I leaned back in my chair, looked around the hotel ballroom and thought, “So many beautiful women at this company holiday party. Why did Rick Harrison choose my wife? Why did she say yes? Why did she leave me? Our children were getting older and more self-sufficient.

they wouldn’t be home much longer, and Sarah and I had already discussed many months ago what we’d like to do when the kids weren’t around anymore. A small part of my mind had wondered what our relationship would be like. Of course, I assumed we would spend more quality time together, becoming closer. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Sarah’s plans for the future might not include me. I felt like a complete fool. That thought dissolved all my sadness and disappointment, leaving me with only anger. I could tell from the worried looks from those around our table that my facial expression suggested I was about to explode or do something very stupid.

Are you okay, Michael? Dean asked nervously. For attractive young women sat at a table across the dance floor. I could see them right over Dean’s shoulder. Why didn’t Rick Harrison choose one of them instead? I watched the four ladies for a moment, then started laughing loud, uncontrolled laughter. Everyone at our table looked scared.

I laughed so hard that people from other tables were staring. Tears streamed down my face. When my laughter finally subsided, I wiped away the tears and gave everyone a big smile. I realized my life had just changed dramatically. I was no longer in a monogous relationship. I no longer had to worry about my wife’s feelings because she clearly didn’t care about mine. Everyone stared at me.

I smiled at Dean, took my wedding ring off my finger, and handed it to the stunned man. Tell Sarah this when you see her. I have things to do. I stood up and threw a 20 on the table. This covers my drinks. Since you all encouraged Sarah’s behavior, you can handle the rest. As I left the table, my former friends called after me.

As I exited the hotel, I wondered what I would say if they tried to follow me. The only thing I was sure of was that if any of the husbands followed me and didn’t heed my warning, they’d regret it. Walking through the lobby, my thoughts were racing. Sarah was going to have her selfish fun. I was going to have mine.

When I reached the front desk, I asked the young woman if they had any larger suites available. She told me no, but if I was looking for a bigger room, there would be a honeymoon suite available. She listed the many amenities. I’ll take it. We won’t be able to use the room we’re in now since it’s already late. I’ll pay for both rooms.

My wife will be staying in the original room and I’ll be in the suite. The desk clerk looked at me strangely. I thought you were doing something special for your wife. After she gave me the key card and directions, I told her, “If my wife asks for access to my room, don’t give it to her. In fact, could you please leave specific instructions that no one tells my wife I’m still at the hotel?” The young woman had a curious look and smile.

I’ll make sure the hotel staff is informed of your request. I went to our original room and collected my clothes. Leaving all of Sarah’s belongings untouched. I took the elevator to the top floor. The honeymoon suite was enormous and even had a jacuzzi on the large balcony overlooking downtown Denver.

I had brought an expensive suit in case we decided to go out to one of the upscale restaurants nearby. I put on my jacket and headed back to the party, stopping at the ATM to withdraw some cash. When I returned to the hotel ballroom, there was still a decent crowd. I looked around, hoping to see what I had noticed before.

The table with four attractive young women. They were still there, and there weren’t any men with them. Perfect. I walked across the room. Dean noticed me and tried to wave and call my name. Everyone at their table turned to look at me, but I paid no attention as I approached the table with the four ladies.

Excuse me, but why are four beautiful ladies sitting here without company? All four smiled at me. The taller brunette laughed and said, “We’re here supporting our friend.” Some jerk just broke her heart and we’re cheering her up. The brunette was clearly tipsy. Well, if you don’t mind, I’d love to ask your friend to dance and maybe help cheer her up, too.

She turned to the petite redhead, who smiled and extended her hand so I could help her out of her seat. As we started dancing, I asked her name. Ashley, and you are Michael. How could anyone be stupid enough to let such a beautiful woman go? She laughed. Because he’s an idiot. We talked while dancing.

She was in nursing school and had grown up in Colorado Springs. When the song ended and a slower one began, we continued dancing. The music wasn’t as loud. And Ashley asked, “Are you married, Michael? We just separated tonight. Was it your wife who was dancing with Rick Harrison earlier? I noticed she disappeared after that dance.

You noticed that, huh?” Everyone in the room noticed,” Ashley said gently. I gave Ashley my best smile. “I think you figured out we broke up at the same moment I did.” Ashley smiled warmly, and we danced close until the song ended. We had both recently been hurt by someone we cared about, and it felt good to have this connection. When the song ended, we returned to Ashley’s table.

I know we agreed no guys tonight, but I want Michael to stay with us. Ashley announced. The brunette, clearly teasing us, said, “I don’t know. We had a deal. How about I buy a couple bottles of champagne to make up for it?” “I offered.” “I don’t know. A deal’s a deal.” She replied with a grin. Ashley smiled at all three friends.

We saw Rick Harrison leave with his wife. Three voices shouted in unison. “Not a damn thing,” the ladies scooted around the booth to make room for Ashley and me. Before I could get anyone’s names, the blonde next to Ashley asked, “Do you guys have an open marriage?” “Absolutely not.” “Then what did she tell you?” Another blonde asked, “Nothing.

She told me she was going to the restroom and snuck out the back with Rick. I pointed over my shoulder without turning around. All my former friends covered for her. At that moment, a waitress came over. I asked if everyone liked champagne and they all smiled. Two bottles of your best champagne. The girls applauded.

Before they could ask more questions, I introduced myself properly. Their names were Kim, Christy, and Susan. After the champagne arrived and everyone had a full glass, Christy asked, “What are you going to do about your wife?” As far as I’m concerned, we separated the moment she walked out that door.

“Do you have children?” Unfortunately, yes. A boy and girl, 15 and 13. But in a few more years, they’ll be on their own, and I’m going to start over. Ashley took my arm and said loudly, “To hell with it. You’re with me tonight. We all clinkedked glasses and drank champagne. I told the women a few jokes. They shared several with me.

We laughed and drank. They danced with some other guys and with each other, but Ashley stayed sitting with me, her arm around mine. Toward the end of the evening, Christy got angry, jumped up from the table, and stormed away. We all turned to see where she was going. It turned out Dean had decided to come talk to me, but Christy intercepted him near my ex-friend’s table.

We couldn’t hear what was said, but we could see them having a heated discussion. It ended with Christy poking Dean’s chest multiple times while yelling in his face. Dean looked like he was about to cry and sat back down. Christy then turned and addressed everyone at their table. All the surrounding tables were laughing at the embarrassment of my former friends.

When Christy returned, Kim and Susan high-fived her. Christy drank some champagne, smiled at me, and said, “None of those idiots are coming anywhere near this table for the rest of the evening.” I turned around and looked at their table. They were all getting up to leave. Dean and another friend were clearly upset.

None of them looked in our direction. What did you say, Christy? I saw that woman working up the courage to come talk to you, so I headed her off and let them all know what I thought about people who help cheaters. You made quite an impression. They clearly wanted me to forgive Sarah to ease their guilty consciences. Well, I had to do something, Christy said, grinning.

Ashley grabbed my face and said, “Oh, no you don’t.” and she kissed me firmly on the lips while the other three girls cheered her on. After the kiss, Ashley smiled sweetly at me. Kim said, “Get a room, you two.” “Well, actually,” I said, “I do have a suite in this hotel, and you ladies look like you shouldn’t be driving.

If we hurry, we can still order champagne to the room.” After I paid the bar tab, the four of us headed upstairs. Ashley clung to my arm and the other three held on to us for support. At the front desk, I ordered four bottles of champagne for my room. When I told the receptionist my room was the honeymoon suite, all the girls started giggling.

Rising in the elevator, the three ladies began humming, “Here comes the bride.” Ashley turned bright red but held on to me even tighter. As we approached the door, the ladies began laughing, saying I should carry the bride over the threshold. Ashley looked at me with her big, beautiful eyes, and said, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.

” I opened the door, picked Ashley up in my arms, and carried her into the room. When I sat her down inside, Ashley put her arms around my neck and kissed me deeply. The ladies thought it was sweet until Christy noticed the jacuzzi on the balcony. Before I could react, all three of them had changed into swimwear they apparently had with them and were sitting in the jacuzzi.

I sat Ashley down and she continued to hold my hand, smiling at me. There was a knock at the door. Our champagne had arrived. We brought the champagne to the ladies on the balcony. They joked and giggled. Susan told me I was overdressed and needed to relax. I laughed and told them I was keeping Ashley company. They called for Ashley to join them in the jacuzzi, but she just smiled and pulled me back into the room.

We headed to the main suite while her friends sang from the balcony, laughing hysterically. The next morning, I woke up with Ashley curled up next to me and three other women sleeping across the king-sized bed. They must have come inside after Ashley and I had fallen asleep. I slipped out of bed quietly. Ashley opened her eyes, saw me, and smiled.

Did you have fun, Michael? Yes. Best night I’ve had in years. Any regrets? None at all. Come take a shower with me. Ashley slipped out of bed and followed me to the bathroom. We shared a long, warm shower together, talking quietly and enjoying each other’s company. When Ashley and I emerged from the bathroom, we discovered our time together had woken up the ladies.

They were hung over but happy, ordering room service and drinking mimosas. I can’t wait to get in that shower, Christy said. You two made it sound like the most relaxing shower ever. All three girls burst out laughing as Ashley and I smiled at each other. After everyone had showered and cleaned up, they prepared to leave except for Ashley who asked if I would give her a ride home.

While we were driving, she moved closer to me. Michael, I know what your wife did was terrible, but you could still go back to her if you wanted. If you don’t, I’d be happy if we could see each other again. Ashley smiled at me hopefully. I’d be glad of that, Ashley. At the moment, I have no intention of staying with my ex-wife. I really enjoyed being with you.

You’re what I need right now. So, call me if you think we can make this work. I kissed Ashley at her door. When she opened it, Christy was sitting on the couch and waved at me as I left. I realized I was avoiding making a decision about what to do with Sarah. Going back to the party was a reaction to Sarah’s infidelity.

It didn’t solve my problems with her, but it made me feel a lot better. When I got home, I sat down in a chair in the living room. I didn’t bother turning on the lights because I was thinking about how to end my broken marriage with the least harm to my children. After a while, I have no idea how long, I heard a car in the driveway, then a key turning in the lock. Michael. Michael, I’m home.

Her voice sounded exactly the same as it always did when she returned from running errands. She closed the front door and turned on the light. I turned to look at her. She looked exactly the same. The blue dress still adorned her figure as it had that evening. Dark hair flowed down her back in the same way. Poised shoulders, face, rings on fingers.

Everything was exactly the same. It was as if nothing had changed at all. As if she hadn’t spent all night betraying me. This seemed impossible. I thought there should be some visible difference, something indicating what she had done. At least some shame on her face. There was nothing. Just the same old Sarah as always, she said with a gentle smile.

Of course, you know what I’m thinking. Nothing has changed here. Nothing has changed. My love for you is exactly the same as yesterday. I wish I could say the same. Listening to myself, I realized how emotionless I sounded. With the look of a dead man, I stared at Sarah, pointing toward our bedroom. Don’t start. Go take a shower.

After trying to say a few words while I kept pointing toward the bedroom, Sarah finally left. After her shower, she returned downstairs. Michael, where are my clothes from last night? I think they’re in the hotel room where you left them. You didn’t bring my clothes home? No. Did you leave something important there? Sarah looked like she was about to say something when she realized her next statement would be about how inattentive I had been.

Instead, she sat in silence, realizing how incredibly stupid that would sound. “Why did you do it, Sarah?” I asked. Sarah sighed. “It was Rick Harrison. Last night when he asked me to dance, I felt like the most popular woman in the room. He made me feel special.” Sarah was still glowing from the night before.

As she said this, I could see she had tuned out our conversation as she fondly recalled moments from the previous evening. That was the moment I realized it was truly over. Sarah would always cherish her time with Rick Harrison more than any moment with me. I was just an afterthought. “Do you love him?” I asked. “No, I don’t love him.

It was just intimacy.” “I love you, Michael,” she replied. You and I have completely different understandings of how to treat the person you love. I said I could tell by the surprised look on Sarah’s face that she felt I was just being a crybaby because my ego was hurt, which was sad because she had crushed my ego purely to feed hers.

I came back to you, Michael, because I love you. If he had asked you to stay to become his girlfriend or wife, would you be here now? Sarah hesitated. then noticed I was watching her carefully. Of course not. I love you, Michael. She finally said, “You hesitated, Sarah. I understand what that look means. You would have stayed if he had asked. It was just one night.

This discussion is over. I have things to think about. Pack some things for you and the children and stay with your parents for the whole week.” I said sternly. But Michael, Sarah started, but I cut her off. The discussion is over. If you really want to solve this problem right now, given how I’m feeling, you won’t get the results you’re hoping for.

Sarah packed her bag and left. As soon as she was out of sight, I began implementing my plan. I had an epiphany when I saw Sarah standing at the entrance in her blue dress, looking completely unchanged. I knew something had to change if I was going to survive this. I called my boss and told him I needed two weeks off.

Then I rented a truck and bought supplies at the hardware store, wood, drywall, paint, and an additional exterior door. Once home, I got to work. First, I removed sections of interior walls. After measuring carefully, I began framing a wall right down the main hallway of the house. I was going to create a duplex. I installed a new entrance on the left side where my new living space would be.

The new kitchen would face what would become my living room, just like on Sarah’s side. My home office became a third bedroom on my side, while the dining room became the third bedroom on Sarah’s side. When I was finished, each side of the duplex was nearly identical except for the detached garage, which remained on Sarah’s side.

Later, I would build another garage on my side. I changed the locks on the existing garage and the code on the garage door, so only I had access. I also put up a fence in the backyard, cutting it exactly in half. Now, I had a duplex. I called my kids every day and told them I was working around the house. Sarah kept asking to talk, but I kept telling her I wasn’t in the mood to listen to what she had to say.

I called Ashley a few days later just to hear her voice and maybe get a chance to spend more time with her. I thought you forgot about me. She said, “I can’t stop thinking about you. Are you going to ask me out on a date?” Actually, no. Stop teasing me, she said. I’m really not going to ask you on a date.

I was thinking more about going away for the weekend. Just you and me. Really? Yes. How does Aspen sound? Can you go away this weekend? Fly out Thursday and return Tuesday. Yes. Yes. Yes. Just bring your phone and ID. We can buy everything we need there. Ashley said excitedly after we talked about how much fun we were going to have.

I had to let her go so I could book our flights and hotel room. A last minute trip to Aspen wasn’t cheap, but what the hell? If Sarah divorced me, she’d get half our savings anyway. I smiled when I realized it was as if Sarah was paying for half the trip with Ashley. I transferred our joint savings account to an account in my name only.

I also changed my direct deposit so my salary went into my new account. I didn’t think Sarah would cancel our credit cards, but I wanted access to the money just in case. I worked 16 hours a day to get all the walls in place. It was a little rough around the edges, but by Wednesday, I had managed to finish and paint the dividing wall on Sarah’s side.

I knew later I would have to separate the utilities, but for now, since Sarah’s side shared the same gas and electricity, she couldn’t shut off my side. On Wednesday night, I told Sarah to bring the kids home Thursday morning. Thursday morning, I secured my part of the house and sat on a chair out front, waiting for them to arrive.

When they pulled up and got out of the car, they all stood on the front lawn, stunned. Emma was the first to speak. “Dad, what did you do?” she asked. I turned our house into a duplex. “Don’t you like it?” “All three turned and looked at me like I was crazy.” They stood there with their mouths open. “Don’t worry, guys.

” I finished the left side and moved your things to your new rooms. I showed the kids the left side of the house while Sarah carried their bags to their rooms. They were speechless. Our short tour ended with all of us gathered in my new living room. But Dad, the living room is much smaller.

Tommy said, “Don’t worry, guys. You’ll never notice the difference. In fact, I need to build a garage on this side of the house. And when I do, I’m going to install a pool with a hot tub.” This brought smiles to the children’s faces. Sarah told them to unpack their bags. She looked at me like she wanted to talk, but I followed the kids, helping them organize their things and making sure they had what they needed.

After they settled in, I brought out sandwiches I had bought from a local deli and we ate lunch at my kitchen table. Dad, what is this all about? Emma asked, but mostly she watched Sarah’s reaction. After spending the last few days with Sarah, Emma and Tommy obviously knew something was wrong and that their mother was avoiding their questions.

“Well, we’re getting closer to becoming empty nesters. I realized things won’t stay the same forever. I’m just getting ready, that’s all,” I said. “Gee, Dad, you could at least have discussed this with us first to see how we felt about it.” Tommy said, “Well, actually, it was your mom’s idea. She said she decided we needed a change and she needed something different.