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My Wife Wanted an Open Marriage… So I Took the Kids and Vanished | Reddit Unheard Stories
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Jun 21, 2025
#redditrelationship #aita #redditstories My Wife Wanted an Open Marriage… So I Took the Kids and Vanished | Reddit Unheard Stories What happens when the woman you've loved for 19 years suddenly wants to change the rules of your marriage? This isn't just a story about betrayal—it's about fatherhood, loyalty, and knowing when to walk away. In this raw, emotional tale from Reddit Unheard Stories, Noah shares how his wife Clare's fantasy of an open relationship turned their family upside down. From a shocking night at a club to a bold escape with their daughters, this story is gripping from start to finish. 🔥 If this hits home or left you speechless, drop a comment, give it a like, and subscribe for more unbelievable real-life stories. 🎧 Listen, relate, and remember: some choices have consequences you can’t take back.
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0:00
hey everyone welcome to Reddit Unheard
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Stories where we share the kind of raw
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real life tales that stick with you long
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after you hear them today I'm telling
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you a story that's equal parts love
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betrayal and heartbreak it's about what
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happens when the life you've built with
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someone starts falling apart because of
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ideas that sound exciting to them but
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feel like a punch to the gut for you
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this one's a long hall about my marriage
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my kids and a choice that changed
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everything so grab a drink get comfy and
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let's dive in if this story hits home
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drop an upvote and follow us for more
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here's my story my name's Noah Bennett
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just a regular guy from Atlanta living
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what I thought was a damn good life i'm
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married to Clare Harper my wife of 19
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years and we've got two amazing
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daughters Ava and Sophie 16 and 14 i'm
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not some picture perfect husband or dad
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i work too hard sometimes snap over
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stupid stuff and yeah I can get caught
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up in my own head but who doesn't life's
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messy
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between running my small contracting
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business cheering at Ava's soccer games
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and keeping up with Sophie's art
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projects things get hectic still Clare
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and I we had something solid we were
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close real close a couple times a week
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and it was always good we'd laugh share
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a beer on the porch maybe sneak in a
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movie night after the girls crashed our
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marriage wasn't flawless but it was ours
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and I loved it we had our own things
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going on too i'm a huge football fan go
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Falcons even when they break my heart
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and I'd unwind with a good thriller
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novel or a binge-worthy show claire was
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all about her gardening turning our
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backyard into a freaking jungle and her
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book club with the neighborhood moms
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the girls kept us on our toes with
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school drama and extracurriculars
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but we always carved out time for each
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other when it counted
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money was finally looking up we'd paid
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down a chunk of the mortgage and Ava and
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Sophie
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they were my world
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to me they were extraordinary even if I
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was just a regular dude trying to keep
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it all together
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life was sweet man like really sweet
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until Clare started getting these ideas
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it started out subtle one night we're
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chilling in bed and Clare says "Our
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bedroom life is plain vanilla." I'm like
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"Vanilla
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babe vanilla is a classic i mean we're
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having fun right?" But she's serious
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wants to shake things up i'm not opposed
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so I roll with it we try some new moves
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and honestly it's kind of cool i've been
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hitting the gym so I'm keeping up no
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sweat but then she pushes for
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roleplaying like I'm supposed to pretend
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I'm some Hollywood heartthrob and she's
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a mysterious stranger i gave it a shot
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but I felt like an idiot i'm thinking
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I'm Noah not Chris Hemsworth
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after a few awkward tries I'm like can
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we just be us that's when things started
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feeling off clare got quiet almost sulky
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one night we're eating spaghetti at the
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kitchen table and she asks "When's the
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last time you went on a date i'm
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thrown." "Uh last weekend we hit that
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new taco joint." But she's not talking
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about us she's asking if I miss dating
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other people i laugh thinking she's
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joking claire dating was a nightmare
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asking a girl out sweating through my
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shirt praying she doesn't shoot me down
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no way i bring up this girl I dated
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before her Megan and how we had a big
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fight after one date claire knows the
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story she got pissed back then because
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she wanted us to be exclusive i'm like
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you know I only want you that's why I
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put a ring on it she lets it go and I
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think we're good but deep down I knew
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something was brewing a month later
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we're in bed after a killer night no
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role playing no weird stuff just us
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connecting i'm feeling like I hit the
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lottery
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then Claire says "You know my friend
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Tara was totally checking you out at
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that barbecue." Tara's her coworker
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super nice but I'm like "So what i'm
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married to you." Claire's not dropping
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it she's like "You should ask her to
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dance next time i wouldn't care." I'm
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getting this weird knot in my gut i try
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to play it cool joking i'd only dance
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with your cousin Dave but she's dead
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serious
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if you wanted to dance with another
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woman I'd be fine with it as long as
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she's not creepy
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i'm lying there staring at the ceiling
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thinking "What's she trying to pull?" In
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the weeks after Clare's dropping more
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hints she'd mention how open-minded some
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couples are or ask if I ever think about
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what life would have been like if we
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hadn't settled down
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i'd brush it off but it was starting to
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mess with me i'd be at a job site
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hammering nails wondering why my wife's
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acting like she's bored with me i mean
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we're still laughing still having sex
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still planning Ava's sweet 16 what's
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missing then comes this party at the
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Rusty Nail a bar downtown for Clare's
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friend Julia's promotion live band's
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rocking everyone's having a good time
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and we're all crammed in this big booth
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claire's chatting with Tara and out of
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nowhere she's like "Tara's dying to
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dance noah be a gentleman and ask her."
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I'm blindsided tara's awesome and I
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don't want to hurt her feelings but why
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is my wife pushing this i'm thinking is
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she testing me i don't want to cause a
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scene so I ask Tara to dance she's
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stunning moves like she's in a music
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video and yeah it's flattering but it
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feels off like I'm crossing a line after
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the song she thanks me saying Clare told
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her I was cool with it i'm like
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"Actually I'm not really." She's
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surprised and I'm starting to see the
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bigger picture then I glance across the
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room and there's Claire dancing with
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some dude who looks like he's
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auditioning for a Viking movie his hands
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are way too low and she's giggling like
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it's no big deal i'm pissed like heart
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pounding se pissed it hits me she set me
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up with Tara so she could pull this
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stunt i toss some cash on the table and
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head for the door tara catches up asking
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what's wrong i let it all out claire's
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been talking about dating other people
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and this whole night feels like a setup
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terra's mad too she didn't know Clare
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was using her like this she tells me
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Clare's been listening to this coworker
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Vicki who's obsessed with open marriages
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and how they make relationships stronger
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i'm like stronger this is tearing us
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apart this is I drive Tara to her car
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and we talk more
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she says Vickiy's been filling Clare's
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head with this nonsense about open
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relationships being the secret to a
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happy marriage i'm like what kind of
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marriage is that tara admits she's
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always had a thing for me but respects
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that I'm married i'm flattered but I'm
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too angry to process it i head home
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sleep in the guest room and lock the
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door clare tries to talk but I'm not
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having it i tell her "Figure your [ __ ]
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out because I'm not playing these games
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i take Ava and Sophie to my mom's for
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the night needing space to clear my
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head." When I get back Claire's baked
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cookies peanut butter with M&M's my
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weakness she's trying to smooth things
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over but I'm not biting
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we sit on the couch and I lay it out
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what you did last night was messed up it
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hurt me it embarrassed us and it was
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disrespectful to Tara who's supposed to
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be your friend
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she apologizes but then drops a bomb
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i've been thinking about dating other
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people i'm floored my jaws on the floor
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i'm like "We're married Claire that's
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not how this works she tries to sell me
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on open marriages saying Vicki and her
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husband Greg are doing it and it
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strengthened their love i'm not buying
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it i grab my laptop and say "Let's see
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what the internet says." We Google how
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many people have open marriages
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turns out less than 1% of Americans do
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then we check divorce rates 92% of open
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marriages end in divorce within 5 years
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i break it down out of a million people
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maybe 10,000 are in open marriages and
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only 800 make it past 5 years you want
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to bet our family on those odds claire's
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quiet but I can tell she's not backing
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down i'm like if you push this I'm out
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i'm not desperate enough to deal with
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this nonsense but Claire's stubborn as
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hell she's convinced this will spice
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things up she even says it's a fantasy
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for guys i'm like really google it most
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guys don't want this things get heated
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she calls me close-minded and I tell her
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"If you do this we're done i'll call a
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lawyer the second you cross that line."
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She taunts me saying "I won't divorce
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her because I'll lose the house the
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girls everything." I'm like "Try me."
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I'm not bluffing but inside I'm freaking
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out 19 years two kids and she's ready to
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throw it all away for some fantasy i
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start planning i know Georgia law kids
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over 14 can choose who they live with
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ava's my shadow always been a daddy's
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girl sophie loves me too but she's close
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with Clare i'm betting if the girls know
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what's going on they'll pick me
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i hate thinking like this but Claire's
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forcing my hand i sell my business at a
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loss move money to an offshore account
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and start pulling cash from grocery
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stores and ATMs small amounts $100 here
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$200 there so it doesn't raise red flags
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i'm building a safety net for me and the
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girls one night Clare says she's going
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clubbing with her coworker Ryan she
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wants me to come saying it'll be
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exciting i'm done fighting so I agree
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but I've got a plan i call Tara who's
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pissed when she hears Claire's trying to
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set her up with me again i ask for her
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help play along act like we're into each
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other and help me get the girls out of
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this mess she's hesitant but agrees
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she's like "Noah you're a good guy i
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hate that Claire's doing this." Friday
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night Tara shows up at our house and man
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she looks incredible tight red dress the
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kind that makes you do a double take
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claire's all smiles thinking her plans
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working i'm in a blazer and jeans trying
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to keep my cool terra teases me saying
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I'm dressed to impress i play along but
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my heart's racing we head to the club
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and Ryan's there he's one of those
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pretty boy types all slick hair and
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tight shirt i shake his hand hard i've
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been powerlifting for years and my
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grip's no joke he winces trying to act
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tough i mess with him asking if he's a
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hairdresser or a Scientologist
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terra's cracking up claire's glaring and
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I'm like let's see how this plays out on
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the dance floor Tara's playing her part
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perfectly we're laughing flirting and
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for a second I forget how messed up this
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is then I see Clare with Ryan all cozy
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i'm done i tell Tara "We're leaving you
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in?" She nods and we head out clare
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follows all excited saying "This is
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great for us." I give her one last
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chance come home with me now or this is
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permanent she brushes me off telling me
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to enjoy myself with Tara i'm like "Fine
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have fun with Ryan." I walk away my
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chest tight tara and I pick up Ava and
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Sophie from my mom's a moving truck's
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already at the house we pack the
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essentials beds TVs the big screen I
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bought last year the girls are confused
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but excited about the new place it's
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across town same school district with a
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badass backyard pool i leave my wedding
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ring and phone on the kitchen table and
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we're gone the girls leave their phones
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too we're starting fresh i'm numb man 19
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years and it ends like this claire tries
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to find us she floods our emails texts
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the girl's friends posts on social media
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we don't respond i've sold the business
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stash the cash and we're laying low the
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girls love the new house especially the
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pool they're splashing around laughing
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but I can tell they're hurting ava asks
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"Why is mom acting like this i don't
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sugarcoat it she wants to date other
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people i can't live with that." Sophie's
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quiet but she nods
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they're with me and that's all that
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matters 3 weeks later I'm at the grocery
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store and this private detective comes
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up he's like "You know a Bennett your
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wife hired me." I tell him to get lost
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next thing I know cops show up saying
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Clare claimed I kidnapped the girls they
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take me to the station and the girls are
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in another car claire's there crying
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trying to hug them they push her away at
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the station Ava and Sophie tell the cops
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they're with me by choice georgia Law is
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on my side kids over 14 can decide the
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cops have no case claire's begging the
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girls to talk to her but they're done
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tara picks us up and we leave Clare
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standing in the parking lot sobbing
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clare doesn't give up she shows up at
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the new house with dinner lasagna green
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beans garlic bread ava opens the door
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but won't let her hug her clare's like
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"Hey honey to me." But Ava shuts it down
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claire's shaking almost drops the food i
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take it and sit her on the couch she's
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crying saying they hate me i'm like "You
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hurt them Clare you got to fix this i
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feel bad but this is on her i talk to
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the girls upstairs they're pissed ava's
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like she thinks she can just bring food
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and we're cool she ruined everything
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sophie's quieter but says "I'd rather
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starve than eat with her." I convince
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them to come down and be civil but it's
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awkward as hell clare tries to chat but
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the girls barely respond when she asks
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for a hug Ava says "You're not my mom
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anymore." They go to their rooms and
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Clare falls apart it takes her 30
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minutes to pull herself together and
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leave clare keeps trying coming over
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once a week with food or gifts the girls
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shut her down every time i file for
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divorce after 6 months when it's final I
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think Clare finally gets it we're done
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the court gives her visitation rights
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but the girls always have plans when she
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wants to see them
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i don't force them they're old enough to
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decide as for me I'm still single
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focused on Ava and Sophie they're my
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everything
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the new house is home now we've got our
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routine breakfast with cartoons pool
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days pizza nights i'm not saying it's
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easy some nights I lie awake wondering
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if I could have saved our marriage but
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Clare made her choice she wanted an open
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marriage and I wanted a family those
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don't mix i hope Clare finds what she's
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looking for but it won't be with us
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terra's still around and yeah there's a
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spark there but I'm not ready my heart's
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with my girls they're strong smart and
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they've got my back we're building a new
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life one day at a time so that's my
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story what do you think could I have
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done something different or was this
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doomed from the moment Clare got these
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ideas
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drop your thoughts in the comments and
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if this story hit home give it an upvote
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follow Reddit Unheard Stories for more
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and I'll catch you in the next
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