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Betrayed on the Mountain: The Bridge to My Broken Marriage | True Story
Aug 17, 2025
#redditrelationship #aita #redditstories Betrayed on the Mountain: The Bridge to My Broken Marriage | True Story The bridge was small — but it marked the point of no return. I’m Lyall Jetman, a man caught between loyalty, betrayal, and shattered dreams. After 16 years of marriage and countless sacrifices, I faced the ultimate heartbreak on a remote mountain weekend. What started as a festive getaway with my wife Gloria and our boss Gabe quickly spiraled into a nightmare of infidelity, lies, and a burning desire for justice. Join me as I recount the unraveling of my marriage, the intoxicating thrill of betrayal, and the moment I decided to burn down the past — literally. 🔥 This story explores: The price of compromise and ambition The crushing weight of betrayal The thin line between trust and devastation How far a man will go when pushed too far
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0:00
The bridge wasn't long or wide, a simple
0:02
wooden structure spanning the narrow but
0:04
profound gap between past
0:05
disappointments and future
0:07
uncertainties. For me, Lyall Jetman, it
0:10
became the point of no return. I was 38,
0:14
a man defined by his family. Gloria, my
0:17
wife of 16 years, and our two children,
0:20
Robert and Anna. Our life was a pleasant
0:22
picture, albeit one painted with the
0:25
constant brushstrokes of financial
0:26
strain. To support them, I had left my
0:29
legal career for the more lucrative
0:31
world of real estate at a company called
0:32
Countryman Realtor. My path had been a
0:35
series of compromises.
0:37
I graduated from law school with a new
0:39
baby on the way, and a dream of working
0:41
for the Department of Education was
0:43
swiftly replaced by a reality of
0:45
processing home loan closings for a law
0:47
firm. While Gloria worked as a bank
0:50
teller, I became a cog in a machine,
0:52
closing deals for $75 a pop. The work
0:56
was demanding and I felt the impending
0:58
doom of a market built on a house of
1:00
cards.
1:01
Then an opportunity appeared. Bernie
1:04
Schlire, a shrewd builder and developer,
1:06
saw a spark in me. I joined his company
1:09
and helped him turn it into a
1:10
powerhouse, expanding into new
1:12
properties and leveraging every possible
1:14
partnership to maximize profits. I was
1:17
finally on solid ground. Bernie saw the
1:20
crash coming and one night he told me he
1:22
had sold everything. Come with me,
1:25
baby," he said, inviting me to join him
1:27
in Florida.
1:29
But I couldn't. I had a family, a life
1:32
built here. I stayed, and soon I met my
1:35
new boss, Gabe Zel. Gabe was the epitome
1:38
of a business prodigy. Younger than me,
1:41
with a striking Adonis-like appearance,
1:43
he was a superstar. Where Bernie was
1:45
cautious, Gabe was a risk-taker,
1:48
operating with a transparent, almost
1:50
reckless abandon. He had gambled on
1:52
countrymen real estate and won. I was
1:55
content working for him. He treated me
1:58
well and gave me free reign to manage
2:00
the office. My only grievance was a
2:02
minor one, his extravagant Christmas
2:04
parties. The first Saturday in December,
2:07
Gabe held his annual party at one of the
2:09
finest vacation spots in Saratoga. It
2:12
was a lavish, no expenses spared affair.
2:16
I arrived with the most beautiful woman
2:18
in the room on my arm, and the entire
2:20
room hushed. My wife, Gloria, a woman I
2:24
had married right out of college, had
2:26
undergone a remarkable transformation.
2:29
Once a little chubby, she had become a
2:31
dedicated long-d distanceance runner,
2:33
her body sculpted and toned. At six feet
2:36
tall in heels with cascading raven hair
2:39
and a new form-fitting black dress that
2:42
showcased her fabulous runner's legs,
2:44
she was a showstopper. I was proud. Gabe
2:47
wasted no time. He greeted us with an
2:50
overly enthusiastic charm, and soon he
2:53
and Gloria were dancing. I wasn't
2:55
jealous. We had been through too much
2:57
together. Poverty, children's illnesses,
3:00
the relentless grind of a middle class
3:02
life. Adversity, I believed, had forged
3:05
our marriage into something unbreakable.
3:08
But as midnight approached, Gabe led
3:10
Gloria under the mistletoe and kissed
3:11
her passionately. I dismissed it as the
3:14
festive atmosphere and too much drink. I
3:18
escorted my wife home, and we never
3:20
spoke of it again. 6 months later,
3:23
Memorial Day weekend arrived, a time of
3:25
record-breaking heat and an abundance of
3:27
cash in the company's operating account.
3:30
Gabe had rented a mountain cabin in the
3:32
Aderondex, and he insisted Gloria and I
3:35
come. My unease grew when he confidently
3:39
told me Gloria was looking forward to it
3:41
before I had even spoken to her. I loved
3:44
and trusted my wife implicitly.
3:46
But this was a mistake I failed to
3:48
recognize. The journey was long and
3:50
difficult, and I traded my sedan for a
3:52
four-wheel drive SUV. The last 5 miles
3:56
were a rugged test of patience,
3:58
culminating in the bridge. The wooden
4:00
structure spanning a deep ravine that
4:01
was our only way in and out. As I drove
4:04
across it, a profound sense of foroding
4:06
settled over me. I felt like a mouse
4:09
trapped in a maze, and I wondered if a
4:12
lurking predator was waiting. Gab's
4:15
lodge was a testament to rustic charm
4:17
and modern excess.
4:19
We were greeted by a group of six
4:20
others, all young and impeccably
4:22
dressed. There was Gab's friends Ken and
4:25
Glenn, their partners Robin and Sharon,
4:27
and a woman named Paula Henry, who
4:29
watched me with a scrutinizing gaze.
4:32
It became clear that this was not a
4:34
weekend of innocent fun. Infidelity was
4:37
treated with casual disregard. Sharon
4:40
was married and Robin had a fiance. This
4:43
was a weekend of reckless abandon, and
4:45
my wife was a willing participant.
4:47
Throughout the night, Gabe positioned
4:49
himself between Gloria and Paula,
4:51
directing his attention solely to my
4:53
wife. "My attempts to engage Paula were
4:56
met with distant politeness. She was a
4:58
woman of intelligence, a government
5:00
inspector," she later revealed, a
5:03
designated sober one, who observed
5:05
everything, but intervened only if
5:07
absolutely necessary. As the night wore
5:10
on, a feeling of dread settled in my
5:12
stomach.
5:14
When Gabe announced his fatigue from the
5:16
long drive, I knew what was coming.
5:19
I returned to our designated room alone.
5:22
Gloria joined me later, her face flushed
5:24
with excitement. She sat on the edge of
5:27
the bed and spoke of our history, of my
5:29
sacrifices, of her pride in me. "I want
5:33
to enjoy this weekend," she said before
5:35
getting into the shower alone. She had a
5:38
strange smile on her face. I must have
5:41
fallen asleep because when I woke the
5:43
sun was streaming through the window. I
5:45
made my way downstairs, finding the
5:47
house silent. I explored the grounds, a
5:50
meticulously maintained universe of its
5:52
own, complete with a heated pool, ATVs,
5:55
and a locked barn with a generator and
5:57
fuel tanks. It was there that Paula
5:59
found me. "Are you fishing?" she asked.
6:03
We spoke of our lives, our work, and the
6:05
oddity of our companions. She confessed
6:08
her role was to ensure everything ran
6:10
smoothly to keep the Golden Boys out of
6:12
trouble. "There's only one way out," I
6:15
said, pointing to the bridge I had
6:17
crossed the day before.
6:19
I looked at her, and in her eyes, I saw
6:22
a woman who understood the game. "I'm
6:25
just here as the designated sober one,"
6:27
she said. "I'll only intervene if
6:29
absolutely necessary." We returned to
6:31
the lodge where the others were by the
6:33
pool. My wife in a black bikini sat on
6:37
Gab's lap, engaged in a passionate kiss.
6:41
I clenched my fists, but Paula squeezed
6:43
my hand.
6:45
"Think before you act," she advised.
6:48
"It's just one weekend in a good
6:50
marriage, and you need to consider your
6:52
family." "But my marriage wasn't strong
6:54
enough to withstand this. Not a night of
6:57
passionate kissing, but an evening of
6:59
pure, unadulterated pleasure.
7:02
I went to the kitchen to heat up some
7:04
food. Gloria followed me. I spent the
7:07
evening with Gabe, she confessed in his
7:10
room. She hugged me from behind. It's
7:13
only for the weekend. Next week, I'll be
7:16
all yours again. I stood still, facing
7:19
away from her. I see, I said the words
7:22
hollow. But what about our 16 years of
7:25
marriage? She laughed, the sound hollow
7:28
and sharp.
7:30
That's why I can do this. It's just a
7:32
fling, a little fun for the weekend. She
7:35
released me and left. I heard Gabe
7:38
whisper something and Gloria turned,
7:40
waved, and smiled at me as if everything
7:43
were fine. I returned to the kitchen. My
7:46
wife had left me and humiliated me. The
7:49
food from the microwave seemed
7:50
tasteless. I poured it away and made
7:52
coffee. It was going to be a long night.
7:56
Paula returned. I didn't expect there to
7:58
be caffeine, she said, her eyes studying
8:01
me. Wouldn't something else be better? I
8:04
didn't answer. I just drank my coffee,
8:07
the words still echoing in my mind. It's
8:11
decided, Gloria had said. You can't make
8:14
waves when you work for this man.
8:16
Paula's words and Gloria's betrayal
8:18
swirled in my mind. The screams and
8:21
moans from Gab's bedroom above confirmed
8:23
everything. She was having the time of
8:25
her life. I waited until silence
8:27
descended upon the house. I found a
8:30
flashlight and candles, then went to the
8:32
barn. I found a wrench, a plastic
8:36
canister of gasoline, and a manual pump.
8:39
The hinge on the generator shed was
8:41
rusted, and the wrench broke it free. I
8:45
filled the canister, walked back to my
8:47
SUV, and drove down the mountain. As I
8:50
neared the bridge, my heart pounded. I
8:53
stopped the car and took my time,
8:55
ensuring the gasoline seeped into the
8:57
wood. The bridge, a testament to skilled
9:01
artisans, had been built for the
9:03
pleasure of people who profited off the
9:05
toil of others.
9:07
And now I was going to burn it all down.
9:10
The past disappointments, the future
9:13
uncertainties,
9:14
all of
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