1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,200 Speaker 1: Dearest John, It's been a fortnight since I felt your 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: warm embrace. 3 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 2: Dear Sam, such it has since we started the Okay 4 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 2: Storytell podcast. 5 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: Yes, and I have a message for you, a delicious 6 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: story that I think you'll love. Sincerely Sam. 7 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 3: But before that, thine divine two minute outbreak must happen, 8 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 3: I bid thee farewell. 9 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 2: See you in two minutes. 10 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 4: My boyfriend's parents keep playing favorites. Now I'm rethinking our marriage. 11 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 4: If I'm not your favorite, I'm out of here. My 12 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 4: boyfriend and I have been together for three years. We 13 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:32,120 Speaker 4: know each other well and are a good match for 14 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 4: each other. We've even talked about marriage to the point 15 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 4: where we both agree a proposal with an engagement ring 16 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 4: and all is pointless and would rather elope at city 17 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 4: Hall followed by a party for family and friends. By 18 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 4: the way, this comes from Throwaway four six two seven 19 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 4: five six, and if you want to submit your own stories, 20 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 4: go to the r slash Okay storytime subreddit. So, my 21 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 4: boyfriend is the third of four. He has one sister 22 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 4: and two brothers. His parents are very nice people and 23 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 4: have been nothing but kind to me. However, hearing my 24 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 4: siblings in law speaking about how their parents chose favorites. 25 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 4: Has really started to bug me and is making me 26 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 4: wonder if I want to join families with him. His 27 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 4: parents love the oldest brother above everyone else. The oldest 28 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 4: brother is a successful professor, while the second brother is 29 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,680 Speaker 4: a teacher, and their youngest sister is training to become 30 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 4: a nurse. My boyfriend is a manager of a restaurant, 31 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 4: so he is fairly successful in his own right, so 32 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 4: it's not like the parents are playing favorites because of 33 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:39,399 Speaker 4: a successful child. Some examples, when his second brother had twins, 34 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,479 Speaker 4: the in laws to be were happy, but never took 35 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:44,760 Speaker 4: time out for them, despite the fact that they are 36 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 4: both retired. They never took the twins out on walks 37 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 4: to the park or even to do the simple things 38 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 4: that grandparents do. It's like they just sort of existed 39 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 4: as pleasant, small people. When my boyfriend had a child 40 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 4: with his ex wife, they gave him the same treatment. 41 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 4: Loved the child, no doubt, but same sort of indifference. 42 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 4: The sibs and laws assumed that the parents were always 43 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 4: like this and just chose to show their love in 44 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 4: different ways. But then their oldest brother had a child 45 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 4: with his wife, and then all of a sudden they 46 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 4: became the most doting grandparents you'd ever seen. They'd have 47 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 4: blow up photos of this little lad all over the 48 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 4: house by expensive designer baby clothes, even socks for him, 49 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 4: and take him out for strolls and book baby photo 50 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 4: shoots so they can put it in the family album. Yeah. No, 51 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:39,239 Speaker 4: they definitely have favorites. Yeah, especially if they're all living 52 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 4: within the same area that it makes as possible. 53 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 1: Yeah. 54 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 4: Uh. But also I'm still wondering why. 55 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: Ope, he was like and that's why I don't want 56 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: to marry him because he's not his parents' favorite. Why 57 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: is that? 58 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 4: Are you playing favorites? 59 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, he's like I only married child like favorite child, 60 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: Only marry favorite children, only golden children. 61 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 4: They never did this for the twins or my step 62 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 4: son to be, And it's causing a huge drift between 63 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 4: the brothers and sister. Uh, not so much the sister 64 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 4: because she is still young and not thinking about children, 65 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 4: but she has expressed resentment and worries that her parents 66 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 4: won't treat her child the same as recent little ones. 67 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 4: This scares me. I'm not close to my own parents 68 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:24,239 Speaker 4: because of a history of so I've chosen to cut 69 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 4: them out of my life. I want my potential children 70 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 4: to have a good relationship with their grandparents and his 71 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 4: slash her half brother. But I don't want to have 72 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 4: a child with this man if it means that our 73 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 4: child will be neglected in comparison to the golden child. 74 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 4: And it is a huge stretch. But it's also making 75 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 4: me worried. And I know this is irrational, but I'm 76 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 4: afraid that my boyfriend will exhibit the same behavior towards 77 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 4: any children that we might have, favoring our sons slash 78 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 4: son to be over our own biological children. I don't 79 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 4: want to start a family with this type of environment. 80 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 3: What do I do? 81 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,839 Speaker 4: And we have an update? Well, I mean, I don't 82 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 4: know why we're clumping boyfriend with the parents. 83 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know. I have a conversation with him 84 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: and say like, hey, I noticed your family's treatment. I 85 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: you know, it seems pretty unfair. How how do you 86 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: feel like I feel? I feel as if if your 87 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: partner was super enmeshed with his parents and you know, 88 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: siding with them over you, then I would say, yeah, 89 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: this is not a great family family dynamic, even if 90 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: you have a good relationship, he's always taking their side 91 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: over yours. But that's not the case here. It's just 92 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: that his parents have favorites and he's not the favorite. 93 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 4: Right Is he favoring the one brother's child over the 94 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 4: rest or does he see them all? 95 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: Yeah? So I don't know. 96 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 4: Well, great news, they talked update. I sat down with 97 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,359 Speaker 4: the boyfriend to talk to him about my worries. I 98 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 4: even had to write them down so I knew I 99 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 4: would stay on topic. I worry that my boyfriend will 100 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 4: think that I may turn out to be harmful, consciously 101 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 4: or unconsciously, just like my parents, and whether this worries 102 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 4: him about our future together. I worry that my in 103 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 4: laws glaring preferential treatment of their eldest son and their 104 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:07,720 Speaker 4: grandson over the other siblings and grandchildren will take an 105 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 4: effect on not only my fiance and stepson, but any 106 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 4: other children that we might have in the future. I 107 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 4: am afraid that I will come to resent them for 108 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 4: not being present in our children's lives as I have 109 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 4: seen firstthand how they treat my step son in comparison 110 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:25,839 Speaker 4: to their eldest's son. My stepson is a great kid. 111 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 4: He is in that child phase where all he loves 112 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,039 Speaker 4: to do is draw, draw, draw. He will draw all day, 113 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 4: every day, scribbling pictures for everyone in the family and 114 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 4: gifting them to each family member. He draws at least 115 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 4: half a dozen pictures for me personally, and I keep 116 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 4: them all in a box where I have his other work. 117 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 4: His grandparents, though, will take a look at it, praise him, 118 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,359 Speaker 4: and a few days later they will be discarded in 119 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 4: the recycling bin. They don't even put a single one 120 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 4: on the wall or the fridge before casually disposing of it, 121 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,919 Speaker 4: which breaks his heart. They don't have a single framed 122 00:05:57,960 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 4: photo of stepson around that. 123 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: Oh my god, I don't have like so many. Honestly, 124 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,920 Speaker 1: I feel like you could limit. Yeah, just get over 125 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: if he's gonna have this, treat man well. 126 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,279 Speaker 4: Her other whole thing, though, is that she wants him 127 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 4: to have grandparents. But it's like you want to have 128 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 4: bad grandparents. Yeah, So when I see them fawning over 129 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 4: the child of their favorite son as if he were 130 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 4: Prince George, yes, it does irritate me a bit. I 131 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 4: subconsciously worry that my boyfriend will unconsciously follow his parents' 132 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 4: ways of child favoring and do the same to our children, 133 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 4: specifically the bio children we will have. I also understand 134 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 4: that this is the most irrational worry that I have 135 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,280 Speaker 4: and is probably just me blowing it up in my head. 136 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 4: She swear, I expect my boyfriend to love our children 137 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 4: just as well as bonus son. Boyfriend expressed that, yes, 138 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 4: I was silly to worry that he would prefer one 139 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 4: child over another. Of course he would love all of them. 140 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 4: With that said, he also expressed that he worried that 141 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 4: since I didn't have the best family situation growing up, 142 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 4: I didn't have a normal set of parents to look 143 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 4: up to and mottow my behavior. 144 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 1: Here, you both were like, oh, You're probably not gonna 145 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: be a good parent because of your parents. 146 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 4: That's so rough. 147 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, so rough and so untrue, both judging each other. 148 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 4: Yeah, he doesn't worry that I would be harmful like 149 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 4: my parents, But he did confess that he did worry 150 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 4: that I wouldn't exactly know how this parenting thing should work. 151 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 4: Fair enough, because bonus Son would be right in the 152 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 4: picture from day one, rightful that he should worry about 153 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 4: my lack of skills, right, No, because you're currently his 154 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 4: girlfriend who has been doing great with his son. 155 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 1: I don't know. I feel like, yeah, I feel like 156 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: if you. He had never I don't know, you had 157 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: never been around his son, never taken care of his son. 158 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 1: And then he was like, Oh, she wants to start 159 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: a family. Is she going to be ready? Maybe that's 160 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 1: a different situation, but you yeah, you've been. 161 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:51,679 Speaker 4: Around there for three years? Is there for three years? 162 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 4: I asked him to help me out with that and 163 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 4: we agreed to take parenting classes together sometime in the 164 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 4: new year. Solved. As for the biggest hurdle, the in 165 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 4: law boyfriend expressed a huge amount of resentment towards towards 166 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 4: his parents, which was surprising. He feels that the differential 167 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 4: treatment between the twins and his own son compared to 168 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 4: his nephew isn't healthy for anyone involved at all. We 169 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 4: didn't get too much into it, but he did go 170 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 4: on quite a bit of a rant about how his 171 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 4: parents have treated his siblings and now grandchildren differently throughout 172 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 4: their lives. Eldest brother had all his tuition paid for, 173 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 4: so by the time his brother and sister came along, 174 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,439 Speaker 4: the parents had not saved any money for their educations, 175 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 4: so they had to take out a line of credit. 176 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 4: Later we found out that they had a fund for 177 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 4: his second brother that the parents gave to the eldest 178 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 4: son so he could attend and finish graduate school. When 179 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 4: eldest brother wanted to go on school trips, it was 180 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:48,439 Speaker 4: all paid for with brother and sister and him. They 181 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 4: had to save up with their part time jobs. Parents 182 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 4: made whole family attend eldest graduations, complete with family portraits. 183 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 4: Not such a tight ship with the second brother or 184 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:02,440 Speaker 4: with him. By the time little sister graduated university, only 185 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 4: he and his father went to the ceremony. 186 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: God. No, the favoritism is so so. 187 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 4: Do not have this many kids if you're going to. 188 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: Do this, Yeah, bad, bad parents. 189 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 4: When the twins were born, the parents would go over 190 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 4: to their house to visit them almost every single time. 191 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:24,520 Speaker 4: When the Golden Boy was born, his mother would slave 192 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 4: in the kitchen like a maid all day, making a 193 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 4: fantastic dinner and invite the whole family over for their visits. 194 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:33,719 Speaker 4: I was there. It was an amazing effort she had 195 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 4: put in, and something that apparently the second brother resents 196 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:37,680 Speaker 4: to this day. 197 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 1: I just think that, Yeah, keep having those conversations with 198 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:44,520 Speaker 1: your parents, not with your parents, with your partner, and 199 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:47,199 Speaker 1: get on the same page on how you want to 200 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 1: raise kids. I like the parenting class idea, and stop 201 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 1: stop silently judging each other for what your parents do. 202 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:56,200 Speaker 1: You're not your parents. 203 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, how have you guys not talked about that either? 204 00:09:59,440 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 1: Crazy? 205 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 4: Our conclusion was that I would stay out of this 206 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 4: as this oh, as this was a family matter between boyfriend, 207 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:10,280 Speaker 4: his siblings and their parents. As I am not part 208 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 4: of the family yet, I won't have an official saying. 209 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 4: Boyfriend has said he will deliver my feelings to his parents, 210 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 4: but that he will be the main messenger. Apparently this 211 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 4: is a thing that has been bothering his siblings for 212 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:24,960 Speaker 4: a very, very long time, so perhaps this is the 213 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 4: ball to get that discussion rolling. But again, I choose 214 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 4: to stay out of this can of worms for now. 215 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 4: I hooked up with another man after my ex stump me. 216 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 4: It made him furious, weren't you broken up? 217 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: I was in a relationship for almost two years during 218 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: college twenty one months to be exact, and had made 219 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: future plans on doing so many things together and spoke 220 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 1: about marriage and children. I got dumped last summer the 221 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,719 Speaker 1: same day I found out my grandfather passed away, an 222 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: absolute shock on both ends. By the way, this comes 223 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: from hopeful recover and if you want to spit your 224 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 1: own stories, go to the r slash Okay story time stuff. 225 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 1: He wanted to focus on hisself and distance was going 226 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 1: to be difficult. He decided to go to a different 227 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: continent for an internship and we wouldn't see each other 228 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 1: for six months, plus I would graduate a year earlier 229 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 1: than he was. Another reason for him taking this innership 230 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,559 Speaker 1: was because he messed up his semester by taking too 231 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:21,679 Speaker 1: many classes and getting high every day. A month later, 232 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,960 Speaker 1: he messages me and tells me that another reason he 233 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,320 Speaker 1: broke up with me was because he caught feelings for 234 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 1: some girl while we were together that he met once 235 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,679 Speaker 1: at some street fair. I was completely floored by this 236 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 1: because this girl and him were just acquaintances and they 237 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: never spoke to each other. And then all of a sudden, 238 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: he decides to dump me because he thinks she could 239 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 1: be the one. In the coming few weeks, he would 240 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 1: tell me about how much he liked this girl and 241 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:50,960 Speaker 1: how he wanted to take air places and hope she 242 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:53,240 Speaker 1: liked him back to and he had a feeling that 243 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 1: she did. Fast forward to three months later, where I'm 244 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:57,600 Speaker 1: in my last year of classes and I hooked up 245 00:11:57,600 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: with a guy that we both knew. This guy was 246 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 1: someone he had issues with and was insecure over. As 247 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:06,040 Speaker 1: I had liked this guy before full disclosure, I lost 248 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:08,720 Speaker 1: all feelings for him completely after a few months and 249 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: did not have any romantic inclinations once my ex and 250 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: I got together. X found out about it before I 251 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: had the chance to speak to him about it and 252 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,480 Speaker 1: went ballistic, saying that I should have had the courtesy 253 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 1: to tell him about it, and now could I have 254 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:21,880 Speaker 1: fed the one guy he had issues? 255 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 4: Oh my god, you're not together anymore. 256 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: Of course, looking back, it has been a year since 257 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: this incident, I do agree that it was a mistake, 258 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:32,679 Speaker 1: and I wish I never did it, But we were 259 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: both wasted then and both were single. Doesn't matter, literally 260 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: doesn't matter. You weren't with your partner at that time. 261 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 4: And he dumped you. 262 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: He dumped you for another girl. 263 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 4: Yeah that started during your relationship. Yeah. 264 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:50,080 Speaker 1: I don't think he has any right to, you know, 265 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:52,800 Speaker 1: cast judgment on you. I wish I did say something 266 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: to my ex sooner and just given him a heads up, 267 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: but I did not, and I accept that. X removed 268 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: me from all social media accounts and we did speak 269 00:13:00,559 --> 00:13:03,880 Speaker 1: from September to February. X then comes back from his 270 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: internship and I hear that he hasn't pursued the girl 271 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: that he dumped me for, And on my birthday someone 272 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: brings his name up and I start full on crying 273 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:14,440 Speaker 1: because I realized I still miss and love him. He 274 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: hears and decides to meet me and starts an on 275 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 1: and off relationship. Feelings for that girl somewhat diminished but 276 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 1: still is a small thing. Then he decides that there's 277 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,080 Speaker 1: another girl who he's been talking to and as a 278 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: friend of his, who he hasn't met in almost ten years, 279 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: but he thinks might also be someone he could like. 280 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: Needless to say, he and I would be fighting every 281 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: other week because I still loved him and was willing 282 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:39,720 Speaker 1: to give him a chance after all that had happened. 283 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: I thought he loved me too, but he would still 284 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:43,920 Speaker 1: bring up how I hooked up with the other guy 285 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 1: and guilted me into that. Being the state we were in, 286 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:49,439 Speaker 1: we decided to end our relationship in the summer. This 287 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 1: past summer, we were driving to go somewhere and this 288 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,080 Speaker 1: was my first time driving on a highway for a 289 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 1: long period, and I almost successfully made it to my destination. 290 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:00,920 Speaker 1: We got into a small fender bend, but thankfully all 291 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:04,320 Speaker 1: parties were okay. A month after that accident, which my 292 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:06,959 Speaker 1: family doesn't know happened, and I have not driven since 293 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:09,319 Speaker 1: because every time I think I'm ready, I start feeling 294 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: very panicky. He messages me saying I should have been 295 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:15,239 Speaker 1: more careful while driving. You were driving with him. 296 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 4: Yes, because obviously they did not listen at all, and 297 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 4: they're still talking. 298 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: Actually before after Okay, even though the cop told both 299 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: him and me that it was the other person's fault 300 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: and I had done the right thing by breaking on 301 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 1: time at the light, still I carried a lot of 302 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 1: guilt from that accident, and to hear someone say that 303 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: maybe I should have realized how much someone was worth 304 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 1: after they passed away got to me. And he decides 305 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:46,080 Speaker 1: to remove me from all social media accounts again and 306 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 1: cuts off contact. I started drinking heavily every weekend and 307 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 1: wasn't sure how to handle all the guilt that came 308 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 1: from the accident, as he is the last person I 309 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 1: would want to get hurt in an accident, and I 310 00:14:56,840 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: lost even more confidence in my driving and how we 311 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 1: I considered therapy and still am to cope over this. 312 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 1: Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I get 313 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: a message from him where he asks how I'm doing 314 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:10,960 Speaker 1: and make small talk. He apologizes for the comment he 315 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: made about the accident and said that it was not 316 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,640 Speaker 1: my fault and he shouldn't have handled it the way 317 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 1: that he did, as this could have been our chance 318 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,640 Speaker 1: to strengthen our bond, but he chose otherwise. He joined 319 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 1: therapy for some of his issues too, which I was 320 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,040 Speaker 1: happy about because he has someone to speak to and 321 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: help him. We spoke here and there some more, him 322 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 1: messaging almost always except one time where I wished him 323 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: for a holiday. He would say things like how he 324 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: missed me and it felt so different for him to 325 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 1: be in the last year of school while I wasn't there. 326 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: I miss him too, but I wasn't sure what I 327 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,320 Speaker 1: could do because we weren't living in the same area 328 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 1: anymore and he was applying for jobs all over the country. 329 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: He also just fought with me so much, and I 330 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: just didn't think it made sense to feed into something 331 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 1: that could end up hurting both of us again. 332 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 4: Right, So we're not gonna go back, So we're gonna 333 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 4: stay broken up right, we're not going back. 334 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:05,440 Speaker 1: We're to stay apart because because you had a bad 335 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: relationship and he broke up with you for right right. 336 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 1: A few days ago, he messages me and said some 337 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: of the nastiest things I've heard in my life. Said 338 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,400 Speaker 1: I was a gardening tool and a salute for screwing 339 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 1: up some guy that got in the way of our relationship, 340 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 1: even after I hooked up with said person after we 341 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: broke up and wished I would pass away. He said 342 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: I was a terrible person and had no idea how 343 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 1: relationships worked, and he was the one guy who was 344 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 1: everything for me and I couldn't find anyone better. I 345 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: didn't respond him because I was on vacation, but he 346 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:43,200 Speaker 1: messaged me again the next day, asking why I hadn't 347 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:46,320 Speaker 1: responded and how I wasn't brave enough to say anything 348 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: or face my issues. 349 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 4: She doesn't owe you a response. You're not together, you 350 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:53,760 Speaker 4: don't get the right to her time. 351 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: Not true, as I am a pretty outspoken person and 352 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: did not want to say something or else. He would 353 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:03,120 Speaker 1: twist my words and continue arguing some more. I'm trying 354 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:05,560 Speaker 1: to be more mature, but he doesn't seem to like that. 355 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 1: I've always told him that I regretted what I did, 356 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:12,399 Speaker 1: and I've apologized numerous times and am not sure what 357 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:14,680 Speaker 1: I can say at this point. I forgave him for 358 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:16,679 Speaker 1: how he broke up with me while I was grieving 359 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:20,879 Speaker 1: over it, and when he liked the girl. This time, however, 360 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,399 Speaker 1: I just said that I said whatever that needed to 361 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,240 Speaker 1: be said before and wished him well for his future. 362 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:26,920 Speaker 4: Hi sop. 363 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, he blocked my numbers, so I don't think he 364 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:33,640 Speaker 1: got my message and has blocked me on Facebook as well. 365 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: His brother removed me from social media too. Is all 366 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:39,760 Speaker 1: of this my fault? I have numerous friends who have 367 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:42,399 Speaker 1: told me that he is acting immature overall that he 368 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,639 Speaker 1: has done to me, But I still feel guilty that 369 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:46,680 Speaker 1: I didn't say anything when I hooked up with a guy. 370 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,640 Speaker 1: You don't owe him no. That actually would be crazy. 371 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,240 Speaker 1: That would actually be crazy. If he texted direction was like, hey, 372 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:54,400 Speaker 1: hooked up with this guy. 373 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 4: Or texted you like a war if you were like, yeah, 374 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 4: just so you know tonight, like. 375 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: I'm hooking up with that guy that I liked before 376 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:03,639 Speaker 1: our relationship, And I already know that I should have 377 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:05,399 Speaker 1: and wished I never did it. In the first place. 378 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 4: No, you should not act. You have nothing to apologize 379 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 4: from this and nothing to read from this. He islating you. Oh, 380 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:17,639 Speaker 4: I mean if if he stayed, block him back, just 381 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,359 Speaker 4: in case he I'm blocking him back. Block him back and. 382 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 1: Stop feeling bad for things that happened after a relationship, 383 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 1: when he left you to go hook up with another 384 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 1: girl and admitted to having. 385 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 4: Started that while you were still dating because you you 386 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:34,680 Speaker 4: were broken up when you did what you did, he was. 387 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:38,640 Speaker 1: Dating you, still dating it, he was dating it. Yikes, 388 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: But there's a little bit left to this story. I 389 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:43,320 Speaker 1: met a couple of friends this past weekend from college 390 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 1: and found out that my ex has been going around 391 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: telling people about the nasty things he texted me. He 392 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: apparently wrote a rap song too about it. Should I 393 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:55,120 Speaker 1: feel honored or laugh? At the time, he was wasted. 394 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,359 Speaker 1: I was really angry to begin with, because I was 395 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:00,399 Speaker 1: still obviously hurt. But then I realized that this definitely 396 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 1: would not have worked in the long term, and I'm 397 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:05,720 Speaker 1: glad he showed his true collers, even if it was 398 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,879 Speaker 1: almost two years into the relationship. I'm also going to 399 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:11,760 Speaker 1: start therapy soon just to deal with how much emotional 400 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:14,639 Speaker 1: baggage she unloaded on me, as well as coping with 401 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 1: my accident. 402 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:19,119 Speaker 4: My wife asked for an open relationship, then cheated with 403 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 4: her ex. 404 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:21,240 Speaker 1: I think you jumped the gun. 405 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:24,560 Speaker 4: My wife, thirty three female, and I thirty female, have 406 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:27,719 Speaker 4: been together for six years and married for three. The 407 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 4: past eighteen months have been hard, conflict over my amesh family, 408 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:36,359 Speaker 4: less spicy sleep, constant, arguing for miscommunication, and we dropped 409 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:39,600 Speaker 4: out of couples counseling because of my school and workload. 410 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,520 Speaker 4: I returned to college to start a new career, fully 411 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:45,880 Speaker 4: encouraged by my wife. By the way, this comes from 412 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 4: Danny Thinks, and if you want to submit your own stories, 413 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 4: go to the r slash Okay storytime subread it. So 414 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 4: she told me she was getting lonely and asked for 415 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:59,520 Speaker 4: an open relationship. I was hesitant, but I agreed. A 416 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:03,119 Speaker 4: couple weeks later, she changed her mind. Dating apps weren't 417 00:20:03,119 --> 00:20:07,080 Speaker 4: for her, so she got on BUMBLEBFF and made four 418 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:10,200 Speaker 4: new friends. Then she asked me if she could message 419 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:14,040 Speaker 4: her ex from ten years ago to make amends. I 420 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 4: was surprised because she had already done that six years 421 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:20,720 Speaker 4: ago and was rejected, but she insisted so I said okay. 422 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 4: Her ex responded kindly this time, and they started emailing daily. 423 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 4: My wife said she felt a friendship was possible, even 424 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:33,679 Speaker 4: though we had a rule xes remain acquaintances. I was 425 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:38,440 Speaker 4: cautious since my wife's previous exes have crossed boundaries before 426 00:20:39,119 --> 00:20:42,199 Speaker 4: and it's made me feel invisible and disrespected. But I 427 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:46,159 Speaker 4: said okay again on the condition she maintains healthy boundaries. 428 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,879 Speaker 4: One week later, she says their conversations are deep and 429 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:53,600 Speaker 4: emotional and things are progressing really fast. By talking to 430 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:57,320 Speaker 4: her ex, she realized how she's repeated old bad patterns 431 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:00,560 Speaker 4: from her past relationships into our marriage. I let her 432 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:04,159 Speaker 4: talk without prying, even though I was uncomfortable. Then she 433 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 4: tells me she's feeling emotionally connected to her ex, but 434 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,679 Speaker 4: says it's still just a friendship. I trusted her and 435 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:16,040 Speaker 4: reassured myself that emotional closeness doesn't have to be romantic. 436 00:21:16,359 --> 00:21:19,680 Speaker 4: Then she starts meeting up with her ex every weekend. 437 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 4: I mention how fast is escalating, and she says it 438 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 4: feels natural and not rushed to her. Another week later, 439 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 4: she says she feels in alignment with herself around this connection. 440 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 4: I ask are you catching feelings, She says no. Then, 441 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:41,520 Speaker 4: on a long car trip to visit my family, she 442 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 4: drops this. She wants to explore her feelings for her 443 00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:50,640 Speaker 4: ex and reopen our relationship with this person. I'm gutted, 444 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,640 Speaker 4: but she says it's not about the X, it's about 445 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:58,360 Speaker 4: her not repressing her needs anymore. I cave. I say yes, 446 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:02,400 Speaker 4: even though I'm passing away inside because I just want 447 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:05,120 Speaker 4: her to be happy. But I wake up the next day. 448 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:05,639 Speaker 1: In a rage. 449 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:09,440 Speaker 4: I feel betrayed. I trusted her. She said this would 450 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,919 Speaker 4: be a friendship. I felt like in hindsight she downplayed 451 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,439 Speaker 4: everything I tell her. I'm no longer okay with it. 452 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 4: She says she communicated every step of the way and 453 00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 4: that I just wasn't paying attention. We go back and forth. 454 00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:26,160 Speaker 4: Eventually I say, fine, have your open relationship, but I'm 455 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 4: telling you I'm not okay. She thanks me and says 456 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:35,040 Speaker 4: she'll respect boundaries. We agree to no spicy sleep, only 457 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:39,480 Speaker 4: level one physical contact like hugs or a hand graise, 458 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:44,680 Speaker 4: Level two PDA, and level three kissing. However, at this 459 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 4: point my wife said the thought of kissing her ex 460 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:51,040 Speaker 4: repulsed her and was way too soon to think about 461 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:55,040 Speaker 4: then the next day she meets her ex. It's imperative 462 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:57,639 Speaker 4: for me to state how many days and weeks I 463 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:01,640 Speaker 4: spent crying over my wife's decision to pursue this open relationship, 464 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 4: even though I continuously told her I wasn't okay. I 465 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:09,000 Speaker 4: was sounding like a broken record at some point, always 466 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,439 Speaker 4: bringing it up, but always telling her go ahead and 467 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:14,439 Speaker 4: do it. But I'm struggling and I'm not okay. So 468 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:16,880 Speaker 4: before she met up with her ex, I caved in 469 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:20,359 Speaker 4: and couldn't hold it together. I expressed again how much 470 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,159 Speaker 4: this is hurting me, and it pissed my wife off. 471 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:26,040 Speaker 4: She said, why would you tell me this right before 472 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:27,879 Speaker 4: I see my ex? Why did you give me your 473 00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:30,679 Speaker 4: blessing if you never meant it? Make up your mind. 474 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,520 Speaker 4: I'm done with this back and forth. You are insensitive 475 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:36,879 Speaker 4: for choosing to bring this up right before I see her. 476 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:39,399 Speaker 4: After meeting up with her ex, my wife comes home 477 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,119 Speaker 4: wearing a noticeably new necklace. I ask about it. She 478 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,920 Speaker 4: says her ex gave it to her because my message, 479 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:49,320 Speaker 4: the one where I said it wasn't okay anymore, made 480 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,480 Speaker 4: her think she'd never see my wife again. She wore 481 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:56,199 Speaker 4: the necklace because it made her feel better. That crushed me. 482 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 4: We have an update aang man, Dang, I mean wow, wow, wow, 483 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 4: you gave her permission. 484 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:08,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you need therapy. Ope. I think that 485 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 1: you're going into this relationship being like, well, if I 486 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:14,520 Speaker 1: tell her how I feel, she'll stop doing it. But 487 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:16,879 Speaker 1: I think you need to either say no, I'm not 488 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:18,120 Speaker 1: okay with that or leave. 489 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 4: Maybe, but we need to cut out all the like, 490 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 4: I guess it's fine, but I'm not comfortable and you're 491 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 4: not fine. Like. 492 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 1: I think there's this like idea that if you say that, 493 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:30,880 Speaker 1: a person can like if you say no, I don't 494 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,160 Speaker 1: want you to do that, it's controlling. It's more so 495 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,680 Speaker 1: you say she comes to you and says I want 496 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:40,520 Speaker 1: to go see my ex, and then you say I'm 497 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 1: not okay with that, you can't do that, And then 498 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:44,920 Speaker 1: they have to decide whether or not they want to 499 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:47,399 Speaker 1: stay in the relationship. Yeah, so either they go and 500 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:49,159 Speaker 1: do that thing that you said, don't do that, or 501 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:50,280 Speaker 1: they stay in their relationship. 502 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 4: That's kind of Yeah, you can still have your boundaries. 503 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: Yes, those are boundaries. Op. 504 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:57,879 Speaker 4: We have an update. I changed my mind about the 505 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:01,320 Speaker 4: open relationship last minute before she's her ex on Sunday. 506 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 4: The next day, on Monday, my wife was so wrecked 507 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 4: about my decision that she took the day off of 508 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 4: work and stayed in bed crying. She was on her 509 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:14,040 Speaker 4: phone all day too. I tried comforting her, but it 510 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 4: didn't do much, and she wouldn't go into detail about 511 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 4: why she was upset. I don't know what happened next, 512 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:23,040 Speaker 4: but at some point Monday night we were arguing. It 513 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:25,920 Speaker 4: was probably the necklace because she was wearing it all 514 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:28,639 Speaker 4: night while she grieved. I didn't know it at the time, 515 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 4: so I asked her, where did you get that necklace. 516 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,480 Speaker 4: I've never seen it before, and she told me her 517 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,679 Speaker 4: ex gave it to her as a goodbye. At this point, 518 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:39,919 Speaker 4: I'm still not aware that the kiss happened on the 519 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,159 Speaker 4: same day her ex gave her the necklace as a goodbye. 520 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:46,320 Speaker 4: I do remember telling my wife that I need her 521 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:49,120 Speaker 4: to give the necklace back before I lose my crap. 522 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 4: At some point during our arguing, I got frustrated and 523 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,840 Speaker 4: stepped outside our bedroom to cool off. My wife sent 524 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 4: a flurry of text messages to me saying how much 525 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:01,920 Speaker 4: her needs never get I, how much I don't care 526 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:05,439 Speaker 4: about her feelings, and how insensitive and immature it was 527 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 4: for me to send that text and change my mind. 528 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,000 Speaker 4: Moments before she met up with her ex, we were 529 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:14,199 Speaker 4: just going back and forth, firing emotionally charged texts at 530 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 4: each other. So I had enough of the back and 531 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:19,359 Speaker 4: forth texting. I decided to go into our bedroom and 532 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,760 Speaker 4: confront her. I go into the bedroom expecting an angry, 533 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:26,160 Speaker 4: emotional wife, but what do I find. I walk in 534 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:29,040 Speaker 4: and my wife is on her phone giggling and texting. 535 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 4: I'm like, what the heck are you laughing at I 536 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 4: thought you were pissed, and she's quickly trying to adjust 537 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:37,840 Speaker 4: her mood and downplay her actions. I said, are you 538 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 4: texting your ex right now? And she said yeah. I 539 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 4: was like, are you seriously laughing and being unseerious with 540 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,400 Speaker 4: your ex while we're in the middle of arguing. It's 541 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:50,600 Speaker 4: past ten pm. Why the heck are you guys still texting? 542 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 4: And my wife was like, fine, fine, okay whatever. On 543 00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:56,919 Speaker 4: Tuesday morning, I had a text drafted and ready to 544 00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 4: send to my wife about how I really needed her 545 00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:02,280 Speaker 4: to enforce boundaries with her ex if we're going to 546 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:05,440 Speaker 4: make our marriage work. I told her, look, I only 547 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:08,199 Speaker 4: have two weeks left in my semester. And remember we 548 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 4: said we're going to work on our marriage and do 549 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 4: at home therapy when my semester is over. How are 550 00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:16,639 Speaker 4: you gonna focus on our marriage when you seem so 551 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,480 Speaker 4: consumed with texting your ex, texting her during our argument, 552 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:23,960 Speaker 4: wearing her necklace in our home. Where is the space 553 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:27,600 Speaker 4: to repair our bond? You need to create space from 554 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,320 Speaker 4: your ex if this is going to work, because now 555 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:32,800 Speaker 4: I'm under the impression that this girl is texting you 556 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:37,439 Speaker 4: all morning, all afternoon, all night every day. That is 557 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:41,400 Speaker 4: not a friendship, it's borderline courtship. Well before I had 558 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:44,120 Speaker 4: a chance to send my wife this text, she texted 559 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:48,679 Speaker 4: me saying she had something to share. So in her text, 560 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 4: she told me that she kissed her ex and that 561 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,120 Speaker 4: the text I sent before she met up with her 562 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:56,360 Speaker 4: ex where I changed my mind last minute, pushed her 563 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,360 Speaker 4: to make that decision because she wanted to exercise control 564 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,760 Speaker 4: and not feel powerless to my decision. And she's sick 565 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 4: of feeling like my feelings control her every move. She 566 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:09,639 Speaker 4: wrote lots of other meaningful stuff, but I couldn't get 567 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 4: past the kiss, and I addressed that immediately. She said 568 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:15,320 Speaker 4: the kiss meant nothing to her, and it's not about 569 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:18,879 Speaker 4: her ex. It's about herself and choosing her needs. For once, 570 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,560 Speaker 4: I was like, but you told me you couldn't even 571 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 4: fathom kissing her. You said you had to take baby 572 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 4: steps before kissing her. 573 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:29,720 Speaker 1: Uh, Opie, let me introduce you something called lying. 574 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:32,000 Speaker 4: There's this thing. 575 00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 1: There's this thing, this new thing called lying. 576 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:37,640 Speaker 4: I also feel really bad for the ex because she's 577 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:41,200 Speaker 4: kind of just like a pawn in their marriage, right, terrible? 578 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:45,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, Like Opie, like this wife reaches out to her 579 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:49,520 Speaker 1: ex once, I says hey, no, waits a couple of years, 580 00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: reaches out again. X' is like, oh, okay, yeah, we 581 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: can be friends, and then is dragged into this whole 582 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: thing where they're like, yeah, she want to be in 583 00:28:56,960 --> 00:28:59,640 Speaker 1: a relation, we can be in an open relationship. Yeah 584 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 1: you know, Oh it's totally fine. My partner's all cool 585 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:03,560 Speaker 1: with it, and they're like, okay, I guess, so. 586 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:07,200 Speaker 4: Yikes, And my wife said again that my text before 587 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 4: meeting up with her ex pushed her to do it. 588 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 4: And then I guess that's around the time her ex 589 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 4: gave the necklace to my wife. So I was angry 590 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:19,160 Speaker 4: hearing all of this. I was home and my wife 591 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:21,800 Speaker 4: was at work. I went digging for the necklace, even 592 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:24,520 Speaker 4: though my wife said she'll give it back. I found 593 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:27,400 Speaker 4: the ex's necklace and kept telling myself, don't throw it away, 594 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:30,480 Speaker 4: because you're going to escalate things. Your wife said she'll 595 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:33,040 Speaker 4: give it back, but I guess the devil in me said, 596 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 4: when exactly is she gonna give it back. Plus they 597 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 4: kissed each other, and your wife still came home after 598 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:42,400 Speaker 4: the kiss and wore the necklace. So I went ahead 599 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:44,760 Speaker 4: and threw that crap in the dumpster, and I felt 600 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:47,880 Speaker 4: dang good about it. I then texted my wife, telling 601 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:50,400 Speaker 4: her I was in so much pain and anger that 602 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:53,400 Speaker 4: I threw her ex's necklace in the trash in an 603 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:56,480 Speaker 4: attempt to feel better, to which my wife responded, this 604 00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,840 Speaker 4: is it. We're getting a divorce. Clearly you're not mature. 605 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 4: Let's call this off before you do something worse. I 606 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 4: told her, fine, I took the necklace out of the trash. 607 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:08,120 Speaker 4: I thought I was way too nice for taking the 608 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:11,320 Speaker 4: ex's necklace out of the trash, so I peede on 609 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 4: it in order to get some sort of revenge and 610 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 4: maybe feel powerful against her ex. 611 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:19,920 Speaker 1: For one, I hate all I hate you both. 612 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:25,520 Speaker 4: You both suck. Everyone sucks here. You're bringing me real sentence? 613 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:28,840 Speaker 4: What is this stupid power dynamic. 614 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:34,040 Speaker 1: Kiss? I kissed my ex to get power and then yeah, 615 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: peede on the necklace? 616 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 3: What opie just said? Claimed that's mine? 617 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:44,560 Speaker 4: Now are you as Yeah, that's wild, that's you. 618 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:47,920 Speaker 3: Took it out of the trash, just peeled it, She went. 619 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 1: I was too nice for taking out of the trash. 620 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 4: Did you peel it? Wait? 621 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:50,719 Speaker 2: Wait? 622 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:51,240 Speaker 3: Wait wait wait? 623 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:55,520 Speaker 4: Did you? Oh? You suck? 624 00:30:56,200 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: You both suck, dude, This match made in heaven suck. 625 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:03,080 Speaker 4: My wife came home from her lunch break to take 626 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:05,720 Speaker 4: the necklace. I have no idea if she gave it 627 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:08,680 Speaker 4: back or if she's hiding it somewhere. I haven't asked 628 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:12,200 Speaker 4: either way, they have a pisstained necklace and don't even 629 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 4: know it. Later on Tuesday, she sent me step by 630 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 4: step instructions on getting a divorce in California. We have 631 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,240 Speaker 4: no kids, we don't own any property, so it should 632 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:24,560 Speaker 4: be straightforward. Wednesday morning, my wife texted me that she 633 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 4: still sees divorce as a solution, but right now. But 634 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,040 Speaker 4: right now, the steps in the process are not something 635 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:33,840 Speaker 4: she wants to do because she believes it will further 636 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:37,280 Speaker 4: complicate our lives and this whole ordeal has stressed her 637 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 4: enough she's not ready to go through it. She said 638 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:42,520 Speaker 4: that instead of divorce and instead of me moving out, 639 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:45,240 Speaker 4: she would like us to separate and have me stay 640 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 4: in the guest bedroom and take the guest bathroom until 641 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,560 Speaker 4: she can figure out how to create distance between her 642 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:55,200 Speaker 4: and her ex. She also said she wants her ex 643 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:58,000 Speaker 4: to remain in her life because she believes her ex 644 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:02,000 Speaker 4: is a genuinely good person who makes a good friend 645 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,800 Speaker 4: and helps her grow in a positive way. It is 646 00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:07,360 Speaker 4: now Thursday, and I wish I could say our space 647 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 4: from each other has made things better, but things have 648 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:16,840 Speaker 4: gotten worse. We have another update. How are you feeling? Wow? Wow, 649 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 4: wow Wow. They're still together. They're still together. The divorce 650 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:26,320 Speaker 4: fake out and they're still together. They're like, they're still 651 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:29,880 Speaker 4: living together. They're not getting a divorce, but they're staying 652 00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:35,440 Speaker 4: in separate rooms. Everything is still the same otherwise except. 653 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:37,320 Speaker 1: For the necklace, such as Cassonis is maybe the wife 654 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:39,520 Speaker 1: wants to stay married for the tax break and show. 655 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:41,240 Speaker 4: It was also thinking. 656 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:45,480 Speaker 1: Yep, everyone sucks here. 657 00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:50,440 Speaker 4: Yeah. Confirmed both of them are addicted to drama. They 658 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 4: both choose chaos every step of the way. 659 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,560 Speaker 1: Miss Boozy says, why does Opie have to take the 660 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:01,600 Speaker 1: guest room? It's like adding insult injury. Well, you know 661 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:05,120 Speaker 1: this is what happens. Our wife says, you have to 662 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:08,200 Speaker 1: take the guests room, and op wan, I'm not happy 663 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 1: about it, but okay, I guess I'll do it. 664 00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:14,240 Speaker 4: Of date number three. In the three to five days 665 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:17,600 Speaker 4: since this happened and since this post, my wife told 666 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:19,920 Speaker 4: me that she is going to continue seeing her ex 667 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:24,600 Speaker 4: and let it develop into a romantic, spicy related relationship. 668 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 4: She said. If I don't want her to do it 669 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:29,040 Speaker 4: while we're still married, then she will do it as 670 00:33:29,080 --> 00:33:32,000 Speaker 4: soon as we divorce. She said. The ideal situation is 671 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:34,880 Speaker 4: that I stay married to her while she pursues this 672 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:38,960 Speaker 4: romantic slash spicy related relationship with her ex, and then 673 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 4: see if she still wants this marriage with me. But 674 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:44,959 Speaker 4: I cannot handle them being together while we're married. I 675 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:47,560 Speaker 4: love my wife so much that I'd be dumb enough 676 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 4: to stay while she does this because I want to 677 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 4: be a couple at the end of the day. But 678 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:56,440 Speaker 4: I think I should respect myself and walk away. So unfortunately, 679 00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:59,720 Speaker 4: divorce is on the horizon. I will do my best 680 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:02,000 Speaker 4: to make sure I'm the one who serves her first. 681 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:06,240 Speaker 1: They're just this has all been one big power play. Yeah, 682 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:08,680 Speaker 1: like constantly back and forth of who can win. 683 00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:11,400 Speaker 4: Yeah. The wife is pushing this as far as you 684 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:13,799 Speaker 4: will let her, and you're letting her like h. 685 00:34:14,640 --> 00:34:16,759 Speaker 1: I mean even that last line of I hope I 686 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:18,360 Speaker 1: serve the divorce papers first. 687 00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:20,759 Speaker 4: Why a wind drama? 688 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:22,360 Speaker 1: Oh my goodness. 689 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:27,480 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, your poison Tonic says they both have control issues. 690 00:34:27,640 --> 00:34:28,600 Speaker 3: Yep, yep. 691 00:34:28,680 --> 00:34:30,760 Speaker 4: Can I let you in on some irony to finish 692 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:33,520 Speaker 4: this off. When my wife dated her ex all those 693 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:37,080 Speaker 4: years ago, her ex was a married woman, and when 694 00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:40,200 Speaker 4: her ex went through a divorce, she had rebound date 695 00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:44,880 Speaker 4: girlfriends before her divorce was even finalized. Sound familiar, And 696 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:47,200 Speaker 4: you didn't take this as a warning. 697 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:50,000 Speaker 1: Come on, op, come. 698 00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:52,160 Speaker 4: On now, my wife is doing to me what her 699 00:34:52,200 --> 00:34:55,000 Speaker 4: ex did to her. She can't even see it because 700 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:57,040 Speaker 4: at this point in her life, her and her ex 701 00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:00,600 Speaker 4: are just so compatible and inseparable. And my wife is 702 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 4: tired of feeling like she can't get what she wants 703 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:06,759 Speaker 4: in our marriage. In her words, she is not choosing us. 704 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:11,080 Speaker 4: She owned up to being selfish and choosing herself even 705 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:12,560 Speaker 4: if it destroys our marriage. 706 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:15,480 Speaker 1: That is the end of that. So your marriage is gone, man, 707 00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 1: there is a real marriage. 708 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:18,520 Speaker 4: Hey, it's Sam. 709 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:19,760 Speaker 3: We're gonna get back to these stories. 710 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:21,759 Speaker 5: But here's three bits of ads from our sponsors that 711 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:22,560 Speaker 5: keep the show alive. 712 00:35:23,239 --> 00:35:26,360 Speaker 1: I created a fake dating app account and found my 713 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:27,520 Speaker 1: wife's profile. 714 00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:29,600 Speaker 4: Did you swipe right or left? 715 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:33,360 Speaker 1: I am thirty mail and she's forty, female, Australia, married 716 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,600 Speaker 1: four years, dated three years prior to marriage. First time 717 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:38,719 Speaker 1: I caught her was earlier this year. It was a 718 00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:41,839 Speaker 1: genuine accident. For a laugh at work. We made a 719 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:44,480 Speaker 1: fake dating app profile to see who else nearby at 720 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:47,359 Speaker 1: work was on this app. When I left work that day, 721 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:50,400 Speaker 1: I drove home and parked out front. My wife was 722 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:53,439 Speaker 1: home inside. Before exiting my car, I opened my phone 723 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:56,239 Speaker 1: to check for any messages. The app was still open 724 00:35:56,280 --> 00:35:58,239 Speaker 1: on the screen when I unlocked my phone, and it 725 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:01,399 Speaker 1: showed the nearest person to me on the app, very 726 00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:04,680 Speaker 1: clearly her. By the way, this comes from Billowing Betty 727 00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:06,080 Speaker 1: and if you want to submit your own stories, go 728 00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:08,799 Speaker 1: to the r slash Okay storytime separate it. After a 729 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:12,399 Speaker 1: few days, I confronted her. She cried and apologized and 730 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:14,560 Speaker 1: called her mom and her best friend to get advice. 731 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:16,880 Speaker 1: She returned and asked me what I wanted from her 732 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:19,960 Speaker 1: in this moment. Example, sleep on the couch, leave and 733 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,879 Speaker 1: go to an hotel, et cetera. Being the person I am, 734 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:25,479 Speaker 1: I just wanted her stay and us to work things out. 735 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:28,480 Speaker 1: She kept calling herself stupid, thinks she didn't know why 736 00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:30,680 Speaker 1: she did this, and just that she liked the attention 737 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:33,319 Speaker 1: from others. In my panic of not wanting to lose 738 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:35,319 Speaker 1: my wife, I asked if she wanted to go down 739 00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:39,279 Speaker 1: the path of an open relationship. Answer no, Does she 740 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:41,640 Speaker 1: want to bring some toys into the bedroom to spice 741 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:45,480 Speaker 1: things up a little? Answer no. She claims it was 742 00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:50,279 Speaker 1: all just an online chat, nothing physical ever happened, and 743 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:52,560 Speaker 1: that it was only recent that she couldn't show me 744 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:56,280 Speaker 1: any message history to prove it was only online because 745 00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:58,440 Speaker 1: she deleted the app when she got home to prevent 746 00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:02,080 Speaker 1: me seeing it, and redownloaded it at work the next time. 747 00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:06,279 Speaker 1: She wanted to chat deep deep, deep down in the 748 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:09,000 Speaker 1: depths of my soul, I believe it. I'd been going 749 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:12,000 Speaker 1: on for at least a month, or probably more, and 750 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:14,920 Speaker 1: somewhere the terrified part of my mind really teeters on 751 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 1: the edge of believing she did physically cheat. I try 752 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:21,880 Speaker 1: my best to give her more spicy related style tension 753 00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:24,480 Speaker 1: in the months that pass. I make sure I call 754 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:27,480 Speaker 1: her beautiful more often, common on her looks and makeup 755 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:30,960 Speaker 1: and hairstyles more often. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, 756 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,439 Speaker 1: which I thought was good. Fast forward to now October. 757 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: I'm working away and feeling paranoid about the situation, going 758 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:40,919 Speaker 1: back through the screenshots in my phone that I kept 759 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:43,920 Speaker 1: a proof of her hookup apt profile, and it's not 760 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:47,720 Speaker 1: helping my mindset. I download the app and make another 761 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:51,880 Speaker 1: fake profile, add some filters to narrow the results, and 762 00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:55,400 Speaker 1: there she is again, however less obvious, this time no 763 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:59,160 Speaker 1: photo age changed by one year. With my anonymous style profile, 764 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:01,279 Speaker 1: I say a load to her, and her typing mannerisms 765 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:03,879 Speaker 1: are enough to give it away to me. Jerry on top, 766 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:06,520 Speaker 1: the kilometer distance the app says we are from each 767 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:10,200 Speaker 1: other is smack bang on what Google's maps measured distance 768 00:38:10,239 --> 00:38:13,200 Speaker 1: shows from my work to her work where we both 769 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:15,560 Speaker 1: were in that moment. There are other concerns in our 770 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,080 Speaker 1: marriage I have, but I was willing and actively working 771 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:20,640 Speaker 1: on them for our sake and for the love I 772 00:38:20,719 --> 00:38:23,319 Speaker 1: have for what is a real mind f I think 773 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:26,880 Speaker 1: she still emotionally loves me too. There's no indication to 774 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:30,200 Speaker 1: suspect this cheating other than my well placed apparently at paranoia. 775 00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:34,800 Speaker 1: We are still a romantic, fun, connected, caring, loving couple. 776 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:38,279 Speaker 1: She's not a bad person in general except for this, 777 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:41,279 Speaker 1: and I think that's the hardest part and what makes 778 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:43,880 Speaker 1: it hard to accept. I'm not trying to stick up 779 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:46,360 Speaker 1: for in any means. I guess I'm just presenting my 780 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:49,280 Speaker 1: thoughts this time. I think I'm done. 781 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:52,080 Speaker 4: This is like half of that Pina claudassm. 782 00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:58,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, they both found each other, except that she's actually cheating. Dude, 783 00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:00,719 Speaker 1: I it doesn't matter if I think that she loves you, 784 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:04,040 Speaker 1: she's actually she's still cheating on you for a second time. 785 00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:07,200 Speaker 4: It does not matter if if at home everything's great, 786 00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:10,120 Speaker 4: she is still cheating on you and still actively lying 787 00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:10,720 Speaker 4: to you. 788 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:16,240 Speaker 1: Yep, yep, yep, uh one, yeah, says opieus catfishing his wife. 789 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:17,279 Speaker 1: Yeah for a second time. 790 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:17,840 Speaker 3: Dad. 791 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:20,720 Speaker 1: Our other concerns were our future and her no longer 792 00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:24,040 Speaker 1: wanting kids, me wanting them. She had recently said she'd 793 00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:27,040 Speaker 1: done soul searching, and despite not wanting kids, she still 794 00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:29,960 Speaker 1: wants to be with me. Yah, But now I'm mentally 795 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,560 Speaker 1: taking a step back and looking at the situation. It 796 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:35,600 Speaker 1: makes me angry. Don't lure me into a sense of 797 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:37,960 Speaker 1: relationship security when you're out of here chatting to other 798 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:41,320 Speaker 1: guys on dating apps. Anyway, what helped me was reading 799 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:45,359 Speaker 1: other people's stories and seeing different scenarios. So I thought 800 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:48,160 Speaker 1: i'd post mine here as well for others and for 801 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:52,000 Speaker 1: future updates. And there is an update, folks, so let's 802 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:55,560 Speaker 1: dive into it. I'm going to confront her this Friday. 803 00:39:55,840 --> 00:39:58,560 Speaker 1: Every day my emotions get more and more intense towards 804 00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:01,279 Speaker 1: her and the situation. She has put what was the 805 00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:04,280 Speaker 1: straw that broke the camel's back? In her hookup profile, 806 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:07,399 Speaker 1: she wrote, I can put my legs behind my head. 807 00:40:07,640 --> 00:40:10,239 Speaker 1: I had an effing breakdown when I saw that, but 808 00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:12,840 Speaker 1: it also helped me decide then and there it is over. 809 00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:15,719 Speaker 1: As I'm away currently, I don't have the option to 810 00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:18,960 Speaker 1: be there physically to confront her, but I just cannot 811 00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:22,200 Speaker 1: wait this out much longer. I'm having sleepless nights going 812 00:40:22,239 --> 00:40:23,800 Speaker 1: over and over in my head what I want to 813 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:27,560 Speaker 1: say to her, I cannot concentrate at work. All the 814 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:30,719 Speaker 1: light and happiness day in day to day life has 815 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:33,719 Speaker 1: disappeared for me. I feel like an empty shell of 816 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:36,440 Speaker 1: a man. I'm going to have a tiny shred of 817 00:40:36,480 --> 00:40:39,439 Speaker 1: decency towards her and wait till a Friday after work 818 00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:41,520 Speaker 1: so she has the weekend to think about how she 819 00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:45,000 Speaker 1: ruined our marriage and probably cry and feel sorry for herself. 820 00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:48,000 Speaker 1: As per my previous post, she does not know that 821 00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:51,240 Speaker 1: I know, and in the past she deleted the hookup 822 00:40:51,239 --> 00:40:54,719 Speaker 1: app before she'd get home, so there was never any evidence, 823 00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:58,000 Speaker 1: and the chat history disappears every time. This Friday, I'm 824 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:00,799 Speaker 1: going to video call her without warning, tell her to 825 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:03,680 Speaker 1: share her screen Facebook Messenger and say, open up the 826 00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:06,400 Speaker 1: hookup app and open up your chats and show me. 827 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:09,960 Speaker 4: Why why why do you want to see that? It 828 00:41:10,120 --> 00:41:12,640 Speaker 4: is going to hurt you so much more. Just end it. 829 00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:14,920 Speaker 4: You are ending, you know what's in there. 830 00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:18,279 Speaker 1: I assume she'll panic and either refuse, which tells me 831 00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:20,560 Speaker 1: everything I need to know anyway, or show me. And 832 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 1: I know it's not gonna be pretty after that. I 833 00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:25,120 Speaker 1: guess I'll wait to hear her pathetic excuses and I 834 00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:27,520 Speaker 1: will say my bit. I've written it all out on 835 00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:30,240 Speaker 1: my phone, so I don't forget a single bit. Lastly, 836 00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:32,279 Speaker 1: I have this feeling she will tell her family and 837 00:41:32,320 --> 00:41:34,600 Speaker 1: friends I split up with her because she doesn't want 838 00:41:34,719 --> 00:41:35,480 Speaker 1: kids and I do. 839 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:37,000 Speaker 4: I am a good person. 840 00:41:37,320 --> 00:41:40,640 Speaker 1: I always get eft over for being too nice and 841 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:44,000 Speaker 1: too eager to help others and too polite and too respectful, 842 00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:46,400 Speaker 1: and I won't have it this time. I will probably 843 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:48,839 Speaker 1: contact her parents I'm close with them, and give them 844 00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:51,359 Speaker 1: a very brief idea so that she cannot paint me 845 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:53,840 Speaker 1: as the bad guy. And there is a second update. 846 00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:57,160 Speaker 1: But I mean, my advice is just leave. 847 00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:00,359 Speaker 4: Who cares if you look like the bad guy? Care? 848 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:02,839 Speaker 1: Like, get get everyone out of get all these people 849 00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:03,560 Speaker 1: out of your life. 850 00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:05,360 Speaker 4: They won't be there anymore. It won't matter. 851 00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:08,799 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's just yeah, amulances. I feel like this is 852 00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:12,640 Speaker 1: Opie's gotcha moment for closure. Sure, but I think Ope's 853 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:16,320 Speaker 1: approaching it from less like I want to get revenge 854 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:18,440 Speaker 1: or I want to get closure or something, and more 855 00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:20,080 Speaker 1: like I need more evidence. 856 00:42:19,760 --> 00:42:20,879 Speaker 4: Right, like he doesn't have. 857 00:42:21,880 --> 00:42:25,239 Speaker 5: And it's like, no, you have evidence, Yeah, you you 858 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:30,960 Speaker 5: literally have crashout SAPs Fedora Crashout is great, but there's 859 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:32,120 Speaker 5: another update, folks. 860 00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:35,320 Speaker 1: On a Saturday, I video called her, and without explaining, 861 00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:39,200 Speaker 1: requested she shared her screen Facebook Messenger video chat and 862 00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:41,600 Speaker 1: open the app and show me every single chat with 863 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:46,240 Speaker 1: every single man. She acted confused, claiming she had no idea, 864 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:48,480 Speaker 1: despite me seeing the app in the bottom corner of 865 00:42:48,520 --> 00:42:51,400 Speaker 1: her screen, just lying through her teeth to me. Still, 866 00:42:51,760 --> 00:42:54,239 Speaker 1: I became angry and nearly yelling. Not once have we 867 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:57,440 Speaker 1: ever yelled at each other before this. She became more defensive, 868 00:42:57,520 --> 00:43:00,360 Speaker 1: yelling back. She turned her video sharing off and claimed 869 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,480 Speaker 1: it was glitching out. In this time, she deleted the 870 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:06,279 Speaker 1: app and all the evidence. The way she talked to 871 00:43:06,320 --> 00:43:09,879 Speaker 1: me and acted was so confronting. She immediately turned into 872 00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:12,839 Speaker 1: this new person I had never ever seen in our 873 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:16,720 Speaker 1: whole relationship. It really scared me. Eventually, after more denial 874 00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:18,800 Speaker 1: and lies, she gave up lying and just said I 875 00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:21,360 Speaker 1: don't want to do this. A bit more back and forth, 876 00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:23,839 Speaker 1: I said to her, we will discuss this further when 877 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:26,160 Speaker 1: we see each other in person next and then we 878 00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:28,520 Speaker 1: hung up. The next morning, I planned to go to 879 00:43:28,560 --> 00:43:30,759 Speaker 1: the movies to get my mind off it, but as 880 00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:33,400 Speaker 1: I got ready, I just broke down. I mean, I 881 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:37,000 Speaker 1: cried in a full body reaction emotional state. I just 882 00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:40,160 Speaker 1: could not stop. I have never ever cried like that 883 00:43:40,239 --> 00:43:42,759 Speaker 1: in my entire life. Because I knew what I had 884 00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:45,280 Speaker 1: to do, and I drove hours to her and showed 885 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:48,200 Speaker 1: up at the front door. We sat down and cried together, 886 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:51,360 Speaker 1: and I explained all my feelings about the situation. We 887 00:43:51,440 --> 00:43:53,800 Speaker 1: both agreed we had been in a weird place recently, 888 00:43:53,840 --> 00:43:56,400 Speaker 1: as she had decided she didn't want kids and I 889 00:43:56,440 --> 00:43:59,359 Speaker 1: am very much set on having kids, so perhaps we 890 00:43:59,360 --> 00:44:01,640 Speaker 1: were headed down on a slow breakup route. 891 00:44:01,880 --> 00:44:04,720 Speaker 4: Regardless, he was just in denial for so long. 892 00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:06,680 Speaker 1: I mean kind of crazy that she's like, we were 893 00:44:06,719 --> 00:44:11,160 Speaker 1: already got a break up? You that's not okay. Yeah, 894 00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:13,719 Speaker 1: we had previously talked about working out a way for 895 00:44:14,239 --> 00:44:16,719 Speaker 1: three kids. We didn't know how yet where we could 896 00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:18,840 Speaker 1: still be a big part of each other's lives, but 897 00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:22,160 Speaker 1: perhaps living separately but close by. But the fact she 898 00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:24,399 Speaker 1: took action to cheat on me and break my heart 899 00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:28,040 Speaker 1: anyway is so afft up. If she wanted to leave, 900 00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:31,239 Speaker 1: she owed it to me to tell me, not destroy me, 901 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:32,600 Speaker 1: and I let her know that. 902 00:44:33,800 --> 00:44:37,520 Speaker 4: I mean, she sucks. Yes, the whole thing was terrible, 903 00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:40,640 Speaker 4: I think break up. Yeah, it's it's doing what you 904 00:44:40,640 --> 00:44:43,440 Speaker 4: guys need to do. Opie was definitely in denial till that, 905 00:44:43,640 --> 00:44:47,120 Speaker 4: like crash out on the movies, I feel bad for 906 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:47,560 Speaker 4: the guy. 907 00:44:47,840 --> 00:44:48,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, I've been there. 908 00:44:48,760 --> 00:44:49,880 Speaker 4: I get it. Sad. 909 00:44:50,239 --> 00:44:53,560 Speaker 1: It sucks, man, it sucks. But like I think, going 910 00:44:53,600 --> 00:44:59,600 Speaker 1: into your next relationship, you're you, like, be very straightforward 911 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:01,680 Speaker 1: about what you want in a relationship. Do you want kids? 912 00:45:01,719 --> 00:45:05,040 Speaker 1: Do you want to get married? And if someone says no, 913 00:45:05,120 --> 00:45:06,200 Speaker 1: I don't want those. 914 00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:09,520 Speaker 4: Things, believe them. You guys aren't compatible. 915 00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:10,400 Speaker 3: Yeah. 916 00:45:10,560 --> 00:45:13,080 Speaker 1: And also it kind of makes sense because she's like forty, 917 00:45:13,200 --> 00:45:15,600 Speaker 1: so she's probably you know, not just like I don't 918 00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:16,359 Speaker 1: want to have kids. 919 00:45:16,360 --> 00:45:19,120 Speaker 4: I'm older past that in yeah, people's minds. 920 00:45:19,239 --> 00:45:21,479 Speaker 1: Yeah, like not that you can't have kids when you're forty, 921 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:21,919 Speaker 1: but it does. 922 00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:24,040 Speaker 4: Most people are already like thinking about it. 923 00:45:24,160 --> 00:45:28,440 Speaker 1: Yeah. Sure, so get you know, find someone that is 924 00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:30,560 Speaker 1: on the same page with you, yeah about things in 925 00:45:30,560 --> 00:45:33,960 Speaker 1: your relationship, and also that doesn't cheat on you. In hindsight, 926 00:45:34,080 --> 00:45:36,080 Speaker 1: I obviously would have driven to see her on the 927 00:45:36,120 --> 00:45:38,480 Speaker 1: Saturday and taken her phone and gone through it myself. 928 00:45:38,520 --> 00:45:42,360 Speaker 1: But truthfully, I was just scared crapless about the whole situation. 929 00:45:42,680 --> 00:45:44,640 Speaker 1: Her family and best friend have all reached out to 930 00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:47,920 Speaker 1: me since to check if I'm okay and offer a 931 00:45:47,960 --> 00:45:50,880 Speaker 1: shoulder to lean on. I have got myself a tiny 932 00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:54,160 Speaker 1: studio to rent, and I'm beginning to rebuild myself alone. 933 00:45:54,440 --> 00:45:57,080 Speaker 1: I'm still really struggling emotionally, and I really wish I 934 00:45:57,080 --> 00:45:59,680 Speaker 1: could disappear into a cave and not have to see family, 935 00:45:59,719 --> 00:46:03,160 Speaker 1: relige lives shortly for Christmas and go through the whole 936 00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:05,280 Speaker 1: story again and again and answer questions. 937 00:46:05,719 --> 00:46:08,759 Speaker 4: My wife cheated on me with my friend after I 938 00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:10,240 Speaker 4: let him live rent free. 939 00:46:10,520 --> 00:46:13,440 Speaker 1: Dang, that's not a good house guest. 940 00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:17,440 Speaker 4: After twenty one years and two kids, my wife decided 941 00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:20,480 Speaker 4: to have an affair with my now former best friend 942 00:46:20,640 --> 00:46:23,799 Speaker 4: yet I served together in Afghanistan. He was going through 943 00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:27,040 Speaker 4: a divorce and blamed his wife for cheating on him. 944 00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:31,320 Speaker 4: Turned out he was caught sleeping with two other friend's 945 00:46:31,440 --> 00:46:34,560 Speaker 4: wives and was sent to Afghanistan to get him away 946 00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:37,640 Speaker 4: from them so those families could heal and work on 947 00:46:37,719 --> 00:46:40,680 Speaker 4: their relationship. By the way, this comes from Adam T 948 00:46:40,840 --> 00:46:43,320 Speaker 4: one thousand and If you want to submit your own stories, 949 00:46:43,400 --> 00:46:47,440 Speaker 4: go to the r slash Okay Storytime subreddit. So after 950 00:46:47,480 --> 00:46:50,960 Speaker 4: we came home from Afghanistan, I left the military and 951 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:54,920 Speaker 4: started working for an airline. When my former best friend retired, 952 00:46:55,040 --> 00:46:57,799 Speaker 4: I helped him get an airline job too, not the 953 00:46:57,840 --> 00:47:01,280 Speaker 4: same company, as he failed the interview you at mine. 954 00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:06,680 Speaker 4: The interviewers said he had psychopathic traits and turned the 955 00:47:06,760 --> 00:47:10,799 Speaker 4: interview around on the interviewers. He came to visit for 956 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:12,839 Speaker 4: work and it was just me going to take him 957 00:47:12,880 --> 00:47:15,600 Speaker 4: out for dinner when he was in my city. Eventually, 958 00:47:15,680 --> 00:47:18,240 Speaker 4: my now ex wife said that she and the kids 959 00:47:18,280 --> 00:47:20,520 Speaker 4: would like to meet him since he was my best 960 00:47:20,520 --> 00:47:22,799 Speaker 4: friend and we talked all the time. So I brought 961 00:47:22,800 --> 00:47:24,759 Speaker 4: them all out to meet him on his next trip, 962 00:47:24,800 --> 00:47:28,000 Speaker 4: and he charmed her and the kids like he does everyone, 963 00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:32,439 Speaker 4: super manipulative and deceptive. He then asked if he could 964 00:47:32,440 --> 00:47:35,319 Speaker 4: come visit not just for work, and I invited him 965 00:47:35,320 --> 00:47:37,800 Speaker 4: to stay with us in our home. That turned into 966 00:47:37,840 --> 00:47:40,600 Speaker 4: a monthly thing. I thought it was great to get 967 00:47:40,600 --> 00:47:42,880 Speaker 4: to spend so much time with my best war buddy. 968 00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:48,080 Speaker 4: He had alternative reasons. After a few trips to visit us, 969 00:47:48,200 --> 00:47:50,560 Speaker 4: he shared that he wanted to move to our city 970 00:47:50,880 --> 00:47:52,799 Speaker 4: and asked if he could rent my guest sweep from 971 00:47:52,840 --> 00:47:55,040 Speaker 4: me until he found a place of his own. I 972 00:47:55,160 --> 00:47:57,640 Speaker 4: welcomed him in and didn't think twice about helping my 973 00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:00,440 Speaker 4: buddy out. As soon as he moved in and I 974 00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:03,960 Speaker 4: barely saw him anymore. I would get my airline schedule 975 00:48:04,040 --> 00:48:06,040 Speaker 4: and give it to my wife and she would send 976 00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:09,439 Speaker 4: it to him. Then his airline would bid for schedules 977 00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:12,840 Speaker 4: after mine was released, and he made sure he was 978 00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:15,360 Speaker 4: in my house when I was working, and he was 979 00:48:15,400 --> 00:48:19,720 Speaker 4: working when I was home. This went on for six months. 980 00:48:19,800 --> 00:48:22,240 Speaker 4: Not only did I not see him, but he never 981 00:48:22,280 --> 00:48:24,960 Speaker 4: paid me a dime and used those six months to 982 00:48:25,040 --> 00:48:28,920 Speaker 4: have complete access to my family and home. Looking back, 983 00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:31,359 Speaker 4: I see how utterly dumb this was, to allow a 984 00:48:31,400 --> 00:48:34,560 Speaker 4: divorce man to be in my house, around my family 985 00:48:34,680 --> 00:48:39,200 Speaker 4: when I wasn't there. I started getting the umplompa vibes 986 00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:42,759 Speaker 4: around my birthday when she started dressing nicer, doing her 987 00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:45,560 Speaker 4: hair and nails, and I would see them drinking coffee 988 00:48:45,560 --> 00:48:48,799 Speaker 4: together in the morning. She never drank a drop of 989 00:48:48,840 --> 00:48:52,440 Speaker 4: coffee before him living with us. My fortieth birthday came 990 00:48:52,560 --> 00:48:55,120 Speaker 4: up and she didn't even say Happy birthday to me 991 00:48:55,200 --> 00:48:59,719 Speaker 4: that morning. Something was off that way. God, Okay, not. 992 00:49:00,320 --> 00:49:02,160 Speaker 1: Someone happy birthday is not okay. 993 00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:05,520 Speaker 4: We were still having spicy sleep. In fact, it was 994 00:49:05,680 --> 00:49:09,280 Speaker 4: more frequent than ever, but not even a happy birthday. 995 00:49:09,280 --> 00:49:13,319 Speaker 4: On my fortieth something was up. We had a ring 996 00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:16,040 Speaker 4: camera in the living room to watch the dog when 997 00:49:16,080 --> 00:49:19,000 Speaker 4: we would travel. I hadn't been snooping on my family 998 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:22,680 Speaker 4: while on the road, but should have been. They both 999 00:49:22,760 --> 00:49:26,680 Speaker 4: knew that the camera was there too. Two days after 1000 00:49:26,719 --> 00:49:29,000 Speaker 4: my birthday, I was on a trip and the camera 1001 00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:31,480 Speaker 4: goes off in the middle of the night. She's running 1002 00:49:31,560 --> 00:49:34,960 Speaker 4: downstairs from the guest suite in nothing but her birthday suit. 1003 00:49:35,239 --> 00:49:38,640 Speaker 4: I rewound the video and watched the previous few weeks 1004 00:49:38,719 --> 00:49:42,680 Speaker 4: and saw it all. They had spicy sleep in my 1005 00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:46,080 Speaker 4: living room, groped each other and made out in front 1006 00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:51,640 Speaker 4: of my kids. While it was brutal. I punted him 1007 00:49:51,640 --> 00:49:54,960 Speaker 4: out and took my wife to intensive marriage counseling. She 1008 00:49:55,320 --> 00:49:58,560 Speaker 4: lied through her teeth to the therapist and made me 1009 00:49:58,600 --> 00:50:01,000 Speaker 4: feel bad about her, and. 1010 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:05,360 Speaker 1: The therapist wasn't like, well, you cheated on your husband, 1011 00:50:05,880 --> 00:50:08,239 Speaker 1: so what how do you lie about that? 1012 00:50:08,320 --> 00:50:11,080 Speaker 4: She said that I wasn't attentive enough, that I was 1013 00:50:11,120 --> 00:50:13,239 Speaker 4: a bad dad, that I never let her do what 1014 00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:16,080 Speaker 4: she wanted that I didn't speak her love language, et cetera, 1015 00:50:16,120 --> 00:50:19,279 Speaker 4: et cetera, et cetera, all blame shifting to me. I 1016 00:50:19,400 --> 00:50:23,360 Speaker 4: was gaslet so hard my head was spinning. I lost 1017 00:50:23,640 --> 00:50:26,560 Speaker 4: forty pounds in two months and was a wreck. Three 1018 00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:29,880 Speaker 4: therapy sessions a week weren't helping, and she was caught 1019 00:50:29,920 --> 00:50:32,160 Speaker 4: sneaking out to see him over and over. 1020 00:50:32,560 --> 00:50:34,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, you need marriage is done. Your marriage is over. 1021 00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:36,480 Speaker 1: I don't understand where I'm still here. I mean, I 1022 00:50:37,120 --> 00:50:39,800 Speaker 1: probably because the kids, but. 1023 00:50:39,040 --> 00:50:41,200 Speaker 4: But still why we're not talking divorce. 1024 00:50:41,320 --> 00:50:43,720 Speaker 1: You're not going to be a good father if you're 1025 00:50:43,920 --> 00:50:47,799 Speaker 1: losing forty pounds in two months. Insane, just in a 1026 00:50:48,000 --> 00:50:52,040 Speaker 1: terrible mental health you know, yeah, mental state. 1027 00:50:52,120 --> 00:50:54,360 Speaker 4: When I would present her with the proof on the 1028 00:50:54,440 --> 00:50:58,759 Speaker 4: continued affair, she would deny on stop. She lied to 1029 00:50:58,800 --> 00:51:02,520 Speaker 4: the therapist constantly until the last session, where I showed 1030 00:51:02,760 --> 00:51:07,239 Speaker 4: proof of a recent spicy related encounter with him two 1031 00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:11,000 Speaker 4: days earlier. She swore she had been no contact for 1032 00:51:11,160 --> 00:51:14,760 Speaker 4: over a month. The therapist's jaw was on the floor. 1033 00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:18,000 Speaker 4: After that session, I finally decided this wasn't the life 1034 00:51:18,040 --> 00:51:22,160 Speaker 4: I wanted and initiated the divorce. So nearly six years later, 1035 00:51:22,280 --> 00:51:24,920 Speaker 4: here we are. She got a job teaching at my 1036 00:51:25,040 --> 00:51:28,719 Speaker 4: kids high school and manipulates the kids daily. They know 1037 00:51:28,800 --> 00:51:31,600 Speaker 4: what she's doing, but they still want a mom. My 1038 00:51:31,719 --> 00:51:33,600 Speaker 4: kids hate her for what she did to me and 1039 00:51:33,680 --> 00:51:36,440 Speaker 4: all the lies she told them about me. They are 1040 00:51:36,520 --> 00:51:39,800 Speaker 4: fifteen and seventeen. They know the truth about what happened, 1041 00:51:39,840 --> 00:51:42,960 Speaker 4: and my ex is still with the guy. She told 1042 00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:46,400 Speaker 4: them five different stories about how they started dating after 1043 00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:49,000 Speaker 4: the divorce. I set the kids straight, and then the 1044 00:51:49,080 --> 00:51:52,560 Speaker 4: kids find her handwritten cheating love letters in her home 1045 00:51:53,280 --> 00:51:56,920 Speaker 4: that detailed their affair while we were married. I can't 1046 00:51:56,920 --> 00:51:59,480 Speaker 4: make this up. She has lost all of her friends. 1047 00:51:59,600 --> 00:52:02,000 Speaker 4: She has made some new acquaintances at work, but they 1048 00:52:02,000 --> 00:52:04,840 Speaker 4: don't know her. All of her old friends have seen 1049 00:52:04,920 --> 00:52:07,920 Speaker 4: the videos, emails, texts, and wrote her off like a 1050 00:52:07,960 --> 00:52:09,280 Speaker 4: bad case of her piece. 1051 00:52:09,480 --> 00:52:11,520 Speaker 1: Are you like sending them out to everyone? How are 1052 00:52:11,560 --> 00:52:12,080 Speaker 1: they getting this? 1053 00:52:12,880 --> 00:52:13,360 Speaker 4: Don't do that? 1054 00:52:13,600 --> 00:52:14,000 Speaker 3: Maybe no? 1055 00:52:14,080 --> 00:52:16,200 Speaker 2: Maybe she like she has so many I mean, if 1056 00:52:16,239 --> 00:52:18,640 Speaker 2: she's details about it, she probably shows it to them. 1057 00:52:18,800 --> 00:52:21,279 Speaker 4: Yeah, she's probably bragging. Yeah she's luke y, I mean 1058 00:52:21,840 --> 00:52:23,120 Speaker 4: right in front of the kid. She might just be 1059 00:52:23,160 --> 00:52:24,759 Speaker 4: doing it in front of everyone else. It's true that 1060 00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:26,080 Speaker 4: she could she takes him out. 1061 00:52:26,200 --> 00:52:26,920 Speaker 1: She has no shame. 1062 00:52:27,080 --> 00:52:29,400 Speaker 4: She spends every three minute with him, and he is 1063 00:52:29,440 --> 00:52:32,920 Speaker 4: still sleeping around on her, according to mutual friends who 1064 00:52:32,960 --> 00:52:34,319 Speaker 4: have kept tabs on him. 1065 00:52:34,360 --> 00:52:36,960 Speaker 1: I mean, that's what happens when you when you start 1066 00:52:37,120 --> 00:52:40,759 Speaker 1: cheating with a guy who's literally known for being a 1067 00:52:40,800 --> 00:52:43,920 Speaker 1: serial cheater with his friend's wives. What do you think 1068 00:52:43,960 --> 00:52:44,640 Speaker 1: is gonna happen? 1069 00:52:45,040 --> 00:52:47,800 Speaker 4: My ex wife is just one of many for this psycho. 1070 00:52:48,400 --> 00:52:51,279 Speaker 4: As part of the divorce, I agreed to a one 1071 00:52:51,400 --> 00:52:55,799 Speaker 4: million dollars settlement over eleven years, nearly all of it 1072 00:52:55,880 --> 00:52:58,400 Speaker 4: in cash, minus one hundred and twenty five k and 1073 00:52:58,640 --> 00:53:02,240 Speaker 4: ira for her. We had a lot of retirement accounts, 1074 00:53:02,360 --> 00:53:07,000 Speaker 4: military retirement, home brokerage, et cetera. To divide. I kept 1075 00:53:07,040 --> 00:53:10,480 Speaker 4: everything and agreed to pay half upfront in cash and 1076 00:53:10,600 --> 00:53:14,440 Speaker 4: ira and the rest over eleven years with restrictions. The 1077 00:53:14,560 --> 00:53:17,160 Speaker 4: alimony has the standard clause that it will end if 1078 00:53:17,200 --> 00:53:19,960 Speaker 4: she gets married, but I also added in that it 1079 00:53:20,080 --> 00:53:23,000 Speaker 4: ends if she cohabitates. That is not part of the 1080 00:53:23,040 --> 00:53:25,880 Speaker 4: state law at all, but I got it added in mediation. 1081 00:53:26,480 --> 00:53:29,840 Speaker 4: So six years in they still aren't engaged or living together. 1082 00:53:30,040 --> 00:53:32,440 Speaker 4: She has the perfect setup. He can tell her she 1083 00:53:32,480 --> 00:53:34,439 Speaker 4: has to keep her house and can't live with him. 1084 00:53:34,800 --> 00:53:38,080 Speaker 4: Since my kids loathe him, she can't bring him around 1085 00:53:38,120 --> 00:53:40,319 Speaker 4: the kids, so he is free to play with other 1086 00:53:40,360 --> 00:53:42,920 Speaker 4: women while she has the kids half of the month. 1087 00:53:43,239 --> 00:53:45,680 Speaker 4: In five years when the alimony ends, do you think 1088 00:53:45,680 --> 00:53:49,560 Speaker 4: he will finally move her? In eleven years in I'm 1089 00:53:49,600 --> 00:53:52,800 Speaker 4: almost enjoying watching this. She has burned through every penny 1090 00:53:52,840 --> 00:53:56,400 Speaker 4: I gave her upfront, four hundred and eighty thousand. It's 1091 00:53:56,480 --> 00:54:00,279 Speaker 4: all gone. I double her paycheck with my alimony child 1092 00:54:00,360 --> 00:54:03,040 Speaker 4: support each month. But she has expensive taste for a 1093 00:54:03,040 --> 00:54:07,160 Speaker 4: school teacher. Our last month of marriage she averaged eleven 1094 00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:10,279 Speaker 4: thousand a month on her credit card. I now give 1095 00:54:10,320 --> 00:54:13,000 Speaker 4: her just three thousand a month. I'm saving a fortune 1096 00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:15,799 Speaker 4: by not having to support her reckless spending. If you 1097 00:54:15,840 --> 00:54:19,360 Speaker 4: subtract out the money she was bringing into the marriage 1098 00:54:19,400 --> 00:54:22,359 Speaker 4: from her average monthly bill, that left me with eight 1099 00:54:22,440 --> 00:54:25,800 Speaker 4: thousand in credit card debt to pay off each month. Now, 1100 00:54:25,840 --> 00:54:28,719 Speaker 4: just giving her three k means I say five K 1101 00:54:28,840 --> 00:54:32,000 Speaker 4: a month. That's a sixty thousand dollars a year savings 1102 00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:35,440 Speaker 4: just on her credit card alone. Divorce has been an 1103 00:54:35,480 --> 00:54:40,080 Speaker 4: amazing financial boost. My income has increased fourfold since the 1104 00:54:40,120 --> 00:54:43,480 Speaker 4: divorce and she gets none of the extra I also 1105 00:54:43,560 --> 00:54:47,600 Speaker 4: wrote that into the divorce, my net worth has also quadrupled, 1106 00:54:47,600 --> 00:54:49,920 Speaker 4: and I'm well on my way to an early retirement 1107 00:54:49,960 --> 00:54:52,960 Speaker 4: if I so choose. She, on the other hand, just 1108 00:54:53,239 --> 00:54:56,359 Speaker 4: started working for a city school at age forty three 1109 00:54:56,800 --> 00:54:59,799 Speaker 4: and has no retirement savings other than the IRA I 1110 00:55:00,080 --> 00:55:03,120 Speaker 4: gave her. She will be working for a long time 1111 00:55:03,239 --> 00:55:05,360 Speaker 4: unless she finds someone to marry her and pay for 1112 00:55:05,400 --> 00:55:08,000 Speaker 4: her I took the divorce heard and my weight went 1113 00:55:08,080 --> 00:55:11,240 Speaker 4: up and down in unhealthy ways. I lost forty pounds 1114 00:55:11,280 --> 00:55:15,120 Speaker 4: this past year and have finally prioritized my health overtaking 1115 00:55:15,160 --> 00:55:18,920 Speaker 4: care of everyone else. It has been amazing. But the 1116 00:55:18,920 --> 00:55:21,319 Speaker 4: best part and why I needed to share the other 1117 00:55:21,320 --> 00:55:24,800 Speaker 4: crap before this, I have had the most amazing partner 1118 00:55:24,920 --> 00:55:28,560 Speaker 4: for the last two point five years. Hey, okay, look 1119 00:55:28,600 --> 00:55:31,640 Speaker 4: it up. She was also married to another narc. We 1120 00:55:31,719 --> 00:55:34,160 Speaker 4: have helped each other heal and grow. We get each other, 1121 00:55:34,200 --> 00:55:37,319 Speaker 4: and our relationship is so loving and amazing. It made 1122 00:55:37,360 --> 00:55:41,120 Speaker 4: being mistreated for twenty one years worth it to teach 1123 00:55:41,200 --> 00:55:44,560 Speaker 4: me what I wanted and what I would never tolerate again. 1124 00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:45,880 Speaker 4: And my kids see it too. 1125 00:55:46,160 --> 00:55:49,680 Speaker 1: That's that's very rewarding to realize that you've actually found 1126 00:55:49,680 --> 00:55:53,080 Speaker 1: someone who like respects you. You respect them, your kids 1127 00:55:53,120 --> 00:55:55,800 Speaker 1: respect the relationship that you guys have. That's great. 1128 00:55:55,840 --> 00:55:59,640 Speaker 4: We share two dogs together, and everyone in our world 1129 00:55:59,680 --> 00:56:04,080 Speaker 4: is happen. There is an abundance of love, smiles, hugs, money, time, 1130 00:56:04,600 --> 00:56:08,000 Speaker 4: empathy in my home now, and everyone is thriving. I 1131 00:56:08,040 --> 00:56:10,719 Speaker 4: never thought it would happen. I feel like, yeah, you 1132 00:56:10,760 --> 00:56:11,960 Speaker 4: guys have left each other. 1133 00:56:12,560 --> 00:56:16,279 Speaker 1: The marriage is over. You're with another cool person. Do 1134 00:56:16,280 --> 00:56:19,080 Speaker 1: your kids know the truth? I think everything's good. 1135 00:56:19,120 --> 00:56:22,480 Speaker 4: Everything's great, right, everything's great. Nothing's gonna happen. 1136 00:56:22,600 --> 00:56:22,839 Speaker 2: Right. 1137 00:56:23,680 --> 00:56:25,759 Speaker 4: My ex has gained a ton of weight and is 1138 00:56:26,280 --> 00:56:30,279 Speaker 4: almost unrecognizable to me. I'm guessing at some point her, 1139 00:56:30,280 --> 00:56:32,680 Speaker 4: a fair partner will finally write her off for good 1140 00:56:32,760 --> 00:56:35,600 Speaker 4: and she will be left with a big nothing sandwich 1141 00:56:35,680 --> 00:56:39,000 Speaker 4: to chew on. She's living paycheck to paycheck on six 1142 00:56:39,080 --> 00:56:41,800 Speaker 4: k a month and has to curb all her expensive 1143 00:56:41,840 --> 00:56:43,759 Speaker 4: tastes on six km months. 1144 00:56:43,920 --> 00:56:46,959 Speaker 1: And you're living paycheck to paycheck on six k a month. 1145 00:56:47,200 --> 00:56:47,920 Speaker 4: This insane. 1146 00:56:49,680 --> 00:56:51,320 Speaker 1: I mean, unless she's spending a bunch of stuff on 1147 00:56:51,360 --> 00:56:54,080 Speaker 1: the kids, which could be possible, but I feel like, oh, peace, 1148 00:56:54,080 --> 00:56:54,759 Speaker 1: Probably I mean. 1149 00:56:54,680 --> 00:56:56,880 Speaker 3: There is she's also getting the money from. 1150 00:56:57,080 --> 00:56:58,839 Speaker 1: Yeah, she's getting three K from him. 1151 00:56:59,200 --> 00:57:01,040 Speaker 4: She probably just still has are spending as she was 1152 00:57:01,080 --> 00:57:03,840 Speaker 4: on her credit card. Sure. Meanwhile, my kids and girlfriend 1153 00:57:03,920 --> 00:57:07,160 Speaker 4: travel abroad and are living an amazing life together free 1154 00:57:07,239 --> 00:57:10,320 Speaker 4: of her drama and manipulation. I have been in therapy 1155 00:57:10,400 --> 00:57:12,720 Speaker 4: for the last six years and have learned so much. 1156 00:57:13,160 --> 00:57:16,040 Speaker 4: If you are struggling, pay the money, find a good 1157 00:57:16,080 --> 00:57:18,560 Speaker 4: therapist or support group, and do the work on yourself. 1158 00:57:18,840 --> 00:57:21,040 Speaker 4: It takes an average of half the time you were 1159 00:57:21,040 --> 00:57:23,680 Speaker 4: in a relationship to get over it when it ends traumatically. 1160 00:57:24,160 --> 00:57:27,960 Speaker 4: I'm a little over halfway on the healed timeline. Every 1161 00:57:28,040 --> 00:57:29,160 Speaker 4: day it gets a little better. 1162 00:57:29,320 --> 00:57:30,919 Speaker 3: Hey, it's John here. We're gonna get back to the stories. 1163 00:57:30,960 --> 00:57:33,000 Speaker 3: Put a quick three minute ad break from our sponsors 1164 00:57:33,000 --> 00:57:33,840 Speaker 3: that keep the show going. 1165 00:57:34,440 --> 00:57:37,400 Speaker 2: My wife told me she's pregnant, but she doesn't know 1166 00:57:37,760 --> 00:57:38,640 Speaker 2: I'm infertile. 1167 00:57:38,760 --> 00:57:40,160 Speaker 4: Oh, she's a cheat. 1168 00:57:40,240 --> 00:57:43,680 Speaker 2: And my wife Female thirty three and I Mail thirty 1169 00:57:43,680 --> 00:57:46,200 Speaker 2: four have been married for three years together for six 1170 00:57:46,480 --> 00:57:49,320 Speaker 2: She's always been one of the most amazing people I've 1171 00:57:49,360 --> 00:57:52,960 Speaker 2: ever met. No huge fights, love, languages match up, and 1172 00:57:53,040 --> 00:57:55,640 Speaker 2: we're both fairly active people, which has been why we've 1173 00:57:55,680 --> 00:57:58,920 Speaker 2: had such a strong relationship and that's why this is 1174 00:57:59,000 --> 00:58:01,680 Speaker 2: so difficult from me. By the way, this comes from 1175 00:58:01,720 --> 00:58:06,200 Speaker 2: user throwaway my Supermazoa and if you want to submit 1176 00:58:06,240 --> 00:58:08,400 Speaker 2: your own stories, go to the RM slash. 1177 00:58:08,120 --> 00:58:09,880 Speaker 3: Okay story time suburday. 1178 00:58:10,640 --> 00:58:14,000 Speaker 2: So we've both been doing well in our careers the 1179 00:58:14,080 --> 00:58:17,040 Speaker 2: last few years. She's in marketing and I work independently 1180 00:58:17,080 --> 00:58:19,480 Speaker 2: as an IT consultant, allowing me to set my own 1181 00:58:19,480 --> 00:58:23,480 Speaker 2: hours and be flexible. How flexible, we decided last year 1182 00:58:23,480 --> 00:58:25,720 Speaker 2: that we wanted to start a family, with her likely 1183 00:58:25,800 --> 00:58:28,040 Speaker 2: keeping her job full time and me scaling back to 1184 00:58:28,120 --> 00:58:31,400 Speaker 2: part time. We've both been anxious but excited to have 1185 00:58:31,560 --> 00:58:35,840 Speaker 2: our own kids. Long story short, I was diagnosed with 1186 00:58:37,600 --> 00:58:42,640 Speaker 2: azuspermia last December, a blockage in the pipes me It 1187 00:58:42,680 --> 00:58:45,080 Speaker 2: meant I wasn't producing any baby juice. 1188 00:58:46,240 --> 00:58:47,600 Speaker 3: Uh and it's. 1189 00:58:47,480 --> 00:58:51,040 Speaker 2: Curable with surgery, thankfully, and we finally got it scheduled 1190 00:58:51,080 --> 00:58:55,600 Speaker 2: for July. She has a high spices leap drive so 1191 00:58:56,520 --> 00:58:59,880 Speaker 2: and as do I, so we've still been very active. 1192 00:59:00,520 --> 00:59:03,080 Speaker 2: But there should have been no way I could have 1193 00:59:03,120 --> 00:59:06,160 Speaker 2: gotten her pregnant. She missed her period this week. I 1194 00:59:06,200 --> 00:59:09,720 Speaker 2: couldn't imagine that she might actually be pregnant, right the 1195 00:59:09,800 --> 00:59:12,720 Speaker 2: babies are bottled up until they get the blockage out. 1196 00:59:13,560 --> 00:59:16,760 Speaker 2: She took three tests, though, and sure enough, each one 1197 00:59:16,800 --> 00:59:21,080 Speaker 2: was positive. At first, I was stunned because this shouldn't 1198 00:59:21,120 --> 00:59:24,080 Speaker 2: be possible. She's never been unfaithful and never given me 1199 00:59:24,120 --> 00:59:27,200 Speaker 2: a reason not to trust her. I'm not the jealous type, either, 1200 00:59:27,240 --> 00:59:31,600 Speaker 2: but I'm literally stuck. The doctor said this couldn't happen, 1201 00:59:32,080 --> 00:59:34,560 Speaker 2: and I can't believe my wife would jeopardized the future. 1202 00:59:34,600 --> 00:59:37,120 Speaker 2: We've been so excited for over some fling when we 1203 00:59:37,200 --> 00:59:41,160 Speaker 2: have such a great emotional and physical connection. My wife 1204 00:59:41,400 --> 00:59:44,880 Speaker 2: has been ecstatic. She's given no indication of guilt or 1205 00:59:44,920 --> 00:59:47,320 Speaker 2: worry that she may have cheated. She was so excited 1206 00:59:47,320 --> 00:59:49,840 Speaker 2: when she found out that I didn't express my worries, 1207 00:59:50,280 --> 00:59:53,400 Speaker 2: but she left for work, and now I feel completely torn. 1208 00:59:53,920 --> 00:59:57,200 Speaker 3: What if she did cheat? Looking back now, there are 1209 00:59:57,240 --> 00:59:57,800 Speaker 3: a few. 1210 00:59:57,680 --> 01:00:00,680 Speaker 2: Tiny things that didn't seem like issues, but now have 1211 01:00:00,800 --> 01:00:03,600 Speaker 2: me racking my brain for clues. Her job often has 1212 01:00:03,600 --> 01:00:06,240 Speaker 2: her taking clients out for dinner, and it's not uncommon 1213 01:00:06,280 --> 01:00:08,400 Speaker 2: for her to get back later in the evening. She 1214 01:00:08,480 --> 01:00:11,320 Speaker 2: definitely had a busy last few months, but that's normal 1215 01:00:11,400 --> 01:00:14,080 Speaker 2: for her job. She always wears one of the same 1216 01:00:14,160 --> 01:00:18,080 Speaker 2: two perfumes, but she came back one night smelling completely different. 1217 01:00:18,720 --> 01:00:20,960 Speaker 2: I remember seeing a text message on her lock screen 1218 01:00:21,080 --> 01:00:24,160 Speaker 2: of just a winkie face, but assumed it was one 1219 01:00:24,160 --> 01:00:24,880 Speaker 2: of her girlfriends. 1220 01:00:24,920 --> 01:00:25,720 Speaker 3: I don't know what to do. 1221 01:00:26,000 --> 01:00:27,840 Speaker 2: I set up an appointment on Monday to see if 1222 01:00:27,880 --> 01:00:29,960 Speaker 2: there's any chance it could be mine. If it is 1223 01:00:30,000 --> 01:00:32,240 Speaker 2: mine and I accuse her of cheating, I would feel 1224 01:00:32,320 --> 01:00:34,880 Speaker 2: like the world's biggest a hole. But she's coming home 1225 01:00:34,880 --> 01:00:36,560 Speaker 2: in a few hours, and I don't know what I'm 1226 01:00:36,600 --> 01:00:38,800 Speaker 2: gonna say to her. I can't stop thinking of these 1227 01:00:38,840 --> 01:00:41,320 Speaker 2: small things that may have been her cheating and I 1228 01:00:41,560 --> 01:00:43,880 Speaker 2: just didn't see it. Do I wait until the Dodger 1229 01:00:43,880 --> 01:00:46,080 Speaker 2: appointment Monday before talking to her, or do I bring 1230 01:00:46,080 --> 01:00:49,040 Speaker 2: it up the Do I bring up these insecurities while 1231 01:00:49,080 --> 01:00:52,120 Speaker 2: she's celebrating the pregnancy. I'm worried I won't be able 1232 01:00:52,200 --> 01:00:54,840 Speaker 2: to hide what's going on. I should add I have 1233 01:00:55,040 --> 01:00:58,400 Speaker 2: been cheated on before. Our relationship has been pretty healthy, 1234 01:00:58,480 --> 01:01:02,840 Speaker 2: but that old fear is creeping back in now fair. 1235 01:01:03,800 --> 01:01:06,280 Speaker 2: This is bringing up some old emotional scars and it's 1236 01:01:06,320 --> 01:01:09,120 Speaker 2: just effing with me. I'm usually never this insecure or 1237 01:01:09,200 --> 01:01:11,920 Speaker 2: uncertain about being straightforward. I think I need to just 1238 01:01:11,960 --> 01:01:14,439 Speaker 2: find some way to bring it up without being accusatory. 1239 01:01:14,720 --> 01:01:21,560 Speaker 1: I please, Okay, well, okay, I think it maybe could 1240 01:01:21,560 --> 01:01:23,600 Speaker 1: be good if you like waited for the appointment and 1241 01:01:23,760 --> 01:01:28,200 Speaker 1: got you know, got double checked. However, I honestly think 1242 01:01:28,240 --> 01:01:30,440 Speaker 1: if you're gonna be worrying about it until that appointment, 1243 01:01:31,280 --> 01:01:34,360 Speaker 1: just like sit her down and say, hey, uh, I'm 1244 01:01:34,360 --> 01:01:36,840 Speaker 1: really excited about the baby. I just wanted to talk 1245 01:01:36,880 --> 01:01:39,360 Speaker 1: to you. I'm not accusing you of anything, but you 1246 01:01:39,440 --> 01:01:43,320 Speaker 1: know that I had like the sperm stuff blah blah blah. 1247 01:01:43,320 --> 01:01:44,360 Speaker 1: You could even bring up like. 1248 01:01:44,360 --> 01:01:46,360 Speaker 3: I don't know, she doesn't. She doesn't. 1249 01:01:46,400 --> 01:01:48,320 Speaker 2: That's yeah, that's what I'm saying. She does not know 1250 01:01:48,440 --> 01:01:52,360 Speaker 2: that she knew. No, she doesn't, she has no knowledge 1251 01:01:52,360 --> 01:01:52,560 Speaker 2: of that. 1252 01:01:52,880 --> 01:01:56,240 Speaker 1: I'd be like, hey, I found out that I'm is 1253 01:01:56,320 --> 01:01:56,880 Speaker 1: you supermic? 1254 01:01:57,280 --> 01:01:59,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like you need to and I think you 1255 01:01:59,240 --> 01:02:01,440 Speaker 2: can do it without being accusatory, But it needs to 1256 01:02:01,480 --> 01:02:03,160 Speaker 2: be like a thing where it's like, so. 1257 01:02:04,640 --> 01:02:06,040 Speaker 3: I literally got told by. 1258 01:02:05,920 --> 01:02:09,600 Speaker 2: The doctors that this was impossible, and it's like, I am. 1259 01:02:09,840 --> 01:02:12,680 Speaker 2: I want to be excited, but because I've heard that. 1260 01:02:13,400 --> 01:02:18,480 Speaker 2: I am feeling impossibly confused right now over what I 1261 01:02:18,480 --> 01:02:21,000 Speaker 2: should be feeling. And I don't want to accuse you 1262 01:02:21,040 --> 01:02:24,640 Speaker 2: of anything, but you can see how after me being 1263 01:02:24,680 --> 01:02:31,600 Speaker 2: told that, I would feel maybe a natural skepticism commens. 1264 01:02:31,760 --> 01:02:34,560 Speaker 2: I'd say you should wait for the appointment. Biology can 1265 01:02:34,600 --> 01:02:38,120 Speaker 2: surprise us sometimes, but prepare for the worst case scenario. 1266 01:02:38,480 --> 01:02:41,160 Speaker 2: Opie says, should I take her with me to it, 1267 01:02:41,280 --> 01:02:45,000 Speaker 2: I'm weighing the choices between that and going alone. I'm 1268 01:02:45,040 --> 01:02:46,840 Speaker 2: going to have to bring it up anyways. There's no 1269 01:02:46,920 --> 01:02:49,080 Speaker 2: way I can hide this when she gets back. Another 1270 01:02:49,280 --> 01:02:51,960 Speaker 2: user says, I literally just study this. So although you've 1271 01:02:52,000 --> 01:02:57,000 Speaker 2: been diagnosed with azuspermia, it means that when they looked 1272 01:02:57,000 --> 01:03:00,800 Speaker 2: at your juice in the lab, it didn't have any 1273 01:03:00,800 --> 01:03:04,840 Speaker 2: little wigglers in it. However, you produce a lot of 1274 01:03:04,960 --> 01:03:07,160 Speaker 2: the juice and the lab only looks at a little 1275 01:03:07,200 --> 01:03:10,000 Speaker 2: bit of the juice, which usually gives a good response. 1276 01:03:10,400 --> 01:03:14,440 Speaker 2: Usually you would repeat several times before concluding that diagnosis. 1277 01:03:14,680 --> 01:03:18,800 Speaker 2: Although just because the lab didn't see any baby juice, 1278 01:03:18,880 --> 01:03:22,360 Speaker 2: it can mean that you had an incredibly low count, 1279 01:03:22,680 --> 01:03:25,040 Speaker 2: so none of their samples from the sample you have 1280 01:03:25,120 --> 01:03:28,160 Speaker 2: showed any This doesn't necessarily mean that. For example, in 1281 01:03:28,200 --> 01:03:32,520 Speaker 2: a normal in the normal processes of the normal guy 1282 01:03:32,560 --> 01:03:35,960 Speaker 2: having the thirty to nine hundred million little swimmers, it's 1283 01:03:36,000 --> 01:03:40,560 Speaker 2: usually about fifteen million per milliadre. It's possible you maybe 1284 01:03:40,800 --> 01:03:44,360 Speaker 2: even one thousand little swimmers per milliadre and you would 1285 01:03:44,400 --> 01:03:45,240 Speaker 2: still be diagnosed. 1286 01:03:45,280 --> 01:03:48,640 Speaker 3: Yes, okay, so this this comment is saying there. 1287 01:03:48,560 --> 01:03:52,000 Speaker 1: Is little and still be diagnosed. 1288 01:03:52,040 --> 01:03:54,280 Speaker 4: It only takes one. It takes one. 1289 01:03:54,440 --> 01:03:58,520 Speaker 3: It only takes one. Oh p replies goes man. I 1290 01:03:58,560 --> 01:03:59,200 Speaker 3: hope you're right. 1291 01:04:00,080 --> 01:04:03,360 Speaker 2: I don't remember exactly what they said, but are there 1292 01:04:03,360 --> 01:04:06,959 Speaker 2: any forms that would have a complete lack of a. 1293 01:04:07,040 --> 01:04:08,000 Speaker 3: Baby juice count? 1294 01:04:08,640 --> 01:04:11,240 Speaker 2: They seemed to be convinced that it was completely blocked off. 1295 01:04:11,400 --> 01:04:13,120 Speaker 2: But this was all months ago and I don't remember 1296 01:04:13,160 --> 01:04:15,439 Speaker 2: exactly what they said, and there is an update two 1297 01:04:15,480 --> 01:04:18,080 Speaker 2: days later. I took a lot of what you guys 1298 01:04:18,120 --> 01:04:20,680 Speaker 2: said to heart. I had an X years ago who 1299 01:04:20,720 --> 01:04:22,960 Speaker 2: cheated on me, and it really left a scar. It 1300 01:04:23,000 --> 01:04:25,080 Speaker 2: wasn't until I got more involved with sports and getting 1301 01:04:25,080 --> 01:04:26,680 Speaker 2: in better shape that I was able to move on. 1302 01:04:27,120 --> 01:04:29,680 Speaker 2: My wife and I actually met in a soccer league we. 1303 01:04:29,560 --> 01:04:30,200 Speaker 3: Were in together. 1304 01:04:30,520 --> 01:04:32,360 Speaker 2: We've had so much trust for so long that I 1305 01:04:32,400 --> 01:04:35,360 Speaker 2: thought those fears had gone away. It wasn't until now 1306 01:04:35,400 --> 01:04:37,800 Speaker 2: that I really started to feel shaken like that again. 1307 01:04:38,560 --> 01:04:40,320 Speaker 2: But I didn't want to let my pass get in 1308 01:04:40,320 --> 01:04:42,840 Speaker 2: the way of what could be just a huge blessing. 1309 01:04:43,360 --> 01:04:46,800 Speaker 2: A few people really articulated the right way to communicate 1310 01:04:46,840 --> 01:04:50,040 Speaker 2: my feelings without being accusatory, and. 1311 01:04:50,240 --> 01:04:52,960 Speaker 3: Being respectful to my wife, who's never really given me 1312 01:04:53,040 --> 01:04:54,280 Speaker 3: any reasons to doubt her. 1313 01:04:54,720 --> 01:04:57,080 Speaker 2: It's not uncommon for her to sometimes be home late, 1314 01:04:57,120 --> 01:04:59,720 Speaker 2: and she'll usually go straight to bed. I didn't want 1315 01:04:59,720 --> 01:05:01,920 Speaker 2: to dumb this on her immediately and decided to give 1316 01:05:01,960 --> 01:05:04,120 Speaker 2: myself a night to sleep on it. I got up 1317 01:05:04,160 --> 01:05:07,160 Speaker 2: pretty early, just being restless, went for a run and 1318 01:05:07,240 --> 01:05:08,040 Speaker 2: cleared my mind. 1319 01:05:08,400 --> 01:05:10,000 Speaker 3: I couldn't wait any longer. 1320 01:05:10,320 --> 01:05:12,760 Speaker 2: I made our favorite omelets and told her I needed 1321 01:05:12,800 --> 01:05:14,640 Speaker 2: to talk to her about something. 1322 01:05:14,760 --> 01:05:17,560 Speaker 3: She says, you know I'm not Ashley, right. She knows 1323 01:05:17,560 --> 01:05:20,160 Speaker 3: me well. Ashley is my ex who cheated. So first 1324 01:05:20,480 --> 01:05:21,320 Speaker 3: I apologized. 1325 01:05:21,680 --> 01:05:23,800 Speaker 2: I apologize because I let this build up in my 1326 01:05:23,840 --> 01:05:26,320 Speaker 2: head for so long without talking with her about it. Sooner, 1327 01:05:26,720 --> 01:05:29,040 Speaker 2: what should be a blessing has been nothing but insecurity 1328 01:05:29,080 --> 01:05:29,760 Speaker 2: and fear for me. 1329 01:05:30,320 --> 01:05:33,080 Speaker 3: We talked for a while. I told her how happy. 1330 01:05:32,800 --> 01:05:34,920 Speaker 2: It made me to see her ecstatic and excited for 1331 01:05:34,960 --> 01:05:36,840 Speaker 2: the baby. I told her how much I love the 1332 01:05:36,880 --> 01:05:39,240 Speaker 2: relationship we've built together, and I felt like an a 1333 01:05:39,320 --> 01:05:41,440 Speaker 2: hole for questioning her loyal She had never given me 1334 01:05:41,480 --> 01:05:43,600 Speaker 2: a reason not to trust her, and I still couldn't 1335 01:05:43,600 --> 01:05:46,480 Speaker 2: emotionally get over the thoughts of infidelity because of my ex. 1336 01:05:47,080 --> 01:05:49,080 Speaker 2: She thanked me for telling her and knew how hard 1337 01:05:49,120 --> 01:05:51,720 Speaker 2: it was for me to get over that. She volunteered 1338 01:05:51,720 --> 01:05:53,560 Speaker 2: to have us get a paternity test right when he 1339 01:05:53,680 --> 01:05:56,120 Speaker 2: or she is born, which made me feel better at first, 1340 01:05:56,240 --> 01:06:00,720 Speaker 2: but something still felt off. I honestly don't know something 1341 01:06:00,720 --> 01:06:03,160 Speaker 2: about how she was so eager to get a paternity 1342 01:06:03,240 --> 01:06:06,120 Speaker 2: test and almost not mad at all for having kept 1343 01:06:06,120 --> 01:06:08,760 Speaker 2: this from her. Normally, she would have been upset that 1344 01:06:08,840 --> 01:06:10,960 Speaker 2: I didn't bring it up right away, but there was 1345 01:06:11,120 --> 01:06:14,200 Speaker 2: just a weird feeling I couldn't shake for the rest 1346 01:06:14,280 --> 01:06:16,920 Speaker 2: of my day. It seemed like she was saying all 1347 01:06:16,920 --> 01:06:18,680 Speaker 2: the right things, but I couldn't get rid of this 1348 01:06:19,120 --> 01:06:20,760 Speaker 2: clawing feeling inside of my head. 1349 01:06:20,800 --> 01:06:22,240 Speaker 3: Maybe I'm just being paranoid. 1350 01:06:22,680 --> 01:06:24,760 Speaker 2: Maybe there's a gut feeling that I need to listen 1351 01:06:24,760 --> 01:06:27,560 Speaker 2: to but I ended up going to the appointment alone, 1352 01:06:27,680 --> 01:06:29,920 Speaker 2: as we decided it would be good to see if 1353 01:06:30,000 --> 01:06:34,360 Speaker 2: I still needed the surgery. Turns out it is obstructive 1354 01:06:34,440 --> 01:06:37,440 Speaker 2: as us. I've read so many stories about people who 1355 01:06:37,440 --> 01:06:39,440 Speaker 2: were supposed to be infertile who ended up getting pregnant, 1356 01:06:39,560 --> 01:06:41,520 Speaker 2: so I brought that up and how my wife's pregnancy 1357 01:06:41,560 --> 01:06:44,200 Speaker 2: was affecting me. Their urologists thought it would be pretty 1358 01:06:44,240 --> 01:06:46,400 Speaker 2: unlikely that I wouldn't need surgery to have a kid 1359 01:06:46,440 --> 01:06:49,800 Speaker 2: with how mine was presenting. He mainly tried to skirt 1360 01:06:49,840 --> 01:06:52,040 Speaker 2: around the topic and mostly pushed me towards making sure 1361 01:06:52,080 --> 01:06:56,120 Speaker 2: she was actually pregnant. Being there didn't really help. I 1362 01:06:56,160 --> 01:06:58,320 Speaker 2: feel like I just got more uncertainty. She had another 1363 01:06:58,440 --> 01:07:00,800 Speaker 2: night out until eight thirty last night. We talked about 1364 01:07:00,840 --> 01:07:03,600 Speaker 2: scheduling an appointment to verify the pregnancy. When she got home, 1365 01:07:03,960 --> 01:07:06,960 Speaker 2: she seemed a little confused, but then quickly agreed. She 1366 01:07:07,080 --> 01:07:09,160 Speaker 2: promised to do it in the morning. I asked how 1367 01:07:09,160 --> 01:07:10,560 Speaker 2: work had gone, and she gave me a kind of 1368 01:07:10,600 --> 01:07:13,520 Speaker 2: noncommittal answer about her boss pushing her too much and 1369 01:07:13,600 --> 01:07:17,280 Speaker 2: being stressed out. Nothing huge there, but she did seem 1370 01:07:17,680 --> 01:07:18,960 Speaker 2: just off a little bit. 1371 01:07:19,480 --> 01:07:21,000 Speaker 3: I really couldn't put my finger on it. 1372 01:07:21,800 --> 01:07:24,080 Speaker 2: We were still acting all lov dow, but something just 1373 01:07:24,160 --> 01:07:27,120 Speaker 2: felt wrong and I couldn't talk about it without repeating 1374 01:07:27,160 --> 01:07:30,120 Speaker 2: the same conversation we had Sunday. I've been trying to 1375 01:07:30,160 --> 01:07:32,520 Speaker 2: throw myself into work to distract myself, but I haven't 1376 01:07:32,560 --> 01:07:35,160 Speaker 2: been able to focus. We have a joint checking account 1377 01:07:35,160 --> 01:07:37,320 Speaker 2: that will sometimes move money in and out of, but 1378 01:07:37,400 --> 01:07:40,440 Speaker 2: really only use for groceries or household items unless we 1379 01:07:40,480 --> 01:07:43,680 Speaker 2: talk about it beforehand. This morning, she moved half of 1380 01:07:43,720 --> 01:07:46,440 Speaker 2: it to hers, about seventeen hundred dollars. 1381 01:07:46,800 --> 01:07:47,480 Speaker 3: We don't do that. 1382 01:07:48,240 --> 01:07:50,840 Speaker 2: She is never needed to do this before, and I 1383 01:07:50,920 --> 01:07:54,000 Speaker 2: checked our healthcare portal. She made the appointment for the 1384 01:07:54,080 --> 01:07:58,120 Speaker 2: time Thursday that I mentioned, I was busy working on site. 1385 01:07:58,600 --> 01:08:01,600 Speaker 3: We were supposed to go together. I'm starting to go crazy. 1386 01:08:01,880 --> 01:08:04,160 Speaker 2: How do I bring this up without just having the 1387 01:08:04,160 --> 01:08:06,760 Speaker 2: same conversation again. Now you bring it up and you 1388 01:08:06,800 --> 01:08:08,440 Speaker 2: get a little more confrontational bout. 1389 01:08:08,400 --> 01:08:12,080 Speaker 1: You're like, Hey, what's up with seventeen hundred dollars? What's 1390 01:08:12,120 --> 01:08:12,520 Speaker 1: going on? 1391 01:08:12,920 --> 01:08:15,720 Speaker 2: I'm looking into getting a second opinion for myself, but 1392 01:08:15,800 --> 01:08:18,360 Speaker 2: I need a litmus test from objective outsiders to know 1393 01:08:18,439 --> 01:08:20,840 Speaker 2: if I'm really losing it, or if this seems weird 1394 01:08:20,880 --> 01:08:23,439 Speaker 2: to someone else, we have a second update. I've been 1395 01:08:23,479 --> 01:08:26,720 Speaker 2: trying to center myself. We talked calmly for a bit 1396 01:08:26,760 --> 01:08:28,920 Speaker 2: on the phone, and she claimed she moved the money 1397 01:08:29,000 --> 01:08:32,680 Speaker 2: out in anticipation for the deductible payments she'll have with 1398 01:08:32,840 --> 01:08:36,160 Speaker 2: different visits. I didn't bring up anything else, but she 1399 01:08:36,240 --> 01:08:39,559 Speaker 2: seemed a little impatient with me, probably rightly so, and 1400 01:08:39,600 --> 01:08:42,400 Speaker 2: I implied we'd have a longer talk when she gets home. 1401 01:08:43,120 --> 01:08:45,880 Speaker 2: I'm just trying to not overreact right now. I don't 1402 01:08:45,920 --> 01:08:48,559 Speaker 2: know what to think. This is either a misunderstanding on 1403 01:08:48,600 --> 01:08:51,240 Speaker 2: my side and I'm a father or not. Thankfully she's 1404 01:08:51,240 --> 01:08:52,160 Speaker 2: not working late today. 1405 01:08:52,800 --> 01:08:54,639 Speaker 3: Update threem. 1406 01:08:55,560 --> 01:08:56,479 Speaker 4: I literally don't know. 1407 01:08:56,640 --> 01:08:59,160 Speaker 1: It really could go either way. I really don't know. 1408 01:08:59,280 --> 01:09:02,120 Speaker 3: Why would she make the appointment on the one day? 1409 01:09:02,439 --> 01:09:03,080 Speaker 4: No, I don't know. 1410 01:09:03,680 --> 01:09:06,080 Speaker 3: I don't know why. I don't know why. 1411 01:09:07,160 --> 01:09:09,479 Speaker 2: I think that just needs to be a hey, can 1412 01:09:10,160 --> 01:09:11,719 Speaker 2: I noticed that the appointments on that Thursday? 1413 01:09:11,720 --> 01:09:12,240 Speaker 3: Can we change it? 1414 01:09:12,360 --> 01:09:13,120 Speaker 1: Can we change it? 1415 01:09:13,400 --> 01:09:15,040 Speaker 2: And if she goes no, no, no, we can't, it'd 1416 01:09:15,040 --> 01:09:18,120 Speaker 2: be like a why But it's like we can change it. 1417 01:09:18,920 --> 01:09:21,680 Speaker 2: There's literally no rush to do this. We can do 1418 01:09:21,720 --> 01:09:23,400 Speaker 2: it Thursday. We can do it next Thursday. We can 1419 01:09:23,439 --> 01:09:26,280 Speaker 2: do it, Saturday, we could do it whenever day, just 1420 01:09:26,360 --> 01:09:28,080 Speaker 2: literally not that day because we have to go together. 1421 01:09:28,320 --> 01:09:30,320 Speaker 3: Update three. I went for a long run to clear 1422 01:09:30,360 --> 01:09:30,800 Speaker 3: my mind. 1423 01:09:31,560 --> 01:09:33,880 Speaker 2: My wife should be home soon, and I'm going to 1424 01:09:33,920 --> 01:09:38,040 Speaker 2: go into the conversation without judgment, just objectively walking through 1425 01:09:38,080 --> 01:09:41,160 Speaker 2: the facts and why I'm still struggling personally with some 1426 01:09:41,280 --> 01:09:44,040 Speaker 2: of them, regardless of what happens. I'm done with any 1427 01:09:44,040 --> 01:09:48,320 Speaker 2: confusion left between us and a note here op he's 1428 01:09:48,360 --> 01:09:52,599 Speaker 2: asking redditors for a script to ask his wife, Hi, honey, 1429 01:09:52,680 --> 01:09:54,880 Speaker 2: I was looking at our medical portal to see when 1430 01:09:55,000 --> 01:09:57,240 Speaker 2: might be a good day for an appointment. But notice 1431 01:09:57,280 --> 01:10:00,519 Speaker 2: that you booked it for Thursday. That's okay. I'll take 1432 01:10:00,560 --> 01:10:03,040 Speaker 2: some vacation and come along. It's too important to be 1433 01:10:03,080 --> 01:10:07,559 Speaker 2: close to you for that appointment. Chat about other stuff briefly. 1434 01:10:07,680 --> 01:10:11,240 Speaker 2: And then, oh, by the way, I noticed you moved 1435 01:10:11,280 --> 01:10:13,760 Speaker 2: seventeen hundred dollars out of our joint account. Was that 1436 01:10:13,800 --> 01:10:16,960 Speaker 2: for the appointment or did I miss something? We have 1437 01:10:17,040 --> 01:10:19,720 Speaker 2: some more comments here. Do you have any sick time? 1438 01:10:20,000 --> 01:10:21,960 Speaker 2: Calling sick on the day of the appointment and go anyway? 1439 01:10:22,160 --> 01:10:24,200 Speaker 2: She's technically already kind of agreed to go together, so 1440 01:10:24,240 --> 01:10:26,879 Speaker 2: it makes sense she can't argue with that. OPI replies, 1441 01:10:26,960 --> 01:10:28,720 Speaker 2: I wouldn't want to surprise her, but I think I 1442 01:10:28,800 --> 01:10:31,000 Speaker 2: might wait until she's home and mention I can take 1443 01:10:31,400 --> 01:10:34,960 Speaker 2: the day off and see what she says. Another user says, 1444 01:10:35,680 --> 01:10:38,080 Speaker 2: solid plan. Honestly, I hope it ends up just being 1445 01:10:38,080 --> 01:10:40,920 Speaker 2: a misunderstanding, for your sake, and honestly, for my sake 1446 01:10:41,080 --> 01:10:42,080 Speaker 2: and for everyone's sake. 1447 01:10:42,120 --> 01:10:46,040 Speaker 4: Please, Dear God, I just need it to be a misunderstanding. Please. 1448 01:10:47,720 --> 01:10:49,519 Speaker 2: It's better to be sure, and it's not as though 1449 01:10:49,560 --> 01:10:53,800 Speaker 2: you're being unreasonable. Op replies, thank you, thank you. I'm 1450 01:10:53,840 --> 01:10:56,240 Speaker 2: trying to get all my uncertainty out to make sure 1451 01:10:56,280 --> 01:10:57,479 Speaker 2: I don't just act on fear. 1452 01:10:58,000 --> 01:10:59,320 Speaker 3: I'm a little uneasy how. 1453 01:10:59,160 --> 01:11:02,960 Speaker 2: Popular the post, even though there she rarely uses Reddit. 1454 01:11:03,240 --> 01:11:06,840 Speaker 2: I'll probably have to take this down eventually. Update four 1455 01:11:07,000 --> 01:11:07,760 Speaker 2: three days later. 1456 01:11:09,640 --> 01:11:10,439 Speaker 1: I'm scared. 1457 01:11:11,000 --> 01:11:14,880 Speaker 2: We got ninety three percent of polars saying it's cheating. 1458 01:11:15,120 --> 01:11:17,120 Speaker 4: I don't want it to be cheating. 1459 01:11:18,240 --> 01:11:23,720 Speaker 3: No, use the power of manifestation to manifest that there 1460 01:11:23,800 --> 01:11:25,280 Speaker 3: was no cheating in this cheating. 1461 01:11:25,520 --> 01:11:26,439 Speaker 1: I know it's Reddit. 1462 01:11:26,680 --> 01:11:27,719 Speaker 4: I know it's Reddit. 1463 01:11:28,160 --> 01:11:32,040 Speaker 3: Come on, please please now come. 1464 01:11:32,479 --> 01:11:35,080 Speaker 2: Three days later, we finally sat down after she got 1465 01:11:35,120 --> 01:11:37,240 Speaker 2: home last night. I told her everything that was going on, 1466 01:11:37,360 --> 01:11:40,160 Speaker 2: the urologist, the money, the upcoming appointment. I told her 1467 01:11:40,360 --> 01:11:43,120 Speaker 2: how even with all of her reassurances, there are too 1468 01:11:43,120 --> 01:11:47,920 Speaker 2: many suspicious things that are happening. She agreed how everything 1469 01:11:48,000 --> 01:11:51,880 Speaker 2: looked and immediately apologized. She didn't realize how much my 1470 01:11:51,960 --> 01:11:55,000 Speaker 2: last ex's cheating was still affecting me. She knew I 1471 01:11:55,040 --> 01:11:57,360 Speaker 2: was off going into the weekend, but thought we had 1472 01:11:57,360 --> 01:12:00,360 Speaker 2: addressed that. We talked about it Sunday. But I can 1473 01:12:00,439 --> 01:12:03,360 Speaker 2: get pretty internal with all these worries and not show 1474 01:12:03,400 --> 01:12:07,240 Speaker 2: them outwardly. So while she thought we were communicating, I wasn't. 1475 01:12:09,200 --> 01:12:11,760 Speaker 2: We decided to start from the beginning and go through 1476 01:12:11,800 --> 01:12:15,439 Speaker 2: everything together. The money was the real problem for me, 1477 01:12:15,920 --> 01:12:18,760 Speaker 2: She agreed, how inconsidered it was with where my head 1478 01:12:18,840 --> 01:12:21,840 Speaker 2: was at to do that without mentioning it. Apparently, the 1479 01:12:21,880 --> 01:12:24,439 Speaker 2: prenatal visits are so structured that they want you to 1480 01:12:24,479 --> 01:12:26,960 Speaker 2: set up a payment plan right away, and she wanted 1481 01:12:26,960 --> 01:12:29,640 Speaker 2: to make sure it was squared away to keep the appointment, 1482 01:12:30,080 --> 01:12:33,040 Speaker 2: She offered without me prompting to call them with me 1483 01:12:33,200 --> 01:12:35,800 Speaker 2: tomorrow to verify that, or if I really wanted, we 1484 01:12:35,800 --> 01:12:38,879 Speaker 2: could move the money back. She does get better rewards 1485 01:12:38,920 --> 01:12:42,240 Speaker 2: out of her account, so it kind of makes sense. 1486 01:12:43,200 --> 01:12:46,120 Speaker 2: We read up on my condition, and it doesn't seem 1487 01:12:46,160 --> 01:12:50,320 Speaker 2: like they're often invincible force fields. It seems like only 1488 01:12:50,360 --> 01:12:55,440 Speaker 2: the actual absence of the vast deference guarantees complete infertility, 1489 01:12:55,960 --> 01:12:58,920 Speaker 2: so it's possible for some to get through. We're going 1490 01:12:58,960 --> 01:13:00,960 Speaker 2: to go back to the original specialist I was working 1491 01:13:00,960 --> 01:13:03,920 Speaker 2: with last year and hopefully get a clearer picture. It 1492 01:13:04,040 --> 01:13:06,439 Speaker 2: turns out the appointment she made was the only time 1493 01:13:06,479 --> 01:13:07,240 Speaker 2: they had available. 1494 01:13:07,280 --> 01:13:08,040 Speaker 3: Is so soon. 1495 01:13:08,200 --> 01:13:10,240 Speaker 1: That's what I was thinking. That was mine and I 1496 01:13:10,240 --> 01:13:12,720 Speaker 1: didn't say before, but my first thought, having just done 1497 01:13:12,760 --> 01:13:15,360 Speaker 1: like a bunch of pet stuff, is like, it's so 1498 01:13:15,640 --> 01:13:18,799 Speaker 1: hard to get doctor's appointment stuff, just like in general, 1499 01:13:18,840 --> 01:13:21,200 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, it like I try to get a 1500 01:13:21,200 --> 01:13:25,080 Speaker 1: doctor's appointment with my doctor specifically, which I mean, I'm 1501 01:13:25,080 --> 01:13:26,880 Speaker 1: sure she would want to go to her doctor or 1502 01:13:26,920 --> 01:13:30,479 Speaker 1: like a trusted something. Uh, And it was like month's 1503 01:13:30,479 --> 01:13:32,160 Speaker 1: out and so I had to go to a different doctor. 1504 01:13:32,200 --> 01:13:34,000 Speaker 1: And then for PT, I had to wait two months 1505 01:13:34,000 --> 01:13:36,640 Speaker 1: to get into PT. So like that that was my 1506 01:13:36,760 --> 01:13:38,840 Speaker 1: first thought was that this was just the first day 1507 01:13:38,880 --> 01:13:39,720 Speaker 1: that was available, and. 1508 01:13:39,720 --> 01:13:41,400 Speaker 3: That's why our healthcare is the best, because we pay 1509 01:13:41,439 --> 01:13:42,200 Speaker 3: so much money for it. 1510 01:13:44,280 --> 01:13:47,200 Speaker 2: Anyway, Okay, she said it was the only time they 1511 01:13:47,200 --> 01:13:49,920 Speaker 2: had available so soon, and she figured it'd be best 1512 01:13:49,960 --> 01:13:52,120 Speaker 2: not to wait. I told her I took off work 1513 01:13:52,160 --> 01:13:55,160 Speaker 2: to go with her, and she was relieved I could join. 1514 01:13:55,240 --> 01:13:55,479 Speaker 3: Okay. 1515 01:13:55,520 --> 01:13:59,040 Speaker 4: I think she's genie. Okay, I don't think either. She's 1516 01:13:59,080 --> 01:14:00,479 Speaker 4: a very good act actress. 1517 01:14:01,040 --> 01:14:04,040 Speaker 2: Once again, she said all the right things and seems 1518 01:14:04,080 --> 01:14:06,880 Speaker 2: genuine about getting us on the same page. After going 1519 01:14:06,920 --> 01:14:08,880 Speaker 2: through each thing, I was just wishing I believed her 1520 01:14:08,920 --> 01:14:11,720 Speaker 2: a little more before she stressed out with work and 1521 01:14:11,760 --> 01:14:14,160 Speaker 2: when she'll have to take off. But she really seemed 1522 01:14:14,200 --> 01:14:16,080 Speaker 2: to want to go out of her way to alleviate 1523 01:14:16,080 --> 01:14:19,519 Speaker 2: my concerns. She even offered an open phone policy if 1524 01:14:19,520 --> 01:14:21,880 Speaker 2: I needed. We did look at the text I had seen, 1525 01:14:21,960 --> 01:14:25,920 Speaker 2: and it was just a girlfriend. I declined though right now, 1526 01:14:26,000 --> 01:14:27,599 Speaker 2: since I don't want to be that husband. 1527 01:14:27,720 --> 01:14:32,000 Speaker 4: Where to God, you're jo your joy hate. 1528 01:14:33,800 --> 01:14:40,599 Speaker 1: Doesn't tell us whether or not she cheated with definitive proof, 1529 01:14:41,479 --> 01:14:42,479 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go crazy. 1530 01:14:42,600 --> 01:14:44,760 Speaker 2: This has really made me take a deeper look at 1531 01:14:44,760 --> 01:14:48,960 Speaker 2: what's in my past. And how that still affects me today. Fire, 1532 01:14:49,080 --> 01:14:52,759 Speaker 2: that was a bar, that guy that's cooking. Even thinking 1533 01:14:52,800 --> 01:14:54,800 Speaker 2: back to this weekend, it was so hard to see 1534 01:14:54,800 --> 01:14:57,200 Speaker 2: in the moment how much all the uncertainty was affecting me. 1535 01:14:57,320 --> 01:15:00,679 Speaker 2: That level of anxiety literally makes you question everything around 1536 01:15:00,680 --> 01:15:03,759 Speaker 2: you and if it's real. I think trust but verify 1537 01:15:03,920 --> 01:15:05,720 Speaker 2: is the best way to put it. I was just 1538 01:15:05,760 --> 01:15:07,679 Speaker 2: trying to verify without any of the trust. 1539 01:15:08,000 --> 01:15:08,479 Speaker 3: That's all. 1540 01:15:09,040 --> 01:15:10,800 Speaker 2: This has put a strain on our marriage right now, 1541 01:15:10,800 --> 01:15:13,799 Speaker 2: but I'm feeling more like we're a team again, working 1542 01:15:13,800 --> 01:15:18,000 Speaker 2: towards easing that. She thought that a non invasive prenatal 1543 01:15:18,040 --> 01:15:21,040 Speaker 2: paternity test asap was a great idea as long as 1544 01:15:21,080 --> 01:15:21,760 Speaker 2: we also. 1545 01:15:21,560 --> 01:15:23,040 Speaker 3: Get some kind of counseling together. 1546 01:15:23,439 --> 01:15:25,879 Speaker 2: I'm not big on therapy, but I can probably agree 1547 01:15:26,000 --> 01:15:28,400 Speaker 2: that it will most likely help. I'm feeling a little 1548 01:15:28,439 --> 01:15:31,960 Speaker 2: better about everything. It's time for me hopefully be a father. 1549 01:15:32,280 --> 01:15:38,240 Speaker 2: And update five, The paternity test came back initially positive. 1550 01:15:38,520 --> 01:15:41,320 Speaker 3: For anyone that's going to see this, okay, wait, yeah, 1551 01:15:41,320 --> 01:15:42,599 Speaker 3: that's his child. 1552 01:15:42,840 --> 01:15:43,679 Speaker 4: This is good. 1553 01:15:44,040 --> 01:15:45,240 Speaker 3: There's no cheating. 1554 01:15:45,439 --> 01:15:47,719 Speaker 1: I did doubt it, but I never I never fully 1555 01:15:47,840 --> 01:15:49,680 Speaker 1: was on the cheating train. And I'm proud of it. 1556 01:15:49,880 --> 01:15:53,280 Speaker 4: I have to say that I he doubted him a 1557 01:15:53,320 --> 01:15:53,720 Speaker 4: little bit