Why Give Her Anything?

I'm Jim, 27. My wife, Jen, is also 27. We met through a friend when we were both 22. Jen and I dated for two years. She moved in together when we were 24 and we married a year later. We have no children but we've talked about having two.

Jen got her realtor's license after we graduated college and got a job at a local agency. Her company sells homes but also rents properties they manage. I work as the assistant manager at one of the local superstores of a large national retail chain. We are open twenty-four hours a day and a manager or an assistant manager is in the store twenty-four hours. My current work hours are 4pm to midnight Wednesday through Sunday. I'm making good money and am hoping for a store manager position soon.

Jen and my schedules coincide somewhat. Most real estate work, showing houses, is on Saturdays and Sundays or in the evenings. Jen goes into the office during the day to field calls from new buyers and sellers and to meet clients but takes off Mondays and Tuesdays, the days I'm off. When she shows houses in the evenings, I'm at work. Each month, Jen is one of the top salespeople at her company. So she does nicely too.

We bought a house in the spring of 2024. Mortgage rates were high then so we decided to purchase a house when we had the cash to buy it outright. We saved up. Rather, I saved up. Jen uses her income to buy nice clothes, to "dress for success," and, about the time we bought the house, she leased a brand new Mercedes sedan. To impress clients, she said. So the money for the house came almost entirely from me. Jen found us a house in a great location at a good price. It's a nice but modest first home. Once we start a family we'll need something bigger. I didn't mind contributing pretty much all the money for the house purchase. I don't need new cars and expensive clothing. I believe the money each spouse earns belongs to both spouses. But I didn't think she needed a new Mercedes when we were already depleting our savings to buy the house. So I refused to co-sign the lease for the Mercedes. Despite my misgivings, Jen leased the Mercedes herself.

Jen always calls me when she gets home from work. That's usually not later than 8pm if she's showing houses. If the buyer is ready to offer a contract, they go back to her office to write it up and send it to the seller, if it's Jen's client, or the seller's realtor. If she goes back to the office, she gets home later but usually not after 9pm.

One Wednesday late last year, Jen called me a little after 8pm to tell me she's home. I normally ask about her day when she calls and she tells me about her clients, what houses she's shown and what contracts she's written. She said, "The couple I've been showing houses to finally put a contract on a house. They offered over list price. The sellers should be pleased. It will be a nice commission if the contract is accepted. The buyers really want this place so however the owners respond to this offer, it should eventually go through."

"Do you have anything else on the fire?"

"The contract I just did is the last of the serious buyers I have. There are other people I'm showing houses to but they're mostly 'looky lews'. After I drop you at the airport, I'm going in to answer the phones. Maybe I'll get someone who's serious about buying something. Or a new seller. We have to get up early tomorrow and I'm exhausted. I thought I'd go to sleep early. I'll be asleep when you get home tonight. When do we have to leave for the airport?"

I was flying to the quarterly management meeting at corporate headquarters the next day, Thursday. The store manager usually goes to these but my manager asked me to go in his stead. He's retiring soon and is grooming me for the manager's slot. He wants the bigwigs to get to know me. I told Jen, "My flight's at 9am. I need to leave for the airport no later than 7."

"What time Saturday night are you back?"

"My flight is at 7:10pm. I should arrive just after 9:30. Are you still able to pick me up at the airport?"

"I'll be in the airport's car waiting area so call when you're off the plane and I'll come get you." We got off.

At a little after 9pm that Wednesday, I bought a bottle of cold soda from the refrigerated case near the cashiers. I opened it when I got back to my office and put it on my desk. I reached for an employee's time sheet and spilled the soda all over my pants. I can't walk around like I just pissed myself so I decided to run home to change. One of the nice things about the house we purchased is that it's ten minutes from my job. I parked in the driveway not wanting the garage door to wake Jen. I assumed Jen would be asleep so I opened and closed the front door quietly and tip-toed up the stairs to our bedroom. I'd grab clothes and change downstairs without waking Jen.

When I got to the bedroom, Jen wasn't in bed. The bed was still made. I looked in the guest bedroom, around the house and in the backyard. Her Mercedes wasn't in the garage. Jen was nowhere. Maybe she needed something at the store. Or there was some emergency. I called her cell. She picked up after three rings and I asked, trying to keep my voice calm, "What are you up to?"

Jen sounded like she was out of breath but answered, "I was asleep. I told you I was going to bed early. Why are you calling? Is something wrong?" She was irritated. But she sure wasn't in our bed asleep.

"Sorry, I wanted to hear your voice and say goodnight. It's early so I thought you'd still be up. Go back to sleep."

"That's so sweet, Honey. But we're getting up early and I told you I was going right to bed. There's nothing wrong?"

"No, everything's fine. I'll let you get back to sleep. I'll try not to wake you when I get home. Pleasant dreams." We each said, "Love you," and got off.

So if Jen was sleeping it was somewhere else. For safety reasons, we each have tracking apps on our phone. The tracking app said she was at a house about twenty miles away. I entered the address in Google. It's a furnished rental property that Jen's company is trying to rent.

I changed clothes and took the soiled clothes back to work. I didn't want Jen to know I returned home to change. Why would Jen tell me she's in bed at home when she's at some rental property across town? I could think about nothing else and I was useless for the remainder of my shift. Jen was asleep in our bed when I got home from work. I didn't sleep that night, still trying to figure out why Jen would say she's at home when she's not. There was only one obvious explanation. I hoped I was wrong.

The next morning, we got to the airport well before my flight. I finally decided last night to hire a P. I. I had to find out what's going on. Maybe it's all innocent. My store works with a security company that has a local office. They monitor cameras inside and outside the store looking for thieves. If they see something, they call security in our store. I called my local contact, Bill, at the security company. Bill asked, "What's up. Do you have an increase in shrinkage. We aren't seeing anything unusual." Shrinkage is the industry term for theft.

"No, I'm calling for personal reasons. Can you recommend a good P. I."

I know he guessed why I needed one but had the decency not to ask, "When we're asked to investigate employee theft, we use a company that's real good at surveillance." He gave me the name and phone number for the company, "Ask for Abby, she's the owner. I'll call her now while you're on the phone and tell her to expect your call. Make sure she's there and knows you're calling." He put me on hold but came back on a short time later, "OK, she's waiting for your call."

I thanked him and looked at my watch. They probably wouldn't call my flight for another thirty minutes. I called the number he gave me, gave my name and asked for Abby. They transferred me to her.

"This is Abby." I gave my name again and she said, "Bill said you'd call. What can I help you with?"

I explained, "I get off work at midnight but I went home last night around 9:30 to pick up something. Earlier when we talked, my wife Jen told me that she was going right to bed. But she wasn't there when I got home. I called her and she told me she was home asleep. The tracking app we have on our phones said she was across town in a property her company is trying to rent. Something's not right. I need to know what's going on."

"Did you ask her about it?"

"No, I didn't confront her. She lied to me about where she was. If I'd asked her about it, I was afraid I'd just get more lies. She told me she was going to sleep to make sure I wouldn't call her later. Since I did call her, she may think I'm checking up on her. She probably had a story ready in case I told her I knew she wasn't home. Regardless, I don't think she'd have told me the truth. That's why I'm calling you."

Abby explained what's involved and what it will cost to follow Jen around. A lot of money but I agreed to the charges. "Give me her full name, home address, work address, the address of this rental property and a description of the car she drives. Email me Jen's picture, a good picture of her face and body. We can get started this weekend."

"Well, here's the thing. I'm at the airport now leaving for a work conference. I'll be back Saturday night. If Jen is up to something, she's likely to do it while I'm away. She's supposed to be at work now. Can you start today?"

"I need a retainer to get started. But we can get on her this afternoon. If she is seeing someone, how much do you want to know about him or her?"

"I want to know everything. Do you take credit cards?"

"Absolutely." I gave Abby a credit card solely in my name, a left-over card from before we married, not one of our joint cards. I didn't want Jen to see the charge.

I got a phone call from Abby late the following morning, Friday, while I was in a seminar at the conference. I left the room to take Abby's call. Abby said, "Your suspicions are correct. Last night, Jen had a male visitor at your home. He spent the night. I have pictures of him coming and going."

My heart sank. I was devastated, "Do you know who he is?"

"We traced him through his license plate. It's Jen's boss, Mark."

"I've met him. Can you send me the pictures you took?

Abby did while we were still on the phone. It was Mark. I've met him at Jen's work parties. He's in his mid-thirty's, in decent shape and is always dressed expensively and impeccably. The pictures of my wife with Mark were hard to look at. They showed Mark coming up the stairs of my front porch, my wife opening the front door and them passionately kissing. He carried Jen inside. The kissing was bad enough but the pictures of him leaving early the next morning were even worse. They were kissing lovingly at the front door saying goodbye. Lots of pictures of them kissing. Then pictures of Mark opening Jen's robe and slipping his hand inside. With the robe open it was clear Jen had nothing on underneath.

"It's Mark. I've met him and Jen has talked about him but I don't know much about him. Have you been able to look into him?"

"Married, two children. I'm going to send you his cell phone and his wife's. In case you need them. He has a broker's license and manages the office Jen works out of. But his father-in-law, whom everyone calls Mr. B for some reason, owns the real estate agency. Mark's an employee just like your wife. We really haven't started to dig into him. Do you want us to find out more about him? We can get his financials, maybe even find out how his marriage is going and how serious this is with Jen. Also, do you want us to keep following Jen?"

"What's the story with the house where Jen was when she was supposed to be home in bed?"

"It's a fully furnished rental property that's currently empty. A good place for hookups. No one would bother them there. But since you're out of town, they didn't need to use it. Your house was available last night. And tonight, I guess. Do you want us to stop now or continue on Jen?"

"I have enough on Jen so you can stop surveillance on her. I need to talk to a lawyer and if the lawyer wants more, we'll start it back up. But I want to know everything about Mark, down to his shoe size."

"We'll have his shoe size and everything else about him by next week. I'll call you as soon as I have anything." We got off.

I went back into the seminar but it was just someplace to sit and think. "So my loving wife is playing around. There's no coming back from that. I'll need a divorce lawyer. First thing Monday. I guess I should look up divorce procedures in my state." Then I thought, "Bob is here at the conference. He was an assistant manager along with me in the store I'm working at. The story I heard is that his wife cheated on him and he divorced her. About a year ago now, I think. He wanted a new start so he transferred to another store in another town. He's here at the conference instead of his manager probably for the same reason my manager sent me. He should be able to tell me about divorce in my state. I'll find him at lunch and pick his brain."

The seminar seemed to go on forever, I didn't hear a word of it, but lunch time finally arrived. I found Bob in the lunchroom they catered for conference attendees, "I need to talk to you about something. But it's very sensitive so I'd like to do it in private. Just the two of us. Can we move to a smaller table? Is that OK?"

"Sure" We moved to a table in a corner that seated two, "What's up Jim?"

"I need you to tell me about your divorce. Not your particulars but what's involved in our state?"

"I'm sorry to hear that but OK. It's a no-fault state. Nothing you did or your wife did enter into the divorce. It's just a division of property. Plus alimony and child support."

"So you can't use infidelity to divorce here?"

"No. But you can threaten to expose the infidelity to embarrass your spouse or her boyfriend. A sort of incentive to get your spouse to sign a more favorable agreement. Favorable to you. Basically, you split everything 50-50 and then decide on alimony, child custody and child support if that's applicable. Then you submit your agreement to a judge who grants the divorce."

"What if you can't agree?"

"Then you go before a judge who settles any disagreements. But you never want to go before a judge. You want to submit an agreement that the judge just looks over and signs off on. Judges favor wives. Stay away from judges. You don't want a judge to decide anything."

"How is alimony decided?"

"From what I remember there's a formula in our state that judges are supposed to follow. I can tell you what we did. My ex was working but I made significantly more than her. My attorney calculated something like forty percent of my income minus fifty percent of her income as the alimony. My attorney said that's what a judge expects to see in an agreement. If you have to see a judge because you can't agree, that's what the judge is supposed to do. But the judge can do whatever the judge wants. Also, alimony is supposed to last the number of years you've been married. Unless it's over ten years I think. But you've been married only a couple of years, right?"

"Three next June."

"Unless one of you can buy out the other, your house is sold and you two split whatever equity that's there. Same with everything else you own. Savings, stocks, bonds, cars, whatever. What's going on with you two? I always thought you were the perfect couple."

"So did I but Jen is cheating on me with her boss. I'm going to divorce her but I don't want to give her half of my stuff."

He laughed and said, "Good luck with that." I asked for the contact info for the lawyer he used. He texted it to me. We talked a little about what the attorney is going to cost me. That ended our discussion about divorce. We spent the rest of lunch staring down at our plates while we ate.

The rest of the day I spent in meetings I had to attend but thinking about my upcoming divorce, "I don't want Jen to get half the house. The money to purchase the house came from me. I sold stocks I invested in before we were married to buy that house. I emptied the savings account I started as a pre-teen and added to all my life to buy that house. Jen was spending her money on clothes and a fancy car. She spent her income on her. I spent my income on us. There are no leans on the house so half the net sale price would go to her. I made about twice what she made last year. I'm going to have to pay her alimony? She's going to be rewarded for cheating on me? That's just not right. I'll see a lawyer next week but I've heard enough stories to know that what Bob told me at lunch was true. A lawyer will tell me the same. It's going to cost me a lot of money to get rid of Jen."

I skipped dinner and took a walk instead. "How to get rid of her without giving her half of my property? My life with Jen is over but just divorcing her is not enough. Maybe some guys can just leave, divorce and walk away. Not me. I'm furious at her betrayal. She needs to suffer. So does her lover."

I didn't sleep that night. I couldn't think of how to prevent Jen from profiting from her adultery or come up with the perfect payback for them. Nothing I thought of seemed to be enough of a punishment or a way to keep Jen from taking what's mine.

It came to me in the middle of the night. If I could get it to work, it was perfect. I looked on the internet to see if I can set up a prepaid burner phone but hide my identity from those I text. I can. I went out and bought a burner at a twenty-four hour store. I paid cash. I set up the phone. It came with enough data for the texting I'll need to do.

Then I sat down, took the pad of note paper in the hotel room and figured out what the divorce would cost me. Half the house, throw in the furniture, what's left in our bank account, what I thought my P. I. and attorney fees would come to. Then alimony for three years using the formula Bob said is used in our state. It would probably cost me upwards of $175,000. Add in my pain and suffering, I figure Jen and Mark will owe me about $200,000 from the divorce. A nice round number. It was the middle of the night but I texted Abby that I wanted as much information about Mark's finances as she can find out. She'll see it when she wakes up. I got in bed and immediately fell asleep.

I thought I'd wait for Abby's report on Mark before I started. I wanted to know what Mark was worth and hopefully Abby would be able to tell me. I flew home Saturday and Jen got me at the airport. One of the problems with my plan is that I had to act as if I knew nothing of Jen's adultery. I had to act normal, hide my anger, continue to be the loving, clueless husband. Any hint that I knew about their adultery would derail my plans.

That would require a lot of effort. I'd have to share a bed with her and interact with her as if everything was the same as always. Maybe for weeks or months. How long depended on how much money Mark had.

Paying Abby with a credit card could be a problem. During the divorce, her attorney will have our financials but if I agree to everything, they won't have any reason to look through my credit card charges. For my plan to work, they can't know I hired a P. I. and found out about Jen's adultery way earlier than when I confront her and initiate the divorce. I decided to wait to even get an attorney until this was over.

Abby called me at home Monday afternoon while Jen was out at the hairdressers. I answered, "That was fast."

Abby answered, "Realtors work weekends and so do we. So we could start right away. Mark is married to a woman named Marie. Marie has a substantial trust fund from her grandparents. Their house and cars were purchased using money from her trust fund. Her father, Mr. B, is also wealthy and is semi-retired. He and Marie's mother spend much of their time in Florida. Mr. B owns the agency. As long as he gets his share, he's content to let Mark run the company.

"Mark does not have access to his wife's trust fund. His salary goes into a joint account. Their checking and savings are in that one account. About $45,000. There's also a brokerage account with about $90,000 in stocks and bonds. Her trust, their savings and brokerage account are all at one institution. Mark has a safe deposit box. It's at a different bank than the one where they do the rest of their banking. It's solely in Mark's name. I'm pretty sure Mark is hiding it from Marie. That's why he doesn't have it at the bank they use for everything else and why the box is only in his name."

Abby continued, "This is not Mark's first affair, just his latest. He seems to go after married women who work for him. I don't know if this is Jen's first or not. Jen and Mark are trying to keep their affair secret from the other employees but everyone in their office knows."

"How do you know all this?"

"The financial stuff we got from someone who works at the bank and owes me a favor. I helped her out of a bad situation. She's happily married even though she shouldn't be and she has me to thank for that. Anyway, Mark's and Marie's banking, investments and Marie's trust are at her institution. Once we found out where they have their money, with a little arm twisting, she wants to remain happily married, I had her pull their bank and broker statements and the terms of her trust.

"We found out about Mark's safe deposit box because Saturday morning we followed him into the bank where the box is. After Mark and the bank clerk left for the vault, my operative walked up to the clerk's desk like he was waiting to get into his safe deposit box. The bank clerk left the card Mark had to sign to get access to the box on his desk. Do you want the bank and his box number?"

"Yes, please text it to me." She did.

"Mark has to have an account at that bank to get a safe deposit box there but I don't know what's in that account or in the box. It's a small regional bank and I don't know anyone at that bank.

"The personal stuff we found out from one of Jen's co-workers, a receptionist who's in her late thirties. She's worked there since before Mark and Marie married over ten years ago and before Jen started working there.

"My guy met her when she was eating lunch at a deli near her work. She was pretty open about Mark, his past affairs and the current one with Jen. She claims everyone knows about them even though they're trying to keep it a secret. Mark has had other affairs with women in the office. The other women all are gone. His affairs always end with the other woman leaving the company.

"The receptionist thinks this is Jen's first time cheating. At least with someone in their office. They've been using the furnished rental property for their hook ups. It's the property you found on your tracking app and is the only property Mark manages himself. And is supposedly trying to rent. According to this receptionist, Mark has been blowing off potential renters. It's his and Jen's place and they want to keep it for themselves."

"Is the receptionist Ginger, a redhead?"

She paused, I guess looking through her notes, "Yes, her name is Ginger."

"And your guy got all this over lunch?" I couldn't hide the skepticism in my voice.

"My guy is very good at this. He's very good looking, charming and easy to talk to. Women adore him. They tell him whatever he wants to know. The information he gets by just talking to people always pans out. And it wasn't just over lunch. They went to a hotel after they ate so much of what he got was pillow talk. How well do you know this Ginger?"

"I met her and her husband at a couple of Christmas parties."

"Opps. He also asked Ginger about Mark's marriage. According to her, Mark's wife Marie suspects nothing. She thinks he's working long hours to impress her daddy. She's very proud of him. Ginger also told my guy that Mark and Marie signed a pre-nup. The pre-nup has an infidelity clause. If he's unfaithful and they divorce, Mark gets only what he brought to the marriage, nothing, and he forfeits any claim to their savings and stocks."

"How does Ginger know about the pre-nup?"

"My guy asked Ginger that very question. Pre-nups are generally not public information. He said Ginger told him that she and Mr. B were very close during the time Mark and Marie got engaged and married. In other words, Ginger was sleeping with Mr. B. Mr. B told Ginger he insisted on the pre-nup. If Marie finds out he's cheating, Mark is out on the street with just the clothes on his back. Not any part of their savings, the house, cars or her trust. And he'll be out of a job."

"I still don't understand why Ginger would tell all this to a stranger. At lunch or even later in bed."

"I don't know how he does it but it's not that hard to imagine. She's eating lunch alone. There's a chair available at her table. He gets a sandwich at the counter and asks her if the empty chair is taken. As soon as Ginger sees him she starts to tingle all over. Of course he can join her. He introduces himself. He makes up some story about what he does for work and asks her what she does. Just casual conversation between strangers who happen to be at the same table eating lunch. She tells him she works in a real estate office. He says that he's heard that real estate offices are hotbeds for hookups and scandal. Everyone is sleeping with everyone else. Is her office like that? She figures he doesn't know any of these people so why not amuse him with some gossip about Jen and Mark. So she entertains him and he asks questions, 'Where do they hook up?', 'What about their spouses?' He's just fascinated by everything she says so she keeps talking. They decide to continue at a hotel. Maybe she embellishes a little but the basic facts are true. My guy is a master at this sort of stuff."

"Yeah, I can see how that would work. How did he know to approach Ginger?"

"We looked at all the current employees where Jen works. She's been there the longest and she's in the office all day. She's not popping in and out seeing clients. It's always the receptionist or secretary or assistant who see and hear everything. And know everything. We got lucky with Ginger. She likes to gossip.

"We have pretty much everything we're going to find out about Mark. I'd like to know what's in the safe deposit box that his wife doesn't know about but I'm not going to break into a bank to find out. Unless there's more you want to know about Jen, I think we've done all we can."

I thanked her and asked her to email me her invoice, not mail it to my home. We ended the call.

So Mark has no money of his own beyond their savings. A nice amount of money but not enough to cover what they'll owe me for the divorce. He doesn't have access to his wife's trust fund. Disappointing but I don't want her money anyway. I want his. Maybe my plan won't work after all.

I decided I need to know what Jen and Mark were planning. Were they going to ride off into the sunset together? Divorce their spouses and life happily ever after? Were they just going to continue until one of them is caught or one gets tired of the other? I figured the best way to find out about their plans is to look through Jen's phone. I had absolutely no qualms about doing that.

Jen and I have never looked through each other's phones. At least I've never looked through hers. We've used each other's phone for calls, but I've never searched her emails or texts. But it hasn't become a permanent extension of her hand and she doesn't hide it from me. I know her password.

Mondays and Tuesdays, I'm off work and Jen usually takes off too. We are both gym rats so we spend part of both days working out together. Then we usually do our weekly shopping or do something else together and then go out to dinner. If we're going to be intimate, it's going to be on a Monday or Tuesday. And only if I initiate it. We used to do it before Jen went to work. But those days are over. Now she's always in a rush to leave for work. Mondays and Tuesdays have become iffy lately too. She's always too tired.

That Tuesday, the day after I talked with Abby, I had to go in to work. The woman who works my shift on my days off had an emergency. As usual, Jen was asleep when I got home. Her phone was on the charger next to her bed. I grabbed it and left the bedroom. I put in Jen's six-digit PIN to open it. It didn't work; she'd changed her PIN. I made two more attempts using possible PIN's but no go. Our phones have face ID so I put in front of Jen's face to open it. Jen was sleeping on her stomach and not enough of her face was visible to open the phone.

Jen has an iPad that copies her texts and has her personal and business email accounts. I set all that up for her when she purchased the iPad. It was in the living room and she hadn't changed its PIN.

I spent the next two hours going through it. Social media, emails, texts. Everything was in her texts with Mark. Plans to meet up, discussions about how clueless their spouses were, and their plans for the future. Here's some of what I found:

Jen: "When are we going to stop sneaking around? Sooner or later, we'll be caught. I just want us to be together without all this stress. And without having to rush home."

Mark: "I talked to the franchise people at [a national real estate chain] again today. It's going to take about $300,000 to purchase a franchise and get going. They won't budge. They want it all up front. Once we have the money, we can get divorces and be together. But I can't do that until I have the money and don't need Marie's money or her father's job."

Jen: "I'll have at least $100,000, maybe more, once we sell the house. But I'll get that money only if we're divorcing. I can tell him I want a divorce now and probably have my half of the house sale fairly quickly. We don't need to wait until the divorce to sell the house. But I won't get any alimony until I'm divorced. But you'll still have to sneak around. How close are you to having the rest?"

Mark: "I have about $160,000 in cash in a safe deposit box. That money's safe. My wife and her attorneys will never know about it. But that's not enough. We'll need to rent space, probably have to redecorate that space and hire people. I'd like to take some of the people from our office but you and I are a good beginning. I figure, with your $100K, we'll need another $60 or $70K at least. It may take me a year to put that much away. I'll divorce Marie when I have enough for us to buy the franchise but the divorce has to be final before we open our own agency. Otherwise, Marie will take half of it in a divorce. All of it if she finds out about our affair before the divorce. I'll also be out of a job once I ask for a divorce. So we'll have to live off what Jim gives you for a while.

"If you divorce Jim now, he probably won't be very generous with his money until your divorce is final. You'll have to start paying for things with your own money. A place to live and day to day expenses. Once you're divorced, he should be giving you enough for us to live off of until we get up and running. But it will be tough until then. Let me think about you starting divorce proceedings. We can talk some more. There's no rush. We're at least a year away from having enough money.

"If Jim throws you out, I have a place you can rent. We've already tried out the bed [he included a smiley face here]. The owner is really bugging me about getting it rented. Two birds with one stone: you rent it and we can still use it to be together."

Jen: "Trust me on this. Jim is going to be the one to leave. You can rent the place to him and we can be at my place. Win-Win [another smiley face]."

Mark: "I think you should hold off telling him you want a divorce until we've talked about it more. We really have to think it through so it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass."

Jen: "OK, but I'm getting tired of sneaking around. I understand that you still have to but I don't. It was so nice when he was away and we were in my house, in my bed together all night. That's what I want."

There were months of these texts. They were very careful. No texts when Jen and I were together. Most of them were probably when they were in the office, fifteen feet apart but texting each other like mad. They talked about their plans but also talked about their spouses. They laughed at the lies they told us and we believed. I was wondering how Mark could spend the night with my wife when I was away. Where did he tell his wife he was all night? He texted Jen that he told his wife he had to go on a sudden business trip. Of course.

The texts about divorcing me were from the last few weeks. I needed to get started. If Jen asks me for a divorce before I take action, my plan won't work. It looks like $200,000 is a good amount. I'm going to blackmail Jen and Mark for that amount. And I'll do it all through texts to them from my burner phone.

I couldn't figure out how he managed to hide $160,000, in cash, from his wife or even where he got that kind of money. The next morning I called Abby and told her what's in Mark's safe deposit box and how I found out, "Where do you think the money came from?"

Abby replied, "Let's see. He's not getting it from home sales. They're all done through a closing agent, a title company, and it's all checks. His company manages properties. He could have his own renters who pay him rent in cash but that's very cumbersome. Besides finding renters who will pay rent in cash, he has to pay the owner his draw in cash too. Cash is problematic and obviously shady. It's more likely that he's getting cash kickbacks from the vendors, electricians, plumbers, other tradesmen, he's using for repairs at the properties the company manages. All of that is contracted for by the management company and the costs are passed on to the owner. He's probably the one who hires the tradesmen or service people. He charges the property owner enough to cover his kickback and he hires only tradesmen who are willing to play along. If he's been doing that for over ten years, it can add up to a lot of money. I can have my guy see if he can find out from Ginger if you want."

Another hotel bill I'd have to pay. "No, what you said makes sense to me. Ultimately, it doesn't matter to me how he got the money. I was just curious. Thanks." We got off.

The problem with my blackmail scheme is convincing them that I'm not the blackmailer. They would initially think it's me or Mark's wife. Maybe Mark would think it was Jen trying to get his money but they would most likely think it's one of their spouses. Probably me.

I can solve that problem if, first, I never let on that I know about Jen's adultery. So the blackmail evidence I use can't be anything only I could have known about. I have to be very careful. The best thing is if they each think the other one is the blackmailer. I'll try to encourage them to think that.

Second, if they received a text while Jen and I are together she'll see I couldn't have written and sent the text. Can I delay delivery of a text I wrote earlier? I looked on the internet to see if it was possible to do. It is. I'll write a text but delay it's delivery to their phones until I'm sure I'll be with Jen.

I sent two of the photos of Jen and Mark I got from Abby from my real phone to the burner phone. I wrote a text to Jen and Mark to send later:

"MARK & JENNIFER ARE CHEATERS. Hi Mark and Jennifer. I've attached a nice picture you might want to share with your spouses, family and friends. I just want to check if I have the correct phone numbers for your spouses' [I included my real cell number and the phone number Abby gave me for Marie]. I'll be talking to them soon. P. S. Jennifer, you look like you might need a bit of a trim. You don't want your neighbors to think you're letting yourself go."

I attached the picture of Mark leaving my house. The picture of them kissing and with his hand inside Jen's open robe. It was timestamped last Friday morning. Now I just have to deliver it when I know Jen and I will be together. When I got home from work that night, I disconnected one of the battery cables in Jen's Mercedes.

The next morning, Jen shook me awake, "My car won't start. Can you try to find out what's wrong with it? Can you take me to work?"

"Is there coffee?"

"I'll put some in a travel mug. I've got to get to work. Get moving."

Jen went downstairs. I scheduled my text to be delivered to Jen and Mark about the time Jen and I would be halfway to her job. When I'm driving and clearly not texting.

Actually, she got it as we were pulling up to her office. She glanced at the pop-up notice on her phone and saw, "MARK & JENNIFER ARE CHEATERS." She looked at me to see if I saw the pop up. I was looking straight ahead. She turned her phone away from me to read the text and then immediately closed the phone. I pulled up and it took her a minute realize that we were at her office. She looked to see if she could read anything on my face. I smiled and said, "Have a great day, Honey. I'll see about your car as soon as I get home. I'll try to get the dealership to take it today."

She couldn't read anything on my face so she opened the door, said, "Thanks," and hurried inside.

I yelled, "Love you," but she must not have heard me.

My burner was turned off in my jacket. I pulled the car over a few blocks from Jen's office to see if they responded. I got a voice message and a reply to my text from Mark. I didn't change the generic voice asking the caller to leave a message so he wouldn't hear my voice. They're never going to hear my voice. Both the voice message and the text from Mark were the same, "Who are you? What do you want?"

I texted back, "Your worst nightmare. I'm going to expose you and Jennifer."

"You can't do that. This is none of your business. Why are you doing this?"

"I don't like cheaters. I'm making it my business."

"I can pay you. Just don't tell my wife. It would ruin me."

I didn't reply. Let them stew for a while. Jen had her iPad with her but they're probably talking, not texting each other. But they will tonight. I'll take a look when I get home from work.

Jen called me about noon, very cheerful voice, "Hi Honey, were you able to get my car looked at?"

"It was just a loose cable. It happens. It's fine now. I was about to call you. I can bring it by now. Maybe, we can have lunch together."

"That would be wonderful. See you soon."

We went to the deli near Jen's office. I held her hand as we walked there. Just like a loving husband should. We didn't talk until we were seated, "Jen, you really seemed distracted when I drove you in this morning. Are you OK? A problem at work?"

"I got a concerning text in the car about a contract that may fall through. A big sale. I spent all morning trying to save the sale. I think I may have. I'm sorry if I didn't say goodbye and thank you when you dropped me. But I'm glad we got to have lunch together. I'm worried about you. You seem distant, like you're worried about something. Since your work trip. Did something happen? Is it something I've done? You can tell me. I love you. If you're upset with me about something, let's clear up any misunderstandings. You can tell me anything. Or ask me anything." She was holding my hand and had the sweetest smile on her face.

"I'm sorry if I seem distant but there's nothing. Nothing happened when I was away. Things are great between you and me. Work is good. I'm not upset about anything. I have no complaints. I'll try to act less distant." I smiled and squeezed her hand. The remainder of lunch we chatted about taking a vacation. She dropped me at home and went back to work.

I got home from work that night and opened Jen's iPad. I mentioned that Jen calls me at work when she gets home. She called me around 6pm. Her texts with Mark started about an hour later.

Mark: "I'm home and Marie is here. I can't talk. Text me."

Jen: "I don't see why we can't see each other. Whoever this is already knows about us."

Mark: "I think this guy only saw us at your house. I can probably talk my way out of one mistake, one night. I can't talk my way out of a series of pictures like that. No more meetings until we know who this is and what they want. We spent almost all day today together in my office talking about this. That was probably too risky. It could be someone in the office. You really don't think it's your husband?"

Jen: "No, he has no idea about us. I told you I got the text when we were in the car together. It wasn't from him. I also spent the last hour looking through his stuff for a second phone. Nothing. I tried to get him to talk about any problems he has with me. He thinks we're happily married. He wanted to talk about the two of us going away together for a couple of weeks. If he knew about you and me he'd be yelling and screaming, not planning a vacation with me. It's not Jim."

Mark: "The picture is from outside your front door. Could it be one of you neighbors? The guy mentioned neighbors in his text."

Jen: "It could be but I doubt it. A neighbor isn't going to know who you and Marie are and have your phone numbers. If it's not Mark or Marie, we won't be able to guess who it is. We have to wait for him to tell us or give himself away. Maybe he'll want to meet up with us. All we know now is that he took a compromising picture of us and he knows who we all are."

Mark: "If we don't hear back from him tonight or in the morning we'll have to figure out what to do next. Do we do nothing and wait for him or do we push it and text him? He hasn't done anything yet. Marie is her usual self, so she doesn't know. How was Jim when you talked to him?"

Jen: "His usual self." They expressed their undying love for one another and said goodnight.

The next morning, I texted them from the burner: "$200,000 in cash and this all goes away."

I guess they decided that Mark would be the one to deal with me: "Are you crazy. We don't have that kind of money. Maybe I can come up with $10,000 but that's it."

Me: "If that's all you have, I'll take $10,000. But your spouses will get lots of pictures of you two together. Lots of pictures of the two of you in the furnished rental you manage, more pictures of you two at Jennifer's. I'm sure you have much more than $10,000 in the safe deposit box that Marie doesn't know about. Something else I'll have to tell her about. $200K is the number. Not a penny less."

Mark: "I don't have any safe deposit box and I don't have anywhere near that amount of money. You can't tell our spouses. You have to be reasonable." I texted them the box number and the bank he uses for his safe deposit box. There was nothing for over minute, then "We'll have to get back to you. Give us a couple of days. Don't do anything."

I looked at Jen's iPad that night when I got home from work. Their texts were mostly about trying to figure out who I was. "He must work at the bank. How else would he know about my safe deposit box?" "He must work in our office. How would he know about the furnished rental we use?"

Mark: "It has to be Jim. He must be reading our texts."

Jen: "It's not Jim. This is way too sophisticated for him. He's not a complicated man. It's not his style. A tantrum is more his style. He doesn't know about us. If he did, we'd know it and so would everyone else who could hear him yelling at me."

That was hurtful. I decided to have some fun with Jen. Fuck with her some.

Saturday morning, I texted her from the burner. I didn't include Mark on the text.

Me: "My friends and I have our weekly card game tonight. We hire a girl to serve drinks and empty ashtrays and perform other services. The one we hired bugged out so tonight you're the girl. You need to go buy the smallest bikini you can find. You'll need my approval of the bikini so text me pictures of you in the bikini from the store. Front and back. I'll pick you up tonight at 7pm. The card game will wrap up about dawn. You'll be entertaining until then."

Jen: "I'm not serving drinks in a skimpy bikini. Are you out of your mind? What am I supposed to tell my husband where I was all night? If you want to get together, just you and me, I'm up for that but I'm not going to be your party girl."

Me: "Don't worry, if you're concerned about wearing a revealing bikini in front of a bunch of horny men, you won't be wearing it for very long. Sort of a waste of money buying it but maybe you can wear it for Mark. As for your husband, tell him you're going to spend the night with your lover. If you want, I can call him and explain all that to him. I certainly will be explaining it to him if you don't come to our card game. I don't need your money, just Mark's."

Jen: "So tell Jim. I don't care. I'm going to divorce him anyway. He can't use adultery against me in a divorce. The divorce will just be sooner. Good."

Me: "No problem. I'll contact him right after we're done here. I don't know Jim. Actually, I've never met any of you. So you tell me. Is Jim the sort of guy who won't tell Mark's wife that Mark is cheating on her with you? Think he'll just let Mark off the hook? I know I'd tell her if I were Jim."

Jen, after a long pause: "If Jim and Marie know, you won't see a dime. There's no longer any reason to pay you the blackmail money. You're not telling Jim anything. You can't take the chance."

Me: "I really don't care about the money. Mark suggested money to keep me from telling your spouses. I accepted. But if I don't get any money, I'm no worse off than I was. It's more important to me to see two cheaters punished. I'm happy either way. You're the one who can't take the chance."

Jen, after a much longer pause: "I'm not sleeping with these guys. If that's what you think you can find yourself another girl. I don't mind wearing a bikini or serving drinks. But I don't want them touching me. I can come up with a story for my husband. But I'm not coming if you and your friends aren't going to behave."

Me: "About you fucking the guys, let's see what happens. You may get into it. These guys can be touchy but it's nothing you can't handle. Maybe a kiss or two for a lucky winner. Maybe a few slaps and tickles. But no one is going to have sex with you without your consent. It's an easygoing, fun card party. Lots of drinking. You'll enjoy yourself. You'll be the center of attention all night. I'll pick you up at the grocery entrance to Mark's store at 7pm tonight. You will be wearing a coat over your bikini. And shoes. Nothing else. If you're not there at 7, I'll walk in the store and find Jim. I'll have all the pictures of you and Mark with me."

Jen: "I'll be there at 7. The moment I feel unsafe at your party, I'm leaving. If I do this, you have to reduce the amount of money you're asking for. Substantially."

"You're going to enjoy yourself so much you should be paying me."

Jen texted selfies of her in her bikini, front and back, to my burner. It was really skimpy. Jen must have gotten a wax. Nothing hairy about her in her pictures. She was really getting into this. I told her the bikini was fine but asked, "Can you buy it without the top? You don't need the top." She didn't respond.

Jen called me at work as usual when she arrived home, this time around 5pm, "I'm home but my mother called. She's sick. I'm going to drive there tonight and probably stay overnight. If she's better in the morning I'll come home tomorrow. Hopefully, early tomorrow."

"I hope your mother feels better. Give her my best. Call me when you get to your mother's."

Nothing from Jen for a few seconds. She hadn't considered that I would expect her to call her when she arrived at her mother's. She couldn't very well call me from the card game between slaps and tickles. "I'll try to call you but I'll have to deal with my mother. You know what's she's like. I'll definitely call you in the morning."

"Can't you call from the car when you're pulling up to your parents?"

Another long pause, then, "I'll try but don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll call you in the morning." She was getting frustrated. Why couldn't I just drop the stupid phone call.

"OK, drive carefully. Call if you can." We hung up. Now for the next act.

Marcie is an older woman who is lead cashier during the four to midnight shift. She works my shift because it pays better than days. She's been there for years. She's also met Jen many times at Christmas parties and other events. Marcie goes out on her break to smoke every evening at 7pm. She goes in and out of the grocery store entrance and will see Jen standing in front of the store. When the shift started at 4pm, the first thing I checked was if Marcie was at work. She was.

Marcie knocked on my office door a little after 7pm. "You wife is out front. She looks like she's lost."

I got up and said, "I didn't know she was here. Where is she?"

"At the grocery entrance. Nice shoes she's got on." Marcie rolled her eyes.

Jen's shoes were bright red, patten leather, stiletto heels. She was really getting into her night of fun. I approached her and said, "What are you doing here, Honey? I thought you were going to your mother's." Jen literally jumped when she heard my voice. She looked around the parking lot alarmed. I asked again, "What are you doing here?"

"How did you know I was out here?"

"Marcie saw you."

"My mother called me right after I started out. She said she's feeling better. I'm exhausted so I told her I'm not coming but I'll check on her tomorrow. I went home but I feel I've been neglecting you so I decided to come see you. Surprise you. Let's go to your office." She looked around again, "I'm getting cold standing out here."

When we got to my office I asked, "What are you wearing? Where'd you get those shoes?"

Jen opened her coat to show me her bikini. I looked confused so she said, "I had this big seduction scene all planned out. You'd drag me to some secluded spot in the store and we'd go at it. It would be exciting because we might be caught. It's a fantasy I've had for a while. But when I got here I realized it was a stupid idea. So I was outside deciding if I should come in or just go home."

"I can't take the chance doing that. I'd lose my job."

"I know. It was stupid idea. I'll go home. I'm exhausted anyway. Sorry for being an idiot. I'll wait up for you and we can fulfill my fantasy when you get home." She smiled at me. She kissed my check and left. In a hurry. I wondered what she'd say when I discovered her outside. She's certainly quick on her feet.

How would she explain this to her blackmailer? I waited a few minutes and texted her from the burner. "Where are you? I guess you decided that your spouses should be told about your infidelity. I'm going in to see your husband now."

Jen: "I'm here. I was here on time. My husband saw me outside and I had to go in to explain why I was out front. There was nothing I could do about that. Don't tell him. I can't come to your card game tonight but I'll make it up to you. If you're still here, maybe you and I can meet, get to know each other better. Where's your car. I'll come to you."

Me: "OK, I just saw you walk out of the store. I like the shoes. You are definitely going to make it up to me. You're going to come next Saturday to our card game without a bikini. Without anything. Wear the shoes thought. I like the shoes. And you can expect more than just slaps and tickles. No, I don't want to get to know you better. I hate cheaters. A shameless cheater like you is good for entertainment at a card game and that's all." Jen didn't respond.

When I got home that night, Jen was asleep. I guess she fulfilled her fantasy without me.

I didn't hear from either Mark or Jen through Monday morning. I was home, my day off, but Jen said she had to go into work. I thought I'd play with their heads a little. I texted only Jen from my burner:

"You know from my texts that I know a lot about you and Mark. Mark is planning to take your money and dump you. Just like he's dumped all the other married saleswomen he's been involved with in the office. You're not the first and won't be the last. If you don't believe me, ask the people in the office who have been there for a while. Ask about the women he's dumped and then gotten rid of. I bet he's asked you for money. He'll tell you that he needs your money to pay me. He'll tell you to borrow against your house or sell it or even divorce your husband so you can give him the money you'll get in a divorce. It's money you'll never see again. Along with Mark."

Jen: "He doesn't have the money to pay you. He's not lying about that. I'm more than willing to help out to get out of the mess you put us in. He's not going to dump me. We're in love and plan to spend our lives together. We don't want to hurt our spouses. We just fell in love. It happens. Can't you just accept that and leave us alone?"

Me: "Has Mark told you he has about $135,000 in savings and stocks? That's in addition to what he has in the safe deposit box. I don't know what's in his safe deposit box but I bet he has more than enough to pay me. But he's still going to want your money. If you give it to him, you can kiss it goodbye. Don't believe me? Ask the other women in your office about Mark's past flings. I'm sure they were all about love too." Jen didn't respond.

Next, I texted only Mark from my burner: "You know from my texts that I know a lot about you and Jennifer. She knows you have a lot of money your wife doesn't know about. She's going to take as much as she can from you and dump you. Don't trust her with your money."

Mark: "Why do you think she's going to take my money? She loves me and wants to marry me. She's not going to steal from me."

Me: "That's what her husband thought and she's done nothing but steal from him. Do you have the money to pay me. I'm getting impatient."

Mark: "I can get about $100,000 in cash from my safe deposit box. But that's it. I can bring that to you today."

Me: "The number is $200K. You have about $135,000 in savings and stocks. Take cash from there if you need to."

Mark: "That's my wife's money too. I can't just take it."

Me: "Figure out something to tell your wife or you know what I'll tell your wife."

Mark: "Don't do anything. Give me a few more days."

Me: "OK, but time is running out."

Mark texted me Wednesday morning: "I'll have the money by next Tuesday or Wednesday. I have to take some of it out of our savings in cash. I have to take out less than $10K a day in cash. The bank will notify whoever they notify in the government if I take out $10K or more in cash in any one day. I don't want to have to explain what I'm doing with the cash. I'll take out the max I can for a few days until I have enough. But I should have your money by the middle of next week."

I was happy that Mark referred to it as my money: "OK, let me know when you have it and I'll give you instructions how to deliver it."

The following Wednesday morning, Mark texted that he had the money. "Give me your address and I can deliver it now."

Me: "That's not how it's going to work. The gym where Jennifer is a member has twenty-four hour access. There's no one there weeknights at 3am. The men's locker room has no cameras and there are no cameras pointed at the entrances to the locker rooms. Jennifer needs to buy a combination lock. Bring the money at 3am tomorrow morning and put a gym bag with the money in a locker in the men's locker room. She needs to close it with the combination lock. She will then text me the locker number and the lock combination. She'll leave the gym and drive away. I'll have someone pick up the money sometime in the next few days. If the $200K is there, you won't hear from me again."

Mark: "You understand this is all the money we have. You can't come back and ask for more money. There is no more."

Me: "The $200K is all I want."

Mark: "I don't want Jen to do this herself. I'm going to be with her. So it will be the two of us bringing the money."

That's better. I'll be hiding and watching them. If Mark is in the car with Jen, I won't have to worry about him hiding and watching me. I texted, "You can drive her but you'll have to stay in the car. Jennifer has to bring the bag in alone. Once she's finished, you two drive away. I'll have someone watching and you have to follow my instructions to the letter. You wait in the car; Jennifer goes in alone. They gym has cameras. Nothing's going to happen to her in there."

I really wanted Jen to be alone with the money if even for a few minutes. But I can live with both of them going into the gym. It just means I won't be able to do everything I want to them.

Jen, also on the text thread, chimed in: "There are signs in the women's locker room not to leave stuff in the lockers overnight. I'm sure it's the same for the men's. They may open the locker and take the money. And what if there's someone in the gym working out?"

Me: "Gyms never enforce that rule. Maybe after a couple of weeks they'd open it but the money won't be there that long. Just a few days. We'll have to take that chance. Wear gym clothes. If there's someone there, just workout until they leave. Then do the money."

I bought a balaclava to cover my hair and face, large sunglasses, a box of surgical gloves, a black sweatshirt and black jeans. Also, a new pair of sneakers and a padlock. All with cash. Nice working in a superstore.

Jen called as usual when she got home, "My mother is sick again. Or still sick I guess. I'm going to drive there now and stay over. Hopefully, I'll be back home tomorrow. I'll call you when I get to my mother's. Probably around 9pm."

When I got off work I went home to check that Jen had really left. She had. I put on the black pants and sweatshirt and changed into the shoes I bought. I put the balaclava, the sunglasses, padlock and a pair of surgical gloves in my pockets. I didn't want to be tracked so I turned off my phone after I got home. I parked about two blocks from the gym in a spot well away from a streetlamp. I walked to the gym.

I'd been scouting for a place to hide near the gym since this started. There are two side by side trash receptacles at the edge of the gym's parking lot. I can fit between them and see the front door of the gym unobstructed. No one would be able to see me in the dark unless they come right up to me. It's too dark there for the cameras to record me clearly. I sat down to wait. A very smelly and uncomfortable few hours. I watched as two guys who had been working out left. No one else entered the gym.

Mark and Jen arrived at 3pm on the dot. Mark waited in the car at the entrance to the gym while Jen walked in with a big bag. I received a text from her on my burner with the locker number and the combination to open the lock she bought. She got back in the car and they drove away.

People start arriving at the gym beginning around 4:30am. Get their workout in before work. I thought I'd wait another hour, until 4, to see if they came back of if they had someone watching the gym. At 4, I pulled down the balaclava, put on the sunglasses and went into the gym.

There are cameras in the gym but I had asked the guy at the desk earlier if the cameras were monitored in real time. I told him I was interested in costs and what company they used. Maybe I'll install cameras in my store. He said "No, there's no one watching. They save the video for some amount of time, I don't know how long for sure but I think it's a month, but no one looks at it unless there's a reason to. If something happens in the gym, they can go back and look at the footage. I don't know what the gym pays for the cameras. Maybe the manager knows." So I wasn't worried that someone would see a masked man come into the gym and call the cops. Nothing is going to happen tonight that would cause anyone to go back and look at the video.

Or know that I entered the gym. When the desk isn't manned, you have to swipe the plastic membership card you put on your key ring to get in the outside door to the gym. It's locked after hours. Then you swipe your card through the card reader at the desk so they have a record of who entered the gym.

I used the card to open the door but didn't swipe it at the desk. If they go back and look, I believe they may be able to find out that someone came in just after 3am but they won't know who. People put their key rings on a hook when they workout. When I get to the gym the next day, I'll say someone stole it off my key ring and I need a new one. I was being overly careful. No one is ever going to go back looking at any of this. Unless Mark and Jen report the blackmail and get the cops involved.

Gloves on, I opened Jen's combination lock, her gym bag was stuffed lengthwise in the locker. I pulled it out and opened it. Lots of money in $50's and $100's. I wasn't going to sit there and count it but it looked like $200K to me. I didn't see any tracking devices. I opened another locker and stuffed Jen's gym bag in that one. I locked that locker with the padlock I bought earlier. I relocked the one Jen originally put the money in. I looked around. There were three other lockers that had locks on them. They weren't going to open my locker any time soon.

I left, walked in the opposite direction from my car but eventually circled back. If someone was watching me, they were invisible. I drove home and was in bed by 5am.

Jen called at 10am to tell me she'd be back from her mother's by 2 or 3pm, before I left for work. Probably she was planning to have fun with Mark at the furnished rental property for the rest of the day. Or they just got a hotel room. I got to the gym by 11. They issued me a new plastic card, twenty bucks, and I did my normal workout. When I finished, I got the gym bag with the money from the locker, relocked the now empty locker and threw the bag in the trunk of my car. Jen's lock was still on the locker she put the money in.

I had also spent a lot of time thinking about where to stash the money. Either Jen or I would be moving out of the house in the next day or two and we'd be selling it shortly. I couldn't think of a hiding place at the house that Jen couldn't accidentally stumble over. I can't take it to work and hide it there.

My parents bought the house I grew up in when I was four. The basement had concrete floors, cinderblock walls and the ceiling was the upstairs flooring and wood beams. They decided to redo the basement so they could entertain their friends down there. Floor tile, wall paneling and a drop ceiling. The drop ceiling is made up of two-foot, white, opaque squares that drop into metal framing.

When I was in my teens, I hid stuff from my mother in that ceiling. My mother didn't believe I had any right to privacy. I disagreed. It was mostly weed I hid in the ceiling. Some of it was probably still there. A perfect place for the money.

I drove to my parents. They work so they won't be home. I still have my key. I got the short ladder and pushed up a ceiling panel. Yeah, my weed was still there. I tried to stuff the bag on top of the metal framing but the bag was too big. I took out the cash and spread it around my parent's ceiling tiles, counting it as I pulled it out of Jen's bag. $200K. I was not going to touch it for a good long while. I took the weed wondering if it was still smokeable.

I drove toward home. I had stuffed everything I wore the night before in Jen's gym bag. I pulled behind a grocery store on the way home and dumped it in one of their trash containers.

I haven't said anything to Jen and Mark about the money. I wanted them to think it's still sitting in the locker where Jen put it. I wanted each of them to believe the other one had time to take the money. Jen can't enter the men's locker room during the day when there are people around and it would be difficult for her to leave our bed to go back for it in the middle of the night. But she was alone with the money after she left Mark's car and until she returned to his car. All she needed to do to steal the money was to bring a second lock and lock the money into another locker. But tell Mark and me she put it in the locker she gave me the number for.

Mark was not a member of the gym but all he needed to do was join to have access to the locker room. He got the same text I did so he knew the locker number and the combination to the lock. I haven't said anything about the money because I want Jen to think Mark had plenty of time to go back and get the money.

Jen got home about 3pm after I had finally showered from my gym workout and was getting ready to leave for work. She looked like she'd been crying. I asked, "Are you OK?"

Jen replied, "I'm just worried about my mother. She's not getting any younger. She just has the flu but every time I see her she looks frailer. I guess I should start getting used to the idea she won't be around forever. Dad too."

There's one thing I'm sure of: Jen wasn't crying because of her mother. The two lovers must be having problems.

I decided to try to find out. I texted Jen from my burner on Friday morning after she left for work: "I hope you're ready for our little party Saturday night. I'll get you at 7pm. I'll tell you tomorrow where I'll pick you up."

Jen: "That's not going to happen, asshole. I'm finished with all this. Only contact Mark from now on. You can talk to him. Leave me out of it. I don't care what you do. Tell Marie for all I care."

Me: "I thought Mark was the love of your life. He wanted you to give him money like I said, right?"

Jen: "This is all your fault. We had our plans all worked out and you had to do this shit. Now everything is about money. I hope you're happy. You ruined everything."

Me: "I'm happy when cheaters are punished. How much does he want?"

Jen: "It doesn't matter and it's none of your business. Congratulations, you came between two people who were deeply in love. You must be so proud, you piece of shit."

Me: "I haven't gone to pick up the money yet and, if it's there, I won't tell your spouses. But you can tell your husband and Marie about you and Mark. 'fess up. It'll make you feel better."

Jen: "Tell Jim? What a joke. Here's what would happen. He'd be miserable and he'd make me miserable for a few weeks. Then he'd forgive me and, with the exception of him bringing up my cheating every single time we have a fight, things would be back to the way they were. So I'd just as soon skip all the drama, Jim all weepy and playing the victim and my endless apologies and promises and just keep things the way they were. There's no need to interrupt our life. And that's all it would be. An interruption. That's why your blackmail is such joke. At least to me. Jim loves me too much to ever leave me. If you had told him, he would be impossible to live with for a while but that's all. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have given you a cent."

Me: "So why did you?"

Jen: Mark is a different story. He can't have Marie know about us. That's his problem and he shouldn't expect me to help him take care of it. But Mark and I are done thanks to you. Yesterday's news. I'm back to being Jim's loving wife. So there's no reason for Jim or Marie to know. And you have the money."

Me: "Are you sure you don't want to come to the party? You'd really enjoy it. It could be a way to get back at Mark. And you'll really have fun with the guys. And they'll really have fun with you. You seemed really into it last time."

Jen: "Fuck you. Last time, I just wanted to see who picked me up. I'd have blown you off as soon as I saw your face. Don't contact me again." I took that as confirmation she didn't want to come to the party.

I waited a little over an hour and texted Jen and Mark form the burner, "There was no money in the locker. The locker is empty. I don't know what you're playing at but you're about to get burned."

It took Mark less than a minute to call me on my burner. I, of course, didn't answer. So he texted: "That's not true. The money was all there. Maybe the guy who picked it up for you took it. We put the money there. Don't do anything. Please. We'll figure this out. Let me talk to Jen."

Me: "I went to get the money myself. I didn't send anyone for it. You have twenty-four hours to 'figure this out'. I want my money by 10am tomorrow."

Jen arrived home around noon. She found me in the kitchen. She was crying. I tried to look alarmed, "What happened? Why are you crying? Are you OK?" I took her to the living room, sat next to her on the couch and put my arm around her. As any loving husband should do.

"I had a big fight with my boss. He claims I stole some money and he wants me to repay it." She glanced over at me, starting to cry harder. "I didn't steal any money. He probably stole it and is blaming me. It's a lot of money. When we bought the house, I stupidly told him we paid all cash. No mortgage. He wants me to get a loan on the house so I can pay him back. I don't want to lose my job. I don't know what to do."

"This is Mark?" Jen nodded, wiping her nose, still crying. "What money is he talking about? How much does he say you took?"

"The company pays a lot of trades people in cash. Mark keeps a lot of cash in the safe in his office. He got in this morning and the money in the safe was all gone. About $160,000. I don't know why he keeps that much cash around but he does. Other than Mr. B, the owner who's in Florida, Mark and I are the only ones who have keys to the office and know the code to turn off the alarm. There wasn't a break in.

"Does he really believe you took the money? Was there really even that much money in the safe?"

"They money was there. I saw it. He actually believes I took it. He says I'm the only one who had access. What an asshole. He has access. He probably took it."

First time I knew that Jen had the keys and security code to get into their office. Did she also have the combination to Mark's safe? Did she really expect me to believe this ludicrous fairytale?

I wondered how long it took them to come up with this. They put some thought into it. $160K is pretty close to what we can borrow on the house. If I agree to the loan and Jen can make the money disappear then she'll have her share and most of my share of the value of the house even before we sell it. But she'll have to make the loan money disappear. Any of the money that's left will be put toward paying off the loan when we sell. Giving the money to Mark will make it disappear. But she won't have it either. Was she willing to give the blackmailer that much money just to save Mark's marriage? Three hours ago, she texted the blackmailer that she and Mark had a falling out over money. She obviously didn't want to pay the blackmailer. Or pay Mark back any of the money he gave me. She said it was Mark's problem.

So they must have come up with a new scheme. I bet they're going for the franchise. The loan money from me and the rest from Mark buys them their real estate franchise. There must be more money in his safe deposit box than he told Jen. But if it's an investment, I'd get half of that investment, half of her share of the new company, when we divorce. They'd have to buy me out or we'd all be partners. They wouldn't let that happen. The money has to disappear. Jen can't seriously be thinking about just giving Mark the money as a gift on the promise that she'll get her share of the company once we're divorced. If that's her plan, she's delusional.

If that's what they've come up with, all they had to do was stall the blackmailer until everything is in place. Then they won't need their spouses anymore. The blackmailer can do his worst.

How crazy was she that she thought I would sign for a loan that basically gives my house away?

Jen was studying me while I thought this through. She finally asked, "Honey, what are you thinking?"

I said, "We do nothing. You're a top salesperson. You can work anywhere. I'm not getting a loan on the house and I'm not giving him a cent. Just quit and get a job at another realtor's. He needs you more than you need him. If you want, I'll talk to him. I'll get him to back off. I can call him right now." I took out my phone.

Jen's eyes went wide in alarm, "You can't talk to him about this. I don't want you involved. I'm afraid you'll piss him off and he'll have me arrested. He's already threatened to call the cops "

"You didn't steal the money so you don't have to worry about the cops. Find another job. I wouldn't even talk to him again. Just walk away."

Jen stared at me, probably trying to figure out what to say next. Finally, she said, "I'm really worried about this. I can walk away from the job but I don't want to spend the next few years trying to stay out of jail. I didn't take the money but that doesn't mean anyone will believe me. I've been in his safe before." She looked down and said softly, "He gave me the combination in case a service person came by to get paid when he wasn't there." She looked at me to see if I bought that. I guess she figured I did so she continued, "If I'm arrested, we'll spend more on legal fees and stuff to try to keep me out of jail than the $160,000 he wants. It's stupid not just to pay him off."

She really had gone off the deep end. It was stupid arguing with her. This would all be over in less than twenty-four hours. So I said, "Let me think about it." I got up and went back into the kitchen.

She called after me, "Does that mean I can tell Mark we'll give him the money?"

"No. That means I'll think about it."

I received a text from Mark on my burner a couple of hours later. Jen was included on his text: "We put your money in the locker. I don't know what happened to it. But we've come up with a solution. Jen is going to get a loan on her house. Her husband has agreed to co-sign for the loan. I'll find some money to make up the rest of the $200K. It will take a while to get the loan finalized and take that money out in cash. I'll also have to sell some stocks and take that money out in cash. There's only so much cash we can take out in any given day. We'll have your money but you have to be patient. It will just take longer. Maybe a month or more. Don't do anything. You'll get your money." So their blackmailer waits while they buy a franchise and then tell him to fuck off. I didn't respond.

Before she went to work the next morning, Jen asked me again if we're doing the loan. I replied, "Sill thinking about it."

"Well, think fast," Jen was irritated with me, "When I tell Mark I don't know about the loan, he may call the cops. We'd probably have to sell the house to cover the legal costs. I'll call our bank and make an appointment to see the loan officer." I shrugged.

At 10am I texted my real phone, Marie's phone and Jen and Mark from the burner:

"Hi Marie and Jim. Your spouses, Mark and Jennifer, have been involved in a full-blown sexual affair for months. They have been meeting at a rental property Mark is managing and at Jennifer's home. There are two pictures attached showing Mark entering and leaving Jennifer's house. These are just from among the most recent pictures. I have more which I can send you. The pictures leave no doubt that they have a sexual relationship. Jim, Jennifer plans to divorce you after she has stolen as much money as she can from you. Marie, Mark has a secret safe deposit box where he has been hoarding money [box number and bank branch]. You should also check your bank statements. You may find a lot of money missing. He is planning to divorce you. And Marie, Jennifer is one of many, many lovers Mark has had since you two got married.

"You don't know me. I'm sending this because I hate cheaters and happened across Mark's and Jennifer's betrayal of their spouses. But it is up to you to decide how to handle these cheaters. I know what I would do. Good luck."

I took the sim card out of the burner and broke it in two. I went to the garage and smashed up the burner phone with a hammer. There's a river near where we live with an overlook. I'll drop them in the river on my way to work later. I called the divorce attorney Bob gave me during our lunch at our work conference. I set up an appointment for Monday morning.

I then called Jen at work. I spent some time thinking about how to confront her. She expected yelling and screaming. I decided to remain cool. She was crying when she answered the phone and said with quiver in her voice, "It's not true. Please let me explain."

"You're fucking Mark. What's there to explain?"

"No, no, it's not what it looks like. It wasn't like that. Can we talk? I'm coming home now right now. We need to talk. Don't do anything crazy. Just let me explain." I hung up on her.

She got home forty-five minutes later. Her job is about fifteen minutes from home. I guess Jen and Mark had to get their stories straight. She opened the door, saw me and sobbed, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She came to hug me.

I backed away, "Don't touch me."

Crying harder, she said, "Please can we talk. I need to explain. Don't go crazy. It's not what you think."

I motioned to the couch and sat down in the chair across from her. Calmly, I said, "I'm listening."

"It's not what it looks like. It was just the one time. Mark and I developed a....... an emotional connection a few months ago. We didn't act on it. He wanted to but I love you and told him I'm completely happy with our marriage. That he was just a friend. We started to show some properties together. I went with him a couple of time to show the rental property Mark manages. I'm much better with clients than he is so he brings me to his client meetings when I'm available. There may be pictures of him and me at the rental but they mean nothing. All we did was talk. It was never that serious. We never discussed Mark and me being together married or anything like that. I never even kissed him until you left for your work trip.

"Mark was pressuring me to get together and I finally gave in. I still don't understand why I agreed. I love you, not him. You're all I need and ever will need. But I did give in. We met at our house but it was just that once. The next day, after I got rid of him, I didn't go to work. I felt so guilty and was so angry at myself that I stayed home from work and cried all day. The next morning I told Mark that it will never happen again. That we were not going to view properties together ever again. We were not friends. No more lunches or dinners. We would see each other only in the office. Our relationship would be completely and solely professional. If he didn't agree I would quit right then. He agreed and we have not been alone together ever since.

"That was the Saturday you came home from your work trip. I was going to tell you when I picked you up but I couldn't. I felt so bad already and I didn't want to hurt you. I realized how painful it would be if I told you. It was over. It was a mistake. It meant nothing to me. Instead of hurting you, I decided to be the best wife ever. We would be even happier together.

"The weight of this has been killing me. I'm almost glad this guy happened to see Mark and me at our house and told you. Now we can finally put this behind us and move forward together." Jen looked at me hopefully through her tears. "I'm being completely honest with you now. It was just the one-time mistake. Can you forgive me? I'll do anything you want me to do to get us past this. I know you want children. I want your children. I can be a stay-at-home mom to take care of you and our kids. Or I can find a job somewhere else. I'll do therapy or we can go to couple's counselling. Anything you want me to do, I'll do. We can fix this and be stronger than before." She looked at me hopefully.

"I'm going to divorce you. I want you to pack up and leave. Now."

Jen didn't expect that. She expected yelling and screaming and probably make-up sex. She said, "You don't mean that. I have to stay so we can talk and work on our marriage. I want to be here for you. Don't blow up our marriage because of one night, one stupid mistake. I love you. I need to be here with you."

I had decided to gamble a little and see what it got me, "I asked the guy who texted us to send me pictures of you and Mark at the rental property. I've seen the evidence. It wasn't just the one time in our bed. It's been going on for months."

Jen turned pale, concern on her face, "OK, maybe we were acting more friendly at the rental property than we should have been. But that's all it was, just goofing around, acting like teenagers. I should have stopped it. But nothing really happened before your work trip. And nothing like that will never happen again."

"He sent me pictures of you kissing outside the rental and pictures of you and Mark in bed inside the rental. You've been lying for months. You're still lying."

Jen put her face in her hands and just wept. I didn't say anything, just watched her. She finally looked up. "OK, I didn't want to make it worse by telling you we did it once or twice in the rental. I didn't want to hurt you more. I thought that it would be easier for us to fix things if you believed it was one time. And that's what I want more than anything. To fix things. But it was only a few times. None of them matter. You're all that matters to me. What's the difference if it happened once or a couple of times. I love you. That's what's important."

Thank you, Jen, for admitting to using the rental property to hook up. I have no pictures of them together at the rental. But my bluff paid off and it will get her out of my house. I said, "I agree. It doesn't matter that you cheated on me more than once. It doesn't matter that you're continuing to lie. One hook up, one lie, is enough. I have an appointment with a divorce lawyer on Monday. You should get yourself a lawyer too. Maybe one for the divorce and another to get you out of jail for stealing Mark's money."

This wasn't going the way she planned. She didn't want to talk about divorce. I was supposed to be yelling at Jen while she looked contrite, crying, and making promises about her future fidelity that she didn't intend to keep. All part of the dance she planned to get me to forgive her cheating. So she decided to change the subject to avoid this divorce talk. She said with a slight smile, "When Marie saw the text, she called her father who immediately called Mark and fired him. He uses a security company to drive around the parking lots of a few of the large HOA's the company managers. He called them to escort Mark out of the office. Two guys in uniform actually showed up and walked Mark out. Marie's father is flying back from Florida to take over running the company.

"After we received the guy's text, Mark told me he's not letting me off the hook for the money. He wants his money. He says he's going to call the cops. But he can't. It will just cause bigger problems for him. Mr. B doesn't know that Mark kept that amount of money in the safe or that he's been paying vendors in cash. If he has me arrested for stealing money from the safe, Mr. B will start asking questions. Mark doesn't want that.

"Besides, he has bigger problems. Marie texted him that he's no longer welcome at home. She owns the house, or her trust does, so he has to find a place to live. She also owns his car so it's only a matter of time before she repossesses it. I'm not sure she's even going to let him pick up his clothes."

I said, "Congratulations, you beat the rap. Now it's time for you to pack up and get out."

"I'm not going anywhere. If you want to destroy our marriage, if our love isn't strong enough to get you past this one stupid mistake, then you go. I'm not leaving."

"Did Marie's father fire you too?"

"Yes, but I can get a job anywhere. I have contacts in real estate throughout the city. I'm constantly asked to jump ship and go with other agencies. I can get a job tomorrow. But that can wait. I want to spend as much time as I can with you now. I want to answer all your questions. I want to be completely honest with you. I want to be here for you."

I almost choaked hearing her say that. I said, "You won't be able to get a job with another agency here. I'm going to email every agency in town and tell them that you and Mark were having sex in a property owned by someone you're providing management services for. And supposedly trying to rent. Isn't that an ethical breach of your real estate license? Or is that considered worse than just an ethical breach? I'll make sure to ask when I inform the state's real estate licensing board about your fun time with Mark. Do you think you'll lose your license? Do you think any real estate agency will touch you when they hear about this? Or see the pictures?

"I'm sure the owner of the property will be thrilled to hear that you've been fucking in his house. Who do you think he'll sue first, you or Mark?"

Jen was angry now, "You can't do that. I won't be able to work. Is that what you want?"

That's certainly not what I want. If alimony is calculated by subtracting a percentage of her income from a percentage of mine, then, if her income is zero, I'm going to be paying a lot of alimony. I said, "Here's what you can do. Your parents live about 200 miles from here. Go live with them until you're back on your feet. Get a real estate job where they live. Away from here. If you do that, I won't share the pictures the guy sent me of you and Mark at the rental. I won't tell the owner of the property. I won't even tell your parents and show them the pictures. I won't tell anyone if you pack up and move to your parents.

"We can make arrangements for you to get the rest of your things and we have to put the house on the market. I'm going to tell my lawyer Monday that I want to split everything equitably, 50-50. The lease on your Mercedes is in your name so that's yours. Everything else we each get half. It should not be a difficult divorce. If the divorce is quick and easy, if you don't cause problems or get too greedy, no one will know about your escapades with Mark. At least, not from me.

"So here's your choice: Pack up, move to your parents and get a job there or stay here and I tell everyone who will listen about you and Mark having fun in properties your company manages. With pictures. It's surprising how easy it is to contact real estate agencies. Their emails and phone numbers are right there on their web pages. Of course, I already know your parent's emails." I paused to let this sink in. "What's it going to be?"

Jen stared angrily at me, trying to figure a way out of this, figure out a way to stay in the house so she could work her magic on me. But she knew no one would hire her in real estate here. And if I didn't tell everyone about her and Mark's activities, Mr. B probably would. She certainly didn't want her parents to know or see any pictures. I was offering her a pretty good deal. I wouldn't make an issue of her infidelity and she could get on with her life someplace else.

"OK, I'll pack some stuff and stay with my parents for a while. But it's just temporary to give you some space and time to think. To realize how much you miss me and love me. When I return we should do some couple's counseling. We can save our marriage."

"No, we can't. I'm taking off work tonight to help you pack and load your car. You need to pack for a long, extended stay. One that lasts forever. I'll help you fill your car with your stuff. Let's get started."

This all played out late last year. I've only seen Jen once since we packed her car. She and her father came by to pick up the rest of her clothes and we went through the furniture. Who gets what. I don't care about the furniture. I told her whatever she wanted she could have.

She still calls and texts. I talk to her because I want the divorce to go smoothly. She says what you'd expect, "We can get past this." "It's just one mistake." "I want to come home." "It didn't mean anything." "We can get counseling." Nope. The divorce is in process.

On one phone call, Jen told me, "I talked to Ginger at my old job."

"Who's Ginger?" I know who Ginger is but Jen would wonder why I remembered her.

"She's the receptionist. She called me right after the first of the year about where to send my 1099. I don't want Mr. B to know where I am. The agency I'm working at now doesn't need to know all this sordid history. I told her I'll pick it up. So I'll be in town. Do you want to have dinner?"

"No."

Jen sighed, "You still can't let it go. Mark really meant nothing to me. I still love you. If you change your mind about dinner let me know. You won't regret it. It'll be sometime next week.

"Anyway, Ginger likes to talk. She and Mr. B have always been close and she had news about Mark. Marie is divorcing him. Marie had their accounts frozen, they're looking for any missing funds, so Mark has no access to money. Mr. B told Ginger that Marie got a court order for Mark's safe deposit box. But Mark had closed it and opened another one at another bank which they found somehow. There was over $135K in cash. Mark refuses to say how he got the cash. Probably worried that he'll be confessing to another crime.

"I knew it was Mark who stole the money out of the safe. What a sleaze blaming me. Mr. B has an accountant looking over the books. He wants to know where that cash came from. Mr. B is also bad-mouthing Mark to everyone in real estate there. No one will hire him. So he has no money and can't get a job. Ginger thinks he may be arrested soon. Ginger said the police want to talk to me. I had nothing to do with any of that but I guess they're going to question me." She laughed and asked, "Will you visit me in jail? Bring a cake with a file in it?"

The story made the local news. The blackmail scheme, general information about the texts from the blackmailer, the money, the affair. Mark was arrested. He admitted to "borrowing" money from the company. Being the chivalrous, honorable man, we know he is, he blamed Jen for the missing company money. He claimed she was blackmailing him, threatening to tell Marie about their affair. So he needed money to pay her but ultimately decided he wasn't going to be blackmailed. He was about to return the money he had and confess everything to Marie when it all blew up.

Jen told the cops that the blackmail was a hoax. The only evidence they had were text messages and Jen insisted that it was Mark who sent the blackmail texts to Jen and himself, hoping to get money out of Jen. So they were both claiming the other one was the blackmailer. But they both said no money ever changed hands. No blackmail was paid. They never put $200K in the gym locker. They both said they told the blackmailer they were paying him hoping to flush him out. I guess they said that no money was paid because Mark didn't want to explain another $200K and Jen maintained the blackmail was all a scam. If it was a scam by Mark and there was no money to give the blackmailer, there was no money that Jen could have taken. Jen wasn't arrested but they kept interviewing her. If Mark was the blackmailer, why would he send a text to Marie telling her about the affair and about his safe deposit box?

I haven't seen any cops. But since both Jen and Mark said they never paid the money, hopefully, the cops think they gym was just a diversion. I don't know how long the gym keeps entry records but I'm sure the video from the cameras is long gone. By the time they got into Mark's safe deposit box and the blackmail story came out, the video from the gym was probably already erased. Hopefully, they don't believe there was someone else blackmailing them. That they got their man. Or woman. That one of the lovers were trying to rip off the other. Mark and Jen both claimed that no money changed hands and there are bigger crimes Mark committed for them to be concerned about.

The divorce has been going smoothly. We're just waiting for a judge to sign off on it. I was very accommodating. We agreed to split everything plus some alimony. Jen gets to pay for her car. We each keep our retirement accounts. If I total what the divorce cost me, the P. I., the lawyer, the share of the money Jen got when we sold the house, furniture, the small amount of savings, plus my pain and suffering, it was less than $200,000. I actually made money on the divorce.

After my divorce is final, I'm sure Mr. B will find out where Jen is working. I'm sure he'll want to talk to her current employer. It won't be me who tells Mr. B. I don't want to be involved. I'm moving on. Mr. B will probably be told anonymously by someone using a burner phone.