[Music] my lover got out of bed and went to his adjoining hotel room to get ready for the day we always booked two adjoining rooms with a connecting door to avoid suspicion it wouldn't be good if our Affair was discovered I was Dan's executive assistant and we had worked together for over 2 years being lovers for most of that time due to my role we often traveled together across the country for meetings and conferences giving us plenty of time together without raising eyebrows I was married and my husband stayed at home my marriage was a
fast wedding at 18 after I got pregnant by my high school boyfriend Alan when our parents found out mine wanted me to adopt the baby but his parents insisted we keep her and offered their help Allan supported me through the pregnancy despite the Judgment from others after a difficult labor we welcomed our daughter Lauren 2 days after my 19th birthday and decided to keep her my parents nearly disowned me so we moved in with Allen's parents who helped raise Lauren after graduating we both got jobs married in a simple ceremony and moved into a small
house our plans for University were postponed when we had another daughter Emma over the next decade with hard work and support we both earned University degrees while working part-time and raising our daughters Allan was very close to the girl but my relationship with them was strained we often fought and I sometimes resented them blaming them for the life I had to give up after graduation I became the executive assistant to Dan Johnson the business development manager for a medical device company I was 32 and he was 41 we quickly became a strong professional team and
I loved my job sales were increasing management was happy and I got a raise my job involved a lot of travel often with Dan which was exciting we visited new places met clients negotiated deals and interacted with Executives though I was away from home 3 weeks out of four the experience was fantastic Dan and I spent a lot of time together and became close despite our age difference he was married with three young children to prevent Allan from worrying about my travels I lied that I mostly traveled alone or with another woman and downplayed my
relationship with Dan in truth I was fascinated and attracted to Dan we often found cozy restaurants for dinner wine and long conversations about 6 months in after landing a big sales order we celebrated with a special dinner and champagne that night Dan confessed his love for me my heart raced and after a moment of hesitation I followed him to his room we spent the night together the next morning I felt guilty but Justified it as an experience I deserved since I hadn't had the chance to explore relationships when I was younger I also realized I
had forgotten Emma's 11th birthday the night before despite the guilt I acknowledged my involvement as Dan smiled and squeezed my hand on the plane home when I got home the guilt hit me again Allan was happy to see me after a week away but I avoided his hugs and kisses that night I declined his advances claiming I was tired though I was also sore from being with Dan it was the first time I had ever turned Allan down our Affair which began 18 months ago continued non-stop over time I got over the guilt and hid
my secret from Allan emotionally disconnecting from him and our girls my thoughts were always about Dan lying became second nature and I didn't feel guilty anymore I had fallen deeply in love with Dan and occasionally thought about leaving Allan for him as our company expanded Dan and I traveled more often for work when there were no scheduled trips we created fake business trips and spent the night in a nearby hotel we also took short vacations together using conferences as an alibi we were careful at work always behaving professionally and never meeting alone we communicated through
secret email accounts and never met in our town at home I argued with Allan about my demanding boss and frequent travel he often suggested finding a job with less travel but I told him I was learning too much and earning well during rare work events with Partners we were very cautious briefly introducing our spouses before mingling with others no one suspected anything Allan was happy with My Career Success but annoyed by my frequent absences which left him to handle most of the child rearing on top of his it job although I still loved Allan we
were drifting apart and our affection had dwindled I felt guilty and made a mental note to try to make up to him we had a rough start in life early on having our first child at 16 getting married at 18 and having another shortly thereafter through hard work and teamwork we managed to graduate from University me with a degree in information technology and Amy with a degree in Commerce all while raising two girls we overlooked the difficulties because we loved each other deeply when Amy got her first professional job after graduation about 2 years ago
she was overjoyed and I was very proud of her finally we were both working professionally earning a good salary and could begin enjoying a normal life together at first I supported her career in every way I could but I grew increasingly resentful of the long hours she worked and the amount of traveling she did she left home around 700 in the morning and usually didn't get home until 6:00 or 7 in the evening most weeks she would be gone for at least one or two nights sometimes more and occasionally she wouldn't get home until Saturday
afternoon when she was home during the week she either worked after dinner or just sat in front of the TV on Saturdays she would sleep late and then go shopping on Sundays she would go to the gym in the morning and then have lunch with her girlfriends she was usually too tired to go out with me in the evening we didn't spend much family time together she was always too busy at work to take vacations so the girls and I often vacationed without her I noticed that her character was changing the loving wife and mother
was gone replaced by a selfish often irritated and aloof person and sharing my bed whenever I tried to bring it up I was immediately rebuffed she would say it was just my imagination or that she was tired from work or she was working hard for us or that everything was fine I worried about how it might end at the end of her first year I was required to accompany her to a Christmas party at the CEO's Mansion it was there that I first met her boss Dan and his wife we chatted politely but briefly about
nothing then he bowed out and they went off to socialize my wife led me to others and started a convers ation with the other employees later I thought it was a bit odd her boss seemed quite friendly though a bit reserved not the ogre Amy had described Dan's wife was also very pleasant since Amy was his executive assistant I thought we would have more than just polite cursory conversation I also sensed that Amy was a little tense she had a habit of talking really fast when she was nervous and it gave her away I thought
it was odd that she was nervous around her boss when they worked so closely together it was perplexing to me although I trusted her completely I still put the thought aside for later over the next year I was very busy as I decided to start my own IT consulting company additionally I was practically single-handedly raising our girls so I pushed all concerns about Amy to the back burner life with Amy was a repeat of the previous year she started traveling even more often and becoming more distant from all three of us lately I began to
notice that her attitude toward me was becoming condescending and dismissive she showed me no love no affection nothing only occasionally did I receive something without any love or closeness it was obvious that our relationship was crumbling at the end of the year I again attended her staff Christmas party our interaction with her boss was a repeat of the previous meeting afterward a fleeting thought crossed my mind that she was hiding something for the first time since we met at 18 I began to doubt her was there another man in her life the thought was almost
overwhelming we had fought together as a team overcoming many challenges to get where we were now she wouldn't do that would she what was I supposed to do I didn't go to the extreme of hiring a private investigator or hacking into her computer but I began to observe her more closely I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary either it was my imagination or she was very clever at covering her tracks either way all was not well between us I guess I was just too busy to bother Meanwhile my girls were growing up rapidly we
spent a lot of time together and were very close although unfortunately their mother had little time for them both girls were Avid soccer players so every Saturday morning during the season I went to watch them play it was the highlight of my week after the game we would go out for lunch somewhere usually to their favorite Japanese restaurant and chat about what they were doing I noticed that they almost never mentioned their mother afterwards depending on the weather we would walk on the beach go to the movies or go out with friends after the first
game of the season was over Emma came up to me accompanied by a new member of the soccer team she was a Charming girl tall absolutely beautiful with a wide smile long dark hair and deep dark brown eyes she was also very athletic and had distinguished herself in her first game with Emma's team scoring two goals hi Daddy this is cie can I come over and hang out with her this afternoon hi cie nice to meet you sure Emma as long as C's parents don't mind C turned and called out mom can Emma come over
this afternoon the woman obviously Callie's mom turned and started walking toward us holy crap she was the adult version of her daughter and absolutely stunningly beautiful she introduced herself as Sophie and readily agreed to have Emma come to her house in the afternoon we chatted for a while but I'm still not sure exactly what I said I know I babbled incoherently after they left both my girls burst into laughter at my embarrassment and then smirked at each other in the evening Emma mentioned that Sophie was very nice Sophie had been a single mom since Call's
father died in a car accident about 3 years ago Sophie single-handedly raised cie and her younger brother Tom for 11 years the fact that she was a single mom definitely caught my attention the following Saturday as Lauren and I were watching Emma play soccer Sophie and her son joined us and asked if they could watch with us I mentally prepared myself to meet her again and was determined not to look foolish we chatted during the game she had recently moved to town for a new job and didn't know many people yet she was very happy
that c had made a new friend in Emma and complimented me on my good manners after the match Emma asked if C could come to our house sure Emma that would be great if that's okay with you Sophie sure why don't cie come over now and have lunch with us do you like sushi yes I love it great it's a deal in fact why don't all three of you have lunch with us I uttered thank you so much for the invitation Alan but I'll be in the way of your family so I won't be coming
I was feeling a little overwhelmed when Lauren spoke up no please come Sophie it would be really nice to have you with us and I'd get a woman to talk to for a change you would be absolutely out of the way please she looked at me if you're sure I won't get in the way Alan that would be wonderful I shook my head and mumbled something incoherent again as we turned to walk to our cars Lauren turned to me with a smirk and winked lunch was a great success we meaning mostly the four girls chatted
for almost 2 hours I think Tom was glad of the other man's company and we talked a bit amongst ourselves about computers and soccer at one point I heard Sophie very casually asked my girls if their mom ever came to watch their soccer games Lauren's answer surprised me no never she's not really interested in us she's only interested in her work and herself daddy is our mom too he's the only one who cares about about us Sophie cast an inquisitive glance at me during the rest of the soccer season we got into the habit of
having lunch together after every game Emma and cie became close friends and alternated between our houses after the game and sometimes after school sometimes Tom would come over with his sister too but more often than not he wanted to spend time with me we often fiddled with computers kicked a ball around or rode bikes I also noticed that Lauren often stopped by Sophie's house and the two of them would sometimes go shopping and then stopped for coffee and a chat I noticed that my girls never mentioned Sophie to their mother and neither did I Sophie
and I were becoming firm friends too since I was pretty much a single parent like her it was much easier for us to help each other with parenting after soccer season ended we were increasingly alone with the kids on Saturdays when they went on their own field trips or to visit friends when my wife wasn't usually around I was pretty much free so increasingly Sophie and I spent that time in each other's company walking eating lunch or watching movies I looked forward to our meetings more and more and realized that I had fallen in love
with her despite this we never crossed the line of friendship one day over a cup of coffee with Sophie I told her that I appreciated her spending time with Lauren you know she's never quiet about you when she gets home Sophie this Sophie that I laughed well and Tom is never quiet about you when he comes to see you Allan this Allan that she laughed back seriously he needs a male figure in his life so I appreciate you spending time with him then she suddenly said forgive me for being blunt Allan but it seems pretty
obvious that all is not well between you and your wife we never discussed Amy carefully avoiding the subject I sat in silence for about 30 seconds it was a question I had long pushed to the back of my mind and avoided discussing the truth is Sophie if it weren't for the girls I'd probably be long gone things have been really bad for a few years now I've tried to talk to her many times but I've hit a brick wall our marriage was hard from the beginning I think Lauren told you about how Amy and I
got married yes and she blames herself a bit for putting you in that situation I know it's crazy and I tell her it's not her fault in the slightest that opened the floodgates for me I spent the next hour pouring out all my sorrows on Sophie at the end she came over and gave me a big hug it was my first real female hug in forever I'm here for you whenever you need me Alex you know that I only hugged her Tighter and didn't let her go soon another year was over and the annual Christmas
party for Amy's co-workers came around again my reacquaintance with her boss was very similar to the previous two years this time I was on high alert although Amy and her boss seemed much more at ease than before something was not right I had a definite suspicion about these two toward the end of the evening Amy excused herself to go to the bathroom after a minute I looked over and realized that her boss was was also nonchalantly heading upstairs I decided to follow her and went upstairs looking for her she wasn't in the bathroom so I
looked all around the huge house and was about to pass the ajar bedroom door when I heard my wife's voice inside Merry Christmas dear a male voice replied Merry Christmas my love I peaked through the crack of the door and saw Amy and her boss kissing passionately with their arms wrapped around each other I quickly backed away in shock I went downstairs pondering what to do I was beyond angry feeling just dead inside I don't have a temper so instead of an immediate confrontation I calmed myself and decided to investigate and make a plan first
Amy returned shortly afterward a little out of breath and spent the rest of the evening pretending to be my loving wife I on the other hand pretended that nothing had happened by New Year's Eve working while Amy slept I hacked into her phone and laptop Amy should have known better keeping evidence on your personal computer even even if it's well hidden isn't very smart when your husband's occupation is computer hacking my worst fears were realized there was a trail of evidence in her work personal and secret email accounts Amy was in a long-term affair with
her boss that began over two years ago I also discovered photos and videos showing the depth of her betrayal from their email correspondence I realized that Amy and Dan had even discussed leaving their Partners to be together she seemed interested but her lover was more cautious I really was a clueless husband I installed a covert surveillance program on her phone and laptop I could remotely monitor her every electronic and physical move if I wanted to my marriage was clearly over now I needed to retain custody of my daughters and protect my business and finances in
the new year I consulted with a divorce attorney she told me that divorces are no fault so you can't sue for infidelity however in a child custody case once the children turn 14 they have the right to decide which parent they want to live with after the marriage breaks up she also came up with a strategy to protect my company from Financial payouts Emma would turn 14 in 6 months until then I could tolerate living with Amy and that gave me time to prepare I had to keep everything a secret from Amy I told Sophie
what I had found out and she cried it was unexpected I thought I should be the one most upset and in need of a hug I held her for a while as she tearfully told me that her husband had been homicidal driving with his secretary when she went through his belongings after his passway she discovered that they had been having an affair this made his loss even more difficult when she recovered we talked more and I told her about my plans to leave Amy she grinned and encouraged me to put my plans into action I
first convinced my wife that since we were both making good money now we should sell our small house and rent a bigger place while we looked for our dream home we would use the money from the sale to put a down payment on a new house she readily agreed our house sold quickly and we rented another place nearby I was a tenant on a lease for only 6 months I was very sick of sharing a bed with Amy when she was home when we moved into the rental house I got a bad cold I used
that as an excuse to move into the spare room so I wouldn't have to sleep with her I never moved back in and she never commented on it maybe she didn't notice or maybe she just liked it then I talked my father whom I also confided in into starting a new IT company that he himself own owned I was his only employee I then closed my own company and started running my business through his company everything was going according to plan until I ran into a very nervous and scared Lauren Lauren was dating her first
boyfriend and I immediately thought she was pregnant just like what happened to her mom dad this is hard for me to tell you but Mom is having an affair with her boss I was shocked that she knew and was speechless for a moment really what makes you think that well right after we moved Emma and I went back to our old house to pick up some things she'd forgotten mom and her boss were there well that's a little weird but it doesn't prove anything I said I know about their Affair Lauren I've known for a
long time then why don't you do something about this cheating woman Emma saw her too yes I called out to Emma who was hiding with an earshot around the corner and she bashfully entered the room I hugged them both tightly I knew how awful it was for them to see this especially young Emma can you both keep a very big secret they nodded I plan on leaving your mom soon I'm just waiting until Emma turns 14 so you both can legally choose who to live with they both shouted in unison it won't be easy to
keep this secret but until then we mustn't do anything to alert your mother they smiled conspiratorially afterwards I asked Sophie to have a chat with Lauren she had her first boyfriend now and I didn't want her to follow in her mother's footsteps fortunately Amy didn't show up often so we could tolerate her occasional presence and keep our secret we enjoyed it even more when she wasn't home knowing that the end was near we spent more and more time with Sophie and her two children often having lunch at each other's houses or going out together one
Friday afternoon when my wife was supposedly at a conference all weekend but was actually with her boss at the hotel Lauren said Daddy I'm going to babysit for Sophie today oh really what's she doing going to dinner with a guy at brazer Paris you know that classy French restaurant in town I immediately felt real jealousy and tried unsuccessfully not to show it my daughter looked at me with a pitying expression on her face she's going on a date with you you idiot it's about time you two went on a proper date I've already made reservations
so call her now and ask her out properly she said holding out her phone to me what if she doesn't want to go on a date with me we're just friends after all I don't want her to feel awkward how you ever managed to be smart enough to graduate from University is beyond me call her now I called and Sophie judging by the sound of my voice was absolutely thrilled and immediately agreed somehow I got the feeling that it wasn't a surprise it took me three tries that night before my girls were satisfied that I
was appropriately dressed for dinner just as I was about to leave cie and Tom walked in in response to my perplexed look Lauren said oh I forgot to tell you that they'll be spending the night here tonight so don't worry about coming home late or not at all if you want she smiled and handed me an already packed overnight bag all of our children were obviously involved in a determined plot when I arrived Sophie met me at the door oh my God she looked absolutely amazing well say something Alan I can't I have no words
do you like it she asked twirling around oh much more than like it Sophie I had the best dinner of my life and we had a wonderful time in each other's company at the end of the evening as we walked up to her front door I said I know our children have arranged for me to stay the night but you don't have to she said sh I'm counting on you to stay and led me in inside and into her bedroom I wasn't going to argue with that we were a little shy and hesitant at first
I let out all my mental frustrations and felt like I had died and gone to heaven the next morning we heard the sound of lots of feet on the stairs voices outside and a knock on the bedroom door which then opened Lauren poked her head inside good morning you two it's almost 10 and we got tired of waiting so we came in breakfast will be ready downstairs in 20 minutes oh and I'd ask if you had a good evening but judging by the look on your face there's no need she grinned laughter Was Heard outside
the door and they all departed how did we manage to get such a wonderful group of children Sophie the breakfast they made was delicious and it was wonderful to spend it as a family later at home I tried to justify myself to my girls for what had happened between Sophie and me after all technically I had been unfaithful to their mother they both just rolled their eyes and laughed at my awkwardness Dad it's about time you were happy again you're not married to mom anymore anyway she left you a long time ago so what are
all you co-conspirators up to actually we're all in agreement Emma and I need a mother and cie and Tom need a father you and Sophie are made for each other so everyone wins even if I thought it was a good idea Sophie might not Papa truth even you should be able to tell how she feels about you and what she wants do I have any say in the matter no absolutely none Daddy from the look looks on their faces they were thoroughly amused by all of this now I was truly at the mercy of my
daughters a few days later at dinner when we were all gathered together I announced that I intended to go house hunting the following weekend Sophie asked what kind of house I was looking for I wanted to be close to the beach two stories with a large family room a kids escape room a large backyard and a pool it should have at least six bedrooms in case my family ever grows because you never know looking directly at her I said I also want to make sure it will appeal to the woman I might fall head over
heels in love with Sophie stared back for a full minute then walked over to where I was sitting and kissed me passionately in front of the children when we took a breath they watched Us in silence and then exploded with joy dancing around us I took that as a yes after weeks of searching we found the perfect place we decided to buy it jointly she used her husband's life insurance money and I used the proceeds from the sale of my house as collateral everything was ready for a showdown with Amy as Emma's 14th birthday and
thus D-Day approached Amy announced that she was leaving for 7 days to attend a sales conference on the west coast I later checked her email and discovered that she was actually going on vacation with her boss to celebrate their third wedding anniversary on the island of Bali in Indonesia to avoid arousing suspicion at work they independently told everyone that they were going on vacation with their families because they were working so hard that they were neglecting them she would leave work a day earlier than her boss and fly to Bali alone he would fly in
a day later she would come back to work a day earlier than her boss to make the script look believable they were getting lazy their gimmicks weren't up to their usual standards as the whole thing could easily unravel if someone checked Amy flew off to her conference and we immediately started packing and moving our things to our new home where Sophie and the kids had moved a month earlier the Balan God of Vengeance if there is such a thing was really smiling down on me the the same night Amy arrived a Gung volcano an active
volcano in Bali began erupting in full force spewing clouds of volcanic dust into the air all air travel in and out of Bali was immediately suspended her lover stayed home and Amy was stuck in Bali alone to celebrate their wedding anniversary this is impossible to make up I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants the volcano continued to erupt and all flights were still cancelled separating the lovers behind the scenes I checked her emails and messages every day to myself the lovers were not happy and Amy was very resentful of Dan as if it
was his fault every once in a while Amy would call home and tell me how busy she was at a conference and blah blah blah typically I would ask her how things were going at the hotel and ask questions about the city she was supposedly in when I later gained remote access to her laptop it turned out that during the phone call she had been frantically searching the internet for information to come up with plausible answers meanwhile all six of us were settling into our new home home I had my attorney file a separation document
with the family court I also obtained temporary custody of my girls from the court after filing their signed statements that they wanted to live with me as the day of Amy's return approached all flights were cancelled and I wondered how Amy would handle the situation she called me one evening and told me that she had made a lot of connections with potential big sales leads at the conference and her boss had asked her to follow up with them right away before she returned home I could tell she was very nervous it's also a good thing
she didn't call on the video link or I wouldn't have been able to contain myself I just assured Amy that we were fine and I understood another week went by and she was still stuck in Bali I saw frantic emails and texts between the two lovers her boss informed everyone at work that she had to extend her vacation due to a family emergency her boss also called me and deeply apologized for causing Amy to be away from home for so long but it was a big opportunity vital to the company blah blah blah I waited
for his call and was ready to answer like a dutiful husband to an important working wife I assured him that I was fine and understood I then innocently asked him where Amy was going he began to quickly think of places I read Amy his letter letting her know where she needed to be my strategy of course was to make her squirm and plant the seeds of doubt in her mind that she had been discovered I kept assuring my wife when she called that I understood everything but kept asking her about interesting places in the cities
where she was staying I knew she had researched everything beforehand so I always asked her a few unexpected trick questions and enjoyed her attempts to give herself away I was just playing dumb during one call I said hey Amy did you read about those poor people who are stranded in Bali and can't get home because of the volcano there was a moment of silence then she replied oh yeah but I didn't pay much attention to it on the news one of my co-workers was stuck there for two weeks do you remember Paul Howard and his
wife we met them about 6 months ago oh yes we're working on a project together and he has to do his part of the work remotely via the Internet from his hotel in nadua at least the Grand Hyatt isn't a bad place to be stuck Amy's squeak Was Heard On the Line sure enough it was the hotel she was staying at Paul hadn't even been to Bali but she didn't know that immediately after the call she'd moved to a cheap hotel on the other side of the island she must have prayed she could get away
with it of course my five girls and Son thought the whole farce was hilarious yes Sophie's children were mine now finally after almost 3 weeks the volcano stopped erupting and flights from Bali resumed Amy called me to tell me that her work was over and she would be back on Friday afternoon I was waiting for her at the airport at our rented and now vacant house I'd planned this meeting very carefully when she walked in I was sitting at the kitchen table with two glasses and a bottle of wine she looked tired and very nervous
oddly enough for someone who had been on a business trip for 3 weeks she had a deep tan I didn't bother with the usual kiss on the cheek wow you got a great Tan on your business trip did you even have time to do anything she babbled something blushing sit down and have a glass of wine with me I poured wine into my glass and took a sip Allan I'm tired I just want to go upstairs take a shower and rest before dinner I'm sorry but we have something to discuss and it can't wait so
please sit down the girls are staying the night at a friend's house so won't be disturbed the look on amyk face expressed genuine fear she thought her game was finally over and I was about to lower the boom but she didn't know how to handle it she reluctantly sat down and I poured her a glass I'd rehearsed the speech many times and honed the apologetic face you know things haven't been smooth between us for a long time Amy do you know why she looked startled and only mumbled a no I'm sorry to have to tell
you this Amy but I can't sugarcoat it the truth is that I've met another woman I love her and I want to be with her that's why I've decided to leave you to be with her a sudden shock struck her and the frightened expression on her face was replaced by wordless rage I continued still apologizing I didn't mean for this to happen it's just that you were away so often and I got lonely how dare you do this to me Alan after all I've done for you who is she I assume you're entertaining her blah
blah blah I just sat there with a sorrowful face while she poured out her anger on me for about 5 minutes I can see that you're very angry and that's understandable it's pointless to continue the conversation now I'll come back tomorrow around 4:00 in the afternoon to talk some more we have a lot to discuss I left her tiate and walked back to my new home a string of angry text messages and voicemails followed me but I didn't bother to respond back home everyone was wondering how it went my response even better than expected for
dinner we had pizza and watched a movie together the girls turned off their phones to avoid communicating with their mother even though I made it clear to them that they could not cut off contact with her why didn't I attack her for her cheating because it would have hurt her so much more that way that night Sophie and I made Tender Love and all my anxiety and tension just melted away Amy who the next afternoon I showed up at my old place armed with a folder of papers I was greeted by a still very annoyed
Amy along with her best friend Claire a lawyer I had never liked I saw old emails where CLA had encouraged Amy to continue the affair in the early days when Amy was feeling guilty and thinking about breaking up I sat down at the table facing both of them CLA appeared to be the spokesperson and offense was the best form of Defense she proceeded to tell me at length what a prick I was and what a wonderful wife and mother Amy was how I had taken advantage of her while she was away and worked so hard
for the family how I should beg her to come back if I didn't she would clean me out in the divorce take the girls and I would never see them again what Hypocrites after last night they apparently decided that if I knew about her affair with her boss I would have brought it up I kept a sad apologetic and questioning look on my face Amy I realize how much this hurts you but I guess I'm a little surprised that you're so angry for quite some time I haven't felt like you really loved me you've been
physically and emotionally absent from our marriage for the last 3 years that's utter nonsense Alan of course I've been around I know I work hard which often distracts me from my work but I did it for us so tell me Amy when was the last time we made love Amy remained silent I can tell you it was 3 years ago yes we have physical engaging very rarely but I was talking about making love I can tell you the exact date of the last time remember 3 years ago you were away on a business trip and
forgot to call Emma on her 11th birthday she tried to call you several times throughout the evening but never got through she was so upset I remember it well because Emma's birthday was two weeks ago when you were on a business trip and you forgot to call her again so I thought it was a bad anniversary for us she threw me a guilty look ever since you came home from that trip 3 years ago somehow our relationship has never been the same I realized from the look on their faces that I had hit the mark
they looked very uncomfortable and squinted at each other after all Amy we've been sleeping in separate bedrooms for about 6 months now it doesn't seem to bother you I can't remember the last time we went went out together or went on vacation it feels like you spend your vacations at work they both shuttered when you're home you're not here with me and your girls I smiled inwardly as I watched them squirm in their seats anyway Amy I'm sorry but I'm going to move on with my life and I hope for the girl sake we can
make our separation as easy as possible reconciliation is really impossible who is she do I know her you've met her daughter cie Emma's best friend a few times her mom Sophie and I met at Saturday soccer last year and became friends I think our friendship grew until we realized we were in love with each other we had an affair and recently decided to move in together before they could say anything else I placed a large index folder on the table I've gathered some documents and information for You tab a is the separation agreement I filed
with the court 2 weeks ago tab B is the divorce petition you need to sign the sooner you sign the sooner we can move forward tab C is the proposed Financial settlement tab D is the new lease on this house the lease expires in 3 weeks so you will have to renew it in your name if you want to stay tab e contains all the utility contracts I gave notice to terminate the agreements in 3 weeks if you want to stay you will have to renew them in your name tab F has the bank statements
I have withdrawn 60% of the funds from our joint accounts the credit cards in your name now belong to you finally tabg is a temporary court order for for custody and child support the girls have decided to move in with me so custody will be handled by me child support will be paid directly from your paycheck at work access to visitation has been left open so we can work this out as we see fit they were stunned that I was so well prepared Claire began you creep you've been planning this for ages you're not going
to get away with this we're going to take your IT company your girls and your money well yeah I've been planning this since Christmas I had an epiphany at your staff Christmas party Amy I realized it was over between us and it was time to act I watched Amy frantically trying to remember what had happened there so selling the house to buy another was a shame CLA said I only smiled as for screwing me Claire I don't have a company to take over I closed it down a few months ago I work for someone else
now I bought a new house for Sophie to live in after I filed for legal separation so it's not an asset to our marriage since I have legal custody of the girls I can use 60% of the money from the sale of the house to buy a new home so I'm not sure what you can really do Claire by the way if you research state laws you'll find that once the children turn 14 they can choose who they want to live with they chose me you really are nothing Allan I bet you poison the girls
Minds against Amy I wouldn't do that I'm not such a scoundrel anyway even if I thought I should poison them it wouldn't have been necessary Amy did it herself having neglected them for the last 3 years you have a lot of work to do with them Amy to get them back it's important for their well-being that they have a good relationship with their mother she hasn't neglected them she's a good mother it's not what they think Claire she's been virtually absent from their lives for years Amy ask yourself who feeds them who takes them to
sports who makes their school lunches who helps them with their homework who buys them clothes who always remembers their birthdays and buys them presents who goes to the movies with them who do they go to with problems who helped them get through their first period who gives them love and affection I could go on and on well Amy fell silent it was obvious that she was having a hard time digesting what had happened the girls asked me to see if you would meet them tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. at the Beachside Cafe it was actually
my idea since they really don't want to meet you I'll tell them it's okay she only nodded I left them both and went back to my family the next day the girls told me that Amy kept badmouthing me and demanding that they live with her eventually the girls excused themselves to go to the bathroom and just quietly left I couldn't understand why she wanted to make up she had been indifferent to me for years maybe I was just a convenient babysitter and housekeeper for her when Alan told me he was leaving for another woman I
was in complete shock I thought he loved me despite several attempts to reconcile he wanted nothing to do with me and we only communicated when exchanging our daughters for visits my girls were openly hostile making visits unpleasant they would happily run to their new stepmother which infuriated me eventually I told them not to come unless they wanted to I had envisioned my life continuing as it had my lover on the road and my husband at home Allan leaving was a huge shock and emotional blow over time I realized he was right I had been an
absent wife focusing all my love and emotional energy on Dan for the last 3 years leaving almost nothing for Alan it was surprising he stayed as long as he did unable to afford my house and child support I moved into a tiny apartment spending nights alone watching TV and eating takeout Dan's attitude changed when Allan left me he became too busy with his family to spend time with me sending me on business trips alone and saying I could handle the clients our emotional connection faded 6 months after my marriage ended Dan announced he was moving
to another city for a new job tearfully I asked him to never contact me again suddenly I was a divorced woman I couldn't help but think of the line from a Joanie Mitchell song you don't know what you've got until it's gone I foolishly thought I could have it all Allan was now with a beautiful woman who was impossible to hate and he was glowing with happiness just like he was when we were young par parents my girls were much happier too treating Sophie as their mother and seeing me as an annoying relic of their
past it was very painful I hit rock bottom when I complained to my girls about my situation and Lauren looked at me coldly so did you leave your father after all I know I wasn't the perfect wife and was neglectful but he left me for another woman mom he left you because you had an affair with your boss for 3 years the look on my face said it all I was so ashamed Allan had known all along but hadn't said anything my life was a mess I had lost a good husband and my daughters true
to his word Allan advised our girls to keep in touch with me gradually they began visiting willingly and sometimes stayed overnight one evening as I drove the girls to their new home I asked Alan for a chat we got out of the car and I faced him Lauren told me you know about Dan and me I'm sorry Alan you were a good husband and you didn't deserve this I was selfish and got what I deserved he nodded why didn't you tell me you knew Alan maybe you could have stopped me in time by the time
I found out it was too late when did you find out I caught you with your boss at the office Christmas party last year after that I did some digging and found out everything I have to admit it amused me when you were stuck in Bali alone oh God I feel miserable why didn't you confront me I was angry and wanted you to feel my resentment I found out you're not the first Secretary your boss has slept with he has a history of using and dumping women I decided the best way to punish you was
to stay quiet and let things unfold if I made a scene his wife might divorce him freeing him to be with you I figured you'd feel worse if you thought I left you for another woman your strategy worked perfectly my life is a mess I'm sorry you were hurt so badly well a little sorry you don't need to apologize it was my fault if you had done what I did I would have walked away from you looking back I was seduced by excitement and became dependent to it I tried to stop early on but it
was too late I became obsessed and forgot about you and our girls for a while my anger has subsided Amy and I forgive you I've also become philosophical about it after all I wouldn't be with Sophie now if you hadn't cheated on me yes I know That's What Hurts the Most our marriage was challenging from the start Sophie I don't think you're a bad person you made a big mistake but he was a skilled manipulator you didn't have a chance to fully mature and experience normal Teenage life including dating and figuring out who you wanted
to be with you were vulnerable and your boss took advantage you're probably right Alan but why did you have to tell the girls about him it was too harsh no wonder they hated me I didn't tell tell them Amy they found out themselves what they came back to our old house unexpectedly and caught you both in the living room remember just after we moved out I couldn't recall at first then the memory hit me with horror what did they see pretty much everything even Emma Lauren described it to me in detail my body tensed with
shame and I burst into tears leaning into Allen's comforting Embrace he held me tightly consoling me as I sobbed into his chest eventually he carried me inside and laid me on the couch Sophie and everyone else were kind and supportive urging me to stay and join them for dinner seeing Alan happy with his new family I felt the weight of my mistakes as I walked out to the car that evening he put both hands on my shoulders Amy don't keep blaming yourself we fa challenges from a young age becoming parents and committing to each other
our marriage lasting 14 years is a testament to both of us look at the positives our mistakes brought us two wonderful daughters a legacy that can never be taken away you're right Alan speaking of mistakes I've made another Sophie is pregnant so we're getting married sooner than planned you seem prone to mistakes you're a good man and a good husband Allan better than I deserved I wish you well I hugged him and kissed kissed his cheek before leaving feeling regretful why did I forgive her so easily for several reasons because holding on to hate can
consume you and embitter you because she was enduring a form of punishment just by seeing me with Sophie there was still a lingering bond between us despite everything although I initially wanted to punish Amy my true Revenge was aimed at her boss Dan who had seduced her away from me I hacked into his computer and sent him an email disguised as Amy containing a hidden trojan horse that granted Ed me full access I uncovered evidence that he had been embezzling from his former and current employers I gathered substantial proof and anonymously sent it to both
companies and the authorities at his trial he pleaded guilty and received a 7-year prison sentence throughout the trial his wife stood by him but after I showed her incriminating evidence of his numerous Affairs she ended their relationship on the spot to complete my revenge I visited Dan in prison initially he didn't recognize me hi Dan we've met before I'm Amy's ex-husband what the hell do you want prick to deliver a message the first one is from Amy she sends her regards and hopes you're enjoying your new accommodations which I helped you settle into personally what
you really should have hired professionals to encrypt your computer it took me only 15 minutes to unlock everything after I hacked into it I couldn't resist forwarding it all to the police after he finished cursing at me I continued also I hope you don't mind but I paid a visit to your wife and showed her all those compromising photos and videos I found of you and your Mistresses needless to say she was livid she insisted on getting even and I couldn't refuse I don't understand why she wasn't enough for you nonsense she wanted me to
show you these I spread the photos out in front of him they had been doctored with Photoshop but he didn't know that she said to tell you that she'll never visit you here again and you'll never see your children I gave her the name of my lawyer who will handle her divorce from your sorry bum the expression on his face was priceless yes revenge is indeed a dish best served cold [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]