0:00
The exhaustion of my business trip hit
0:01
me like a physical wave. But a call from
0:04
my boss, a demanding man with no sense
0:06
of time zones, yanked me back to
0:10
"Be in the office by 8:00 a.m.
0:11
tomorrow," he barked. And just like
0:13
that, my night was gone. "No time to
0:16
call my wife and risk waking the kids."
0:19
I booked a redeye, packed in a blur, and
0:22
by the time I was in a taxi, my mind was
0:25
racing with a mix of fatigue and dread
0:27
for the early morning meeting. The taxi
0:29
dropped me at my home. The house was
0:31
dark, but a single light from our
0:33
bedroom cut a sharp line into the night.
0:36
My heart, already heavy, sank further
0:39
when I heard voices from inside. A man
0:45
The kids must be with their
0:46
grandparents, I thought. A cold, hard
0:49
knot forming in my stomach. The
0:52
realization of her infidelity was a
0:54
poison seeping into my veins.
0:56
My first instinct was a rage so white
0:58
hot it felt like a living thing inside
1:00
me. A primal force I called the beast.
1:05
But I remembered my grandfather's words.
1:08
Son, that temper of yours will ruin your
1:10
life if you let it. Don't be a fool. So
1:13
I took deep, shuddering breaths,
1:15
clinging to my grandfather's wisdom.
1:18
Revenge was not the answer. Not yet.
1:20
First, I needed proof. I pulled out the
1:22
brand new smartphone my company had
1:24
given me for testing.
1:26
Its camera was crystal clear, its
1:28
microphone sharp. I had even modified a
1:31
flash drive to record for hours without
1:33
draining the battery. Stealthily, I
1:36
moved through the shadows of my own
1:38
home, a ghost in the life I thought I
1:40
owned. I positioned myself and began to
1:45
The sight of my wife cheating, a reality
1:48
I had to capture for a future I now
1:50
knew, was shattered, crushed my pride.
1:54
But the beast was under control. I had a
1:56
second objective, a DNA test for the
1:59
children. I had to know if they were
2:01
mine. Then a snippet of conversation
2:04
from the recording shattered the fragile
2:06
cage I had built for my rage. The man,
2:09
Mark, I learned, asked my wife, "Am I
2:12
more important than your children?" And
2:15
her reply, a casual, careless betrayal.
2:17
"I don't care about them. I'm yours."
2:20
The beast was unleashed.
2:23
I burst into the room, a whirlwind of
2:25
fury. I fought Mark, a chaotic blur of
2:28
punches and raw power, and drove him
2:29
out. He ran, a coward fleeing a fire he
2:32
had helped start. Sheila, my wife, my
2:35
partner for years, was huddled in the
2:37
corner, a terrified stranger. "Come
2:40
here," I commanded, my voice not my own.
2:43
The beast's roar echoed in the room. I
2:46
watched a passenger in my own body as
2:49
she crawled to the foot of the bed. Her
2:51
face was pale, her teeth chattering.
2:54
"I'm so sorry, Steve. I'm so sorry," she
2:57
pleaded. A mantra of deceit. "Shut up,"
3:00
the beast growled. I peered into her
3:02
terrified eyes. "Do you regret those
3:05
times with Dany, too?" I asked, a
3:08
vicious probe for more of her secrets.
3:11
"The name of my ex-friend, a man she had
3:13
been with, slid from my lips." She
3:15
shuddered. The beast's rage was a
3:19
You're a cheating cow, I declared, my
3:22
words dripping with disgust. You have
3:24
desecrated this house, this bedroom,
3:26
this bed. You betrayed your husband and
3:31
I mentally patted the beast on the back,
3:33
surprised to feel a strange sense of
3:35
comfort, as if we had always been a
3:37
team. "You will pack your things and
3:40
leave by noon," I said. A cold final
3:45
Take all the bedroom furniture,
3:47
especially this bed. Leave my things
3:49
neatly on the floor. Understand?
3:52
How will I do all this? She whispered,
3:55
her voice a ghost of its former self. I
3:58
don't care. Maybe ask your crazy
4:00
brothers I lent money to, I replied, a
4:02
smirk playing on my face. By noon, the
4:06
beast roared one last time. By noon. I
4:09
came to in my car. The beast's rampage
4:11
over. I was a wreck. My nose was broken,
4:15
a jagged mess, two ribs, a possible
4:18
concussion, and a constellation of
4:20
bruises and puncture wounds. The doctors
4:23
at the hospital wanted to admit me, but
4:25
I refused. I had to be at work. The
4:28
police were called, and I told them the
4:30
truth. I had been the victim, blacked
4:32
out with rage and couldn't remember a
4:34
thing. I showed them my injuries, but
4:37
they found no evidence of a fight. They
4:39
let me go, a silent understanding
4:42
passing between us. a local, an employee
4:45
of a major company, was not to be messed
4:47
with without cause. At the office, I
4:50
went straight to the VP's suite. Audrey
4:52
Hammer was more than my boss. She was
4:55
the company's anchor. She had a full
4:57
bathroom in her office, and I took a
4:59
long, hot shower, the steam a balm for
5:01
my bruised body. I slept for 2 hours on
5:05
her couch, a broken man in a luxurious
5:07
office. When I woke up, Audrey was
5:10
there, her expression a mix of concern
5:14
Steve, what happened to you? She asked,
5:17
her voice soft. I was her best
5:19
troubleshooter, a man underpaid and
5:21
undervalued, and she wanted to change
5:23
that. I told her the truth. Sans the
5:28
I came home to surprise my wife, but she
5:30
surprised me more. I said, "Do you know
5:32
any good divorce lawyers?"
5:35
Heather Alexander," she said without a
5:37
moment's hesitation, pulling out her
5:39
phone. "She was my college roommate, and
5:41
she owes me a favor."
5:44
Within minutes, she had secured an
5:46
appointment for me. Heather arrived, and
5:48
I told my story again, skipping the
5:50
beast. I showed them the video, the
5:53
casual betrayal of my wife and her
5:55
lover. "I don't give a damn about them,"
5:57
she had said, and the words sliced
6:00
through the air of physical pain.
6:02
Heather and Audrey were stunned. "I want
6:05
full custody of my kids," I said, a
6:08
growl returning to my voice. "I don't
6:10
want to pay child support. I don't want
6:12
to be tied to her." "I'll do my best,"
6:14
Heather replied, a serious look on her
6:17
face. "But even with this evidence, full
6:20
custody is tough. She could claim she
6:23
spoke in the heat of the moment."
6:25
She gave me her card, a legal shield
6:27
against the storm to come. I left the
6:30
office, a nervous energy propelling me
6:32
forward. I had to get home. The beast
6:35
was anxious. He wanted Sheila gone by
6:37
noon, and I was going to make sure he
6:41
The scene at my house was a surreal
6:42
circus. Sheila's brothers were there, a
6:45
rental truck in the driveway, and two
6:47
police cars. Three officers stood guard.
6:52
I approached the sergeant, a woman with
6:54
a tough exterior but compassionate eyes.
6:57
I have a recording to show you," I said,
6:59
holding up my laptop. "It's about last
7:01
night," she agreed to watch. And as I
7:03
played the video, the neighbors
7:05
gathered, a silent, curious audience.
7:08
When Sheila's voice said, "I don't give
7:10
a damn about them." She dropped a box. A
7:14
bag of white powder fell out. I pointed
7:16
it out, and the sergeant, her eyes
7:19
widening, rushed to Sheila. She was
7:21
arrested for possession of illegal
7:23
substances. "What about my children?" I
7:26
asked, my voice frantic. "They're at
7:28
your wife's parents' house," she said,
7:31
her voice soft with sympathy. "These are
7:33
your children. Your wife is in custody.
7:36
Go get them." "I couldn't go alone. I
7:40
was a bruised mess, and I didn't want a
7:42
confrontation in front of my kids."
7:44
"I'll follow you to your relatives," the
7:46
sergeant said, a plan already forming in
7:49
her mind. On the way, she gave me
7:51
advice, a temporary restraining order,
7:53
and full custody. I'm going to stop and
7:56
smell the flowers, Rose, I said,
7:58
wiggling my eyebrows. She was a
8:00
beautiful woman, a cop with a heart of
8:02
gold. I was in a police car. My wife was
8:05
in jail, and I was flirting. I must have
8:08
seemed insane, but for the first time in
8:10
a long time, I felt alive.
8:13
The Sergeant, Rosemary, dropped me off
8:15
at my office, and the kids were
8:19
Aunt Rosemary, my 5-year-old hope had
8:21
called her. A small, innocent spark of
8:26
Are you going to come to our house?
8:29
Rosemary, with a look of both humor and
8:31
horror, agreed to come for dinner. I'm
8:34
doing this for the kid's sake, she said.
8:37
That night, I told Hope and Luke that
8:39
their mom and I had a big fight, but we
8:41
both still love them very much. It's
8:44
okay, Daddy, Hope said. As long as you
8:46
stay with us. were tired of staying at
8:49
our grandparents house. The beast
8:51
growled at that. How many nights had
8:53
they been with their grandparents while
8:55
Sheila was with Mark? Over the next few
8:57
weeks, my life began to change. I hired
9:00
a nanny, Gloria, a kind, motherly woman
9:03
who took care of the kids. I transferred
9:06
our savings, canceled our joint credit
9:08
cards, and redecorated the bedroom with
9:10
a new massive four-poster bed. I had
9:14
tricked Rosemary into spending many
9:15
evenings at my house, and the beast was
9:19
My ribs healed, and my nose, once a
9:22
source of pain, was finally on the mend.
9:25
"During a movie night, I decided to make
9:27
my move." I pulled her close, and with a
9:30
mix of fear and excitement, I kissed
9:32
her. "I'm making a pass at you now," I
9:35
said, a playful smile on my face. "Is
9:38
that clear enough?" She laughed, a sound
9:42
You're a healthy young woman my age, I
9:44
said with wonderful eyes, a lovely
9:47
voice, and a fantastic personality. I
9:50
like you. Can we kiss now? She didn't
9:54
answer with words. She kissed me back. A
9:57
long, slow, passionate kiss that sealed
10:00
the beginning of our new life together.
10:02
I was no longer a victim. I was a man, a
10:06
father, and a survivor, ready to stop
10:09
and smell the flowers with rosemary by
10:11
my side. My ex-wife had given me the
10:14
worst years of my life, but in the end,
10:17
her betrayal had led me to the woman I
10:19
was meant to be with. The beast was