Welcome to the Cheating Secrets Channel. I knew everything had changed when Ronnie Ster returned to town. At one time, he had been my wife Cindy's fiancé.
Ronnie broke up with Cindy a year before I met her; she never hid the fact that Ronnie had broken her heart when he decided to leave her and marry a wealthy woman ten years older than him. I started dating Cindy. She didn't have the stunning looks of a model or a movie star, but she was very pretty.
She had soft chestnut hair, brown eyes, and a beautiful face, but it was her loving heart that truly attracted me to her. We got married about a year later, and nine months after that, our little girl Amanda was born. Life was good for 18 out of our 19 years together.
We had our disagreements, but until recently, nothing serious. Usually, our disagreements arose when we divided responsibilities. Cindy was an only child and had been spoiled by her parents; however, over the years, she learned to control her stubbornness.
When our daughter Amanda was born, she became my little princess. We were especially close, and our family was very tight-knit. However, over the past year, Cindy and I seemed to be drifting apart.
I started noticing that we were doing less and less together. Still, our love life was very good, and we made love at least twice a week, often more. Cindy seemed happiest when we were holding each other.
I knew she loved me deeply. I still loved Cindy, but it was different. It was no longer the fiery, passionate love we had when we first got married.
We were like an old pair of shoes: worn but comfortable and a perfect match for each other. And yet, I deeply loved my wife and especially the life we had built together. When Amanda graduated from high school, the changes in Cindy seemed to accelerate.
She appeared to be on the verge of a breakdown, and the closer it got to the time Amanda would leave for college, the more uneasy Cindy became. By this time, I was the chief of detectives in the sheriff's department, overseeing 32 detectives. Since this county didn't have a high crime rate, the job wasn't overly stressful.
Cindy was still working as a dental hygienist. About a month after Amanda left for college, Ronnie showed up at a barbecue hosted by a couple, John and then SMI, who were more Cindy's friends than mine. Nevertheless, John and I got along well since he owned the security company, and we always had plenty to talk about.
I had no idea Ronnie would be there, but Cindy, of course, knew. She immediately distanced herself from me, which wasn't unusual, and began mingling. An hour later, I went to look for her and found her sitting on the porch with Ronnie.
When I approached, Cindy's neck turned slightly red, which meant she was up to something I wouldn't like. She quickly introduced me to Ronnie, and my stomach tightened; as a cop, I had developed an instinct, and mine was telling me this was real trouble. Cindy tried to brush it off as if she was surprised to see him and claimed they were just reminiscing about old times, but her neck reddened during the explanation.
I decided I wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. As a police officer, I've dealt with many extremely unpleasant situations; nevertheless, you have to handle them calmly and professionally. Sometimes that's easier said than done.
The next workday after the barbecue, I used my connections to look into Ronnie. I found out that his wife had died of cancer a year ago. Over all these years, Ronnie hadn't even had a speeding ticket, let alone any other trouble with the police.
Months passed, and we found ourselves meeting with Ronnie more and more often. I knew this wasn't a coincidence, so I started preparing for the worst. I thought that any day now, Cindy would want to talk to me about something, but no matter how ready I thought I was, Cindy caught me completely off guard when she finally did.
We had just finished a rare morning of making love, and I thought that maybe all my worries had been for nothing. It was clear to me that Cindy still loved me just as much as she always had. "Ted, I need to talk to you about something," she said nervously, "and I don't want you to get angry.
I want you to let me finish before you say anything. " My stomach flipped. "You know that Ronnie was my first love," she explained.
"We were engaged, then he fell in love with Catherine, and we broke up. After his wife passed away, he was devastated. He's so lonely.
He told me he still loves me, and I have to admit that I still love him too. But at the same time, I love you. " I didn't say a word and tried with all my strength to control my breathing and stay calm.
This seemed to give Cindy courage as she smiled and continued, "I still want to be your wife, but I also want to be with Ronnie. Ronnie and I talked about it and decided it would be fair if I stayed with you for one week and with him the next. " I slipped out of bed, got dressed, and left without saying a word.
I headed to my office and shut the door. My secretary looked at my unshaven face but didn't ask any questions. I told her I didn't want to be disturbed unless it was something serious.
I stayed alone. I sat in the dark in the office for several hours, replaying my wife's proposal over and over in my mind. It was the most selfish thing she could have done.
It was clear to me that Cindy wanted to have. . .
"Her cake and eat it too? That couldn't happen; she would have to choose. Around 5:00, I returned home.
I was furious when I saw Ronnie's car in the driveway. I tried to pull myself together and rely on all my years of police training to stay calm; however, none of that training had prepared me for anything like this. I found them in the living room, sitting nervously.
Cindy quickly stood up and came toward me to kiss me. I pushed her away and saw the pain in her eyes, but I didn't care. "We need to talk about this," Cindy said nervously.
"There's nothing to talk about," I replied curtly. "You either want to be with this idiot or with me. You can't have both.
" "I don't think you fully thought through this proposal," Ronnie said, glancing at me nervously. "I'm not trying to take your wife away from you; I'm just offering her additional love that she needs. Yes, we'll share her, but she'll never neglect any of her marital obligations to you.
" Now the inner rage was almost at a boiling point. This smug bastard had just told me I should let Cindy sleep with him because she needed additional love. They both disgusted me, and at that moment I realized my marriage was over.
"Except for the marital duty," I said, glaring fiercely at Ronnie. "No, I'm not going to agree to this. " "Ted," Cindy said with an expression that now told me she was upset because of me.
"This is going to happen; the question is whether you'll be part of it or not. " "No," I said. "Both of you leave.
" Cindy burst into tears. "Ted, please let me have this. All these years I've been a faithful wife.
Ronnie was my first love, but I don't want to lose you. I love you so much, but I love Ronnie too. " I scoffed and looked at Ronnie.
"Tell me, Ronnie, if your late wife had come to you with a proposal like this, would you have accepted it? " He smiled at me and nodded. "If it could make my wife happy, I'd gladly agree.
" "Nonsense," I said with more force than I intended, but I wanted to drive my point home. So I turned to Cindy. "And what about you, Cindy?
If I came home with an ex-girlfriend and told you I wanted you to share me with her, how would you feel about that? " Cindy hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "I'd probably be upset like you are now, but ultimately I'd agree because I really love you and want you to be happy.
" "More nonsense," I said, shaking my head. "In the morning, I'll contact a lawyer to start arranging a divorce. I think dividing the assets should be fairly straightforward.
The house has only a small mortgage left; once that's paid off, we'll split the proceeds. Our investments, savings, and current accounts will be divided as well. Amanda's college fund will remain untouched.
There will be no alimony since you'll be living with the jerk sitting right there. Now both of you, please leave. " Cindy was sobbing uncontrollably as Ronnie took her hand.
As they approached the door, Cindy turned to me and said, "If you change your mind, I love you very much. I want you to be in my life. " Once they left, the silence of the house pressed down on me.
I felt hollow inside, but years of police work had taught me resilience. I shoved the pain into a mental box and shut the lid. Then I went to my office and began making a list of what needed to be done.
I knew exactly which lawyer I'd hire; her name was Sally Leon. She had a reputation as a shark in divorce cases. She usually represented wives, and the poor husbands never knew what hit them.
Over the years, our paths had crossed many times; I'd helped her out when necessary. As I reviewed the list, I realized there was one thing I still hadn't done. I needed to call Amanda and tell her what was happening.
My heart broke as I prepared to tell my little girl what her mother was doing; it took Amanda a full five minutes to calm down enough for me to truly understand her. "What happened next caught me by surprise. That damn adulteress did this to you, Dad!
" she said venomously. "All these years you've been so good to her, to us, and now she's stabbing you in the back! If she goes through with this, I don't want anything to do with her.
" "Amanda," I said calmly, "you're very upset right now, and I understand how you feel, but Cindy is your mother, and she loves you unconditionally. Don't destroy your relationship with her because of this; we'll all lose if you do. Can you at least wait a few days before talking to her?
" "And what if she calls me? " Amanda asked. "If she does, I'll let her have it.
Please, if she calls, don't answer for a few days. Promise me you'll do this. " Amanda reluctantly agreed to honor my request.
Later that same evening, Cy called me sounding very worried. She had tried to reach Amanda but couldn't get through. I explained that I had spoken to her and that our daughter was clearly upset.
I told Cindy that Amanda wanted to calm down before talking to either of us about the situation. "I bet you turned her against me," Cindy accused. "I bet you painted the most disgusting picture possible.
" "Cindy, how could I paint it worse than you already have? " I replied calmly, knowing it would anger her. "Her mother wants her father to agree to her sleeping with another man.
" Before Cindy could respond, I decided to check off one item from my to-do list. "Oh, since I have you on the line. .
. " "Should hire a lawyer, please. Ted, don't do this!
" she sobbed again. "It's killing me that you want me out of your life. I love you so much!
Can't you compromise with me just a little? " "There's nothing to us, Cindy," I said and hung up the phone. The following week, I took time off work to focus on getting everything in order, but the nights were awful.
Lying in bed alone was unbearably lonely. I would wake up in the morning and instinctively reach for Cindy, only to remember why she wasn't there. The first thing I did was call Sally, but I was unpleasantly surprised when she told me Ronnie had already contacted her.
That scumbag had been sneaky; he must have done his homework and found out who the best divorce lawyer was, beating me to it. "Well, if I can't hire you," I said, a bit annoyed, "can you recommend someone I should? " "I said Ronnie contacted me," Sally replied with a chuckle.
"I didn't say he hired me; in fact, I told him you already had. " "Wow," I said with immense relief. "I really appreciate you doing this, Ted.
Most men in this town think I'm a piece of garbage," she said bitterly. "You're one of the few who has always treated me with respect. You're one of the few who has genuinely tried to help me.
I've always appreciated that. I would never go against you. " "Once again, I'm very grateful.
" "You'll still have to pay my fee," she added with a laugh. "I really value you, but I've got to keep the lights on too. " "That's not a problem, Sally, and thank you again.
" Even after a few days, the phone conversation between Cindy and Amanda didn't go well. According to both of them, it turned into a shouting match with ugly names being hurled back and forth. Cindy called me afterward, nearly hysterical, saying she had lost her daughter forever.
I told her I would talk to Amanda and try to smooth things over, but it turned out to be much harder than I had imagined. Amanda was still furious when I spoke to her a week later. According to my daughter, she told her mother she wanted nothing to do with her.
Cindy would not be invited to her graduation or her wedding, and if Amanda had children, Cindy would never meet her grandchildren. Now I understood why Cindy had been so distraught. The calls from Cindy continued right up until the day of the divorce.
She kept begging me to reconsider and accept their plan. Of course, I continued to refuse. After the divorce, the calls stopped, and I tried to move on.
Thank God I had my work as the chief of detectives. My schedule was fairly flexible. Over the next six months, I became much more hands-on.
I often managed to point some of my newer detectives in the right direction, saving them time by steering them away from obvious dead ends. I also started reviewing our cold cases. As a result of my efforts, we managed to solve a long-forgotten murder case.
It turned out the victim's ex-boyfriend was the perpetrator. The evidence had always been there, but it had gone unnoticed. For solving the case, I received a commendation and a salary increase.
Cindy and Ronnie got married about a month after the divorce. They wanted to buy my half of the house, but the thought of Ronnie living in my home made me sick. Ronnie threatened to take me to court to force the sale.
I told him to go ahead and sue me. I had good relationships with all the appraisers in town, and when I explained my dilemma, they all agreed to help. The appraisals came in much higher than the house was actually worth.
Still, Ronnie didn't care; he paid an absurdly inflated price for my house. It infuriated me, but there was nothing I could do about it. In the end, though, the result worked out in my favor.
I made far more money from the sale than I ever expected. The divorce went better than I expected; for that, I have Sally to thank. Her analysis was so thorough that she uncovered information that helped me.
The down payment on the house had come from an inheritance from my grandfather. Because of that, the amount wasn't considered marital property. As a result, I received about 75% of the proceeds from the sale.
With that money, I bought myself a condo near work, paid for in cash. Life goes on, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt. All those years with Cindy, and she decided I wasn't enough.
I tried getting back into the dating scene, but it was even more disheartening. Most of the women I met came with a ton of baggage; some were downright frightening, and nearly all of them were desperate to get married. I, on the other hand, had no interest in marriage.
I'd been down that road before. One evening, about eight months after Ronnie and Cindy's wedding, I was having dinner at a restaurant. I didn't know they were there until Cindy sat down at my table.
I was surprised to see my ex-wife but decided not to be unpleasant. I glanced around and saw Ronnie sitting at a table across the room, studying the menu. "How are you, Ted?
" Cindy asked softly. "I'm doing well," I replied with a sad smile. "How about you?
" "I still miss you every day," she said, placing her hand on top of mine. "I still love you very much. If you ever find it in your heart to accept Ronnie, I'd be happy to be with you again.
" At first, I was going to pull my hand away and tell her to take a hike, but then an idea struck me. I'd need to talk to Amanda first, but this could be. .
. "Something I could do to get back at that jerk, Ronnie. I miss you too, Cindy," I admitted honestly.
"I hate waking up and not having you there, but now you're a married woman. By the way, I think your husband is looking for you. " Cindy glanced at Ronnie, who was staring at her with a "What the hell?
" expression. She simply nodded at him and stood up. "Remember, I still love you.
" Later that evening, I called Amanda and explained what I wanted to do. At first, she was horrified and said I was giving in to that adulteress. Then I explained why I wanted to do it, and she started giggling.
The giggling turned into full-blown laughter. "That's just brilliant, Dad! " Amanda finally said.
"Go for it! " The next day, with my daughter's blessing, I called Cindy. I told her I wanted to talk with her and Ronnie.
I said I had been thinking about our conversation the previous night. Cindy was thrilled, and we agreed to meet at our old house at 7:00 p. m.
I arrived exactly at 7. Cindy led me into the living room. It was unpleasant to see him sitting on the couch in my former home.
Still, I got some satisfaction from the annoyed expression on his face. It was clear to me that Cindy had sprung this meeting on Ronnie at the last minute. He was glaring at me like daggers.
I pretended not to notice. After pouring us each a cup of coffee, Cindy settled on the couch between me and Ronnie. I got straight to the point.
"Cindy, what did you mean when you said the offer to share was still on the table? " A smile spread across Cindy's face. "Yes, absolutely!
The offer is still valid. I told you I still deeply love you. I just love Ronnie too.
" "Well, if you're okay with it," I said, trying to sound nervous, "I'd be willing to agree. I don't have anyone in my life right now. At least I'd get to have you part of the time.
I've been so lonely without you. " Cindy threw herself at me. She kissed me with a passion we'd never shared before.
"Oh, Ted! You've made me the happiest woman in the world! " "Hold on a minute," Ronnie said, standing up.
"We haven't discussed this yet. " "This is the same thing you suggested," I said calmly to Ronnie. "Yes, but still, Cindy, you and I need to talk about this first," Ronnie said, clearly agitated.
"We've already discussed it," Cindy said, looking slightly surprised at Ronnie's objection. "When did we discuss this? " Ronnie's face turned red.
"Don't forget we talked about it before we presented the plan to Ted. You said you were more than willing to share. " Ronnie was stunned by his own words, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Still, he wasn't ready to give up so easily. "I still think we need to talk this over. " The thought of pointing out how much of a hypocrite Ronnie was danced on the tip of my tongue.
This was the exact same arrangement he had proposed to me, but now the shoe was on the other foot. He was the husband, and I was the ex. However, I decided to let this drama play out between Cindy and Ronnie without getting involved.
"All right, I'll leave and wait to hear from you, Cindy," I said, kissing her before heading out. Back in my car, I burst into uncontrollable laughter. I had completely reversed roles with that idiot.
Now he was squirming like a worm. I wished I could be a fly on the wall that night. The next day, Cindy called and told me that Ronnie was very upset, but when she told him she'd leave, he agreed.
Cindy would spend one week with me and one week with Ronnie. Of course, at Ronnie's insistence, none of this could happen until I was tested for STDs. I agreed on the condition that both of them also get tested.
Cindy didn't object, but Ronnie wasn't happy. As it turned out, we were all clean. The following week, I picked Cindy up.
She looked great when she came to the door. Ronnie, on the other hand, looked like murder was on his mind. I grabbed Cindy and gave her a warm kiss, then I took her two suitcases, and we left.
I decided to do everything I could to make this night special. I took her out to dinner and then to a dance. Afterward, we returned to my apartment.
By the time we were alone, Cindy was clearly overwhelmed with emotion. "Oh God, Ted! I've missed you so much!
I truly love you more than anything! " I spent the evening being close to her, showing her tenderness and care. I made sure she felt appreciated and cherished.
As we embraced and shared moments of closeness, I whispered how beautiful she was. Every touch was gentle, filled with affection, as we reconnected in a way that reminded us of our bond. "I want to feel close to you," she whispered softly.
"It makes me believe you still love me. " Although my feelings for Cindy were complicated, I couldn't deny myself this moment of closeness. We found a rhythm of harmony, and she experienced another moment of joy before I too allowed myself to relax.
We lay in each other's arms, and I soon fell asleep, feeling a rare sense of peace. In the morning, I woke to her gentle touch. She caressed me softly, and her warmth filled me with energy for the new day.
We shared another tender moment together, after which she smiled and kissed me. Despite everything that had happened, this moment felt like ours alone. I know some of you may judge me for sharing this intimacy with her, given the circumstances, but in that moment, it felt right.
It didn't bother me in the slightest. Because I was sleeping with his wife, the week went by quickly and was thoroughly enjoyable. I had to work, so I told Cindy she could go home for the day if she wanted, but Cindy was adamant she was my wife for the week.
That made me cringe a little inside; still, if she wanted to believe that, it was fine by me. The only thing I cared about was that I was sleeping with Ronnie's wife. She cleaned the house, went grocery shopping, did my laundry, cooked meals, and even scheduled our dinner times.
I was having a blast. I even managed to get Amanda to talk to her mother without yelling, of course. Amanda was in on my plan, and I'm sure she got a good laugh out of how clueless her mother was.
When I dropped Cindy off at home, Ronnie looked both satisfied and angry. Whatever rage was brewing inside him, he managed to keep it in check. He kissed Cindy passionately right in front of me.
I simply kissed her on the cheek, said, "Love you," and walked away. Over the next three months, our new arrangement worked out. I have to say, the arrangement was fantastic for me; sleeping with Cindy after our divorce was a win, especially since it was her idea.
Now, I was having sex six or seven times a week. Another advantage of this new arrangement was that I convinced Amanda to come back home and spend some time with us. I'm not sure if my daughter did it because she missed her mother or because she found the situation amusing.
One day, maybe two months into this arrangement, I was checking on three of my detective teams working at different crime scenes. Then a call came over the radio about a disturbance at Mix Tavern. Since I was only a block away, I decided to check it out myself.
When I arrived, I discovered it was a scuffle involving a drunk customer. I was surprised to learn the drunk was Ronnie. I decided to handle the situation personally.
After dismissing the two officers, I turned to Ronnie. "Come on, Ronnie," I said, taking him by the arm. "I'll drive you home.
" "I don't need your damn help," Ronnie replied. "Your choice is either I drive you home, or you spend the night in jail. What's it going to be?
" He grudgingly agreed to the ride home. The entire drive to my old house, we didn't say a word. When he got out of my car, all he said was, "Screw you.
" By the fourth month, Ronnie was becoming less and less happy with our arrangement. He and Cindy argued about it more and more. He wanted it to stop, but Cindy couldn't understand why.
I stayed out of their discussions; I simply kept telling Cindy how wonderful she was and continued enjoying all the intimacy I wanted during my week. This arrangement allowed me to have far more sex than when we were married. Finally, when I arrived to pick up Cindy for the week about five months into our arrangement, everything boiled over.
Ronnie and Cindy were yelling at each other in the yard. I decided to try to calm them down. "I think you two should cool off," I said with a smirk, "or someone's going to call the police.
" "Go to hell," Ronnie snapped angrily before turning back to Cindy. "If you go with him, then we're done. " "We had an agreement, Ronnie," she said with an unpleasant edge in her voice.
Since I met Ronnie, I had never heard my ex-wife speak to her new husband with anything but affection. "The agreement is crap! " Ronnie shouted.
"And I'm telling you again, if you go with him, we're over! " "This is ridiculous," Cindy said dismissively. "You were the one who came up with the idea of sharing in the first place.
" With that, Ronnie stormed into the house and slammed the door. I looked at Cindy questioningly. "He's just having a bad day," Cindy said, taking my hand.
"He'll get over it, and everything will go back to normal. " Things didn't go back to normal. Apparently, Ronnie moved out.
Cindy tried to talk to him, but he was adamant they were done. Around noon on Wednesday, Cindy called me to tell me what had happened. "He left me, Ted," she said, sobbing.
"Can I move in with you? " "Yes, I'll pick you up on Monday when it's time for my week," I replied cheerfully. "But Ronnie's gone," Cindy said, sounding confused.
"I want to come back to you completely. I realize I made a huge mistake. Everything Ronnie said about sharing was just nonsense to drive a wedge between us.
I want things to go back to the way they were. " "Well, you see, Cindy," I said, pretending to be embarrassed, "you wanted me to share you. You didn't want me working full-time as your husband, so I've already gotten used to you being just a part-time wife.
I don't think Ronnie leaving changes anything, so do you still want me to pick you up on Monday? " Cindy burst into uncontrollable sobs, followed by silence. For a moment, I thought she had hung up, but then the bitter crying resumed.
Finally, after several attempts, Cindy managed to speak, stammering, "Yes, yes, please, Ted. I'd really like you to pick me up on Monday. Thank you for listening until the end.
See you in the next episode of Cheating Secrets. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Goodbye.
