Brian and Lorna

I saw her belligerence fade as she realized she'd been caught. She sat there looking at me for several seconds and then said:

"That was months ago. Why didn't you bring it up then?"

I lied and said "I had hoped it was just a onetime fling. I even let you know that evening how I felt about cheating. Remember? You asked what the client did about his cheating wife and I told you I didn't know, but if were me I'd put the bitch out on the curb with the rest of the garbage."

"But you didn't so why now?"

"I love you Lorna. I hoped it was a onetime thing and I could get by it, but it wasn't a onetime thing was it? Once I found out about Benson I started keeping an eye on you. Following Benson there was William Dodman and following him there was Tim Martin. Following him there was Mike Newson, followed by Ray Tillman. And those five are the only ones I know about. By then I realized you were a serial cheater and I couldn't live with it so I filed for divorce. You can show yourself out."

"This isn't over Brian. We will talk when you get home tonight" and she got up and left.

I didn't have anything going at the time so I went home and packed a couple of bags. I was going to try and stay in the house and let Lorna leave, but I doubted she would go so I made sure I was ready to leave.

She got home at a quarter to six and found me at the kitchen table drinking a beer and working the Times crossword puzzle. She sat down opposite me and went right at it.

"We are not getting a divorce. Okay, I admit I've been bad, but I love you and I'm not letting you go. What I've been doing hasn't hurt us at all and it is only your male ego having you file. What's more is that I know you still love me."

"I do, but I can't live with what you have done so why don't you pack and leave?"

"I'm not leaving and you need to call your attorney and have him stop the divorce because I'm not giving you one."

"You have no choice in the matter Lorna."

"Of course I do. I love you Brian and I'm not letting you go!"

"If you love me so much why have you been fucking with my life?"

"How do you figure that?"

"Sooner or later your bouncing from man to man is going to give you a social disease which you in turn will give to me. Some of them can be cured, but some like AIDs can't be."

"That's nonsense Brian. None of the guys I've been with are the type to pick up a disease."

"Get serious woman! All five I know of are married if they are cheating on their wives with you they are probably cheating on them with other women too."

I got up and headed for the bedroom and she said "Where are you going? We need to talk about this."

"I've had my say Lorna and now I need to pack. If you won't leave then I'll have to."

"Damn it Brian! We can't put this behind us if we don't talk."

I ignored her and kept on to the bedroom. I had already figured she would refuse to go so I was already packed and I had already taken a room at the Marriott. As I headed for the front door with my bags Lorna was still yelling:

"Damn it Brian; get back her and talk to me."

Once I got to the Marriott I called Mellissa and told her I'd served Lorna and she could go after her husband.

"How did she take it?"

"Not well. I'm afraid she is going to fight it. She can drag it out, but she can't stop it."

I told her how the conversation had gone and then she told me she'd had the same thoughts about her hubby and had gotten herself tested.

"You should be happy to hear I tested clean and I haven't had sex with Billy since I went for the test. Where are you now?"

I told her I'd taken a room at the Marriott and she asked me for the room number. I gave it to her and she told me she could be there in twenty minutes.

"What about hubby?"

"Fuck him; he's history. I've already seen an attorney and the papers are ready. She is waiting on me to give her a call and tell her when and where I want him served. I'll call her in the morning and tell her to do it. See you in twenty."

It was actually thirty-five, but who was counting. It was an exhausting night and for the first time we woke up together in the morning. When she left she told me she would give me a call and let me know when she could see me again.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I spent the next two days finding an apartment and moving in. The same day I moved in I got a call from my attorney. Lorna had gotten an attorney and she was fighting the divorce. I'd known it was likely so I just shrugged it off. She could slow it down, but as long as I stuck to my guns it would happen.

Her first challenge was the asset split. She wanted her trust to be exempt. My attorney countered that the law in no fault was specific in that everything acquired during the marriage be split fifty-fifty. She came into the money during the marriage and in the absence of a prenuptial agreement it was part of the acquired assets.

Next she demanded counselling and I told my attorney no way. He said the judge could order it and my reply was that he might not so we should just wait and see. Everything that Lorna objected to I refused to go along with.

Eventually we ended up in front of a judge and the judge did indeed order counselling. A minimum of ten sessions. He also ruled that Lorna's trust was exempt from the asset split and that really pissed me off, but there was nothing I could do about it. I did come out ahead in that he ruled I didn't have to pay alimony because her job and the trust put her significantly ahead of me financially.

The first counselling session was a joint one during which Lorna spoke her piece which basically boiled down to she made some mistakes, but she loved me and she just knew we could work things out and get by it. My piece was simple. She cheated on me multiple times and I wanted nothing more to do with her.

Then the councilor wanted one on one sessions with each of us. Lorna went first and when it was my turn I shut the councilor down as soon as the meeting started by stating I would not have anything to do with Lorna and no matter what he said or asked I simply repeated that I would have nothing to do with Lorna. For the next three joint sessions I just sat there with my arms folded across my chest and repeated over and over "I will have nothing to do with Lorna."

Just as my response was always the same so was Lorna's. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you. Please let me prove it to you."

It was after the seventh joint session that things changed. We left the meeting and in the parking lot Lorna came up to me as I was getting into my truck.

"I know you were upset when the judge ruled you couldn't get any part of my trust. If I gave you two thirds of it and then signed a postnuptial agreement that I would forfeit the last third if I ever cheated again would you drop the divorce and come home to me?"

"You can't be serious."

"Of course I am. I'm trying to find a way to show you that I really do love you and want you back in my life."

I would like to be able to say that I said I would think about it and get back to her by the next session, but I can't. I did a quick mental calculation and came up with two thirds of her trust would be roughly one point seven million and then said:

"If you can get that to me in a legally enforceable document I will drop the divorce."

"And come home to me?"

"Yes, I will come home to you."

"You going to follow me home?"

"No. Frankly, I didn't expect this and I have plans for the evening. I'm going to have to make some calls and then let my landlord know I'm giving up my apartment. Then there is the little matter of trust. I don't have all that much in you. I'm going to want to see you follow through on what you have promised."

"You don't trust me?"

"I trusted you when we took our wows and how did that work out? The forsaking all others thing?

"It may take a couple of days."

"Given how long it has been since I moved out a couple more days isn't going to matter."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I called Mellissa and brought her up to date on things and told her I had a couple of days before I had to go back to being a loving husband and asked her if she would like to spend some of that time with me. She did and then she did and it was exhausting.

It took Lorna four days to make everything happen and Mellissa spent all four of those days with me. We did talk some during that time and she told me William was fighting the divorce and she might have to drop it because she couldn't afford to pay an attorney for a year or so. I told her not to sweat it.

I just came into some money and I'll give you what you need to make the divorce happen."

"You trying to buy your way into my pants?"

"Actually I'm buying my way out of your pants. Once I go home to Lorna I'll be back in loving husband mode."

"For how long?"

"What?"

"Foe how long? You know what they say. "Once a cheater, always a cheater."

"That's your answer. Until she cheats again."

"When it happens if I'm not in a relationship give me a call."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I moved back home and Lorna's welcome home damned near killed me. It has been three years now and I keep a close eye on her and she hasn't strayed.

I never did ask her why she stepped out on me in the first place. Was I curious? Hell yes, but did I want the hit my ego might take and the thoughts it would put in my mind for me to carry around for the rest of my life? Not only no, but hell no!

It is enough for me to know that the woman really loves me. Enough to give me almost two million dollars just to keep me with her.