116 comments/ 24599 views/ 18 favorites Devil or Angel By: Magicidan Today's story has a unique twist. I have presented the first six months of the story exactly as it was told to me. Then you hit a fork in the road. You will be offered two endings; one is as it happened whilst the other has been made up out of whole cloth. I invite you to read both then vote which is which. Your comment can be as simple as "angel" or "devil" however I encourage you to voice your opinion and why you reached it. Did it really happen? I will leave that to the reader to decide. Without further ado, I present for your consideration Devil or Angel Constructive criticism is always welcome. Ad hominem attacks will, of course, be deleted. All names, dates, and locations have been changed. ***** Stop me if you've heard this one before. I never suspected my wife Michelle was considering having an affair. There was nothing; no changes in routine or out-of-the-ordinary behavior that would stir up suspicions. Just a shit load of e-mails on her company laptop from a weasel named Keith Ravlis trying to get in her pants. It all began to unravel one Saturday afternoon when Michelle went grocery shopping. I noticed her computer sitting on the counter. Out of idle curiosity I woke it up and started to snoop around. My wife wasn't exactly creative in her password. MV050785; her initials and birthday. I started to scan her e-mails. They were chock full of correspondence like you would expect from a customer service rep for a machine tool supplier, price quotes, change orders, etc. I can't say why but I checked her recycle bin. Michelle had been dutifully deleting scores of e-mails but never bothered to clear out the trash. I was about to shut it down when I noticed a name kept appearing with increasing frequency, KRavlis#1. I scrolled back through time and found the first message; it was written the day after the company Christmas party. I'm pretty damn sure I knew who he was. There was an asshole who kept hovering around my wife. He wore a wedding ring but his wife was not in attendance. I warned Michelle he was bad news. She giggled and said I was imagining it. I was certain it had to be him and his message was wholly inappropriate. "Michelle, you looked drop dead gorgeous. I wish I could have had more time to get to know you better but your shadow followed you like he was afraid you would talk to another man." Her response, "He's my caveman and I love him." Thus began what became a daily exchange of e-mails. After a couple dozen messages where Ravlis took none too subtle digs at "your husband" my wife's spirited defense began to wane. He seemed to sense he was making progress and upped his attacks to twice a day, referring to me as the knuckle dragger. He started asking personal questions about our marriage then spinning her answers to the negative. Michelle's response to his attempts to emasculate me was l-o-l. I almost smashed the computer when I read, "Your husband doesn't appreciate what an incredible woman you are." I looked at the clock and knew Michelle would be back in about half an hour. I still had three more months of messages to read so I got a thumb drive out of my desk and downloaded everything in the garbage can. Next I found a program on-line designed to monitor a child's computer use and downloaded it. I would now have access to her laptop at my leisure. It was obvious this predator was grooming her to have an affair. I was furious but decided not to confront her until I read the rest of the exchanges. I began praying she regained her senses and told the bastard to fuck off. I pretty much avoided Michelle until dinner time; I can't even tell you what she cooked but I do know I wasn't exactly good conversation. I sat down in my recliner and stared at something on TV. She kept asking me if everything was alright. I got so far as to say "No, it isn't," before I clammed up. I knew if I confronted her we would have an argument. Okay, we would have a knock down drag out fight. I also knew she would claim it was just harmless banter with a bored colleague. I could almost hear her attacking me for violating her privacy. The bile in my mouth was certain it had as much of a chance of boomeranging and drive her into his bed to spite me. That night I barely got any sleep. But I made use of the time to formulate a plan. Step one would be reading all of the e-mails to see how bad things were. Next, if I was going to divorce her I needed rock solid proof to enforce the prenup. I left home an hour earlier than usual so I could read her e-mails uninterrupted. I didn't even kiss my wife good bye. The offices were dark when I arrived and put on a pot of coffee. Five minutes later I was having a liquid breakfast and reading. This bastard was ramping up his attacks. His theme had evolved into "I would never take a woman as wonderful as you for granted like your husband does." And my wife was gullible enough to let him get into her head. Then, about eight weeks ago they abruptly stopped. I double checked a couple hundred deletes to make sure he hadn't changed names but there was nothing. Was that good? Did they break up or find a more secure way to communicate? My company employs a private investigation firm to do background checks on potential employees. They are real good. At 9:00 I called and talked direct to the owner, Lee Thorsen. I explained my problem. He said I should get right over so we could plot out a course of action. We spent a couple of hours reviewing what I knew. "I think the two of them were worried they would get caught using the company e-mail for inappropriate personal business and switched to text messages on their private phones." "Where does your wife keep her phone when she's sleeping?" "On the night stand next to our bed." "That's a problem. But I have a solution. I need you to disable the outlet she plugs the charger into. I can show you how. Then you have to get her to use an outlet downstairs. That night one of my employees will come by when you're sleeping and clone hr phone." When Michelle discovered all of the outlets in our bedroom were dead I offered to plug it in downstairs on my way to check the circuit breaker box. I called the number he gave and said I would leave the back door unlocked and the phone would be on the charger on the kitchen counter. I never heard him come or go. The next morning Thorsen called to tell me he was able to monitor everything my wife did with her fancy new phone. I knew I hired the right guy. His second call that afternoon tore my heart out. "Brian, I've got some good news and some bad news." "Give me the good first." "I read all of their texts-your wife never deletes anything. So far they have not had sexual intercourse. They have, however, done some kissing and groping." "If that's the good news..." My voice trailed off. "Ravlis works at the south side distribution center for the same company as your wife. On alternating Fridays he comes up north for a managers meeting. Last month he met her for drinks after the meeting at a small bar about fifteen minutes away from the plant. They picked it because she wanted a place where nobody would recognize them." "That can't be right. She's always home at the same time as me every evening. I would remember if she was late." "Sorry to inform you but your wife works through lunch two days a week and is allowed to leave a couple hours early on every other Friday. They've done it twice now. I'll send you the texts they exchanged afterwards.." There was a long pause. "And tomorrow is a second Friday." "Damn." "Not to worry, I've got a plan. The next morning Michelle was giddy as a fool. I was about as conversational as a grizzly bear woken from hibernation. She didn't seem to notice. I swallowed a cup of black coffee in silence as I ran through Thorsen's plan. I knew Michelle would be leaving at three for her rendezvous. I needed to time my call to catch her right before she left for her illicit tryst. The day seemed to drag on forever. I couldn't concentrate on work and kept checking the time. My secretary noticed I was a million miles away and asked if everything was all right. I thanked her for her concern and said I had a lot on my mind." At 2:45 I phoned Michelle at work on her hard line so caller ID wouldn't let her duck my call.. "Hi beautiful. Great news. You're talking to the new Vice President of Operations for the Midwest Region." Truth be told it was a lateral move which I knew was coming. However the timing was perfect and the title came with a pay raise and a nice bonus check. "Instead of pizza I'm taking you out to dinner at that new French restaurant you wanted to try followed by a night of dancing." I noticed she didn't say congratulations. "No", she stammered, "I'm not dressed properly." "I saw what you were wearing when you left home. You look perfect." "Couldn't we go tomorrow night?" "No, we are celebrating my promotion tonight. On such short notice the best I could get was a five o'clock reservation. Tell your boss it's a special occasion and you need to get out a half hour early. I'll pick you up at four thirty sharp." I could hear the panic in her voice. "No, that's way out of your way. Besides I don't want to leave my car here overnight. I'll meet you at the restaurant at 5:00." My wonderful wife didn't want to deny herself an afternoon with her wanna be fuck buddy. I couldn't help but hope whatever Thorsen was going to do would derail their plans. Five minutes later he called me to say the texts have been flying fast and furious. Ravlis whined like a spoiled brat because he was hoping they would have some alone time to make his move. Michelle told him he would still get to see her for an hour and a half...in the bar. Ravlis started to go down a bad road, "So once again your husband snaps his fingers and you come running." Michelle actually rallied to my defense. "I don't want to hear that shit. He'll make twice as much with this promotion as you do." Ravlis seemed to realize he was overplaying his hand and backed off. At 3:15 I received a call from Thorsen who told me to get on my lap top. I could see a dimly lit bar. I recognized the man sitting on a bar stool looking at his watch; Ravlis. Five minutes later my wife walked in. He stood up and planted a kiss square on her lips. She pushed him away then scanned the bar as if looking to see if she recognized anyone Satisfied, she let him violate her mouth again, only this was a much more intense kiss. I turned up the audio and could her Ravlis telling her how much he missed her. My stomach churned as I watched that bastard paw my wife. For $100 the bartender was an eager conspirator and the microphone she planted picked up every disgusting word. Ravlis was pushing Michelle to go somewhere more private. She wasn't convinced so he ordered another round of liquid courage. The plan was for the bartender to signal the team when they were getting ready to leave. Then she would stall them until the other pieces of the puzzle were place. Ravlis told the young lady he would like to settle their tab. A minute later a well dressed man and woman sat down next to my wife. I didn't recognize either but suspected Thorsen had sent them.. The man snapped his fingers and ordered, "A merlot for the lady and a Bloody Mary for me. Make it a double." He threw a twenty on the bar and said he had to go to the men's room. "Get us a table babe." When the drinks arrived his date picked both up, turned, and accidentally dumped them all over Michelle's white silk blouse. The way she screamed you would have thought it was battery acid. "I'm sorry...I'm ssssooo sorry. I can't believe I did that." She kept babbling. "My husband will pay for the blouse." Michelle ran for the ladies room sobbing. Ravlis started to berate the spiller until her husband returned. He grabbed the much smaller man by the arm and said, "Don't say another fucking word." Ravlis slunk away towards the ladies room. He opened the door a crack and called, "Will you be out soon?" "No you asshole. My blouse and bra are ruined." On Thorsen's direction I forgot my cell at work so Michelle couldn't call and cancel. My wife spent the next twenty minutes stripped to the waist washing her blouse and bra in the sink then trying to dry them with a hot air machine. When she was done Ravlis was standing outside the ladies room. He held out his arms and tried to hug her. Without saying a word Michelle pushed him aside and hurried out the door. She went straight for her car without looking back. Ravlis stood there watching her walk away with a stupid look on his face. Thorsen was smiling because it went so well. So was I. I was standing in front of the restaurant when Michelle pulled up. I beat the valet to her door. Her blouse had a nice tie dyed look to it "What happened?" "I had an accident rushing to get all of my work done so I could get here on time. One of the clerks bumped into me and spilled two cups of coffee on me." "Coffee? It looks more like wine and tomato juice." Michelle got a real pasty look on her face. I didn't push it. Instead I took her arm and escorted her into the dimly lit restaurant. Tonight the battle for my, make that our, marriage began in earnest. And I would fight dirty to win. The maitre D' escorted us to a private booth in the corner. Even though I was furious with her for kissing that bastard I reclaimed her mouth. "Michelle, I love you more than life itself. I wanted to give you something to show the world how much you mean to me." I reached into my suit coat pocket and took out a jewelry box. Inside was the ring I had intended to give her for her birthday. It had two rubies-her birthstone- with a line of diamonds circling around them in an infinity "8" pattern. "The diamonds link the rubies like our love links us." Her mouth dropped open. I hugged her and said, "Nothing is too good for the woman I love." She began to cry. "I want everyone to know you are the only woman I have ever, and will ever, love. Until the day I die." Through the tears she squeaked, "I love you too." A little weak as far as commitments go but it was better than nothing. For the rest of the evening my wife seemingly leapt back in time to when we were newlyweds. We had a very romantic dinner followed by a couple hours of dancing to a jazz quartet. When we got home we reenacted our honeymoon. Monday morning Thorsen told me Ravlis texted her twenty seven times over the weekend. She ignored all of them. Finally, on Monday morning she responded, "Please back off. I have a lot to think about and don't need you pressuring me." That made me cautiously optimistic. All was quiet for two months. Our marriage was back on track, or at least I thought it was. Then came the call I was dreading. "Brian. Thorsen. We should talk." I was at his office twenty minutes later. "Brian, I've got some bad news. I've had one of my guys monitoring your wife. Until yesterday there was nothing but straight up clean texts and phone calls. Last night around 10:30 Ravlis sent Michelle a text saying it was great running into her at work and that he missed her and wanted to get together to pick up their friendship." "She responded at six this morning. "Keith, I've missed you too. I would like that." "She must have texted him from the bathroom, right before she joined me for a cup of coffee. Now I know why she was in such a good mood." "From the time stamps it looks they exchanged a series of texts while they drove to work. Ravlis kept repeating his concerns that Michelle was afraid to text him and she wasn't being treated like she deserved." My naive wife ate it all up. "After the third volley Ravlis began to sign them your BFF. They're quiet right now. So what do you want me to do?" "Lee, you said you knew a real good divorce attorney." "The best...this woman got burned real bad by her ex and makes her career getting vengeance on cheating spouses." "I want to be ready to drop the axe on a moment's notice. Set me up an appointment." Over the next few days Thorsen kept me up to date on text messages as they were exchanged. It was pretty damn hard not to explode over their conspiracy especially when Ravlis said he knew a way he could get away for an overnighter. "I'll tell my wife someone screwed up and they need me to drive down to our St.Louis office to straighten it out. I'll make her think I'm being considered for a promotion or something." Over the next few days they began to work out the details. Michelle said she had figured out a way to get away, "I'll really butter Brian up then tell him one of my good friends is having a sleepover birthday party...just us girls. I'll wait until the last minute to spring it on him so he can't come up with an excuse to interfere with our plans. I needed a plan, one which would force my wife to make a choice; her husband or the interloper. And she needed to be taught that actions have consequences. But first I had to decide if I wanted to stay married to a disloyal, backstabbing bitch. I wrestled with that and decided the best course of action was to destroy their rendezvous and see how I feel afterwards. That night Michele was the aggressor in bed. If it was going to be the last time we had sex it certainly was memorable. Afterwards we spooned in bed. My mind was racing. Tomorrow morning I would give my wife a chance to pick me and our marriage. My wife had always been an opera fan. I despised it and the pretentious assholes who shhhhhed me for making any noise. A few days earlier I noticed in the paper some famous opera singer was wrapping up his farewell tour. That gave me an idea. Thursday morning I announced over breakfast "I have a surprise for the woman I love more than life itself." Yes I had to bite my tongue to say that but I needed to bait the trap. Michelle responded as I expected, "I love surprises!" "Then you'll love this. I bought tickets for the opera. We will be on hand to see the final performance of that Italian tenor you so enjoy." Michelle looked panicky. "I'll have a limousine pick you up at work tomorrow and drive you to our suite. We have dinner reservations at some overpriced restaurant that is "the" place to go." "And after the opera a horse drawn carriage will be waiting to carry us back to our love nest." "Uhhh honey, about tomorrow. It sounds like you went to a lot of trouble but I'm getting together with a couple of the girls to celebrate Peggy's birthday...she's the big 3-0. Her sister is throwing a pajama party sleepover and I said I would go. I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner." "No problem. Call Peggy and tell her your wonderful husband is taking you to the opera. "I can't. I already said I would be there." "So let's see if I got this straight. You're passing up tenth row center tickets to see the last performance ever by a man often called the greatest living opera singer to sleep on the floor like you were a buck toothed teenager again." "Stop trying to manipulate me." "Manipulate you!" I tried to keep my voice in control. "I am trying to take you on the most romantic date I could dream up. You know how I feel about opera but I was willing to do it for you. And before I scheduled anything I checked your big calendar on the refrigerator to see if you had anything scheduled. Nothing, Friday and Saturday are both blank. So exactly when were you going to ambush me with this slumber party?" Michelle hemmed and hawed, "I was going to tell you." "When? Maybe if you weren't sneaking around..." I caught myself about to say way too much. Michelle meekly said, "Tomorrow morning." Devil or Angel Ch. 02 If you haven't already read Devil or Angel you should do so now or Part II will make no sense to you. ***** The votes have been tabulated... The envelope please... And the winner by a landslide is Devil. Based on the comments I received, both posted and by e-mail, there's a lot of people who demand an eye-for-an-eye Old Testament vengeance...and that's just for an appetizer. For the main course nothing less than a burned bitch with a side order of the adulterers testicles, neatly sliced and diced, will do. Many gave a spirited defense of their belief that a woman who committed adultery in her heart would never stop until she debased herself physically. Of those that picked angel a sizable number said they did so because they like a happy ending. Michelle had a choice to make, one which would change the course of her life. Most angel fans were pulling for her to come to her senses and see how good she's got it. But people are funny and seldom do the logical thing. The devil makes his temptations look mighty attractive. If you don't believe me spend an afternoon in divorce court and listen to the tales told. It will shock the fidelity into the heart of most any wavering spouse. Michelle actually chose the path of light. Yes, her angel won. But the story doesn't end there as his halo got a bit tarnished. Our story picks up as the sun is breaking the horizon. It's Saturday morning and the Vernors have been talking for almost five hours to see if their marriage could be saved. Michelle looked like hell; her eyes were red and swollen and her nose was running. A pile of soggy tissues lie on the floor. Brian was an experienced poker player. He had his game face on and knew how to bluff. He knew what she had done and, more important, what she hadn't. Knowing all of your opponents cards certainly made that easier. He stared at his wife without saying a word, watching as she tried to craft the sentences which would save her marriage. Most began with, "I'm so sorry." Brian kept answering he wasn't sure he could overcome Michelle's betrayal. "I don't know if I can stay married to someone who I can't trust. I don't want to be watching the clock and interrogate you if you come home a few minutes late." "Please, I'll accept any punishment without complaint. Give me a chance to prove I've learned my lesson." "What about all of the shit you said about me? When you were supposed to be defending me, our marriage, you...". "I'm so sorry. I screwed up. I betrayed you...our marriage. I..." A lot of their sentences trailed off to silence as though neither wanted finality. "I can't begin to tell you how badly your betrayal hurt me." "Please, I swear I'll make you forget the pain. I will never... The time had come to lay our cards on the table. I took my wife's hands in mine and said, "I believe you are sorry for what you did. I also believe you are sincere when you say you learned your lesson and nothing like this will ever happen again." I squeezed her hands tightly. "Your second, make that your last chance, begins now. "I am. I'm so sorry I hurt you," Michelle broke in. "Please don't interrupt while I'm speaking." Michelle looked ready to say something but wisely didn't. "Let's consider this weekend an audition for resuming our marriage. You screwed up real big and are going to have to earn back my trust. You can start now." Michelle let loose a scream of joy and leapt into my lap. She rained kisses all over my face. "I love you! You are the most wonderful husband in the whole world. I love you!" Her sweatshirt and shorts were soon discarded and she ground her naked body into mine. I fully intended to take advantage of Michelle's defeated mindset while I watched her like a hawk. I might forgive but I would never forget. "But actions have consequences and I'll be..." "I'll do anything you say." "Don't say it if you don't mean it." "Anything. Period. Underlined. In bold. Anything. Anytime. Anywhere." "Then let's start with you shaving your pussy." A request which had always been denied. Ten minutes later she emerged from the bathroom teasing me from behind a towel. She slowly raised it until I could see her pink lips. I walked up to her and ran my fingers over her smooth as silk pussy. "That feels nice." That hurdle being passed we spent most of Saturday in bed. Michelle was only too willing to do whatever I said and my imagination runneth over. We finally collapsed, exhausted, a couple hours later. The next thing I remember was Michelle's lips around my rock hard cock. Later that afternoon I told her I wanted to see her in the little black dress from the pictures. When she came out of her bathroom I was blown away. It was short enough that I got a glimpse of the garters holding up her lace topped stockings when she walked. That was one hot dress. "How many times did I ask you to wear something like this for me?" Michelle hung her head in shame. "I can't begin to tell you how hurt I am you were willing to wear it for a bastard who wanted to destroy our marriage." I piled on. Michelle didn't say a word. That was all the encouragement I needed to go big. "If you truly are sorry and seek redemption prove it. Start by taking off your bra and panties. And put on more makeup...a lot more. Then we'll be ready to go." I wanted her to look like the slut she is. Michelle stood up and walked back to the bathroom. When she came out looking like a proper courtesan I complimented her on her new look. "We have reservations at the same overpriced restaurant I tried to take you to last night." My wife had always refused my requests to dress risqué when we went out. Tonight she had acquiesced without hesitation. But before we left I had her pose for a very intimate photo shoot, another pleasure which she had always denied me. When we arrived at the restaurant one valet walked over to trade a claim check for my keys while his partner helped my wife out of my car. Now even in the best of circumstances it is very difficult for a woman to get out of a Corvette with grace. The young man got an eye full of Michelle's charms as he stood holding the door for her. I smiled at her and said, "You look incredible." Her face was flush as she said, "Thank you." Michelle blushed a lot that evening, first at the restaurant then at the night club we went dancing at. I made sure she was on display all night long. After a few cocktails she started to look like she enjoyed making her girl parts public. As we walked out I said. "Make his evening." The valet got another great show when Michelle got in the car nice and slow. As we pulled out of the lot I placed my hand between her legs; she was soaking wet. "It feels like someone enjoyed themselves tonight." "I told you I would do anything you say." A minute later my wife was riding home wearing only nylons and a garter belt. Michelle spent a lot of time naked fulfilling my fantasies. It seemed she had a latent exhibitionist streak and reluctantly admitted to enjoying the attention. We slept in on Sunday morning then resumed our marathon love making session. So what happened to Ravlis? It seems the little fella got a knock on his hotel room door alright, only it was two burly men instead of my beautiful wife. The dumb ass swung the door open and was greeted by a roundhouse punch that knocked him out cold. The proceeded to give him a beating which he will long remember. When he came to blood was still flowing out of his very broken nose. It took him a while to notice that not only was he naked but his suitcase and all of his clothes were missing; his wallet and cell phone too. His nocturnal visitors even liberated the hotel phone making it impossible for him to call for help.. I read about it in Sunday's newspaper; it made page one and the local TV news too. It seems the police were called when his wife and mother showed up at his hotel room at two in the morning. After she learned of his dalliance Mrs. Ravlis, Kate, called his cell phone but it went straight to leave a message. So she called the hotel. The front desk clerk rang his room several times and said, "I'm sorry ma'am. There's no answer." She was, to put it mildly, not a happy wife. Kate was sobbing when she called her mom, "That bastard lied to me about going to St. Louis. He's at a hotel in Chicago with some whore." Mom said she would be right over. Kate, packed up her baby and the three set off for the big city. When they arrived at the hotel the desk clerk confirmed her identity and issued a key card. Kate didn't bother to knock. Nope, they barged right in and found her weasel of a husband curled up on the bed with a blanket wrapped around him; his face was caked with dry blood. A heated argument ensued. Ravlis tripped on the bed sheet and pushed his wife. She fell hard on her stomach and went into labor. An ambulance was called. His mother stretched the truth and swore out a complaint for assault and battery. The police took Ravlis away in handcuffs while the paramedics delivered his son in the hotel room. Thorsen swears he had nothing to do with it. He thinks it was an amazing coincidence. Ravlis began calling and texting Michelle fast and furiously as soon as his mother bailed him out of jail. She had to drive in from out-of-state and he didn't get sprung until Sunday afternoon. I had possession of my wife's phone and computer and monitored the messages. They began with his tale of woe followed by speculation of who was behind their demise. He opened his wife wasn't intelligent enough to have pulled this off so it must be "your knuckle dragging husband." He pleaded with her to call him but never once asked if she was okay. When the tone turned threatening I told Michelle to call the police and file a complaint for harassment. She obeyed without hesitation. A half hour later an officer was sitting in our living room taking Michelle's statement. She swore she was trying to end an "emotional affair" and was frightened by the menacing tone of his messages. I gave the officer a CD with all of his calls on it. Sunday night I sat Michelle down and explained, "I hate to say it but this fuck-up is so huge that I'm sorry won't cut it. You made a big enemy and they're out for blood. The note that alerted me to your affair said your adultery partner's wife was also receiving copies of the pictures so you very likely will be getting served in her divorce." I have never seen a person look so broken. Next I reminded her that if she spoke with or communicated in any manner whatsoever with Ravlis she was out on the street. "I swear I never want to hear his name again." As planned, I called my attorney at 7AM Monday morning. She had already spoken with Thorsen and knew how it had played out at the hotel. I told her about the harassing phone calls and texts. I felt pretty good when I told her Michelle had signed the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. "I'm sorry to tell you this but either she's incredibly stupid or she played you. Without a Notary seal of her signature you can't record a document. And a Notary must witness a signature before affixing their seal. What you have is worthless." The possibility that she had played me influenced my thinking. "We show no mercy. I want both of them." "It shall be done." My attorney had no trouble getting an emergency Order of Protection against a man who assaulted a pregnant woman. First thing Monday morning my lawyer paid a discrete call on Michelle's employer to discuss the moral turpitude clause in their employment contract. "If you agree to fire both with cause we will not file our lawsuit." She also demanded they not reveal the name of the party seeking retribution. They readily agreed to both conditions. That same morning Ravlis cleaned up as best as he could and went to work. He had rehearsed a story about being a passenger in an auto accident and taking the airbag to the face. When he returned from lunch was greeted by the head of personnel, a dour faced woman named Ms. Parsons who commanded he follow her. As they entered her outer office a Sheriff's Deputy served the Order of Protection on Ravlis. He tried to explain they were friends but was told to he would be arrested if he tried to make contact with Michelle again. Ten minutes later Ravlis was escorted out of the building by security; no job, no severance, and no company car. Even after the Notary trick I was tempted to warn Michelle what would waiting for her when she got into work. My own personal devil, however, won that argument and we went with public humiliation. A message to go immediately to Human Relations was waiting when she returned from lunch. Ten minutes later she was escorted to her desk to get her personal items. An anonymous call from the south side distribution center had alerted the staff that Ravlis had been fired for having an affair with a slut from their branch. The whole damn department rubber necked to see what was happening. Word spread like a wildfire. Michelle was sobbing as she was led out to her car. Her reputation was destroyed. As I often did I worked out my home office that day. When Michelle walked in she looked in shock. It took a while before she was able to tell me want happened without getting hysterical. "Now everyone thinks I had sex with him." I held her in my arms and said "As long as I believe you didn't that's all that matters." Epilogue You may think I'm a sadistic bastard but treating my wife with respect and showering her with love didn't keep her faithful. Hopefully the humiliation of having her sins made public would have a lasting impression on her lest she be tempted again. We never did hear from Ravlis again. Thorsen said his wife raked him over the coals in divorce court and he left town to live in his mommy's basement. Michelle's name was never mentioned in the proceedings. I kept meaning to but never did have Michelle resign the divorce Petition. It's still tucked away in the metal file box where we keep insurance policies and other important papers. I pray it never sees the light of day. It's been five years and we have a twelve month old daughter. It took a while but Michelle earned back my trust. I feel sorry for any mope who would try to make a pass at my wife. I honestly believe she would tear his head off. I never did, and never will, tell her what would have happened if she hadn't kept walking that Friday night. Devil or Angel I got up, put my empty coffee cup in the dishwasher, and walked out. The moment I was in my car I called my attorney. It was before office hours so I left a message telling her to date the documents for service tomorrow. I stopped by her office over lunch and signed everything. My next stop was to see Thorsen to review our plans for the next evening. I wanted to hurt her as bad as she had me. I stopped off and had a beef sandwich on my way home from work. Michelle pulled in the driveway a couple of minutes later. I had already retreated to my office and didn't respond when she called out, "I'm home." We didn't talk the rest of the evening. Friday morning I woke up first. I was sitting at the breakfast table but not eating. I couldn't, my stomach was churning. A few minutes after Michelle sat down with a cup of coffee I spoke. "I will ask you one last time to join me tonight. If you don't, I promise, make that I guarantee you, everything about our relationship will change. This is your last chance." "Don't be so dramatic. We can go to dinner anytime. I promise I'll make it up to you Saturday night...and Sunday morning." "It'll be too late then." "Don't you dare threaten me! I may be your wife but you can't treat me like I'm a child." She stormed out of the room and went back upstairs. Five minutes later she reappeared with a small suitcase. She was wearing her casual Friday uniform, designer jeans, an expensive blouse, and a pair of boots. "We'll talk about this when I get home tomorrow afternoon." Michelle's day wasn't going as planned and she got stuck on a lengthily call from a potential customer. She kept watching the clock as 3:00 came and went. She sent a text to Ravlis, 'Running late. Will call when on way.' She tried to wrap up the call but he always had just one more question. 3:30 found her still on the phone. Finally, at 3:45 she had answered every question and was able to start clearing her desk off. At exactly ten minutes till four a dozen long stem red roses arrived at Michelle's desk. Her co-workers flocked around to admire the flowers and ask what was the occasion. She assumed they were from her boyfriend and was a little nervous when she read the card lest one of the office gossips get wind. It read, "To my loving wife. It's not too late. Please join me for a fantasy evening." She dismissed them with a flip comment about how her husband "must feel guilty about something." Thorsen was waiting when my wife walked out a few minutes later. He was parked where he would have no trouble following her. Also parked in front of the main entrance, where everyone had to walk to get to the parking lot, was a white stretch limousine. The chauffeur, all dressed in black, stood next to the open door. holding a sign that read, "YOUR ABSOLUTE LAST CHANCE." Several of her coworkers were standing on the stairs discussing the limo and the cryptic message. One offered, "It's so romantic, like An Officer and a Gentleman" Another said it reminded her of Pretty Woman. Michelle ignored the gawkers and walked around the car. At 4:15 Ravlis texted her, "I'm counting the minutes until you join me in room 605." When Michelle arrived at the hotel she stood in the atrium lobby and mentally counted up six stories. Then she walked to the ladies room to prepare for her tryst. She has no ides four sets of eyes were upon her. Thorsen, his process server Charles Eastlund, and their wives were seated at a table in the lounge where they had a commanding view of the entire first floor. The middle aged couples were dressed to blend with the score of businessmen and women unwinding after a long week at the office. They had done this dozens of times through the years and everyone knew their part. On cue the ladies excused themselves to go to the little girls room to confirm they had the right target. Once inside they ignored the mark and carried on as if nothing was happening. Five minutes later they reported back to their husbands, "She looks nervous," Marla Thorsen said. "She just stood there staring at a ring on her right hand." "Nervous hell, she reminds me of a cartoon where the guy had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other; both were whispering into an ear," Virginia Eastlund stated. " I think she's going to back out." "I always bet my wife's hunches. I'll wager fifty bucks she doesn't go through with it." "You're on." "I always feel creepy when you guys bet over someone's marriage Like you're casting lots for Christ's robes." "Nothing would make me happier than to lose this bet. Her husband is a real nice guy and deserves better than her." The ladies were starting to get hungry so they ordered appetizers to hold them over while waiting to see what Michelle did next. It was fifteen minutes before she walked out. They almost didn't recognize her. Thorsen texted me a picture of Michelle. She was dressed to the nines in a sexy black dress. I had never seen her wear something so short before, nor so much make up. As she walked into the bar Michelle received a text from Ravlis. She paused, glanced down, and read it; at the same time the surveillance team also read, "Hurry up, I'm getting impatient." "Score devil one," Marla announced. "Looks like you're gonna owe me some money." "Not so fast. He's called her three times since she got here and she hasn't answered one." The private eye began filming her with a well concealed camera. Michelle took a seat at the bar and ordered a vodka gimlet. As the only unescorted female Michelle drew the attention of every letch in the bar. Before she could take her first sip her phone chimed to say she had a text message. She ignored it; we didn't. "Where RU?" " She did not respond. "Score, devil one, angel one." . A couple of minutes later she let a phone call from lover boy go direct to voicemail. He didn't leave a message. "Chalk up another for the angel." Virginia was grinning. Thorsen has encouraged the wives to be loud; four people sitting in silence draws attention. The same four having a good time barely merits a glance. A couple of minutes later her phone chirped to signal yet another text message. She ignored it. "What an asshole," Marla opined. "Score one more for the angel," Virginia shouted. Michelle was nursing her drink when a middle aged businessman in a rumpled suit stepped up the bar. She tore into the poor slob when he pointed out all she had in her glass was ice and offered to buy her another. He muttered, "Psycho bitch." as he walked away. "Wanna make it a hundred?" "You're on. C'mon psycho, go home to daddy." "Shhhh. Not so loud." For the next hour Ravlis alternated between phone calls and texts. She ignored them all. "He's certainly a persistent asshole," Marla said. Virginia replied, "God's gift to fallen women is getting worried he wasted his money on a hotel suite." Everyone laughed. Her phone rang a second later; she slipped it into her purse. My wife sat staring at the empty glass for ten more minutes before she settled her tab, hopped off the bar stool, and walked towards the exit pulling her roll-away bag. She ignored everything around her and walked straight towards the main entrance. "Ha! angel wins!" "Not so fast, she hasn't left yet." The two couples followed her into the lobby. They stayed close enough to hear Michelle's heels click on the terrazzo floor. Ten more steps and she would be outside waiting for the valet to get her car. READER'S CHOICE: PICK AN ENDING. You have now reached the promised fork in the literary road. Two endings are offered. One is as told by the actual husband, the other is the product of my fertile imagination. Please read both than cast you comment and/or vote. In two weeks I will tabulate the results and announce which version was true. I will also give an update on how things worked out for the Vernors. Your choices are 1. The devil and darkness and 2. The angel and light. Scenario one...Devil. I choose to walk the path of darkness. Then the damnedest thing happened. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked at her phone. After she read the message she turned and walked straight towards the elevators. When the doors opened her four shadows followed her in. "Six please,' she said. The bells chimed to mark the passing floors. When the elevator stopped both gentlemen politely waited for the ladies to get off then followed a respectable distance behind. The door of room 605 flew open the moment she arrived, Ravlis stepped into the hall, threw his arms around her, and said, "I was so afraid you weren't coming." He then began kissing her like his life depended on it. Eastlund said, "Shit, you win." as he interrupted their clench by handing her an envelope and saying, "Michelle Vernor, you've been served." Her anguished scream echoed throughout the atrium. The PI's last assignment was to send pictures of the adulterers to Ravlis' wife; this included the video of him greeting Michelle at their room just moments before. This was followed by a phone call to advise her that husband wasn't in St. Louis but was actually in room 605 at the Business Suites Hotel in downtown Chicago having an affair. He even gave her the phone number of the hotel so she could express the sentiments which she was screaming into the phone direct to her husband. And where was I while all of this was going down? At the opera of course. Thorsen said I needed a rock solid alibi in case things went south. Don't tell anyone but I was escorted by a beautiful woman all evening. It was almost noon when I walked into my house. Michelle was sitting at the dining room table; the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage was in front of her. She was still wearing her new little black dress but looked like shit. I laid a copy of the opera magazine right next to the pictures of her and the marriage wrecker. "My date said to tell you she enjoyed our evening." Michelle looked perplexed, then responded, "I swear on my life I never had sex with him." "It doesn't matter. You broke our marriage vows when you kissed him." She began to stammer, but we never..." I held my hand up to stop her. "Even after you let that predator kiss and grope you I was prepared to forgive you. The detective I had following you actually thought you were going to be faithful. All you had to do was keep walking." She began sobbing, "If you knew I was going to cheat on you why didn't you stop me" Forbid me from going?" "And what could I do" Lock you in a cage like an animal? Slap a chastity belt on you? No, you're an adult. You have free will. Our marriage had to be your choice." "You can't throw five years of marriage away because of a little mistake." "I would hardly call having an affair a little mistake. Besides, I told you what the consequences would be if you made the wrong choice. "There's a line in one of my favorite songs, Angel of the Morning, that goes, There'll be no strings to bind your hands, not if my love can't bind your heart. I guess my love wasn't enough to bind your heart." Michelle began wailing...I could barely make out her repeating, "Why didn't I keep walking." "If you ever figure out the reason don't bother telling me because I don't care." Michelle doubled over and began puking on her nice new dress. "Don't you want to know how I found out you were cheating on me? It's a funny story. Yesterday morning I actually felt bad after you walked out. Then I had an idea. I was going to hire a children's clown to stop by your birthday sleep over and make balloon animals. I grabbed your address book on the way out. Imagine my surprise when I looked up Peggy's address and saw her birthday wasn't for two more months. I went through the book page by page looking for another Peggy. You know there isn't one. I felt like you had cut my heart out". Then it got worse. The kid from the mail room knocked on my door and said a woman dropped off an envelope for me. It was chock full of pictures of you and your paramour. It also had quite a dossier on that piece of shit. "Did you know your boyfriend's wife is 8 1/2 months pregnant. Or that he has an eighteen month old baby at home." Michelle groaned. "Oh, did he forget to tell you that? " "By the way, the note in the envelope said his wife was also getting copies of these pictures delivered so you might be getting served in her divorce. Either way on Monday morning my lawyer will be paying a call on your employer to discuss the moral turpitude clause in your employment contract. I am quite certain you will be fired. Your boyfriend has experience at getting fired for sexual misconduct because that's why he was canned on his last job. Seems he has a talent for cultivating stupid women. "Please, give me another chance. I promise it will never happen again." "Do you realize you've never once said you're sorry nor asked for my forgiveness. "But I am sorry." "You're only sorry you got caught." Michelle screwed herself up to her whole five foot four and hissed, "You're a hypocritical bastard. You're just as guilty. Go ahead, take me to court. I'll tell the judge you didn't come home last night because you spent the night with another woman." "I did say that, didn't I. Too bad it looks like you overplayed your hand. I'll bet no one ever called my mom the other woman before. That ought to make her laugh. Yes, my mom was my date. She said the opera was okay but next time would prefer I took her to a hockey game. By the way, I showed her the pictures of you and your paramour. She said she always knew you were a cheating slut. "So get the fuck out of my house. Yes, my house. Not your house, not our house. My house. Read the prenup. You're a whore so you lose everything." I have never seen a person look so broken...yet I took no pleasure in the death of our marriage. Scenario two... Angel. I choose to walk the path of light. It was almost one in the morning. As I got closer to home I could see the dining room light was on; Michelle was sitting at the table. I slowed down and pressed the garage door opener. I parked, grabbed my attaché case, and walked inside. I didn't say a word as I sat down across from my wife. She was wearing my favorite black negligee. "I'll bet you're surprised to see me." She sounded chipper. I stared at her without speaking. The only sound was the clock ticking in the kitchen. A long minute passed before she spoke again. "Did you enjoy the opera?" There was a quiver to her voice. No response. "Who did you find to go with you?" I glared at her without making a sound. "Was the restaurant as good as they say it is?" I clicked open the two locks on my case. Michelle was starting to look very nervous. The clock ticked on. "I suppose I owe you a big apology. I should have told you sooner I already had plans for tonight." If looks could kill I would have been a widower. "When I got to Peggy's and told the girls what you had planned they all said I should rush home to surprise you. Surprise!" I slammed my fist onto the table so hard the wood cracked. "Liar!" I screamed as loud as I could. Now Michelle looked terrified. "I know all about your affair with Keith Ravlis." I opened my briefcase, took out the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage and threw it on the table. Michelle turned white as a sheet. "You have exactly one chance to save our marriage but if you lie again it's all over." Michelle's lips were trembling but no sound came out. I reached into the case and took out a picture which Thorsen had taken in the lounge. "This picture was taken tonight. Could you please explain why you were wearing this very sexy dress at the lounge in the Business Suites Hotel tonight." Michelle began sobbing so hard I couldn't understand a word she was saying. "Cut the crying. You have a choice, start talking or start packing." Instead Michelle began retching all over herself. I ignored the vomit and continued, "Please explain this picture." I thrust another picture in front of her. She was kissing Raylis. I slammed it down on the table.. By now she had doubled over with the dry heaves. Still no answer. I pushed another picture in front of her. "Do you want to know how I found out you were cheating on me? It's a funny story. This morning I actually felt bad after you walked out. Then I had an idea. I was going to have a children's clown stop by your birthday sleep over to make balloon animals. I grabbed your address book on the way out. Imagine my surprise when I looked up Peggy's address and saw her birthday wasn't for two months. I went through the book page by page looking for another Peggy. You know there isn't one. I felt like you had cut my heart out". Then it got worse. The kid from the mail room knocked on my door and said a woman dropped off an envelope for me. It was chock full of pictures of you and your paramour. It also had quite a dossier on that piece of shit. "Did you know your boyfriend's wife is 8 1/2 months pregnant. He also has an eighteen month old at home." Michelle groaned. "Oh, did he forget to tell you that? " Michelle made a sound that sent shivers up my spine then collapsed in a heap at my feet. Six months of hatred and betrayal screamed for vengeance. I wanted to hurt her. It took all of my willpower to not stomp her face. Looking at her cowering in shame and fear scared the hell out of me. This was the woman I swore eternity to. I wanted to protect her, to scoop her up in my arms and tell her we will overcome this. But first she had to own her sin. I've never felt so torn. I wanted to scream. Instead I covered my face and cried like I haven't since my father died. It was several minutes before I could compose myself enough to talk. Michelle was still lying at my feet. I offered her my hand. She took it. "Go wash up, take a shower; then come back. I want to know everything that predator said. If you sneezed and he said God bless you I want to know it. Then I want to know every time you betrayed me and our marriage. If you lie or omit even one it's over." Ten minutes later my wife walked out wearing a pair of shorts and a sweat shirt. I motioned to the chair. Instead she dropped to her knees and began pleading, "I made the biggest mistake of my life. Please forgive me Brian. I swear I never had sex with him...I was going to but I didn't. I couldn't. I know that's no excuse..." She kept rambling "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry I hurt you." "Get up and quit the theatrics. I said you had one chance to save our marriage. I want the truth." We spent the next three hours in confession. Michelle gave a remarkably complete account of their relationship. I didn't let on I had copies of all of their texts and e-mails but used them to help craft questions. I was the Grand Inquisitor demanding answers be torn from her soul. Through the entire ordeal I never touched her nor said anything to comfort her. She answered each without trying to rationalize or explain her way out of it. She would recite the facts then add a comment, such as, 'I can't believe how stupid I am." I damn near bit through my lip trying not to lash out when she told me the details of the two early Friday's she spent with the bastard. Knowing he had kissed and molested her didn't make it any easier to hear. She kept her eyes lowered as she spoke, pausing to wipe her tears and blow her nose. She sounded very sincere and penitent. When she reached the current date Michelle handed me her cell phone. "While I was sitting in the bar wrestling with my conscience he kept calling and texting. There are over two dozen text messages from last evening. I didn't respond to a single one. He also left several voice mails which I never listened to...plus several dozen hang ups." Devil or Angel Thanks to Thorsen I had already read all of them. "That's everything." "Everything?" "I swear." "I believe you." "Oh, one more thing. When you came home I was trying to cut a deal with God. I swore I would be the most faithful, loving, committed wife ever if through some miracle I hadn't destroyed our marriage. I convinced myself all I had to do was tell one last series of lies and spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I knew you would be mad about the opera. I had no idea you knew I was a..." "Whore. Slut. Cheat. Adulteress. Take your pick." Michelle buried her face in her hands. "What hurts even more than the lies the was the lack of respect. You betrayed me and made a mockery of our marriage. Why? What did I do to deserve that?" "Nothing. You were the perfect husband." "Then why?" "It sounds so stupid now. At first it was like a game. You warned me about him the first time you saw him and I wanted to prove you wrong. I got a big kick out of the secret messages and him making me feel special. He pretended to care; to be watching out for me. And that son-of-a-bitch knew how to get into my mind; to drive a wedge between us. He convinced me you were trying to control me. The truth is you've always put me ahead of yourself. I don't deserve you." I gently lifted her face up, looked her straight in the eye, and asked the question that had been burning in my heart, "After all the lies, all the betrayal, and all the sneaking around why did you choose our marriage instead of illicit sex?" "To my eternal shame I was ready to do it. I got as far as changing my clothes and make up. It hit me when I walked out of the ladies room. I felt like everyone in the hotel was looking at me and they all knew what I was going to do. I panicked and ducked into the lounge. While I was sitting at the bar anguishing over what I should do I heard a woman shout, 'Another win for the angel.' I looked over and saw two older couples sitting at a table. They seemed to be very good friends and were enjoying each other's company. A couple of minutes later she shouted, 'The angel wins again.'" "Suddenly I thought of that song you're always singing, Angel of the Morning. I kept repeating the line 'There'll be no strings to bind your hands, not if my love can't bind your heart' in my mind. That's when I realized I couldn't go through with it. Your love bound my heart and I prayed to God I hadn't destroyed us." "As I was waiting for the valet to bring my car one of the women from the bar walked up to me and said, 'Your husband is going to love you in that dress.' Then she gave me a hug and said, 'Be good.'" "I believe she was my guardian angel." Michelle dropped to her knees and begged, "Brian, I can only pray you are a better person than I am. I don't deserve anything but if you give me a second chance, I swear I will never again let you down.." "You made a fool of me, of our marriage. I still love you but don't know if I can ever trust you again?" Michelle's face lit up, "You said you still love me!" Then she did the unexpected. Michelle grabbed the divorce petition and signed it without reading a word. She handed it to me and said, "Let this be the Sword of Damocles hanging over my head. If I lied about anything or if I ever again give you reason to doubt my fidelity or my word take it down to the courthouse and record it. I'll leave with only the shirt on my back." I was very impressed. "Get over here and give your husband a kiss." WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT. DEVIL OR ANGEL, YOU DECIDE.