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She Cheated & Said "Accept It"... So I Wiped My Life Clean & Disappeared (My Epic Escape)
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Jun 23, 2025
#redditrelationship #aita #redditstories My wife, Rachel, thought she had me under her thumb for 25 years. After years of her emotional abuse and cheating, she finally told me to "accept" her affairs or she'd leave. That night, something in me snapped. This is the wild, detailed account of how I meticulously planned my escape: quitting my job, strategically leaking my designs to a competitor, wiping my digital footprint, and setting fire to my past (literally!). Discover how I navigated betrayal, family trauma, and the courage it took to walk away with everything I deserved. Get ready for a story of ultimate freedom. #CheatingSpouse #RevengeStory #StrategicEscape #MarriageBreakdown #NewBeginnings #ToxicRelationships #WipeClean #WistaloomFam #RealStory #Empowerment
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0:00
hey everyone welcome to Wistaloom i'm
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Jake and today I'm sharing my story it's
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a wild ride full of family drama
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heartbreak and me finally finding my
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strength it's a long one full of twists
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so grab a coffee settle in and let's get
0:15
rolling if you vibe with this hit that
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like button and join the Wistaloom crew
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picture this i'm a kid in the 70s
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growing up in a beat up house in a small
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Ohio town my family total chaos my mom
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Linda ran everything like a boot camp
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always yelling always in control my
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older sisters Sarah 13 years older and
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Emma 10 years older were her sidekicks
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poking their noses into everything i was
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the whoops kid the one they didn't plan
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for linda never let me forget it her
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cold stares her sharp words always
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hinting I was why our family fell apart
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my dad Tom took off in 1977 when I was 5
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just vanished never called never wrote
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linda said it was my fault like I drove
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him away that stuck with me a heavy
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weight I carried everywhere life was
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rough school was a nightmare kids called
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me four eyes because of my glasses
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shoved me into lockers laughed when I
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tripped in the cafeteria i'd come home
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with bruises hoping Linda would notice
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maybe hug me but nope she'd just snap
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toughen up Jake sarah and Emma were no
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help always siding with her whispering
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about me like I wasn't there i felt like
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a ghost in my own house invisible
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unwanted all I craved was a kind word a
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pat on the back but it never came so I
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threw myself into school work books were
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my escape math science anything that
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made sense when my world didn't i
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studied like crazy stayed up late with a
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flashlight under the covers aced my
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tests school was my ticket out my way to
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prove I wasn't the loser they thought I
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was 12 years of grinding and I was ready
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to leave that mess behind fast forward
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to 1993 i'm 21 starting at Kingston
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University in South London and man it's
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like I can finally breathe no Linda no
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sisters just me chasing a masters in
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mechanical engineering i loved it
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tinkering with designs building
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prototypes in the lab solving problems
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with gears and circuits it was my zone
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that's where I met Rachel rachel was wo
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she was something else she was in her
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final year of a creative writing degree
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all confidence and charm 5'5 with long
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brown hair and these deep brown eyes
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that could stop your heart she walked
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into a room and everyone noticed
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me i was just Jake shy awkward always
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second guessing myself rachel had guys
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buzzing around her smoothtalking frat
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types athletes you name it i figured she
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was way out of my league but one night
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at a campus party her friend Jess
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started chatting with me i was leaning
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against a wall sipping a soda trying to
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look invisible when Jess dragged me over
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to their group rachel was there laughing
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her eyes catching the light i was
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tongue-tied my palm sweaty but Jess kept
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the conversation going and Rachel joined
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in i made some dumb joke about the bad
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DJ and she laughed a real warm laugh i
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couldn't believe it jess kept nudging
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her my way like she was playing
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matchmaker
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we talked about music movies her writing
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i was shaking inside but she made it
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easy i was too scared to ask her out at
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first i mean come on she was a star and
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I was a nerd with a graphing calculator
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but Jess kept pushing and one day I just
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went for it i caught Rachel after class
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my heart pounding and blurted "Want to
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grab coffee sometime?" I braced for a no
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but she smiled and said "Sure Jake how's
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Friday?" I nearly dropped my backpack
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our first date was at this cozy coffee
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shop near campus i was so nervous I
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spilled my latte all over the table but
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Rachel just giggled and tossed me a
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napkin that was her easygoing warm
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making me feel like I wasn't a total
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goof we talked for hours about her short
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stories my engineering projects our
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dreams i was hooked rachel was my first
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real girlfriend my first everything i
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fell hard seeing stars every time she
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smiled but about 6 months in things got
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shaky i started hearing rumors guys
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saying Rachel was flirting with other
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dudes maybe more i didn't want to
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believe it i was giving her everything
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my time my heart but Rachel had this
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side to her she was spoiled used to
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getting her way her parents and her
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sister Clare treated her like royalty
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always bailing her out buying her stuff
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she'd throw tantrums if things didn't go
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her way yelling at waiters storming out
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of stores once at a restaurant she made
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a scene cuz her salad was too cold
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everyone stared and I wanted to sink
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through the floor i brushed it off told
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myself it was just her passion but deep
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down it stung my friends Mike and Dave
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saw it jake she's bad news Mike said one
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night over beers you're too good for
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this but I couldn't let go rachel had
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this hold on me like a spell i thought
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if I loved her enough she'd chill out
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dumb right love makes you stupid
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sometimes we kept going and after
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graduation we moved to Southampton New
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Hampshire near her family i'd cut ties
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with Linda and my sisters by then no way
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was I dragging that baggage into my new
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life rachel got a job at a local
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magazine writing fluffy lifestyle pieces
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i landed an engineering gig designing
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parts for industrial pumps we rented a
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small apartment started building a life
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a few years later around the late '9s we
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got married it was a small wedding in a
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little chapel just her family and a
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couple friends i was nervous as hell
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fumbling with my tie but when Rachel
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walked down the aisle in that white
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dress glowing it was worth it the next
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year we had our daughter Lily two years
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later Zoe came along rachel was an
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awesome mom reading bedtime stories
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baking cookies braiding their hair for a
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while life felt perfect we were a family
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and I thought we'd figured it out i
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worked hard climbing the ranks at work
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10 years ago I joined Walker Engineering
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a big deal in our town the pay was solid
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bonuses were nice and we saved up for a
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house in Southampton rachel wanted
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something fancy said it showed we'd made
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it it was a stretch five bedrooms big
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yard high mortgage but I went along like
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always the girls loved it running around
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the backyard decorating their rooms i
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thought we were set but then 2008 hit
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the economy crashed and work turned into
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a grind long hours no extra pay everyone
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stressed i was pulling 60-hour weeks
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buried in deadlines trying to keep our
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heads above water i didn't notice Rachel
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drifting she started going out more
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girls nights with her fancy friends
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coming home late smelling like wine and
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perfume i'd ask where she'd been and
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she'd snap "Back off Jake i need space."
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I let it slide too tired to fight that's
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when I found out she was cheating it was
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some guy from our uni days someone who'd
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moved nearby i don't know how I missed
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it guess I was too focused on paying
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bills mike tipped me off said he'd seen
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Rachel at a bar with this dude all cozy
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when I asked her about it she laughed
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like I was crazy "you're paranoid Jake,"
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she said rolling her eyes "but I knew
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her phone was always locked now her
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stories didn't add up i didn't push it
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though i was scared scared of losing her
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of breaking up our family i'd seen what
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divorce did to my parents how it left me
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feeling like trash i didn't want that
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for Lily and Zoe so I swallowed my pride
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and stayed quiet years went by and
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things never got better rachel's
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tantrums grew louder her need for
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attention bigger she'd drag me to her
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friends parties where I'd stand in a
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corner while she flirted with everyone
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her crew was indulgent rich loud always
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chasing the next thrill i'd drive us
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home her giggling in the passenger seat
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while I stewed my friends started poking
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fun humming under my thumb by the
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Rolling Stones whenever Rachel made me
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cancel plans even at work guys smirked
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like they knew something i felt like a
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sucker but I stayed for the girls for
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the life we'd built then a few months
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ago it all came crashing down zoe my
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youngest had just left for college same
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uni Rachel and I went to i was helping
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her move into her apartment with Lily
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carrying boxes up three flights when Zoe
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hit me with it "dad why are you still
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with mom?" she asked her voice soft but
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sharp zoe is like me quiet only speaks
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when it matters i froze a box of her
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books in my arms i heard she's messing
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around with Henry Walker at your company
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she said tears welling up henry Walker
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my boss's nephew a smug jerk who
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strutdded around the office like he
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owned it it wasn't a shock not really
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i'd suspected Rachel was stepping out
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for years little signs like late night
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texts her work trips but hearing it from
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Zoe that cut deep worse it showed me my
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girls weren't blind they saw their mom's
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crap and they were pissed lily nodded
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her arms crossed like she'd been holding
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it in too i hugged them both promised
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we'd talk later but inside I was reeling
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my daughters knew I was a fool and that
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hurt worse than anything that night I
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sat at the kitchen table waiting for
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Rachel my hands were shaking coffee gone
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cold when she strolled in tossing her
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purse on the counter humming like she
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didn't have a care i couldn't speak at
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first she glanced at me rolled her eyes
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"what's your deal Jake?" she said
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unpacking her shopping bags "new shoes
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of course." I took a breath "what's
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going on with Henry Walker?" I asked my
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voice low she didn't flinch just smirked
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"jake chill it's not a big deal okay?"
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Then she laid it out cold as ice said I
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was a great provider a good friend but I
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didn't meet her needs
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needs what the hell
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she admitted to two other guys Henry and
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some dude named Max said it was just
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physical like that made it okay i was
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floored she acted like cheating was
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normal like I should just nod and move
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on then she hit me with it accept it or
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she'd leave i didn't say a word just sat
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there feeling like the floor had dropped
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out she kept unpacking humming while I
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stared at the table trying not to lose
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it inside something broke i was through
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letting her walk all over me i started
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planning my escape that night years ago
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I'd done something smart i opened a
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savings account just in my name stashing
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my bonuses and extra cash rachel never
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noticed she didn't care about finances
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as long as her credit card worked that
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account was my lifeline now a few grand
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I'd saved for a rainy day this was a
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damn hurricane i also started digging
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into my dad's past i'd always thought he
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abandoned us but I needed the truth i
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posted on some genealogy sites looking
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for info about him in conquered New
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Hampshire where he was born got a hit
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from a woman named Jenny who connected
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me with my cousin Rose rose and I talked
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on the phone and it was like finding a
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lost piece of myself she told me Linda
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had kicked my dad out lied about him
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leaving he'd wanted to see me but she
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blocked him he died in 1983 when I was
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11 from drinking too much rose said "My
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grandma blamed Linda for breaking him."
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That truth hit like a punch but it woke
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me up i wasn't going to let Rachel
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destroy me like Linda destroyed my dad i
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drove to Conquered to meet Rose and her
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family her husband Greg their kids Grace
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and William they welcomed me with open
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arms we sat in their cozy living room
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swapping stories about my dad over
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coffee and homemade cookies rose's
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brother Dan and his wife Lucy showed up
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and we clicked instantly they listened
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when I spilled about Rachel didn't judge
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dan leaned forward his voice firm jake
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you don't have to take that you deserve
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better for the first time in years I
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felt seen driving back to Southampton I
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felt a spark of hope i was done being
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Rachel's punching bag when I got home
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Rachel was priming to go out again i
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asked where she was headed and she
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snapped "Just meeting friends Jake." I
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knew it was a lie i called her out
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mentioned Henry and Max she flipped told
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me to stop being jealous said she was my
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wife and always would be then she turned
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on the charm promising to be back by
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midnight saying she'd make it easy for
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me i wasn't buying it when she tried to
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hug me I stepped back she laughed
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grabbed her designer purse and struted
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out saying I'd never have the guts to
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leave her that was it i was out while
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she was gone probably with Henry or Max
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maybe both I got to work
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i found an old photo of Linda and my
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sisters the only one I kept i cut
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Rachel's face from another picture and
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taped it next to them staring at that
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collage I saw it they were the same cold
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selfish using me to feel big my love for
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Rachel drained away like water down a
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sink i was free i quit my job at Walker
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Engineering but I didn't go quietly i
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designed their best products pumps for
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AC units heavy machinery even dairy
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farms
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i cracked their system downloaded
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customer files my designs everything
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sent it all to Sutton Hydraulics a
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competitor I knew needed a boost then I
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wiped my computer swapped the hard drive
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reinstalled Windows no trace of me left
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i sold Rachel's Cadillac Escalade told
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her it was for a new one then cancelled
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the deal shut off our phones canceled
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internet gas water everything packed my
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stuff while she was out took the artwork
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I'd bought the jewelry I'd given her my
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clothes the girl's keepsakes left her
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clothes in piles didn't want reminders
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in the backyard I piled her wedding
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dress and most of our old photos doused
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them with paint thinner lit a match the
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flames roared and it felt like cutting
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chains off my soul i kept one photo from
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a Disneyland trip when the girls were
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little left it on the kitchen table with
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our torn up marriage license and walked
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out i moved to a small apartment near
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Kingston close to Lily and Zoey started
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at Sutton Hydraulics and they loved my
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work gave me a new Land Rover Discovery
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a commission over $40,000
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i even started talking to Amy this cool
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woman I met at a coffee shop near work
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she's kind real no games life was
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looking up rachel showed up one night
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looking rough messy hair borrowed
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clothes begged me to come back said she
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forgave me for leaving i laughed she'd
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cheated humiliated me and thought she
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could forgive me i told her she'd ruined
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us that I was through offered her
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$30,000 to sign divorce papers and
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disappear she took it signed and that
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was the end of 25 years now I'm free
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lily and Zoe are my world we're hitting
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a Coldplay concert soon amy's great and
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I'm happy i'm not the old Jake the quiet
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guy who took crap i'm stronger living my
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life i knew transferring the house to my
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friend's company could get messy in
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court but Rachel didn't have the cash to
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fight it my secret savings paid off the
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mortgage and I walked away clean that's
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my story Walum Crew if you're stuck in a
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toxic spot you can get out it's scary
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but you're tougher than you think drop a
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comment what's your story how'd you
15:40
break free hit that like button join the
15:42
Wistloom crew and I'll catch you next
15:44
time peace
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