public. My actions in ...
    cheating on Susan were wrong. I understood it at the time and I understand it now. I cheated because I considered our marriage to be dead. That doesn't make it right, but at least I didn't engage in the level of secrecy and deceit that Susan did. I know that's rationalization at best, but there was a small amount of justification for me when Rocco discovered the extent of Susan's actions. What caused me the most pain, other than the actual cheating itself, was how Susan's friends were in on it. It was like some sordid conspiracy, the way they lied and helped Susan cover her tracks. I had no idea that Susan was doing any of the things Rocco told me about. Without him I would still be in the dark. Susan's friends had always been friendly with me, their husbands had associated with me. Their involvement may have been the most severe and painful part of the whole thing, other than the actual cheating itself. It made me think about to what lengths would someone go in order to protect a friend. What could be gained by helping perpetuate the lie? Were they aware of the risks they were taking? Were they aware of the pain they were helping to inflict on me? Were they aware that their husbands could find out about it? It would surely become public if the divorce made it to the courts and their roles would be exposed. What drives a friend to do something like this? I couldn't fathom their rationale for becoming involved in this. I had to stop thinking about any of this and move on with ...
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