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Aftermath of The Affair

By: outofshadows



The following is a sequel to deepemerald's The Affair, an erotic couplings story which should frankly be in the loving wives genre. The cliff-hanger conclusion earned deepemerald quite a bit of flak and eventually a follow up was not pursued. Again, the story had me in knots and the following story is a response. 

Thanks to my early readers whose suggestions were great and I've tried to incorporate as many as possible. The time sequence for the storyline is as follows: 

Christmas Past Terry discovers Julia's affair and has to find a way to cope with it, a band of brothers is formed 

Christmas Last - Terry reveals his knowledge of Julia's affair, confrontation ensues and payback is launched 

Christmas Present - The Bs are burnt and Terry needs to decide some things, how it all ends after vengeance is had 

And before anyone asks, yes, I'm playing a joke vis-à-vis Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Heck, his novels tortured me as a kid and this is my payback :) 

A note of caution: There is the possibility of reconciliation, so all averse to reconciliation in LW, please stop reading or rather, don't start reading, why torture yourself? Everyone else, read on, gulping eggnog simultaneously is optional. 

***** 

Chapter1 

It happened upon a midnight clear 

Christmas Present 

Terry sat quietly in the chair next to the fireplace as he sipped the mulled wine he'd ladled after putting the children to bed. His youngest, Chris, had been the most reluctant to retire considering it was really only his second Christmas ever. 

It had been a trying year for the couple and the family. They were still in counselling and were still trying to come to terms with the events of the last year that had rocked their family to its very foundations. 

Julia stood observing her husband from the entrance of the entertainment room. She shivered as she recalled the events of the last year that started with the words Terry had whispered in her ear regarding his knowledge of her affair with Dan Sullivan and the chain of events that followed. Where she had once taken Terry's quiet manner for mildness and saw no harm possible in him, she now knew better than to mistake his attitude for weakness. The hope that everything could go back to what it was before the affair was what kept her sane through the year that had been. Curious how it had been that the very boring, routine life that had driven her to seek excitement in the arms of another man and to prove her own attractiveness, was now the very thing she wanted more than anything else restored to her. The routine, monotony and obligation which she had been desperate to escape, she now wanted more desperately than ever 

I guess you never really appreciate what you have till you lose it. 

Her mind chastised itself. The irony was bitter and acerbic. 

Terry was silent as Julia sat herself down on the chair next to his and reached over to hold his hand in hers. Her inability to read him after all the years of assuming he was an open book, boring but predictable, made her uncertain and anxious. 

That anxiety made her blurt out the question without preamble. 

"Is there still a future for us?" 

Terry gazed steadily into the fire, his expression unreadable as he recalled the same question posed (to him) by his wife a year ago in pretty much the same spot. 

Christmas Last 

A Year Ago 

Terry was sitting quietly in his favourite armchair next to the fireplace, watching the flames dance merrily in a reflection of the joy the season often brought, emotions he did not feel. Still, it was better than the devastation, pain and rage he felt the Christmas before when he had to conceal his knowledge of his unfaithful wife's newly-ended affair. He could never recall how he managed to survive Christmas Past without losing it in front of family and friends. His best guess was somehow autopilot was switched on and he had on that fake smile that reassured everyone but himself that he was fine. He wasn't. One moment, he was tempted to give vent to his rage at his wife and kick her out after exposing her sordid little affair in front of family and friends. The next, he was about to break down in tears and ask Julia why she had chosen to throw away what they had worked so hard to build, their love and their family, just for some strange fuck. Was he that inadequate? What had he failed her in? But neither extreme showed itself, despite the tumult, he was expressionless and merely seemed distracted to the casual observer. 

Julia had observed the distracted state her husband was in and had put it down to worry and stress over work. After all, it was Terry's preoccupation with work and the stress that he had been suffering that took its toll on his libido and caused a rift in their marriage. Julia stopped herself before she could put the blame for her recent affair with Dan Sullivan on Terry's shoulders. No that wouldn't be fair, her husband had never betrayed her or pushed her into the arms of another man. No, she had enough decency and honesty to admit that she was the one who had sought to find excitement and escape the frustration and monotony that married life and family obligations had placed on her. The excitement and perverse thrill of cheating had contributed to some of the best sex and orgasms of her life in the few sessions she had with Dan. The memories still caused a tingle to run through the pit of her stomach and still made her wet. They were, however, amply balanced by the fear of what could happen if her affair were discovered. So she had meant what she said in her last rendezvous with Dan, that she loved her children and husband far too much to cause them hurt. Of course, she could hear that small voice within herself scoffing at her own words. If you truly loved them so much, you would not have risked everything and risked them for those fuck sessions, regardless of how great the sex might have been. 

The devil piped up of course, unwilling to let her guilt and reason dominate completely. Surely I'm entitled to a little pleasure, however selfish it might be. Anyway, it's just a little secret for me, a little indulgence. I haven't hurt anybody. What they don't know won't hurt them. 

Julia sighed as she shut off the debate in her mind. There was no sense in regretting anything when nothing could be undone. Besides, she wasn't sure if given the chance, she wouldn't have had the affair all over again. And she justified herself in thinking that Terry had suffered nothing in all of this. In fact, after her affair with Dan, she had been less uptight and more willing to experiment again. If anything, Terry had probably benefited since she had worked hard to make things up to him and find that spark that had been missing from their married life. Again, she had to temper the urge to justify her affair in a way that absolved her of all blame. 

Both husband and wife shook off the ghosts of Christmas Past that their reveries had immersed them in. One prepared to confront his loving wife with his knowledge of her sordid little affair a year ago. The other ran a trembling hand through her hair as she walked into the living room to be confronted with her deeds of the previous year, wondering if she had a marriage left despite the whispered words of her husband earlier in the day. 

Julia sat in the armchair next to Terry and looked nervously at her husband's face, trying to decipher his thoughts and emotions. She realised with some shock that for the first time since they had married, she could no longer read him. 

"W-When did you know?" 

Terry sat expressionless as he recalled in his mind the shock and pain when he was confronted with evidence of his wife's straying. 

"After your first fuck session in your car." 

Julia winced at the coldness and terse vulgarity with which Terry spoke of her affair. Terry noticed the expression that flashed across her face and asked sarcastically, "Well, perhaps to you it was the first of a series of passionate unions, would you prefer to remember it as such?" 

Her face all aflame with shame and guilt, Julia bit out a strangled "No!" 

"Why?" 

Terry's eyebrow lifted at her question. 

"Isn't that the question reserved for the cuckolded husband or injured spouse?" 

Tears gathered in her eyes as she belatedly realised the distance between her husband and herself was beyond what her frantic mind had imagined in the hours since her husband revealed his knowledge of her affair. 

Biting back tears, Julia asked in a subdued manner, "Why didn't you confront me and stop it then and there?" 

The bitter laugh Terry spat out before he answered made the sense of dread in Julia's gut redouble. 

"What would have been the point? Wouldn't you have resented your little passionate secret being exposed and being forced to give up some of the best orgasms of your life? You would have just suppressed your desire to get strange, waited for the storm to be over and then resume with that bastard or found someone else if he wasn't available." 

Terry's anger was starting to show and his breathing had become heavier and more rapid. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and drew that mask over his face, making him unreadable once again. Ignoring his wife's soft sobs, Terry continued in a deadly calm manner. 

"No, Becky was right, you had to end it by yourself and if you chose to continue then, it would have been your decision. The consequences of that decision would have been borne by you so you had to make the decision yourself." 

Julia stared at the husband who had become a stranger to her in a matter of hours. Her mind struggled to comprehend the sudden change in him. 

As if he read her mind, Terry responded almost nonchalantly. 

"No, the me you're now seeing didn't evolve just this afternoon. The day I found out you were cheating on me, the day you became a stranger to me, that was the day I changed and you never noticed for the last year or so. That was how much attention you spared me, the husband you professed to love too much to 'do that to' in your final fuck session with that fucker!" 

Julia reared back as the rage within Terry unleashed itself in his words. His words felt like slaps across the face, each stinging with unbelievable and yet invisible force. As she sat sobbing, something hovering on the edges of her shame induced pain pricked her consciousness. 

"W-W-Who is Becky?" 

Terry sniggered in derision. 

"You don't even know the name of the woman whose husband you were cheating with, do you? Shows how much you care for who gets hurt by your betrayal. Becky Sullivan is Dan Sullivan's wife." 

Julia flinched at the scorn that poured from Terry. 

"I...I just never thought about anyone else getting hurt. It-It was just something I did.. I had for myself...I-I " 

"Yes, you never thought about the people you would hurt with your little affair did you? Even if you did, it sure as hell wasn't enough to make you stop after the first fuck was it? Do you remember the day you insisted on going to the gym despite the blizzard? I pleaded with you not to go, I'd known by then you were off to your second or third fuck with that asshole. But you were so desperate to get strange cock that you ignored me, ignored the danger and went out to fuck him." 

Julia shrank away as Terry stood up and leaned down towards her, his every word a bullet aimed at her self-respect unerringly. 

"So, tell me, my dear wife," he bit out savagely. "Was he that good a fuck that you would throw away our marriage, throw away our family, throw away all we have built together, just to have him fuck you? Hell, it must have been out of the world sex for you to have endangered your own life going out in that blizzard just to get fucked by him!" 

Terry backed off seeing the fear in Julia's eyes. 

"Hell, I asked myself countless times 'Why?' What have I done that was so wrong that my wife saw fit to cheat on me like that? How have I failed her so she had to go looking for some other men? Was I that bad in bed that she had to fuck some other guy? Was I too small for you, honey? Not hard enough?" 

"No!" Julia hurried to reassure her husband, horrified at the hurt, doubt and pain she had caused. 

"It was just..just you were so preoccupied with work and so stressed out. And-And I was just feeling so stuck in the rut and routine. I just wanted to feel attractive again." 

Looking down in shame and avoiding the eyes of her husband, Julia continued. 

"He was just there. At-at the gym and he was friendly, he noticed me and he just made me feel attractive, new, like I wasn't just a married woman with 3 kids approaching middle age." 

With her head even lower, she mumbled, "You're both about the same size, so it wasn't about size or how hard you could get. I-I just felt freer to explore with him. We-we've been together for more than 10 years, things were starting to get routine, monotonous." 

"So he was an exciting fuck because he was new?" 

Julia gathered her senses and rallied. 

"But it's not like that. I never denied you anything and I never - I never did any damage to our marriage during the whole affair, it-it was only 5 weeks long at most." She faltered but regained her nerve looking at Terry's back. "You said that it saved our marriage right? I mean we both reconnected after the affair ended and we've been doing so well since it ended." 

Even as she uttered those words, Julia knew it sounded hollow even to her. 

Terry was silent, smiling cruelly to himself before he began his final verbal assault. 

"Did you ever imagine it was him fucking you when we made love?" 

Julia was silent but her flushed face and averted eyes made it clear to Terry what the answer was. She recalled with shame how after meeting Dan for the sixth time, she had imagined him fucking her when she and Terry were in bed. No, actually, after their second encounter, she was already imagining Dan when she used her vibrator. 

"So how did your affair not affect us?" 

"B-but but it wasn't like that!" 

Terry ignored his wife's weak protest. 

"By the time you met up with him for the third time, Becky's PI already locked in on you. In fact, you were tailed and that's how she eventually found me. Wasn't it true that you even bought new clothes that showed off your figure when you met him for the fifth time after gym?" 

Julia gaped at him in shock as he continued revealing just how detailed his knowledge of her affair was. 

"Have you ever denied me or faked an orgasm in the time that you were cheating on me?" 

Again Julia's nervous reactions betrayed her. She recalled how after a make out session in her car one Friday, she hadn't been able to gather enough enthusiasm to respond to Terry that weekend. Not even fantasising about Dan had helped. She had finally faked it. The scale of her betrayal of her marriage and husband was starting to reveal itself to her and she didn't dare to acknowledge just how deep that betrayal went. 

The silence stretched. Julia was painfully aware that Terry had left the burden of reply on her. She gathered the last bit of bravado left in her and tried to explain her position. 

"Terry, I know how it must seem to you, but please believe me, I never wanted or thought of hurting you. When this all happened," she said feebly, her hands spread in a forlorn gesture that reflected the helplessness she felt inside. "The only thought that was in my mind was that I had to do this for myself, I needed to feel alive again, attractive, wanted, desired. I only thought of it as something for myself. It wasn't something that had anything to do with our family or us. And if for one second it had occurred to me that you would find out or it would hurt us so badly, I would have never gone so far, I would have tried to stop myself." 

Terry stared at his wife and contemplated the effect of what he was about to unleash on her. 

"So because you never intended to hurt me and it was merely something you wanted for yourself, we should just forget about it and move on?" 

Julia winced at the heavy note of sarcasm in Terry's voice. 

"No. I don't mean that it was alright. It was a mistake but it's something we can work our way through. I know we can, we have so much to fight for!" She pleaded with tears in her eyes, a sight that would have rendered Terry helpless before the affair. Now, he felt nothing but contempt and rage. 

"Well, Julia, I guess we'll both have to work on it." He watched with satisfaction as his wife seemed to relax with that statement. "Me on forgiving you for that fucking little affair you had and you working with me to overcome what I did to save my own sanity after discovering your affair." 

Disconcerted, Julia stared at her husband, whispering her confusion, "What do you mean what you did? What did you do?" 

Casually, as if he were merely talking about activities of the day, Terry said dispassionately, "I had an affair with Becky, Dan Sullivan's loving wife." 

While Terry had spoken in a quiet and calm voice, each word sounded like a cannon shot in Julia's ears and mind. 

Relishing the stunned expression on Julia's face, Terry continued with deliberate indifference. 

"When Becky first approached me, I thought she had to be mistaken or was joking. Then she showed me pictures of you and your fuck buddy making out in the car park, in your car, in his car. By the time she showed me the video of your first fuck session in your car, the car I bought you to ensure you and our kids had a more comfortable ride, I was almost catatonic. I nearly ended up in the ER because I started having chest pains and had difficulty breathing. You — using your car, lowering the seats, fucking your damn lover in the seats that our children and I used —" 

Terry was almost gasping for air as his anger spiralled and exploded on that Christmas night. He ignored Julia's shaking form as she wrapped her arms around her body and rocked herself, sobbing brokenly all the while. Her memories and illusions surrounding the affair, encased in a fantasy bubble of passionate orgasmic union she created in her own mind, were shattered and exposed by the brutal, harsh light that Terry now shone upon them. In the past, fantasy had shielded her deeds from her own judgement and self-condemnation. There was no shield and no escape now. And Terry saw that with some measure of bitter satisfaction. 

Taking several deep breaths and calming himself down, Terry continued his diabolical assault. 

"The day you insisted on going to the gym despite the blizzard that was blowing outside?" 

Julia had whined softly, shaking her head even as she acknowledged the event. 

"That was the day I accepted your infidelity and betrayal. That was the day I finally admitted to myself I'd married a cheating whore. That was the day I took samples from our 3 children and sent them for DNA testing. You killed my love for you that day as surely as if you'd taken a knife and stabbed me in the heart." 

Julia was crying openly, her mouth barely able to form the words, "No no no no please". 

Yet nothing could have prepared her for what came next. 

"That was also the day I started my affair with Becky. You never noticed, but I was home late that night because I was busy fucking the woman betrayed by my wife and her fuck buddy in her car at the gym. Later we even used the same squash courts and office that you and your fuck buddy used." 

Terry chuckled but it was filled with bitter anger rather than humour. The incongruous sound drew Julia's eyes to Terry's grim countenance. For the first time since they started dating, Julia saw the familiar features drawn in such harshness that she hardly recognised him. Anger and bitterness etched in every plane and fold, drawing an ache of regret that she had caused this in the man she loved. 


Aftermath of The Affair



"You were so eager to fuck, so in heat that you never considered your surroundings or consequences. You never noticed the rigged dashboard cameras in Dan's car, the hidden cameras that Becky's PI had installed in your car after your first make out session in the car park, or even the surveillance cameras focused on the corner of the car park you and fuckhead parked your cars in. You thought because you parked in a corner and fuckhead parked next to you, you guys were covered. Big mistake. The surveillance cameras in the car park had a perfect view of both cars and the activity in them." 

Terry thought Julia had fainted but the faint jerks of her frame as she lay prone on the sofa she had collapsed upon showed she was still conscious. 

"I'd authorised the cameras in your car after Becky showed me the video of your first fuck. I'd been unaware when they were first installed but I authorised them later just in case we needed the recording for evidence. But you and your fuck buddy made things easier for us, because you fucked in public places like the squash courts and the security cameras captured you perfectly. You didn't even stop to observe which corner was safest for your fuck session. Thanks to your carelessness, Becky's PI was able to secure all the damning evidence we needed. Also thanks to both of you, we were able to find the spots least covered by security cameras for a little revenge fuck of our own." 

Julia went into another paroxysm of sobs as she heard details in Terry's revelation of his affair with Becky. 

"In fact, you never stopped to wonder why you found that particular office unlocked did you? No, you and fuckhead were so hot and eager to get strange that you simply took it as good fortune. There aren't too many coincidences, my dear wife. Becky's PI saw the squash courts were in use and that it was too cold to fuck outside, so he simply unlocked one of the offices discreetly and put a video-recorder among the office shelves. The audio and visual were almost perfect. We even caught you planning your next rendezvous at the hotel where Sullivan was supposed to attend a convention that was cancelled." 

Terry paused, looking at the sobbing heap that was his loving wife. He was uncaring about her pain, choosing to recall the excruciating agony he had endured the previous year. 

"This is probably news to you but good ole blue-eyed boy Dan Sullivan has used that tactic to death on his numerous targets over the years. According to Becky, he started cheating on her almost right after she got pregnant with their first child. She had caught him and confronted him about his affairs at least twice before she realised it was always going to be this way with him. She felt she couldn't leave him because of the kids but letting him get away with it wasn't something she could handle. So she decided to keep getting evidence, using his money of course, in the hope that one day, she could use the evidence to goad one of his victims into doing something and she'd be able to clean his clock once and for all." 

Julia looked up in mute misery at her husband as he walked up to the sofa she lay sprawled on. "Poor Julia, you thought you'd landed a catch when you first saw him didn't you? Were you disappointed when you found out he was married? " 

Julia recalled the disappointment she felt when she found out Dan was married in their second or third meeting but that now proved to be her shame as Terry voiced her thoughts. "Well, you obviously got over the setback because neither of your marriages proved to be obstacles in your quests to get fucked." 

Clearing her throat, swollen with all the agitation and sobbing, Julia tried to raise the question the answer to which deluded her thus far. 

"So why didn't you and Bec-Becky confront Dan and me? You had enough evidence. You wanted—" 

Terry snapped impatiently. 

"No, I was not going to give you a chance," he said harshly, seeing the sudden hope that flashed across Julia's face die as he spoke. "I was just waiting to see if you would hang yourself by making this a permanent affair. Becky told me that Room 614 was always the bastard's way of testing how far his targets were willing to commit to a long term fuck relationship with him. He called it his harem test when he joked about it to his buddies." 

As Julia paled at the sudden realisation that Dan had probably boasted of his conquests to his friends, Terry realised she'd never seen that coming. 

"God you're naive," he jeered. "You didn't think a bastard who would fuck another man's wife would be above bragging about his sluts to his friends? Of course you wouldn't. You thought he was a 6 inch wonder sent by some force above to rescue you from your boring marriage and sex life." 

Julia's face was on fire as Terry sneered at her ex-lover's equipment. 

"I told you it wasn't the size, it-it was..the fact that he was someone new... I know you were longer..and-and about the same width..but-but you were always so tired and stressed..." 

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you darling," Terry spat out sarcastically. "I guess I should apologise for being too busy busting my ass to earn more money for you and the kids, paying off our mortgage and that loan for your car to notice I wasn't satisfying you in bed. And apparently, you found it too difficult to work on our marriage or even let me know there was a problem. No, you found it much easier just to step out and get some strange." 

Terry sat down abruptly, his face mere inches from his wife's tear-streaked countenance. 

"You should talk about dissatisfaction in bed. You were always too tired to play on weeknights. On weekends, you just lay there like some dead fish when you allowed me to play." 

Julia shrank away both from the vehemence and the bitterness in Terry's accusations. 

"When was the last time you ever let me in your mouth, Julia? Do you know I was most surprised that you not only sucked that dickhead's cock but you swallowed?! Really? I'd to watch that video of you getting strange to know that my wife had such a talented mouth or tongue! My prim and proper wife who told me when we were dating that it was too dirty an act to perform? And the positions you allowed that fucker to take you in? I can count the number of times you allowed me to take you in any position other than missionary." 

Julia had her head in hands and was desperately trying to remember something, anything that would refute Terry's accusations but found nothing. 

God, I really did shut him out. And when I got bored of his tired attempts to make love, I stepped out and cheated on him, on us. Did I really do that? What have I become? 

Both husband and wife stared at the dying embers in the fireplace, Julia wondering if there was anything that could save the travesty of a marriage she had created and Terry wondering if he had time to close off this confrontation before he left for his appointment. 

Julia surprised them both by speaking first, breaking the untenable silence that stretched. 

"So what are you going to do about us now?" 

"Well, I'm going to go and fuck Becky soon. So we'll have to resume this conversation later." 

"What?! You're still seeing her? I thought—" 

"Yes, it started as a revenge fuck but things became complicated. And now, if I don't go fuck her in an hour's time, you, my loving wife, are going to become a porn star soon." 

"What?! What are you talking about?" Julia squawked. 

"I'll explain when I get back," Terry barked as he got on his coat and strode to the front door. 

"Wait!" Julia begged, grasping Terry's sleeve desperately. She knew she didn't have the moral ground to protest against her husband fucking Becky. Yet the thought of Terry fucking another woman was a slow burn in the pit of her stomach. "You will be back right? You won't just leave with her?" 

"Yes, I'm not that far gone yet. I may hate you for what you've done to us, but I love this family and I won't let anything happen to it." 

With that Terry disappeared out the door into the inky night where snow fell morosely in the darkness. 

Christmas Present 

Terry smiled sardonically as he recalled the events of Christmas Last. He had left for his promised assignation with Becky after confronting Julia. Before he arrived at the hotel where Becky had ensconced herself, he had met up with the group. Funny how things looked so different within a year, he mused as he stepped into the quiet watering hole. The sight of the nondescript bunch in the nearly deserted bar took him back to his memories of that painful Christmas Past. Terry remembered how numb he felt that Christmas and how one meeting at the bar changed almost everything. 

Christmas Past 

Terry looked around the virtually deserted bar that he had been directed to in the rather mysterious text he had received 3 days earlier. He saw no one he recognised and was about to leave when he decided to buy himself a drink instead of returning home to face that cheating slut of a wife who had just had a fucking affair with Dan Sullivan. Terry gritted his teeth when he recalled just how normal his wife had acted throughout the holiday period. Secure in the assumption that her fool of a cuckold husband had known nothing of her affair, Julia had been radiant. Terry wondered how much of that radiance was from her delight and pleasure over the affair. Sure, Julia had stopped going to the gym and meeting Dan as far as the reports from Becky Sullivan's PI indicated, but at the back of Terry's mind was the old wisdom regarding cheaters. Once a cheater, always a cheater. 

Terry sat morosely contemplating what the lawyer had advised him just a week ago. In these cases, he was told, the wife usually gets half the marital assets and because the children were of such a young age, she was likely to get custody and the house they lived in. Meanwhile, he would lose half his assets, be liable for child support and the mortgage plus loans while having to start life on his own all over again. And the children, well, he would be forced to see them only on weekends. He remembered the feelings of helplessness and fury after the lawyer lay out the worst case scenario for him. He had done nothing and yet, if he threw his cheating slut of a wife out, he would be paying for it big time. It wasn't fair but he could do nothing about it. As it stood, he had lost his wife, the woman he had loved and trusted for over 10 years, and in getting her out of his life, he now stood to lose the family and all he had laboured to build over the years. 

Unconsciously, his fists clenched and he'd slammed his glass on the bar top. 

"Easy there, buddy," the bartender eyed him with some wariness. Terry muttered an apology and noticed an odd expression in the bartender's eyes. 

"Last call for drinks!" was an announcement that drew the attention of the few stragglers that gathered round the bar and Terry sighed as he pulled some change out of his pocket and stood to leave. 

"Hang on," the bartender spoke in a quiet tone that ensured no one but him and Terry could hear what was said. 

"If you are here because of the text message, stay behind, let the others leave before we talk." 

Terry looked at him with some surprise but stayed, as much out of curiosity as reluctance on his part to return home to the charade. 

Most of the stragglers had cleared out when the bartender walked to the door, turned the sign on the door and locked it before returning to the bar. Four other men who sat in separate booths gathered round the bar. Terry started feeling uneasy and looked around at the strange faces. 

"Relax," the bartender said, noticing Terry's uneasy expression. "We're not friends or acquaintances but we all have a certain common point, which is why you were invited here today." 

"And what is that common point?" Terry ventured as the other men stared at him. 

"Dan Sullivan." 

The facial expressions and reactions of the men gathered reflected the acid that started to burn in the pit of Terry's stomach at the mention of the name of the bastard. 

"All of our wives have been Dan Sullivan's fuck buddies and we're all looking for a way to get back at the bastard without burning ourselves." 

Each man related the sad story of betrayal that each had experienced at the hands of their wives and Dan Sullivan. The rage, the helplessness, the silent endurance of the unbearable pain which marked each man's story proved so similar that Terry felt they were his own. 

While most of the emotions were under control, there were occasional outbursts. One of the men, Morrison, the owner of an auto repair business used by Sullivan, abruptly confessed that he could barely stand to look his wife in the eye these days. "I feel like wrapping my hands around her neck and squeezing the life out of her." He had said it with such vehemence that the rest looked at him with concern. "But I look at my boys and I know I can't do that to them. So I keep my head down and keep working." The tears gathering in his eyes made the whole group look away as each struggled to control their own weakness. "I haven't been able to sleep with the cheating skank without getting stinking drunk first. Not since I found out from Becky." 

"Becky?" Terry asked, comprehension only dawning on him now that the men were nodding their heads and one or two were smiling. 

"Yes, Sullivan's got an interesting wife," the bartender grinned as he described Becky. "See, she's caught him cheating so many times and when he gave her an STD after he swore never to have another affair the last time she caught him, she realised that he was never going to stop. So she's been gathering evidence on him, hoping to use that on him once someone did something about her philandering husband. She doesn't want to burn her hands in a state where infidelity counts for nothing in a divorce." 

Terry's amusement at the fact that Becky had likely slept with all the guys in the bar vanished and turned grim as he contemplated the risk of disease. Almost as if he read Terry's mind, the bartender slapped him on the back and said, "Don't worry, Becky's pretty good at protecting herself. Apparently ole Dan doesn't get any action in the marital bed without some heavy duty condom protection." 

"Neither do any of our wives," the tall man named Jenkinson piped up with a grimace. "I learnt it the hard way when my wife came back to me with an STD, courtesy of Sullivan. The bitch even had the temerity to claim she got it from a toilet seat. I didn't want to let on that I knew so I said nothing. You better get yourself checked out." He had ended with a pointed look at Terry who mumbled a quiet thanks in return. Looking straight at Jenkinson for the first time, Terry realised the man looked familiar. Terry stared a little harder at him. The man smiled grimly. "I'm the manager at the hotel Sullivan likes to use for his rendezvous, the one with Room 614?" 

Jenkinson's grim smile widened. "The same hotel and room that Becky likes to bring the aggrieved husbands to? Guess how we found you buddy." 

Terry's apprehension grew as he recalled how Becky had often shepherded him to the hotel and had insisted after their first visit that he be the one to register his details for subsequent visits. Jenkinson anticipated Terry's questions and concern. "Look, I'm not about to violate my professional ethics so your details ain't going anywhere. Your greatest worry needs to be Becky, that one's unpredictable. And what she's got could end up hurting a whole lot of people other than that bastard and those bitches." 

"Look," the bartender spoke up. "We're all here because those bitches and that bastard thought nothing of breaking up our families and hurting us while they got some strange. And Becky, while I'm sure we sympathise with her, is a time bomb. No one knows when she's going to go ballistic and release all those videos. So far, she's done nothing apart from trying to goad each of us into getting back at her husband. But, something unusual has happened." 

The bartender swivelled back to Terry. "Becky seems to have a thing for you. For the rest of us, it was usually a few bangs and then we receive evidence of our cheating wives' fuck sessions and then it's over till the next dumb cuckold comes along. Usually, that's every 3 months or so. But you said your wife had ended it with Sullivan and you were with Becky at the hotel just 3 days ago so that's why Jenkinson decided to call this meeting. Is there a way we can use what this sick bitch has got on her husband and burn the bastard? We sure could use an inside line on Becky for us to track and anticipate her moves. Will you join us?" 

Terry fidgeted as the silence grew and the other men stared at him, waiting for his decision. He was halfway ready to agree but wanted some time to mull things over. He asked the men for a few days to decide and while they were clearly disappointed, they understood that it would be a tough decision to make. 

Terry's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Becky and the group for the rest of the holiday season. Julia had attributed his distracted state to worries about work which left him pretty much alone with his thoughts as the rest of the family stayed away from him apart from family and meal times. In the end, it was a combination of the endless texts from Becky proclaiming how she missed him over the holidays and the burning anger and pain he felt each time Julia smiled at him or snuggled up to him that made him text the group a simple "Yes". 

Christmas Last 

Terry walked into the nearly deserted bar with much lighter spirits than he had felt a year earlier. The bartender, Fogarty, whose wife Jill had been one of the earliest of Dan Sullivan's sluts, started closing the bar when Terry walked in. As the grumbling stragglers walked out, Fogarty closed the bar and locked the doors. Terry nodded to the latest members of the group. In truth, they were the ones who had made the acceleration of their plans to burn Sullivan possible. One was an IT guy at Sullivan's workplace, the other was the auditor hired by Sullivan's employer. Lincoln, the IT guy, whose wife had been Sullivan's target after Julia, had made it easy to track Sullivan's electronic communication. It was also Lincoln who discovered that Sullivan had not only used client entertainment expenses to fund his hotel rendezvous sessions but that he had been receiving kickbacks from aerostructures and composite suppliers. The group's luck was further boosted when Sullivan decided to fuck Helen Miller, the wife of his employer's appointed auditor. Miller had been furious when he first learned of the affair from Becky and had unwisely confronted his wife. 

Helen, after recovering from the initial shock, threatened to make Miller lose custody and at least half of his assets in any divorce if he went ahead and interfered in her affair or exposed her. As head of the PTA, Helen Miller couldn't stand the thought of losing her standing in the community but she wasn't ready to give up her little fuck buddy so she decided to put the screws on her husband. When the group heard of Miller's plight through Terry — who had wormed it out of Becky before their little split over summer when Julia's pregnancy became noticeable and Terry clearly refused to leave his wife — they decided to invite him into their group. All the men in the group had taken the last year to restructure their assets and consolidate their positions in anticipation of their plan coming to fruition in the holiday season. 

While Helen thought she had her husband under control after her threats, Miller had realised that her threats were unlikely to materialise since Helen valued her status above all. Besides, even Helen recognised the fact that Dan Sullivan was a pussy hound who could never truly love any of his sluts and that he was nowhere near Miller in being a good provider. So Miller allowed Helen to continue thinking he was intimidated by her threats while he took action to safeguard his assets and children. All through that period, he also found strength and resources within the group that gave him confidence when he screwed his slutty wife and Sullivan over, they would hurt so bad they won't ever forget. 




Aftermath of The Affair



The light spirits between the men were reflected in the rare smiles that the group wore as they left the bar. Terry was still smiling even when he turned up in the hotel room that Becky had booked for their rendezvous, one she had essentially blackmailed him into. He recalled the shock he felt when his eldest had told him a Mrs Sullivan had asked after him during the school's outing to the museum which she had played chaperone on. When he called Becky to ask her what was going on, she had wheedled; claiming how much she missed him after he broke things off when Julia's pregnancy became an accepted fact. Then when she sensed Terry wasn't budging, Becky threatened to expose their affair. Though Terry had reluctantly agreed, Becky's triumph in this was inadvertently the immediate trigger for what was to go down over the holiday season. After informing the rest of the group about the escalation of plans for taking down Dan Sullivan, Terry began putting the finishing touches to the plan which had now expanded to shutting down the threat that Becky was now proving to be. 

What had started as revenge fuck had morphed into a semi-love affair that Terry used to assuage his pain over Julia's betrayal by the time Terry had met the group. Only after meeting the group did Terry realise that Becky, hurt far too long and too often by Dan Sullivan's cheating, had herself become twisted and bitter, taking every opportunity to fuck each of Dan's sluts' husbands. 

Terry had wanted to break things off with Becky especially after Lincoln became Becky's next target. However, the rest, particularly Forgaty had persuaded him otherwise, saying that Becky was an inside line on Sullivan. Besides, Becky was a hot woman and a tigress in bed. Terry recalled with a rueful smile, thinking how ironic it was that his wife's cheating had actually opened an avenue of sexually experimenting for him in the form of Becky who was up for almost anything. It was a liberating experience for Terry and saved not only his sanity but also his confidence since Becky held nothing back and was slutty beyond even his imagination. 

Terry was honest enough to admit that he enjoyed fucking the brunette and the confidence and skills he picked up from her were readily transferred to re-staking his claim over Julia. Before he allowed himself to release all inhibitions with Becky, he had felt the need to obey the limitations and rules Julia had set up in their sexual relationship. Now, after seeing Julia's infidelity and experiencing for himself what true sexual release was, Terry was able, in his own opinion, to save himself and his marriage by bringing that new confidence to his marriage. 

The only downside perhaps was he no longer saw his wife as a pure and cherished lover, she was now, like Becky, a sexual object. Julia's betrayal had burnt much of the tenderness of love out of him and now he was capable only of the more visceral emotions of hatred and lust. 

Even Julia's latest pregnancy represented little more than a part of his victory in the war against his wife and her adulterous lover. He withheld his love from the child as he waited for the DNA test results. He no longer trusted Julia and by default, he didn't trust the child to be his. He wanted, no, he needed proof. However, he loved his older children, whom he had scientific proof were his, with a ferocity that mirrored the pain that accompanied the death of his love for his wife. 

This explained the panic and fury he felt after hearing about Becky from his child. Unconsciously, Terry smiled the smile of a predator when he finally arrived outside the door of Room 614 at the hotel both Sullivans seemed to prefer. It was that sharp animal edge he'd developed in the course of the year that allowed him to think clearly even as lust enveloped his senses. He felt the adrenaline that always came with the knowledge that he was fucking that bastard's wife. And when Becky thrashed and moaned under the onslaught of his talented tongue and fingers, his satisfaction was compounded by the fact that the security expert in the group, Snyder, and Lincoln were already working their way through all the computers in the Sullivan residence which was empty since both Dan and Becky were out on assignations with their lovers and the children were sleeping over after the customary Christmas dinner at the grandparents'. 

After his anger had subsided over Becky's manipulation, Terry saw the perfect opportunity to bring their plans to fruition over the seasonal holiday. Snyder had refamiliarised himself with the Sullivans' security system in the last week when he personally inspected the premises after a call regarding a faulty alarm, something easily created when he exploited a loophole in the system. All this was a piece of cake for Snyder who had installed the system for the Sullivans years ago, before his wife Nicole decided to jump into bed with Dan Sullivan. 

As Terry began thrusting savagely into Becky's tight cunt, Lincoln carefully implanted the files he and Miller had created onto the hard drive of Dan Sullivan's computer. He also changed the access logs to reflect the creation of several offshore accounts using the names of each of Dan's sluts. And when Becky climaxed, bathing Terry's cock with her hot release, Lincoln had already began extracting the video files that Becky had on each of their wives; both those she copied from Dan's own recordings and those from her PI's surveillance. Dan's habit of recording his adulterous partners and himself in coitus in Room 614 using the laptop he usually brought on those occasions proved a real boon to Becky. He also found videos she had taken of herself fucking each member of the group and eliminated all traces of them from Becky's own hard drive and laptop. Terry's cum flooded Becky, triggering her second climax as Lincoln, grimly smiling, uploaded the video files he'd copied onto a foreign server site for later use. 

Becky's sighs of sexual satisfaction were echoed outside her house by Lincoln and Snyder who exited the house undetected and unchallenged as they walked rapidly to join the rest of the group in a van parked nearby. The silent night was filled with muffled whoops of victory as the men sped off. 

**** 

Chapter 2 

No space of regrets can make amends 

Christmas Last 

Julia's nightmare of a night continued well into the wee hours of the morning. Alternately shaking and crying, the tears welling up every time she thought she was all cried out, Julia had spent all of the time regretting cheating on her husband. As the time dragged on, fear and anger warred within her. Fear that Terry was never going to come back, that she was going to have to explain to the kids why Daddy left. And the anger that invariably surfaced every time she imagined her husband making love to the faceless woman who was Dan's wife. 

What did he mean if he didn't meet her Julia was in danger of becoming a porn star? 

Dread filled Julia as she remembered what Terry had said about the evidence Becky's PI had gathered on all of Dan's sexual partners. Julia ran for the bathroom as she recalled what had seemed passionate unions with Dan at the time and what presently were clearly the sordid adulterous fuck sessions that Terry had referred to during the confrontation. 

After the heaving and vomiting stopped, Julia cleaned herself up, looking in the mirror as she did. She looked at the woman with swollen lids and red-rimmed eyes, trembling mouth and new wrinkles of distress and asked herself if that was what an adulteress should look like. Ugly hoarse sobs rang out in the bathroom, the only sound in the silent night that seemed to stretch endlessly. 

She dragged herself out of the bathroom and sat curled up in Terry's favourite armchair. She could smell him there. The scent of a loving and dependable husband. Was he lost forever? She hurriedly pushed that thought aside, a thought too horrid to entertain at the moment. 

Then footsteps and the sound of a key in the lock made her ears perk up. Terry walked in the door to find his chastened wife sitting in his armchair, looking apprehensively at him as he walked in. He sat in her chair and waited for the inevitable questions. 

"Where did you go? What happened?" 

"Becky threatened to expose you if I didn't meet up with her again." 

"What?" The outrage in Julia's voice was unmistakable. "So, you're just going to continue banging her because she is blackmailing you." 

"No, it's over now. The Sullivans won't bother us again." 

The hope lighting up Julia's face dimmed as another thought occurred to her. Emboldened by anger, Julia ventured, "Can you really let go of her? How long have you been having the affair? Seems like a long time to me." 

Looking squarely at Julia, Terry answered. "Well, I didn't go looking for strange pussy. You found strange cock and a fuck buddy which indirectly brought strange pussy to me so don't you go trying to make this my fault." 

Julia could feel guilt returning as she whined. "But I didn't have a long running affair. You and Becky have been carrying on for how long? Did you use protection? My God, were we, was Chris exposed to any STD?" 

"You used condoms right?" Terry asked, ignoring Julia's flushed face as she nodded. "Well so did I." 

"There may have been a slip up once or twice but I'm sure it was the same for you - did you remember to use condoms when he fucked you in the shower in Room 614?" 

Julia lowered her eyes and nodded miserably, knowing her answers were damning her one way or the other. "I brought two packs of condoms and left one in the bathroom." 

"Well, nice to know you planned ahead." 

The dry tone which that answer was delivered in made Julia wince, but it was what Terry said next that shocked her. 

"I didn't plan ahead and because of one slip up, Becky got pregnant just before you did." 

"What?! So you have a child with her?!" 

"Julia pipe down unless you want the kids waking up!" 

They both listened for any footsteps or noises that indicated the kids had woken up. Finding none, Julia rounded on Terry, anger overcoming her shame and guilt. 

"Well? Do you have a child? Are you going to leave me and the kids for her and that kid?" 

Terry sighed and said, "No. That's not happening." 

Julia visibly relaxed though the anger was still there in the glare and the tight shoulders. 

"I was seriously contemplating leaving you when Becky first told me she was pregnant. But she wasn't sure who the father of the child was and though I thought I loved her, I couldn't bear to abandon our kids. So Becky had an abortion and that same week, you announced that you were pregnant. I decided to break it off with Becky. I hadn't seen her since then until tonight." 

Terry watched as a myriad of emotions flashed across Julia's face. He couldn't help thinking Good I hope she suffers! however churlish it was of him to think so. He didn't want to reveal the fact that Becky had been pregnant but it had slipped out almost unconsciously as he realised how it would hurt Julia. He also didn't reveal the whole truth which was Becky had no idea if the child was Lincoln's or his since neither of them used protection with her. It wasn't Dan's for sure since Becky had ensured Dan used a condom every time they had intercourse after he gave her an STD some years back. 

"Do you love her?" 

The wealth of pain in her question brought both satisfaction and sharp irony to Terry. He contemplated causing more pain to his wife but realised he didn't want to push it further. 

"No." 

Quiet and simple but heavily symbolic to the wreck of a marriage strewn across that room. The couple sat in silence that Christmas night as each contemplated the remnants of their marriage. Julia's last question before they took themselves off to bed echoed in their minds even as sleep claimed them. Is there a future for us? 

**** 

Chapter 3 

I will not live in the Past, but the Present 

Christmas Present 

Things never do go as planned do they? 

That was the rhetorical question that popped up in Terry's mind when he contemplated the events of Christmas Last and the ensuing chaos of the year that followed. 

The group had not been idle after the raid over at the Sullivans, they went ahead with the plan and drove down to the motel just outside the city where Dan Sullivan was cocooned with Helen Miller. Jenkinson had ensured Dan Sullivan didn't get Room 614 for the holiday season since it would have made their plan more complicated and might have implicated him or the rest of the group. He was pretty sure that Sullivan would try the other fancy hotel across the city but he had known that with the holidays and a shortage of rooms, Sullivan would have difficulty getting a room. So there was only that motel on this side of town that was an option. The fact that the adulterous pair had to park in front of the rooms made it easier for the group to secure the cars. 

Morrison had already fixed Sullivan's car when he took it in 2 weeks earlier and Miller had made sure that he drove his wife's car to Morrison's the last time she curtly ordered him to have her car serviced. Morrison simply disabled the ignition plug in Sullivan's car, making it look convincingly damaged. Meanwhile Helen's car sported a small leak that would hardly be noticeable but would have the effect the group desired. 

When Jenkinson strolled into the backroom of the motel owner's lodgings, he was greeted with warmth by the owner's family who he'd helped years back when they had been relatively new immigrants. Jenkinson waited with the family members who had sent their eldest to call the owner back to the family home. Shortly after his arrival, the owner was taken aside by Jenkinson who briefly explained the plight of his poor friend who was there to confront his wife and her lover. He reassured the owner that there would be no trouble or damage involved. After Jenkinson's repeated assurance that his motel would not be implicated in any nefarious dealings or run into trouble with the law, the owner had looked at the man who was shuffling in the shadows outside his home and felt some pity for his fellow man. Deciding it was the season for spreading love to his fellow men, the owner gave Jenkinson the master key to Sullivan's room and shuffled back to his family. 

Grinning, the group of 6 proceeded to wait in ambush outside Sullivan's room. They were without Terry and Miller. Terry who was just finishing his third round with Becky while Miller drove to the hotel Jenkinson managed and hung out at the bar there to create an alibi for himself since the husband was always the prime suspect. Once they were sure Miller was in the clear, the group pulled down the ski masks and swiftly entered Sullivan's room, ensuring as little noise was made as possible. Their caution was unnecessary since both Helen and Dan were still noisily going at it when the group entered the room. Helen barely had time to scream when she saw the masked men before a backhand slap from Fogarty had her cowering next to Dan who had been so stunned he hadn't uttered a word. 

As Lincoln waved a fake gun at Sullivan, he saw the bastard's eyes go round. 

"Please...please don't hurt me.. there's money in my wallet...Just take it but leave us alone please..." Sullivan was practically whimpering by then. 

Fogarty was glad Terry had thought of recording their responses to Sullivan's attempts to bargain with the group of masked assailants. Terry had insisted they used voice distortion software so they wouldn't run the risk of being identified. He simply motioned the others to stand in a circle surrounding the adulterous pair who were now on their knees on the floor. Then he pressed play on the recorder in his pocket. 

"Shut up bitches!" 

The pair immediately obeyed. 

Pressing pause, Fogarty walked up to Sullivan and without preamble kicked him in his groin. 

As Sullivan doubled over on the ground in agony, Fogarty pressed play again. 

"Shut up bitch! That's what you get for being a hound pussy and going after other men's wives!" 

Fogarty stopped the recorder again, waiting for Sullivan to recover slightly. Once Sullivan was back to breathing more normally, Fogarty started the recorder again. 

"Do you want more of that you wimp?" 

Dan Sullivan shook his head in fear. 

"If you don't, slap that bitch hard. You can slap her breasts or her face or any part of her but it must be loud enough to be heard and must leave a mark." 

Helen's eyes widened and she was starting to whimper brokenly, "No...no..." 

Sullivan looked uncertainly at the men around him and when Fogarty stepped forward seemingly to kick him once again, Sullivan barely hesitated before he delivered a resounding slap to Helen's face that had her falling to the ground. 

"Good, now slap her seven more times and tell her 'That's for being a cheating bitch'!" 

Sullivan obeyed without hesitation and when he was done, Helen lay half-conscious on the ground. Sullivan looked up at the men. His eyes widened with terror as he watched the men draw closer and the circle tighten around him and Helen. 

"But you promised..." he whined. 

"There's no honour required for dealing with cheating bastards like you." 

The group proceeded to beat Sullivan up. Even with each guy limited to 3 blows, with Terry's and Miller's share counted in, they managed to rough him up pretty bad, paying special attention to his prick. Sullivan would be lucky if he managed to get any action within the next year or so. Fogarty made sure they didn't take things too far since no one wanted to be involved in a homicide case. In fact, the hitherto quietest member of the group had earlier cautioned everyone against excessive violence since he was fairly certain that if they didn't take things too far, he could ensure that the police wouldn't probe overly much into things. That's what happens when you screw with a superintendent's wife. 

When the group was done with the adulterous couple, they took the unfortunate couple's clothes and left the room, ensuring that they damaged the door lock to make it look like a forced entry from the outside. They tossed their car keys on the couple's prone forms on their way out. Once safely in the getaway van, the group took off their masks, grinned at each other and took the garden route back to town. En route, they dropped off the couple's clothes and belongings near a colony of homeless people. And as each member was dropped off at destinations which would provide alibis in case investigations did go that far, the giddy joy of finally getting some measure of payback for their pain made it a festive occasion for the group. 

**** 

Terry smiled a few days after Christmas Last as he read in the papers that a certain male executive at a prestigious aircraft manufacturer had been robbed and attacked along with his female companion at a motel outside of town. The focus was not only on the vicious attack that had left both victims in hospital but also that the female victim was not the male executive's wife. The report detailed that both were discovered when they were stopped by a routine police checkpoint set up on the shortest route from the motel towards town. Both victims were barely conscious and were naked in the car. Police officers had pulled the car over after noticing the car weaving precariously as it approached the checkpoint. A police officer claimed he became suspicious when the female driver appeared to hurriedly try to reverse the car upon seeing the checkpoint. He flagged them over and thought the erratic motion of the car was a sign of Driving Under the Influence. 




Aftermath of The Affair



Upon seeing the injuries of the couple and finding out that the attack had taken place at the motel outside of town, an occurrence which wasn't all that unusual, the responsible police officer had duly called for an ambulance for the couple and had dispatched some officers to the motel to investigate. 

Unfortunately they arrived too late and found that the clueless owner of the motel had started clearing up the crime scene. The owner had found the room with its door open and the lock damaged, he assumed, by the occupants. When asked if he found anything or heard or saw anything unusual, the owner had shaken his head and said the usual "noises" were heard from the room since check-in and the occupants of other rooms had complained but they knew nothing much could be done. The owner had however revealed that a typewritten note apologising for the damage along with cash for the damaged lock was found in the room next to the TV. When asked for the note and cash, the owner shrugged and said he'd trashed the note and taken the money to make change for the occupants checking out. 

In short, the paper concluded that the trail had run cold for the case and little else seemed to turn up. In fact, the police had gone on to say that they were treating the case as a crime of passion stemming from the female or male victims' sexual encounters outside of marriage. Thus, both victims' spouses were under investigation. 

All members of the group were tickled pink by the report, even Miller who was invited to assist in the police investigation. Jenkinson, in his capacity as the hotel manager where Miller claimed he had been the night of the attack on his wife and her lover, had been happy to provide security tape footage when the police requested it. Jenkinson had also provided similar aid when Mrs Sullivan was asked to provide information regarding her whereabouts the night of the attack. Both aggrieved spouses maintained they hadn't plotted or instigated the attack on their unfaithful spouses and the police didn't find any evidence to suggest otherwise. 

Terry volunteered information regarding his assignation with Mrs Sullivan on condition that he not be identified publicly. The police assured him of their utmost effort in protecting his privacy with the police superintendent himself actually giving reassurance in this case. 

Just when the attention surrounding the assault began to die down, the proverbial crap hit the fan. First, Miller acted according to plan and resigned his post of auditor for Sullivan's employer. The new auditor, using Miller's meticulous notes, began discovering a chain of questionable transactions leading to his qualifying the accounts of Miller's employer. This set off a chain of events that led to Dan Sullivan being investigated for bribery, embezzlement and fraud. 

Meanwhile, Becky had noted the developments and decided to take some precautionary measures of her own. She started checking Dan's assets and her store of evidence against Dan and naturally discovered that all of the files and evidence on her laptop had disappeared. When she discreetly checked Dan's laptop for videos of his trysts and sluts and found them missing, she guessed rather accurately that the husbands of Dan's sluts had something to do with that. The chief suspect was naturally Terry and she tested him out by threatening to make his wife's video public. When Terry refused to give in to her demands despite the threats, she knew somehow that Terry and perhaps some others were behind the string of disasters that had befallen Dan. 

Taking advantage of the fact that their shared accounts had not been frozen and her knowledge of Dan's secret account, she virtually emptied them. By then, the attack on Christmas night and the investigation by both Dan's employer and the authorities had made life very difficult for Dan, Helen Miller and their families. The rumours sweeping the neighbourhoods and the school had led to cruel teasing and bullying of Dan's two boys and Helen's daughter, Charlotte. Becky decided to leave town with her kids after several episodes in the schoolyard left Joshua and his brother with bruises and in tears. 

Gary Miller had foreseen the pressure on his daughter but knew this was inevitable in any process that would rid them of the cancer that was Helen. Helen never let up with her accusations against Gary and she'd taken to drinking when she found she had lost both her lover and her standing in society. Helen's behaviour and attitude deteriorated rapidly. Using the evidence of Helen's affair, verified by the police no less, and her increasingly erratic behaviour plus reports from the school and counsellors regarding the pressure faced by Charlotte, Gary filed for divorce and fought successfully for custody of Charlotte. His case was helped no doubt by the bomb Becky detonated before she left town. 

Becky had managed to convince or arm twist Jenkinson into allowing the PI to install cameras and listening devices each time Dan brought someone new to Room 614. She now used copies of Dan's damning videos of his sluts and the footage provided by her PI that she had stored on a cloud service. She'd uploaded photos of all of Sullivan's sluts, stills taken from all the videos she had of their fuck sessions at the hotel and elsewhere. She reserved her venom for Terry's wife Julia whose pictures and 2 short videos along with a compilation video of all the other wives were posted on several popular porn sites. Then she sent links to the videos and pictures to the email addresses of associates, family members and even friends that her PI had uncovered in the course of their surveillance and investigation of the women. Prior to her malicious act of payback, Becky had never accessed her account on the cloud so while the group knew she had material in the cloud storage, they had never been able to access it. This was to prove a major flaw in their plans. The backdoor and spyware that Lincoln had planted on Becky's laptop the night of the attack made it possible for the group to retroactively access and eliminate the evidence stored on the cloud drive she used, but the damage was done. 

Julia and many of the other wives became known as Sullivan's Sluts within the community and the damage extended far beyond their reputation. Terry's eldest two kids were subject to the teasing and bullying that had been dished out to the Sullivan and Miller kids, as were the kids of the other married women exposed in the compilation video. Julia was reprimanded and demoted by her boss who was shocked and disgusted by the video link he had been sent. What infuriated him further was the date and time stamp on the video of the fuck session in Room 614, which indicated Julia had lied about meeting a client when she was actually fucking her lover on company time. 

Julia had been beyond caring about her job at that point in time. Her eldest two kids, traumatised by the gossip and bullying in school, refused to talk to Julia. The eldest even began to resist going to school. Things got so bad Terry had to agree with the school and got his kids private professional help through a paediatric psychologist. Julia herself got help but it was largely ineffective because her instinctive reaction after the scandal broke was to shrink inwards, feeling shame and despair and convinced that everyone was now against her. She knew the public exposure of her affair would force Terry's hand in terms of the divorce proceedings. Indeed, Julia and the other wives who starred in the compilation video Becky posted were all served divorce notices. None contested the terms offered by their husbands and that meant the spate of divorces filed that spring and summer in that town had some of the fastest processing times ever. 

The impact on the women was not pretty; some like Lincoln and Morrison's wives had to leave town in hope of finding new lives in a new place where their adulterous acts didn't define them. Several started drinking heavily like Helen whose divorce from Gary was finalised just after Becky's bomb was detonated. When Becky's videos and pictures made her notorious, Helen drank so much she ended up in hospital after driving off the road in her drunken state. Gary didn't weep when told his ex-wife might not wake up and even if she did, she would likely face a DUI charge. He didn't celebrate either. He just stared at the unconscious figure on the bed hooked up to various machines and tried to recall the vibrant woman he had fallen in love with years ago. He continued to pay the costs of her care and brought Charlotte to see her mother regularly, hoping the whole incident didn't leave further scars on his daughter. At least three infamous wives were briefly institutionalised after the trauma of dealing with their newfound notoriety made them severely depressed. This included Julia who was discovered unconscious on the floor of her sister's guest bedroom in an unsuccessful suicide attempt the morning after her divorce was finalised. 

Julia's desperate act made Terry take stock of his life. After the initial satisfaction of seeing punishment doled out to his ex-wife and the bastard Dan Sullivan, he had felt empty. While his new divorcee status made him briefly popular among his female colleagues and acquaintances, he knew they were just avenues for physical release. He couldn't risk starting a new relationship when his kids were still recovering from the trauma of the breakup of his marriage. And try as he might, he could no longer bring himself to actively hate Julia though he was far from being in love with her. When Julia's sister called and asked if he could visit Julia 2 months after she was institutionalised, he shocked himself by agreeing. When he visited the facility, he was surprised to see a place very different from that he had imagined. Even Julia surprised him. She looked a lot calmer and more composed, rather than the wreck of a human being who had wandered around the house in the aftermath of the scandal. 

Julia's doctors also spoke to him, explaining the affair probably originated from a combination of a mid-life crisis and low self-esteem. Of course, it didn't help that Dan Sullivan was a predator who had a knack for targeting women he thought were easy targets because of their vulnerability. The doctors reassured a disgruntled Terry that none of that excused Julia's choice to conduct an extramarital affair but it would help Terry understand what happened and go some way in resolving the doubts and bitterness that was still tormenting Terry. Terry stared at the doctors, amazed that they could assess him so accurately when they had just met for the first time. Terry voiced his amazement and was further taken aback when the doctors laughed and confessed that Julia had approached them with her concern over Terry's state. Her guilt over the affair and ensuing scandal was to a large extent due to the effect it had on Terry's self-esteem and emotions. She was terrified that if the acid of doubt and bitterness continued eating at him, the kids would lose the only parent they had by their side at the moment. Terry didn't respond to that information but he did get counselling after that visit. 

Things started settling down in summer. Dan Sullivan was charged and convicted of fraud and bribery. While he admitted receiving bribes, he denied having received the large amounts found parked in accounts under the names of his "sexual partners". The prosecutors were puzzled by his stubborn denial of having created those accounts. He protested all the way to the penitentiary. Coincidentally, the week after the police superintendent sent a message to a former informant who was now serving time, rumours began circulating that Danny boy was fond of hitting on the wives of other men. His fellow inmates, already frustrated and insecure about the women they left outside the fences, took their frustration out on Danny. Word filtered back to the group that Danny was now a "shared resource" who was learning the other aspects of being fucked. 

That was the main highlight of the whole mess for the group. While Becky's act had implicated other wives, the group was aware that they were still possible suspects as members of the group that assaulted Dan Sullivan. To ensure they didn't provoke further suspicion, the group agreed not to meet up again and to deny even being acquainted with each other where plausible. They did collectively agree on one last bit of retaliation, this time against Becky. Compiling videos of Becky fucking the husbands, Lincoln uploaded a video that was to prove most popular among porn site audiences. Naturally people wondered who the men were since their faces were masked but Becky became an overnight sensation and was last heard to be headed out of the US for destinations unknown. 

Epilogue 

Tis the season 

Christmas Present 

Terry smiled after his youngest, Chris, was finally in bed. The rambunctious boy was so overwhelmed by all the bright lights, sounds and smells of Christmas that it was near impossible for anyone to persuade him to sleep though he was clearly exhausted after a day of chaotic fun. It had taken a combination of Julia and himself to coax the excited toddler into slumber. Terry knew he overindulged the boy and that a big part of it was the guilt he had carried around for the last year. He had deliberately withheld his affection from the boy when he was born just before last Christmas, his lingering distrust of Julia after his discovery of her affair the previous Christmas prompted the need to have proof that the boy was his before he dared risk opening his wounded heart to the boy. 

By the time the DNA test results had arrived, shortly after the New Year, Terry had already capitulated to the charm of the newborn who refused to let go of his thumb every time he carried the restless infant. Julia had not made a fuss over his initial refusal to voluntarily carry their newborn. Instead, Terry had only carried the newborn each time it was thrust into his arms by a family member or relative who had to attend to something else. The look of sadness she barely concealed was a silent reproach Terry bore with some patience. 

When the results arrived, Terry almost lost the courage to open the envelope. He wondered if he might lose it completely if the results proved Chris was not his son. The rush of breath he felt against his lips as he read the 99.99% figure made him suddenly aware that he had held his breath as he read the result. Julia's surprise when he voluntarily picked up his son from his crib that day was matched only by her sadness when he handed her the DNA results. While Becky's PI had confirmed that Julia had broken things off with Sullivan months before she got pregnant, Terry at that point of time didn't trust Julia not to have secretly renewed her relationship with the bastard or found a new lover. 

The flare of anger that flashed through Julia was swiftly followed by the realisation that her betrayal had so transformed Terry that he no longer believed in anyone or anything. Her role in so transforming her husband was perhaps the hardest thing for Julia to bear in the last year. The pictures and video footage of her and Sullivan brought to the attention of those who she knew and loved had caused immense shame, humiliation and pain for her. Yet, it was nothing compared to the confusion and pain that caused her kids to turn away from her or the renewed rage and pain that made Terry completely unapproachable. She had voluntarily moved out of the house and stayed with her sister, unwilling to subject her kids and Terry to further stresses. 

There was little that she remembered of that period, numbly going through the motions at work, in court and finally crying herself to sleep the day the divorce had been finalised. The only perverse satisfaction she derived from the entire situation was the certainty that Terry had broken things off completely with Becky since he would never forgive her for what she did in terms of the impact it had on their kids. 

The pain lingered and when she woke up all disoriented in a hospital bed with her sister and Terry sitting nearby, she couldn't remember what had brought her there. Terry's silence and look of guilt gave her some comfort and the rare tenderness he showed those days in the hospital gave her strength and hope. Hope that saw her through the months in the facility she agreed to enter to get treatment for her depression. There were days when everything seemed gray and hopeless, but the pictures of her kids and Terry that she was allowed to keep with her gave her strength to pull through. Terry's visits and news that he was getting counselling too brought colour back into her world, making it easier to overcome the gray. 

Then the day came when she was released and was pleasantly surprised to see Terry waiting with her sister as she exited the place. She had expected him to drive them back to her sister's but instead, she found herself standing in the driveway of their house, her vision blurred with tears that flowed out of joy as her older kids awkwardly hugged her before Chris was transferred from his father's arms into hers. 

Terry stood watching his kids slowly relax around their mother until Chris tugged impatiently on her blouse indicating his wish to feed. Julia had to fight tears as Terry gave him a bottle instead and the infant fussed over it before reluctantly feeding from the bottle while in Julia's arms. 

"Don't worry, the little thing doesn't know you can't breastfeed him because of all the medication, he'll get used to it." 

Terry's simple words made her tears fall even more rapidly. 

Terry cleared his throat and looked away. Having Julia back in their home was one of the most difficult decisions he had ever had to make. He knew that the kids were angry with Julia but that they also missed her. He still remembered the sobs of his eldest the day Julia moved out. He also remembered the panic that gripped him when he received that phone call about Julia. He didn't remember how he got to the hospital but he remembered the fear that hit him in the stomach when he saw her pale and unconscious on the hospital bed. In that instant, he knew he had forgiven her. 

Even when the panic wore off, he couldn't summon the bitter hatred that seemed to have taken up residence in him two years ago. Instead, the random meeting with Miller in the hospital lobby further convinced him. Miller had been there to complete the documentation for Helen who had lapsed into a coma. 

"What I wouldn't do to have Becky's neck in my hands!" Miller ground out when they had a chance to retreat to an obscure corner to talk. 

Terry thought pretty much the same way. It was curious how his illusions of being half in love with Becky had self-destructed so quickly when she pulled that stunt. He had realised though he wouldn't admit it, that whatever feelings he had imagined himself having for Becky was his ego's way of compensating for the humiliation of losing his beloved wife to Sullivan. Loving that bastard's wife and fucking her was his most direct way of retaliating against the adulterous couple. Even that wore off as Becky's blackmail tactics repulsed and eventually alienated him. 

When Miller learnt of the reason why Terry was at the hospital, Miller had sighed and patted him on the back. 

"If there is any possibility of repairing things, take the chance buddy. Don't throw the chance away and regret it later." 

That was the last he saw of Miller. A few months later, Terry heard Helen had passed away without regaining consciousness and Miller had moved away with Charlotte, hoping to start life anew. 

In the days and weeks that followed Julia's return, Terry went over his list of pros and cons regarding Julia's return to their family. While the con stood at a grand count of one, the pros far outstripped that count; the kids, her health, keeping the family intact and letting everyone heal, his feelings for his wife. The last was ironically the strongest and yet the weakest factor, the weakest because it invariably brought up memories that were the sole con: her betrayal of their marriage and him through her affair. It was also the strongest factor because he could not seem to kill that love he had for Julia. It was almost as if he couldn't pull away. 




Aftermath of The Affair



He had insisted that they sleep in separate bedrooms and Julia hadn't protested, choosing to sleep with the children in the room next to the nursery. Yet, every night, he would pretend sleep as she checked on him after ensuring the children were all tucked up in bed, silently accepting the soft caresses she gave him as she drew the blankets over him. One night, Julia got bolder and slipped into bed, hugging him from behind. Terry had the best sleep he had in months and only awakened when he heard Julia slipping out of bed, afraid of his reaction when he woke. 

A few weeks later, Terry took advantage of Julia's prone position and rolled over embracing her. Julia's surprise ended in a squeal of delight as Terry kissed her and swiftly stripped off her nightgown before he went down on her. The coupling was one filled with desperation and a keen sense of need borne out of months of pain and deprivation. Julia's scream of orgasm as she tightened around her husband was as much a cry of pain as it was of bliss. Terry poured himself into his wife with a passion he truly felt and had missed for the last 18 months. He was keenly aware of emotions coursing through him that were absent in all of the sexual intercourse he had had with Becky and all the other women over the last two years. 

He felt her tears before he heard the soft sobbing. 

"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry." 

Terry mumbled as he tried to move off her. 

"No!" Julia whispered as she clung onto him, their sweaty limbs and sated bodies tangled together. 

"I just never thought we-we would have the chance to be to-together like this again." She sobbed as she clung onto Terry, fearful that once he left her embrace, she would lose him again. 

Terry held her as they both drifted off to sleep, a silent question lingering in their minds. 

Is there a future for us? 

The question remained unanswered though both gave it much thought. It was going to take more than just sleeping together to repair the fractured marriage. There were moments where flashes of anger would emerge or when Julia's frustration at the distance between them flared up. The counselling helped but both knew they had a long way to go. 

Terry's mind constantly reminded him how foolish it would be if he took her back while his heart said otherwise. Julia struggled with the torturous images of Terry with other women, particularly Becky. The children had known that Daddy had dated during Mommy's absence from home and this had slipped out in their conversation. Despite Julia's determination not to let the past stand in the way of the future, it still hurt to know her husband had strayed. They even had a fight over it with Julia drinking herself silly and Terry having to take care of her. They muddled through the weeks up to Christmas without any answers. Soon the festive season was upon them and both were too busy with the preparations to deal with the issue. Only now, after all the festive chaos of the day was over did both have the time to confront the question. 

Terry pondered Julia's question, a question he asked himself ever since Julia was released and he had agreed to allow her to move back in. It was, as he told everyone else, for the kids. It had taken time for him and even the kids to readjust to being a family unit of sorts. 

Perhaps it was the spirit of the season, perhaps it was the loneliness he'd felt deep down after the thirst for revenge was sated. Whatever it was, he had never felt closer to Julia since the discovery of her affair. 

Deciding to go with his heart, Terry pulled his ex-wife close and whispered, "Let's work on it together. " 

Both their hearts sent up a prayer for a miracle in the season of hope and they sealed their reunion with a kiss. 

The End 

Thank you to readers who made it this far, hope you liked the read. Peace, happiness and good cheer to all!