A Weekly Ride

My lovely wife unfortunately had an accident recently (see my story An Ordinary Love Story for our own tale). As she lay in hospital, I was in charge of her phone and she said, "This would make a good story, if a wife was up to no good." That throwaway comment prompted this story.

She is recovering well from her injuries, but we have spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital recently, so I am confident that the medical aspect of this story is accurate for UK treatment.

There are no sex scenes here, so please move on if that's not your thing.

Please note this work is copyrighted, and I do not give permission for any part of it to be used elsewhere. I think that the stealing of work to monetize from this website, which is given freely by authors, is abhorrent. ©Corny1974

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When we married, Emma had already been riding for years. She had never owned her own horse, but she pre, ferred to take lessons every week. Even the stable staff laughed at the lesson tag. At 44, she had been riding for over thirty years, so they used her to train and ride some of the more difficult horses.

Although we were known for being a close couple, it was something we couldn't share, as I was wildly allergic to horses. My head started to swell, and my eyes swelled shut. As a child, we only found this out during a pony trek on holiday in Spain. I did not appear in any of those holiday photos. Various families managed to corner me in the lift to check that my parents had not hurt me.

My Dad understood, but he did say, "We're going to get arrested, and he's only ridden a bloody pony."

Consequently, Emma's passion for riding was very definitely her thing. Yet, if we weren't at work or she was riding, we were together.

Our daughter Sophie was 23 and living with her boyfriend, Rich. She'd never been interested in riding but was a proficient ice skater, which had meant a lot of very early mornings for poor old dad when I took her to training.

I used to enjoy the few hours of solitude on Sunday morning whilst Emma rode. It was my chill time, well me and the dog. One Sunday, she'd only been gone for half an hour when the stables rang.

'Is that Will? It's the stables. Don't worry but Emma has taken a tumble. Don't panic, she's fine, but she thinks she may have broken her arm.'

I was there within ten minutes. I raced around looking for the office. I'd never be able to risk visiting before. When I finally found her, I was shocked. Not only was she crying, her face was covered in blood. She'd broken her nose and bitten her lip badly.

"You could have warned me about the blood."

The young stable girl looked shocked and panicked. "The boss isn't here today, we didn't know what to do."

"Well, I think an ambulance might have been a start," I snapped as I gently led a screaming Emma to the car.

The hospital was ten minutes away and it was honestly the longest drive of my life. She was in so much pain. It is heartbreaking to hear your loved one in so much pain and not be able to do anything to help.

We were half way there when she suddenly said, "I think I blacked out. I was riding and then you were there, talking about blood."

That brief moment of lucidity was soon over as she continued to sob and scream. At A and E, they soon took over once they got over the shock that a trauma patient was a walk-in.

That was the chant we heard constantly -'You walked in!'

The worst part was that Emma could not give them the details they so desperately needed, as she had no memory of the fall. The stable staff hadn't told me either. I was getting increasingly cross and frustrated.

The resus staff were fabulous, though. They soon got some pain meds in her and whisked her off for X-rays and a CT scan. The stable staff had given me Emma's phone in all the confusion. It had been constantly vibrating in my pocket since we arrived at the hospital. I'd ignored it, but as I waited, it started to irritate me. I went to open it and was surprised to find that it had a password. Mine didn't have one, and I assumed that hers didn't either. We always had open access to our phones, when had that changed?. It continued to vibrate as I waited, so I decided to try some numbers.

I got it at the second attempt. Her parents wedding anniversary. Her Mum had died from complications from Alzheimers and her father had followed shortly afterwards, Emma was convinced that he had died from a broken heart.

There were loads of missed calls alongside a lot of texts from someone called Amy. Never heard of her? I opened the texts and it rapidly became apparent that Amy was actually Adam

WHERE ARE YOU BABE?

ARE YOU DELAYED AT RIDING? YOU'VE HAD YOUR RIDE. NOW IT'S MY TURN. YOUR MOUNT IS READY FOR YOU!!!!

IS EVERYTHING OK? I'M GETTING WORRIED. YOU NEVER MISS OUR SUNDAY MORNING JUMP.

TEXT ME, PLEASE BABE. I'M GETTING REALLY WORRIED.

Heard the expression 'and the world stopped'. Well, mine did at that moment. I could hear the noise and beeps of the machines, the Tannoy asking for a domestic to clean up bay three, but my world had stopped.

Who the fuck was Adam?

All the other texts had been deleted, so I only had what I'd read.

I don't know how long I sat there before Emma was wheeled back in. Before we had time to speak the young doctor with a hipster beard rushed in,

"Well, Emma, you have made a mess of yourself, haven't you? You have a dislocated left elbow and wrist, the wrist is also broken, and you have broken your right arm and thumb. You've also broken some ribs and your nose. You will need surgery on your wrist and your thumb within the next few days, but first, we need to get that elbow back in. I suggest your husband waits outside in the corridor for that. I suspect he's heard enough screams for one day. He's looking rather pale."

Little did he know that I had another reason to be in shock. I waited outside while they put her elbow back in position. It seemed like only a few minutes before I was beckoned back in by the bearded doctor. The room was a mess, and the bed was covered with plaster. Emma was plastered up to the top of her left arm, and her right arm was plastered to the elbow. I'm not sure what they had given Emma apart from the Entonox, but she was obviously feeling no pain. She had a dreamy look on her face.

"How's the best husband in the world? You came to save me, didn't you?"

I saw my opportunity. "Yes, but Adam will have missed you this morning, won't he?"

"Poor Adam, he'll be sad without my visit. You'd like him, he's nice. I cheer him up; he was so sad about his wife. She's ill like Mum was."

"Should I go and tell Adam about your accident, so he doesn't worry?"

"You really are the best husband in the world. You tell him whilst I have a little sleep. He lives in May Cottage. I love you." With that, she was asleep.

The nurse, who had been trying to clean up some of the plaster mess, smiled and said, "She will be going to the ward soon; if I were you, I'd let her sleep. You've had a shock, too; go and get some rest."

She had no idea of the shock that I'd just had. She passed me a card with the details of the orthopaedic ward where Emma would shortly be moved, as I sadly walked back to the car to pay the huge car park fee that awaited me.

At least Millie, the dog, was happy to see me when I finally got home. I rang Sophie and told her what had happened to her Mum and what ward she would be in.

"Oh, Dad, what a shock for you. How will you cope when she comes out of the hospital? She won't be able to do anything for herself; you'll have to toilet her, shower her, dress her and do her hair."

"I won't be doing any of those things, Sophie," I said, my voice cracking. "I won't be here. I'm divorcing your Mum. Maybe her boyfriend will want to look after her."

"What are you talking about, Dad? What boyfriend?"

"He's called Adam," and I told Sophie all I knew. She was stunned, but she did promise to come and collect some sleepwear and toiletries to take to her Mum.

She found me staring into space in a dark house. I hadn't even noticed it had got dark.

She turned on the lamp by my chair before taking my hand, "Rough day, Dad?"

"The worst, sweetheart. I can't believe this has happened. I'm so torn. I hate her for what she's done to us, yet I can't help worrying about her. It was so awful seeing her in pain this morning. It broke my heart that I couldn't do anything to help her. Now my heart's broken for another reason."

"Dad, Rich and I are here for you. There isn't any way you could be mistaken."

I passed her the phone and let her read the messages. "The bitch. I can't believe that she's done this to you."

"She's still your Mum, Sophie. She's just not my wife anymore."

"Dad, she didn't just cheat on you. She cheated on the family. I'll go and see her. I'll check she's comfortable; I'll give her these things. I'll say that you're in shock, and I told you not to come till tomorrow. That should give you time to decide what you're going to do. I won't tell her that we know anything. I think that's for you to say. I love you, Dad. You deserved better."

After she left, I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a tear. It had been a bastard of a day.

Despite barely sleeping, I got up to go to work as usual. Maybe some normality was what I needed. Something was puzzling me, though, May Cottage? Something about that address rang a bell with me. It was one of the cottages they called the spring cottages. Abby, the new hire at my firm, lived in April Cottage. I'd even dropped her off one night when she had car trouble. There were three terraced cottages: March, April and May Cottage. They were situated high above the road, with steps leading up to the garden. I called her into my office.

"Hi, Abby. Don't worry, you're not in trouble. It's nothing about work; it's something else. Something a bit personal, to be honest. I just wanted to ask a question. You don't have to have to answer if it makes you feel at all uncomfortable."

Abby looked horrified. I'm sure she thought I was about to make a statement that would require her to visit the HR department swiftly.

I decided to plow on ahead, "What can you tell me about Adam, who lives next door to you?"

"Why? Is he a friend of yours, Mr Bannister?"

"No, quite the opposite. A friend of mine is not very happy with your neighbour at the moment."

"Disgruntled husband is he, this friend of yours?"

"Yes, he is."

"Well, I would have thought that there would be a lot of those. He has a few different women on the go. Different women for different days. He tried it on with my Mum once. My dad was going to thump him. We can't get our head around how he manages it. Have you ever seen him?"

"No, I haven't had that pleasure."

"Well, he's no looker. In fact, he's fat and bald, with a comb-over. We can't work out how he gets these women. Some of them are a bit dodgy, but some are really attractive. His Sunday morning woman is a real looker. My Mum always has to make sure that my dad is busy when she comes, as she caught him perving on her in her jodhpurs."

If she saw me wince at that statement, she didn't let on. "What about his wife?"

"Oh, that is sad. She's in a home, early onset dementia. She's not even fifty yet. He never goes to see her. It's not even one of the nicer homes, either. His daughter doesn't speak to him anymore. She thinks that he put her mum in a home far too early. If he had shown her any care, she could have stayed in her home a little longer, but he just wasn't interested. Now she accepts that her Mum has gone, but she's very bitter about the lack of compassion he showed her mum in the early days, and she refuses to accept him sleeping with all and sundry."

"Thank you, Abby; he sounds a complete delight; that's been very illuminating. I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable discussing this with you. It's just I recognised the address and thought of you."

"That's fine, Mr Bannister; you've always been very kind to me. I'm glad I could help, and I'm sorry for your friend; if he's as nice as you, then I'm sure he doesn't deserve it."

I received a phone call from the ward in the afternoon; the staff wanted to ensure that someone would be at home to care for Emma after her operation. I told them that we were separated and that I would not be responsible for her care. They seemed puzzled as Emma had assured them that I would be looking after her. I stressed that she was confused and that we were no longer together.

I have to say I didn't do much work that day; I just couldn't concentrate on anything, so I decided to take the rest of the week as leave. I thought work might have been a distraction, but I was wrong. I also needed to find somewhere temporary to live. First, I needed to collect Emma's car from the stables. I saw one of the stable girls and took the opportunity to ask how long Emma usually rode on a Sunday morning.

"For the past six months, she's just been having an hour. She said that she couldn't afford three hours every week anymore." That told me all I needed to know. She's been visiting that slimeball for six months and lying to me.

I went home, fully expecting to spend the night getting drunk. I couldn't stop thinking about Emma. I'd loved her for twenty-five years, and I'd thought she felt the same. We'd always been so happy. I hated what she'd done, but I also hated the thought of her lying alone in that hospital bed at visiting time. I also felt that she needed to know what I knew and why we would be divorcing. She deserved that much.

I found her in a side room on the ward. I put her phone on the cupboard by her bed. I had made sure to delete Adam's number. Let her try to contact him easily now.

When she noticed me, I did not receive a warm welcome, "Where have you been? I can't believe that you would do this to me, desert me when I really need you. The nurse tells me that you won't look after me when I come home. Please tell me she's wrong. I don't want anyone else looking after me. I don't want strangers taking me to the toilet and showering me. It's embarrassing."

"Well, it was quite embarrassing for me to find out that my wife is a slut. I would have been happy to nurse you, and I would have done it proudly before you decided to let some jerk peel off your jodhpurs every Sunday morning for the past six months. Well, I can't believe you would expect me to care for you after what you've done."

"What are you talking about? You're not making sense."

"Perhaps I should ring Adam for you, 'Babe'? He's cared for some of your more intimate needs recently. Perhaps you could ask him to wipe your arse for you? Though from what I've heard about him, he doesn't have a lot of empathy."

"Who told you? You were never meant to find out?"

"You told me - well, you both did - with him constantly ringing, anxious that he'd missed his little Sunday morning delight."

"You don't understand; it isn't like that; he isn't like that; he's not a threat to us. I know that I've crossed a line. I know you're upset, and you have every right to be, but it's not what you think it was."

"You've been having sex with another man on a weekly basis; it's exactly what I think it was. Crossed a line -- you've drawn a line through our marriage. Null and void."

"You can't mean that. I was just comforting Adam. I was out on a hack one morning, and the horse suddenly stopped and refused to move. We started chatting. He told me about his wife having dementia. He looked so sad; it made me think of my mum and dad."

"So, you decided to comfort him with your pussy? I've never felt sadder than I do at this moment. I hope there's a passing nurse who might want to cheer me up in the same way."

"You don't mean that."

"Oh, I do. Our marriage is null and void, remember? I'm back on the market, and you are on your own. They've asked me if there's anyone at home to look after you, and I've told them that there isn't. The re-enablement team will visit you after surgery to arrange carers for you. You'll get them four times a day. Of course, you will have to wear adult diapers until they arrive to change you; sorry about that. Oh, and don't think about asking Sophie to help, either. She's disgusted with you. I'm sure she'll pop in occasionally. You are her Mum, after all, but she has made it plain that she won't be looking after you."

"Will, I know I've done wrong, but I don't deserve this."

"No, Emma, none of us deserve what's happened. At least your bones will heal, and you'll have recovered in a couple of months. You'll be back riding your horses and riding Adam and God knows who else. But me? I'll never get over what you've done; I'll never heal; you've broken me for good."

"Don't say that, please, I love you. I can't lose you over this. We're too special together."

"Well, obviously not special enough; what on earth did you think would happen when I found out?"

"I didn't think that you would. It was completely separate from us. It started innocently enough. I never set out to cheat on you, to hurt you. It just happened."

"What? You just happened to fall on his dick on a weekly basis?"

"No, after that first meeting, I started stopping in for a chat on the way home from riding. I felt so sorry for him. He seemed so sad, so pathetic, really. He isn't handsome or fit like you; it wasn't like I found him attractive. I just felt sorry for him."

"So, you decided to give him a pity fuck? I don't know what's worse; if he had been a young hunk, it would have been bad enough, but him. You threw us away for someone like him because you felt sorry for him?"

"It just happened the first time, he started crying, and I just started to comfort him."

"What's next? Will you be comforting the homeless, young men who are sad because they are still virgins, or perhaps visiting octogenarians in the old people's homes to comfort them? There are a lot of unhappy men out there, are you going to try and comfort them all with your cunt?"

She winced at that word; I knew how much she hated that term.

"Of course not; this was different. I was ashamed after that first time, but then I came home to you, and I realised that it didn't have to change anything. You didn't know anything about him, and although he knew I was married, he didn't know anything about you. He doesn't even know your name. It was separate from us, like my riding. I could keep it in a little box."

"So, because I didn't know, because I trusted you, you decided to carry on? He must have been important for you to betray me so easily. And was he worth your while? Was it good, did he make you cum? You kept going back for more."

"What can I say? I might not have found him attractive in that way, but it was different, and I admit I responded, but he was never as good as you. Not even close. It had just been such a long time since he had been with a woman, with his wife being ill. I really was just trying to comfort him."

"Yes, so you said, but you've got it so wrong. He has different women coming and going from that cottage daily. Different women on different days. He probably calls you all 'Babe' so he doesn't mix up your names. You weren't special; you were just one of many. Some of them were quite rough-looking, apparently. If it makes you feel any better, you were the most attractive, according to the neighbours. That reminds me, I suppose I need an STD test, don't I? I wonder where that department is in the hospital. Being a faithful husband, I've never needed to know before."

"Other women? I don't believe it."

"Are you shocked that someone you were being unfaithful with isn't faithful? Oh, he was just using you. Your little charity shag is a real bastard. He doesn't even go to see his poor wife. His own daughter has gone no-contact as he's such a git. That's who you threw me away for, threw our marriage away for -- a fat, unattractive liar. I hope it was worth it."

I walked out then before I could say anything else. I admit I did take some satisfaction when I heard her sob, "It wasn't."

I found myself parking outside May Cottage later that night. I'm not sure why, but I wanted to see if I could catch a glimpse of this Adam, who apparently wasn't a patch on me in any way but had still managed to steal my wife and ruin my marriage. I hadn't been sitting there for long when I heard a gentle tap on the window. It was Abby.

"Mr Bannister, please come in and meet my Mum and Dad. It was you, wasn't it? Not your friend. It was your wife that was part of Adam's harem?"

I just nodded and followed her into April Cottage. Her parents were waiting inside.

"I've put the kettle on," said her Mum, Tracey. "Now come here, someone needs a hug."

I found myself enveloped in a warm hug by this stranger. Weirdly, it was just what I needed. There was no judgement in that hug, just kindness. I later found that Tracey was one of the sweetest women I have ever known. Her husband, Clive, just shook my hand and said,

"You don't have to feel embarrassed, mate; you're amongst friends here. When Abby saw you outside, she realised her suspicions had been correct."

I told them what had happened and what I'd found out in the last day. Clive did look a little embarrassed when he realised that Emma was the Sunday morning jodhpur lady he'd admired.

"So, what's your plan now?" asked Tracey.

"Well, I'm getting divorced, there's no doubt about that" I wasn't being anyone's cuckold, unknowing or not. "I need to find somewhere to live before Emma comes home. I'm not going to be looking after her, that's for sure."

"What a stupid woman, giving you up for that tosspot next door. He tried it on with me but I gave him short shrift."

"Pity Emma didn't. I want some revenge on Adam, too. I don't think he deserves to carry on sleeping with married women and ruining other people's marriages."

Tracey looked at Clive before saying, "I may have a solution, Will. It's a bit strange, but I think it could work. My friend Dawn from next door in March cottage is visiting her son and grandchildren in New Zealand for the next 6 months. I'm looking after the cottage; she had hoped to find a tenant for a short-term let, but it didn't happen. I'm going to call her and see if she would be willing to let you and your little dog live there for a short while. I'm sure it won't be a problem. That way, you can keep an eye on Adam and his shenanigans whilst you plan your revenge."

Clive said, "Should we really be encouraging him, Tracey?"

"Says you? You were all ready to knock his block off when he tried it with me. What would you have done if he had succeeded?"

"Fair enough, love. Leave it with me; I'm sure I can come up with something to help our new neighbour."

By the end of the week, Emma's surgery was complete, and I had already moved into March Cottage with Millie, my little dog. She was a great comfort to me. I knew that Emma would miss her, too, but Millie needed looking after, and I was the only one who could do that. Clive introduced me to Adam as an old friend of Dawn's who was temporarily looking after her cottage. He didn't seem overly interested, but it gave me a chance to see my nemesis properly for the first time. He was overweight, his thin hair combed over his balding dome. There was an arrogance about him. I still found it hard to believe that Emma could have had anything to do with him. He could obviously turn on the charm when there was an attractive woman involved.

The best thing was that I now had a lot of time on my hands and an excellent view of his comings and goings. I knew when his regular woman would be turning up. Abby was right; he wasn't overly fussy. I bet he couldn't believe his luck when a looker like Emma fell into his grasp. I followed three different women home after their trysts with him. I soon knew all about them. I told Clive that I wanted to make sure the other husbands found out, but first, I wanted my own revenge.

Clive was rapidly becoming my new best friend. He invited me to go fishing with him, and I found it relaxing. We spent a lot of time thinking up ever more outlandish ways to get my revenge on our neighbour. One morning, I was rushing to work, and I slipped on the steps leading from the garden down to the road. I didn't hurt myself, but that's what gave me the idea.

Clive was on board, so in the early hours of the morning, I stretched some fishing line across Adam's gate posts. To attract his attention, I set off his car alarm by smashing a window with a brick. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't satisfying. Hiding behind his car, I saw his light come on and heard his door open as he came running down his path, his dressing gown open and flapping behind him. I must admit that I took some satisfaction in seeing his less-than-average cock as he tried to pull his dressing gown together. He tripped over the wire, off the steps and flew over the pavement, putting his hands out to try and save himself. I heard a sickening crack as he hit the ground. I waited till I heard Clive coming out before sneaking out from behind the car as if I'd just arrived.

"Ring an ambulance, Will," shouted Clive, and I sat on the step as Clive shielded me from Adam's gaze. As I spoke to the emergency services, I swiftly removed the fishing line and put it in my own pocket.

Adam was groaning in pain. Both his hands seemed to be at odd angles. "Sorry pal, the ambulance will be a while." I appeared to be the concerned neighbour; I even went in to get a blanket to keep him warm.

As we watched the ambulance disappear, Tracey appeared with another of her legendary cuppas.

"Do you feel better now?"

"I think a do, a little."

"I know I do," laughed Clive, "My cock would make two of his!"

It turned out that Adam had broken both his wrists. I found it appropriate that the two cheaters would share some of the same injuries. Particularly, as like Emma, he would need to be plated and doubly plastered. I wonder who he would find to wipe his arse? Looks like he would need the same carers as Emma to look after him.

Sophie came to see me regularly over the coming weeks. She was a wonderful support, just like Clive and Tracey, who had become dear friends. I didn't ask about Emma too much, but Sophie assured me that she was coping after her surgery. Sophie checked in on her Mum but had stuck to her guns and refused to offer any care for her.

"How about you, Dad? What are your feelings now that you've had time to get over the shock a little?"

"I don't think I'll ever get over it, sweetheart. The shock of seeing your Mum in so much pain and not being able to help her, as well as the shock of finding out about Adam. It's all so confused in my head. One part of me feels guilty."

"What on earth do you have to feel guilty about?"

"Sophie, I've spent all my adult life looking after, worrying about and loving your mum. It's very hard for me not to be looking after her now when she needs me. Hell, it's hard for me not be with her, full stop, but then I realise that's the Emma I thought she was. The Emma I loved would never have been sleeping with someone else. The Emma I loved, still love, really doesn't exist."

"Oh Dad, I don't know what to say. You don't deserve this. Are you saying that you could never get back together?"

"I've thought about it a lot. I'm still allowed to love and miss that version of your mum while disliking the real one. I could never trust her again. She succumbed so easily to a liar. You need to be able to trust your partner. I don't want to be the kind of husband that has to police his wife. Every time she was late home, when she was meant to be at work, I'd wonder what was she doing? Who was she doing? She deceived me so easily because I trusted her completely. No, I deserve better. I deserve loyalty. I deserve peace. So, no, there will be no getting back with your mother."

"Thank goodness for that. I'm relieved, Dad, to be honest. You are doing the right thing. Remember, I love you very much."

With that, she kissed me goodbye and returned home to Rich. I knew she'd be OK.

It was a couple of months after the accident when I saw Emma's car pull up outside my cottage. Now almost fully recovered, Sophie had told me that her Mum would be returning to work the following week. I wasn't sure that I wanted to speak to her since our last conversation at the hospital, I'd just let the solicitors handle the divorce proceedings. It was a very easy split. Emma earned a little more than I did; we agreed to keep our pensions, no alimony, and split the proceeds of the house. These early stages had all been going rather smoothly; I hoped she wasn't going to try and change my mind.

I was shocked when I saw her go up Adam's path rather my own. Surely she wasn't planning on seeing him again? So much for 'it was nothing', he obviously meant more to her than she claimed. I realised at this point that it no longer bothered me. I felt nothing. It's true what they say; indifference is a wonderful thing. If she still wanted that fat oaf, let her have him. The two duplicitous bastards deserved each other.

However, I was wrong; Emma had not come to rekindle their affair. I watched from my doorway as he opened the door, and I saw Emma swing her bag into his face.

"You bastard, you ruined my life. I hate you. I've lost everything because of you. My husband is divorcing me, and my daughter barely speaks to me. Your pathetic lies cost me everything."

With that, I saw her kick him between his legs before stomping down the path. It was only as she reached her car that she saw me. She was obviously shocked; Sophie mustn't have told her where I was living. She hesitated before she rushed off before the police came.

They came to see me after a while. "There's been an incident next door-but-one. A Mr Adam White has been assaulted. Did you see anything?"

"No officer, not a thing. I'm not sure if you're aware, but Adam has a reputation locally for being involved with married women. There are a lot of angry husbands out there. His car was vandalised a couple of months ago; I know that as I rang the police for him. Before that night, he had a lot of different women coming in and out. There's a woman who works in the betting shop, Mandy, I think her name is. She lives on Condor Road. There's a ginger woman, I don't know her name, but I know her husband is a painter and decorator. Swish Painters, I think he did some work for me once. A woman with a big dog used to come, too. I do know her; she's a parish councillor -- I saw her in the paper. Mrs Ann Heald."

"You seem to know a lot about it, Sir."

"Everyone knows. Go and ask Tracey or Clive next door. You can ask my soon-to-be ex-wife if you want; she knows all about it, too."

The police went to see the husbands of his other women, as Adam's concussion initially meant that he had no memory of the actual attack. Emma was eventually arrested for assaulting him. I didn't take any pleasure in that, but it wasn't my role to protect her any more. Sophie told me later that her Mum had wanted to punch him, but her wrist was still weak and her thumb would never fully recover, so she had to settle for a brick in her handbag. Interestingly, we both chose the same weapon.

I was embarrassed when the local paper did an article, but it wasn't as bad for me as the other others husbands who were outed as cuckolds publicly. Adam rapidly came to regret living down a dark country lane with no CCTV as he appeared to be met with a number of accidents that may or not be linked to those other husbands. He decided to sell up. He ended up moving out before I did.

As for Emma, she accepted the divorce in the end. She knew in her heart of hearts that there was no going back for us. Sophie and Rich still saw her, but they had come down on my side, and their relationship with her would never fully recover. Sophie knew that I would never get over Emma's betrayal, but I did promise to be civil to her mother if and when our paths ever crossed.

That happened first at Sophie and Rich's engagement party. I even asked Emma to dance, much to everyone's surprise.

"I thought you hated me," Emma said as she nestled into my shoulder like the old days.

"I don't hate you; I just don't love you anymore. I don't like you much, either. You were very stupid, but you're paying the price. You've lost me. Whatever happens in the future, you'll never find what we had. I'm sure you will find someone else. You're a very attractive lady, but no one else can ever be your first anything. That's all me. No one else will ever hold your hand when you're in labour or comfort you when your parents die. All those little intimacies you can never recreate with someone else. You'll always miss me. That's your punishment."

She cried quietly as I led her back to her table, as she knew that what I said was true.

It took me longer than I cared to admit to get over the shock of what Emma did. We were so happy together, even she admitted that. We were so lucky, and yet she threw it all away for what? A misguided attempt to offer support to some lowlife who inadvertently had found her weak spot. A spouse lost to dementia.

Eventually, I found that I, too, had a weak spot. I had a weak spot for a middle-aged curvy redhead called Dawn, who happened to own March Cottage. I moved out when she returned from New Zealand, but I eventually moved back in permanently, but that's another story.