by Jon Wills

Created on: March 20, 2009   Last Updated: March 27, 2009

When you are as wrapped up in your work as I was, you fail to see the wood for the trees. The truth was that my marriage was crumbling before my very eyes, but I had completely no idea. I wrongly assumed that my darling wife was happy. How wrong I was.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I got up early every morning, considerately sneaking around to avoid waking my slumbering wife. When I returned home after a hard day in the office late in the evening, she always had a hot meal waiting for me to hungrily devour after a cuddle and a kiss. Although I always asked, "How was your day, honey?" I doubt I ever took notice of the reply.

She was a good wife to me, or so I thought. I had worked out in my business brain that our deal' involved me going out to earn a good salary while she took care of my domestic needs such as washing and ironing, cooking, cleaning, shopping and all the other chores.

With hindsight, I should have suspected something. All of a sudden it appeared my wife had made a number of close women friends. She began meeting up with them quite regularly, although they never came round the house in the evenings or at weekends. Then one day she asked if I would mind if she and her best friend went away for a week's holiday. "Of course not, sweetheart, you go ahead," I replied.

These trips away gradually came round faster and faster. Being human, I eventually started to become a little suspicious, particularly when my shirts were no longer getting ironed and piles of dust were gathering in the corner of the lounge. While along at home one weekend, I decided to investigate. To my shame, I started rummaging through my wife's drawers as I frantically looked for a tell-tale phone number or a scrawled love letter. Nothing. I told myself I was paranoid and my wife did not deserve such a low down person as me.

Then, in amongst her dozens of shoeboxes, I came across one that aroused my suspicions. Inside, wrapped in newspaper, were literally hundreds of 5, 10 and 20 bills. It was almost as if she had won the lottery. Where had all this money come from? Why had she not told me anything about it? "There must be a perfectly good reason," I tried unsuccessfully to convince myself.

I played out all sorts of scenarios in my mind over the next day before she returned from her break "with my friend". "Have a good time, honey?" I asked, managing to cover my hurt. "When you going away again? Fancy next weekend?"

"Oh, it was great. Yeah,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>