[Music] hey there I'm Rick but my buddies call me head I work as a broadcast engineer at wbdk a local CBS station in Atlanta Georgia I've got a fancy graduate degree from MIT in electrical engineering and computer science and I also picked up another degree in broadcast Technologies I've been working in this field for 22 years taking on some challenging roles along the way before landing here in Atlanta for the past 5 years I hopped around various TV stations on the East Coast ghost I'm 46 years old with dark hair and I'm 6' 3 in tall weighing in at around 190 lb some folks might say I'm good-look but I'm no TV heartthrob been happily married to Sharon for a solid 22 years and we've got two daughters Melanie and Stephanie Melanie's already tied the knot and Stephanie's just about to graduate from college Sharon stands at about 5' 5 in doesn't weigh more than 135 lb and rocks long blonde hair she's a real sweetheart both inside and out these days she's working as a secretary for our pastor Reverend Bob shelter and she's been doing that job for the past year and a half now let me tell you about last Friday I had some extra time for lunch and decided to surprise Sharon by taking her out I parked at the church office's side entrance due to the Rain hoping to get closer to the door however when I arrived I found Sharon's office empty still I went inside while I was waiting I overheard Sharon talking to Pastor Bob in his office she was looking forward to Monday night and mentioned how great it was that I work on the Monday Night Football games for the station because it gives us a chance to spend time together she also asked about a reservation at the l. in Pastor Bob assured her yes it's all set I've booked the whirlpool suite again come over here and let me show it to you right now I heard some rustling of clothes and then Sharon's moans I was shocked on the verge of feeling sick and my anger was building up I knew I needed to leave before doing something foolish I couldn't bear to listen any longer I had the urge to barge in and confront them but I hesitated because I knew I'd lose control and maybe even get physical given my emotional state at that moment I was certain I'd end up kicking both of them however I didn't want to face the consequences of my actions so I made the tough decision to turn and leave it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done I wanted to lash out but I walked away I was pretty sure neither of them noticed me or knew I had been there they had security cameras watching the main entrances of the church but I had entered and exited through the side door without being spotted I was so shaken that I realized I wouldn't be able to focus for the rest of the day I called my workplace and explained that I wasn't feeling well saying I needed to go home I needed time to think about what had just happened and being at home seemed like the best place to do that Sharon wouldn't be home until after 400 p. m.
giving me ample time to process everything it became evident that Sharon was having an affair with Pastor Bob and I decided that I couldn't continue to consider him my pastor what I really needed to uncover was the full extent of their relationship how long it had been going on and what had led to it in the first place I understand that some people prefer not to delve into these details because they believe they don't matter but I'm not one of those people I desperately wanted to understand why this had occurred in my seemingly wonderful marriage a marriage that in Sharon's eyes apparently wasn't as wonderful as I thought she wasn't the sweet person I had believed her to be and I was determined to uncover the truth I wasn't weak and I was determined to get to the bottom of this situation ensuring that both of them faced the consequences of their actions Once I arrived home I brewed a pot of coffee and went outside to sit on the ptio hoping the Pleasant weather and fresh air would help me think clearly I needed to make sense of everything everything that had happened I won't deny that I shed a few tears that afternoon because I did I understand I don't own Sharon or her body but it deeply hurt me to think she'd been sexually involved with another man or perhaps more when she had promised herself to me on our wedding day some might not take those vows seriously but I did and I believed she did too such a situation makes you question your entire set of values and wonder if you've been foolish your whole life to believe in faithfulness and love and all that comes with it regardless of what anyone says the most damaging part of a cheating partner isn't just the physical act it's the loss of trust in them and everything they say or do it's like throughout your whole marriage you thought they had your back but now you realize they don't leaving you feeling exposed and scared despite being 6' 3 in tall and weighing 190 lbs I felt vulnerable and frightened it underscores how a cheating spouse can affect a person's emotional well-being being as I sat there battling my emotions and trying to stay calm and logical so I could process everything I realized there were things I had questioned in the past but let go because of the trust I had in Sharon these were little things that didn't seem significant at the time but had now formed a heavy lump in the pit of my stomach as I connected the dots how could I have been so foolish it was trust plain and simple I had put my trust in her and today that trust lay shattered what I needed were cold old hard facts I wanted to know why this had happened I wanted to understand the duration frequency locations and who else might be involved my trust had evaporated and I was determined to find the answers I needed as an update I didn't think I could face Sharon just yet without revealing my feelings so at 300 p. m. I decided to leave the house before she returned I drove into town and stopped by the station to pick up a few things I'd need for the next couple of days I popped into my boss's office and asked for a couple of days off early in the week explaining that I was dealing with some personal issues and not feeling well he agreed so I left and went to Frankie to hang out until I had to go home around 5:00 p.
m. I called Sharon to let her know I'd be stopping for a while and wouldn't be home for dinner she seemed annoyed with me and mentioned how she was feeling Amorous tonight and I would have been in for a treat however my plans were already made so I told her to keep the mood Hot For Me assuring her I'd take care of her when I got home she replied sternly don't count on it mister if you think you can treat me like that you won't be getting anything for a while deep down I thought to myself that this was precisely what I wanted to happen I arrived home around 10:30 p. m.
feeling quite intoxicated but not too drunk to notice the bedroom door was shut and locked I smirked at that and knocked on the door to see if she was awake though I doubted it I yelled fine if this is the game you want to play then don't expect any intimacy from me just deal with with it with that I headed for the spare bedroom the following morning when I got up she was sitting at the kitchen table sipping her coffee I could tell her coffee got a bit colder when I walked in if I hadn't known she was an Unfaithful wife I certainly would have sensed something was a Miss I gave her a friendly smile and said no need to get up and make breakfast honey I'll grab something on my way to the golf course I then headed out of the kitchen walked into the garage loaded my golf clubs into the trunk and drove off shortly after my cell phone rang and I noticed it was her calling so I chose not to answer a few minutes later I heard a beep indicating she had left me a voicemail I listened to it and it was a message filled with anger asking how I could do this to her and demanding I return immediately the truth was I had no intention of actually going golfing I had use that as an excuse to buy myself a few hours to handle what I needed to my destination was my for former Church the last thing I wanted was to hear Bob preach again it was still early when I arrived so I knew there was a good chance no one would be around and I was correct I entered the building having a key since my wife worked there I made my way directly to the offices with the goal of placing remote micro cameras and mini microphones in her office and Bob's office it didn't take me long to set it all up and I concealed the transmitter behind some old himels in the Supply Closet across the hall I had the receiver in my trunk and I wired it into my car's electrical system this way I could monitor their conversations and activities whenever they were in their offices while I didn't expect them to do much at the church I was confident that I would gather valuable information by watching and listening to them for a few days once I was sure everything was functioning correctly I snooped through her desk but found nothing of significance however I did notice a large asterisk on her calendar for Monday which aligned with what I had overheard on Friday I would be prepared for whatever might happen on that day next I entered Bob's office and conducted my search there I didn't have much luck finding anything incriminating but just when I thought I was out of options inspiration Struck it was ironic considering I was in a church but I had a thought I decided to check the filing cabinets for church expense receipts lo and behold I stumbled upon a file containing several receipts from the LA in in Ros well some were from the end of 2019 and a couple were from the spring of 2020 realizing I was pushing my luck by staying too long I hastily made copies of the receipts to take with me I then tidied everything up and made my exit my next move was to head over to the golf course and park in my usual spot I made my way to the clubhouse and gravitated towards the bar I wanted to ensure that a few people there would remember my presence I found a table in the back and ordered a Sprite spending a couple of hours there during that time I scrutinized the receipts carefully and discovered that the two from late 2019 were both for Mondays and the two from the spring of 2020 coincided precisely with dates when I had attended a conference at CBS headquarters in New York what infuriated me the most was that Bob had the audacity to charge those motel rooms to the church disguising them as conference room rentals for meetings he was rending with my wife in a motel and I had Unknowing footed the bill while we had been contributing to the church I decided that there would be no more donations from me their Reckoning was drawing near and all I needed was a bit more evidence to seal their fate I was certain this affair had been ongoing for close to a year if not longer which aligned with the hints I had picked up on earlier my hunch was that Bob had been involved with her even before she started working for him she had a good job as a receptionist at the telfor corporation but she eagerly accepted the opportunity to work for the church saying honey it'll be so close to home and I'll be working for the church what could be better than that plus the pay is almost as good as what I was making it tell for how can I pass this up it sounded great closer to home Church employment and nearly the same pay however it was clear she was more interested in the extra perks I couldn't believe how blind I had been it filled me with anger but it also sickened me to think that my loving wife could betray me like this I was determined to make them pay for their actions I decided it was time to do some investigating I went out to my car and connected my iPod to the frequency of the receiver I had in the trunk after scrolling through a few minutes of data I saw Bob enter his office he picked up his phone and made a call I regretted not having placed a bug on his phone but there was nothing I could do about it now I had to settle for hearing one side of the conversation yes Sharon I'm at the church I came right after you called me why don't you tell me what's bothering you I thought has he ever done this before I see what do you think set him off then he asked do you think he's suspicious of anything Sharon with a laugh he continued all right well you can get back at him on Monday night after hanging up he sat there and thought just as I was about to shut down the transmission he mumbled something almost inaudible but I managed to capture it I made sure to save that sound bite knowing it might come in handy later after shutting down I drove back home I figured it might be a bit chilly there so I started mowing the lawn and took care of some basement chores when I walked in she didn't say much to me but the tension in the air was palpable during dinner I chose to ignore her and she sat there staring at me eventually she tried to start a conversation by asking what had been bothering me lately and why I had been acting strangely I responded by reminding her that she had locked me out of our bedroom the previous night and that I rarely went out with my friend friends I pointed out that the one time I did she had become upset and made threats so the situation was a result of her actions not mine in frustration she retorted with an expletive I noted that her language didn't align with the behavior expected of a devout Christian woman considering her strong faith her reaction clearly displayed guilt on her face and I couldn't understand how she thought I wouldn't notice nonetheless she managed to regain her composure and eventually left the table I thought to myself that when everything came to light she wouldn't handle it gracefully later in the evening she entered the family room where I was watching television with slightly rened eyes indicating that she might have been crying the rest of the evening unfolded without any major incidents when I was ready for bed I walked down the hallway to the spare bedroom and settled in a few minutes later she entered the room and stood there I asked her what do you want she inquired aren't you going to come to bed I replied nope you've made it clear that there won't be any Intimacy in the near future so I might as well get a good night's sleep alone in here with that she left the room in tears honestly I didn't care on Sunday morning she woke me up at 8:00 a. m. dressed for church and invited me to join her I declined explaining that I had no plans to attend she left the room with a certain look on her face suggesting she was beginning to understand the situation later she left the house and we didn't exchange many words throughout the day each retreating to our respective rooms Monday morning I left the house without encountering her or engaging in conversation she called me her voice heavy with tears expressing her apologies and love I assured her we would discuss everything upon my return that evening and hung up then I contacted my boss informing him of my day off but confirming in my commitment to covering the Monday Night Football game he was satisfied with my availability and asked how things were going I replied that they were proceeding as expected my next destination was the ladat Inn in [Music] Roswell update so there I was walking into the motel Lobby trying to look like I was just another guy on the job I spotted the clerk a young dude named Kevin who seemed more interested in his phone than the comings and goings around him I walked up to him with a clipboard in my hand hey got a service call for the whirlpool suite I said tapping on the fake work order I'd put together some complaint about the AC making noise you know how it is with this heat right Kevin gave the clipboard a once over his brow furrowing a bit I kept my face straight all professionall like which room he asked sounding a little puzzled I told him the sweet number and for a second I thought he might call my bluff but then he just nodded handed me the key card and said make it quick all right I was in the room in no time dropping my tool bag down but instead of wrenches and gauges I had my little high-tech gear mics cameras you name it I was playing the part of the maintenance guy but what I was really doing was setting up my own sting operation to catch my wife in the ACT installation was a breeze I hid them so well you'd never know they were there I was out of the room as quickly as I'd entered giving Kevin a nod on my way out all set no more noise from that AC I told him and he barely glanced up from his screen I left feeling a bit like James Bond if I'm honest Kevin had no idea and I was one step closer to knowing the real deal with my wife wild huh with plenty of time on my hands I decided to attend to a few other tasks I needed to prepare I visited our bank and obtained cashiers checks for half of the funds from both our checking and savings accounts afterward I canceled our joint credit cards following that I contacted my broker and arranged a meeting shortly after lunch to make adjustments to our investment accounts I also reached out to my attorney to discuss the divorce and other legal matters we scheduled an appointment for later in the afternoon when he would be available next I drove to Planters National Bank in Marietta Georgia where I opened new accounts in my name only and deposited the cashier checks I had lunch in Marietta although I didn't have much of an appetite after finishing lunch I headed to my broker's office to discuss the Investment Portfolio changes he had prepared these changes divided our investments equally without selling any assets to avoid unwanted tax implications I took the paperwork with me following that I met with my attorney to review the divorce papers he had drafted I proposed a no fault divorce with an equal split of assets if my wife agreed to sign them immediately if she refused I had him include a provision for filing for divorce based on adultery I was fairly confident she would sign them right away with everything taken care of all I had left to do was grab dinner and then head to the station to oversee the Monday night football broadcast after leaving my attorney's office I turned on my cell phone and discovered a couple of messages from Sharon in her messages she expressed concern and asked me to come home before the game stating that my recent Behavior was worrying her deeply she professed her love for me and how torn apart she felt seeing me like this despite being aware of her plans for the evening and my own knowledge of them she could still send me these messages it made me question my judgment thinking I must be the biggest fool ever to have loved and trusted this woman I had reached a decision the only possibility of salvaging my marriage rested on whether she would show up at the motel tonight her decision would be a clear indicator of whether she cared enough to try to rescue our relationship acknowledging its precarious State at 8:00 p.
m. p. m.
I activated the system in fully automated broadcast mode and Monday Night Football commenced I configured the system to monitor the feed from the motel room precisely at 8:15 Bob entered the room and initiated a call telling her hey baby I'm in the room get over here as quickly as you can Sharon replied okay honey I'll be there in a few minutes after ending the call he muttered a few more words that I overheard though I would need to listen again later to confirm the exact content my marriage appeared to be unraveling and while I didn't anticipate her ending it the pain still cut deep this experience only reinforced my determination to make them face the consequences I took out my list of people to contact and began dialing a task that consumed nearly half an hour Sharon had already arrived at the motel so I returned to monitoring the video and audio feed she expressed oh God Bobby the thought of you being intimate with me excites me so much I really value these nights together she confided in response Bobby invited her closer saying tonight darling I'm going to fulfill your desires she responded I adore it when you talk passionately to me Bobby my heart sank and a nauseating feeling washed over me here were a pastor and a Church secretary along with my once sweet and loving wife descending into a dark abyss of depravity that I couldn't comprehend in the moments that followed I would witness just how twisted could become they both deserved the consequences that awaited them there was no doubt about it she positioned herself on the bed and I couldn't bring myself to describe it any further the person who had once been the love of my life he finished his act and I understood that our future together was irreparably shattered though consumed by Agony my seething anger kept me focused if they had seen me in that moment they might have cowered in fear and dread at that point I had lost much of my Humanity my sole purpose was to bring them to justice after enduring their actions for 45 minutes I had seen enough it was halftime during the football game and it was time for the halftime show I switched the system to live assist mode and began playing back the recording of Bob and Sharon from the beginning within minutes the phone began ringing relentlessly I chose to ignore all the calls and took out my cell phone I dialed Sharon's number and the ringing echoed through the monitors she glanced at her phone and remarked it's head this time I won't answer his call let's see how he likes it I hung up and dialed again I suppose I should answer it she finally conceded retrieving her phone from her purse Sharon responded with a venomous tone when I greeted her saying hello curious about her whereabouts and intentions I asked about her location and what was happening she explained that she had gone shopping since I hadn't called her earlier and planned to grab some food before heading home in a somewhat sarcastic tone I inquired if she was shopping at the moment to which she confirmed and mentioned her intention to spend a significant amount of money unable to hold back I retorted by thanking her for being such a wonderful wife with a touch of sarcasm in response she shot back telling me not to speak to her that way and expressing her confusion about my recent behavior before saying goodbye there she was using that term again no Sharon the real issue was Bast Bob in her motel room as their activities appeared to be winding down and she was taking one last shot I contemplated interrupting it knowing she wouldn't answer her cell phone again I dialed the motel number Kevin it's head aren't you watching Monday Night Football no you should be could you ring the whirlpool suite for me after just two rings he picked up hi Bob can I speak to Sharon once more she came on the line questioning why I was calling well Sharon it's like this I know you've been been unfaithful and I'm well aware of your location and activities I plan to file for divorce and you'll find yourself without a place to stay Bob might also face some consequences confused she asked what are you talking about headed I can't make sense of your recent Behavior what's going on with you I simply replied Sharon the charade is over I suggest you turn on Monday Night Football and enjoy the halftime show I'll see you later goodbye I watched on the live monitor as she went to the TV and tuned in to mnf oh my God no she screamed as she watched the streaming video of herself and Bob engaged in their activities due to a time delay in the live feed she witnessed a substantial portion of what the entire Atlanta area had already seen her response was limited to repeating oh no as she hastily got dressed and fled the room Bob was equally frantic to leave uttering curses all the while I will kick that son of a Bish I will kick him he muttered unaware that his muttered words could come back to haunt him once they had vacated the room I promptly turned off the monitors and allowed the video stream to continue for one more minute then I switched off the live assist mode and returned the system to its fully automated broadcast mode I retrieved the tape and left the broadcast Booth knowing it might be my last visit to the building I took a few personal items from my desk as well final update I spent the rest of the night at Frankie and yes my performance during halftime became the Hot Topic at the bar after the game concluded I hailed a cab and headed home when I arrived I found Sharon sitting alone in the darkened living room the phone had been disconnected and it was evident that she had been sobbing uncontrollably her tears didn't move me as far as I was concerned it was all over she cried and asked how could you do this to me head after after all these years together how could you I responded firmly no Sharon the real question is how could you do this to me I'm drunk and I'm going to bed we can talk tomorrow she remained motionless as I left the room and retreated to the spare bedroom the next morning I woke up with a nasty hangover and she was still on the sofa with dark circles under her eyes it appeared she hadn't slept at all but again I didn't care she had brought this upon herself I nonchalantly put the phone back on the hook and it immediately began ringing for the next hour and a half I fielded calls from family members including her parents Friends Church acquaintances my now ex- boss and both of my daughters they were deeply upset by what they had witnessed and nothing I said could console them I understood that it was harsh for them to have seen what they did but they were adults and would eventually move past it I also received a call from Mr Bob who inquired about whether I had kept a tape of the entire incident I assured her I had a copy securely stored and would provide it to her if she needed it it was evident that everyone I had called had watched the Monday night football halftime show and they didn't hesitate to let me know some were angry due to its explicit content While others like Sharon's parents considered my actions terrible for exposing her like that however most people were simp PA athetic and understood my perspective it was a challenging ordeal but it was the price I had to pay for my actions Sharon remained seated sobbing throughout the ordeal eventually I left the phone off the hook once more and went to prepare some coffee when I returned I offered her a cup and handed her the divorce papers and investment documents she needed to sign I stated Sharon I'm filing for divorce after discovering your infidelity and witnessing what I did last night it's clear you've been cheating on me for at least a year or longer there's no way I can continue in this marriage I held up the papers these are the divorce documents and if you read them you'll see I'm requesting a no fault divorce and proposing an equal division of our assets to proceed with this you must sign both the divorce agreement and the agreement for splitting our investments right now there will be no negotiations or modifications to these documents they are entirely fair to you I explained I'll give you until 5:00 p. m. today to consult with an attorney and confirm that my offer is fair at 51 p.
m.
