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Click here"I will, momma."
I walked up the aisle, hanging on dad's arm and with mom close beside me. Everyone was looking at me. Everyone was welcoming - smiling, clapping quietly, or nodding in approval. As I got to the front, the boys ran over and hugged me, tightly. Carl was as tall as I was and well on his way to matching his father.
"We, love you mom!"
"Welcome back mom!"
"We missed you, mom!"
How could I ever have done anything to jeopardize this!
Finally they let go and hurried back to their seats. Thomas grinned at me and said, "Hurry up and marry dad, mom, and we can get to the party. There's going to be cake!" I laughed and nodded. Mom leaned close and said, "I made the cake." I whispered back, "Thank you," and gave her a hug.
Dad finished walking me up to the front, and mom pinned the hanging lace up so I was not peering at the world through thread. They both kissed me, and I looked up.
I handed the bouquet to Annie, and she gave me a huge wink. I managed to mouth back, 'Thank you,' and then added, 'Best sister, ever'.
I faced Dave, lost my heart in those kind, loving eyes, and I knelt down.
"What are you doing?" he asked, perplexed.
"I promised myself that if I ever managed to face you again, I would get down on my knees and tell you how very, very sorry I am for hurting you. For betraying you and my vows. And for giving away what was only yours. And for running away rather than face the music."
Dave smiled, and knelt down in front of me. He took my hands, a touch I had never hoped to feel ever again, and said, "And I thought you should have a new engagement ring, since you had to pawn the first one." He slid a small diamond onto my finger, set on a slender, elegant band. He winked. "The wedding rings are identical in design, but brand new. We are starting over. We cannot go back to what we had, but I believe we can make something brand new that can be better. Deal?"
"Deal."
"Now I think our first task is helping each other up, since neither of us is as young as we once were."
We managed to get up, holding tightly to each other, as the audience, our friends and family, chuckled, and then burst into cheers and applause.
Father Ambrose entered from behind the vine covered trellis and stood in front of us. He looked at me sternly, but melted a little at my contrite, teary smile. "Have you been to confession recently?" he whispered to me. I nodded slightly, "Last week, Father, and my penance is complete." He nodded and then looked over our shoulders at the assembly. "In the eyes of the church, this couple are still husband and wife, so I am officiating, not as an official
Church witness, but as a Justice of the Peace for the state of Pennsylvania to renew their civil marriage. Given the unusual circumstances, I am giving this couple," he glanced at his watch, "five minutes to talk to each other and convince me that they are sincere." He looked at us expectantly.
"Dave, you are the most thoughtful and wonderful husband any woman could have. I am truly, deeply, terribly sorry for what I did. And I thank you for your forgiveness - and trust. I promise you, and God, it is not misplaced."
"Melissa, I never want to experience pain like that again, but try as I could, I couldn't hate you. You were the victim of a very skilled and very successful serial seducer. I said on my sign that we have a lot of work ahead of us, and we do, but I think you, I think all of us, have been punished enough. I forgive you. Let's work on love, now."
"And I guess I have to forgive Ann for giving me away," I glanced over at Annie, who lifted an eyebrow and shook her head.
"She didn't give you away. I heard not one word from her lips - I heard them all from you."
"Me?"
Dave nodded. "I had been shopping and was dropping off a bag of groceries and checking in on Ann. She invited me to have a cup of coffee. We were sitting, chatting, when you called. She put her phone on speaker. The pencil scratchings you heard was us passing notes back and forth. When you arrived yesterday, Ann's phone was on and I was listening to you. There were so many times I just wanted to reach through and hug you. I heard how remorseful you were and I believed, deep in my heart, we could make it work. I was the one who texted Ann and let her know I had heard enough, and the wedding was a 'Go'." He looked a bit sheepish. "Keeping you in the dark until the very last minute, well, was kind of getting payback for you standing all of us up at our intervention session. And I'm - half - sorry about that." And he gave me his signature lopsided, quirky smile again that told me that everything would be alright.
"And," he added, "We'll be honeymooning in the South Pacific for two weeks." Then came another 'Dave' grin at the ironies of life. "We may be the only couple going off on a honeymoon who have counselling already set up for the day after we get back." There were a few chuckles from the crowd.
"How are we affording another South Seas trip?"
"Courtesy of Ann. She set aside some of Peter's insurance money and told me that it was to return the favor if I ever got married again."
I turned around and hugged my wonderful, wonderful sister, and whispered, "Thank you," in her ear as I felt her tears on my neck. I turned back to my once and future husband and whispered, "I have a lot of serious ass-kissing to do, and we should get started as soon as possible." We grinned at each other and turned back to Father Ambrose.
"Okay, I'm convinced. So I will say, dearly beloved we are gathered today to RE-join this man and this woman in marriage..."
And all we heard, as we tearfully smiled at each other, were our whispered 'I do's', and whether we heard Father or not, we were kissing right afterwards, because it was long, long overdue.
THE END
Thank you for fighting your way to the bitter end, and I hope that even if you are firmly in the BTB camp, that I managed to set up a reconciliation which is reasonably believable within the story parameters.
- COMMENTS
The church basically never rejects annulments for infidelity since that is an actual valid reason for divorce in the Bible. The idea that it would happen here is insane. Of course the whole story is rough and basically has her husband act like a saint with no real emotions, thoughts, or independent behaviors. He’s a cardboard cutout of a human and exists only to move serve the whims of his wife. In real life, women never respect men like this. The story is incredibly unrealistic, no man would unconditionally forgive.
Sweet sweet ending...again showing heart and hope. Souls that don't give up. Well done.
I love both versions, First was 4.6 stars... the second 5,00 stars!
I felt like it was a test who was marring Dave? At first it could be Matt's widow, Nah, Maybe Ann? Nah, Then the lace on the hat and Ann's being the Matron of Honor I got it! It was a surprise re marriage!
Too bad it wasn't in Texas the husband who took out Matt, would have gotten a reduced sentence!
I makes me wonder I wonder if I am still married to my first wife? You have given me an Idea for a new reconciliation story!
She WAS punished, psychologically
ok, this is my 3rd time reading this through and I know I have to be the only one with this opinion, especially after story 2. I DID like both endings. Its the middle i have issues with. She was not punished. She was in a self-imposed exile. Well too bad for another one of her bad decisions. Dave should have, at the least, been dating another eligible woman and not pining for an ex wife that couldnt even do the right thing in the end and just upped an vanished, on all things, her own children because she had been caught. Welllll F you lady. She should have had some major "punishment" for her crap. Just saying.
I think the second rendition of the story was better than the first, although the first wasn't that bad either. I actually thought it was kind of a fresh take on a reconciliation story to be honest and you took an idea that I've been toying with and made it work - basically being Catholic myself, I know that while I may be civilly divorced, unless I get an annulment from the Church, I'm still married. It may be hard for non-observant Catholics to understand and honestly, a lot of Catholics struggle with it as well because we have to live in civil society, but if you have belief and faith, then it's very clear that there is no way to divorce yourself from your spouse.
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That being said, it doesn't really preclude you from not living with them or ever talking to them again, etc, but it does preclude you from ever getting married again.
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Anyway, I actually liked the angle a lot. I felt it was unique and offered a very plausible reason why someone might be able to forgive a long term affair (and indeed, the subsequent mistakes that Mellissa made). That being said, the wedding was a bit over the top at the end, but I think after all of the angst it was a good payoff.
Stopped at page 3, 4 years of cheating and he takes her back and also tells her to have more sex with him? This is a truly pathetic husband, no woman would ever be attracted to a malleable wuss like this.
When I saw THE CHILDREN INVOLVED, I started to read with an eye toward protecting them against the insanity both parents were spewing. Talk about not giving two damns about your kids. Shattered innocence, tension-filled moments with their parents, hateful and angry rhetoric... OP is an idiot for writing the story like this. Just freaking awful.
I heard once that testosterone has been decreasing in men for years. You certainly make this believable. Good writing. Shit story.
Crazy at face value. Seems impossible. Bit somehow works, especially the first ending. Swcond ending comes off as highly unrealistic bit is technically not a RAAC, since while they reconcile there also, she pays a high price.
In what world do you see a guy reconciling with the wife? She did things with her lover she denied her husband, cheated on him for four years. I can only see the reconciliation happening only if the husband secretly likes to be a cuckold. Geez don't read this people, the original was better.
I liked the first ending.
In the second version, when Annie said Dave was getting married, I almost quit reading.
I skimmed toward the bottom to rate the story and saw the line about her dad walking her down the aisle, so I went back and picked up where I left off.
I'm glad I did.
Great story and great twist in the second ending!
So I read the original to get a feel for the story and then read this with its two versions. I have to say I'm impressed with the quality of writing and how the characters and their emotions and motivations were portrayed. The idea of how to make the storyline work is original and well thought out. I really enjoyed these and feel that the first version is more believable than the second but I can see the second working too. I'd have liked more background on the husband detailing the journey he took to get there which must have been incredibly painful. I can appreciate a BTB when told well and also a good reconciliation story as well. This is a top drawer story and should be celebrated as such. Well done. BardnotBard
No self-respecting person would take back their spouse if said spouse was cheating x amount of YEARS, Jesus years holy hell.
I don't know. Excellent writing and I get on the second one she suffered... though hard to believe she'd abandon her children like that. forgiveness is great, but in neither sorry was there any real emotion by the husband or children. I know it happened off page supposedly but the first time you see her in both cases... One after another 4 years... you just say yeah all is good let's get back together without consequences.
And im the first one... the guy is taking responsibility for being tempted and NOT cheating and making that somehow equivalent to her 4 years fucking someone regularly and doing things with and for him she wouldn't do for her husband AND not giving her husband emotional or physical intimacy? No... not ready to get over...
I also always find it hard to believe that the a guy can tempt a faithful wife stray... Or husband. Certainly not getting then to stray weekly or so for 4 years. That's already in them .... and that's something that would be really hard to forgive, which these stories just gloss over... all that pain and heartache.
The second story is even worse.... she planned to abandon her children by fuckimg her way across country and got lucky that only one ride wanted it and accepted a hand job. Who would want that back. The kids are just fine with being abandoned for 4 years? I like a good reconciloation but this really just made it all too easy. T stretches the imagination to breaking. I know you say the second one she had to suffer but did she really? Not from her family they just said yeah you should have come home it was all good... You pit yourself through hell for nothing.
She'll cheat again. This was truly a get out of jail free card in both cases. No significant consequences except what she gave herself. In the first one they even got to track each other. What gives her the right to mistrust him?
Liked the writing and enjoyed the story as a fantasy but just didn't feel believable in any way.
This is outstanding writing. You have created two very real people finding their way to each other through patience, compassion. and a healthy dose of mercy. All of these spring only from love. I look forward to your wonderful stories.
So....The first story, well, it was a little unbelievable in the way he let her come back with no consequences, but you did kind of explain that most of the emotional turmoil on the husband's part happened off-page - not great for a story, but whatever - but I could still get behind it, ultimately.
The 2nd version was just an absolute shitshow.
In what world would a man take back a wife who was cheating on him for 4 years with no consequences? She did over TEN things with her lover that she didn't or refused to do with her husband. That is utterly evil. No human who respects themself would ever take back a spouse who did that. What kind of example is taking her back setting for those young kids? Taking her back is disrespectful to them as well. He is being a weak role model, and letting unacceptable behavior pass. Dave needs to learn to respect himself, and his children.
And she has the balls to demand he have sex with no other woman? She is an evil heinous person. Self-centered and selfish.
Not a forgiveness kind of guy but I preferred the second. At least the cheater actually had to face consequences and work on herself before the reconciliation.
I enjoyed the story both versions. Some reader must be stone hearted. To forgive is divine, Isn’t that what everyone wants on their death bed?
Yeah, lovely story, but four years and her conscience never woke up? She's giving away her pussy and ass and another magical set of things she never did with her husband (got me curious there, gotta be honest) for four years; betraying her husband day after day after day. In days she wasn't actually physically cheating, she was lying. Yeah, That's too much. Maybe if it was four months... I did enjoy the attempt.
i have read some of your stories and they where good but this one sorry does nothing for me sorry
The second part was not necessary. The first part was decent but the rest was lame. After 4 years the guy surely would have moved on by now? Also the timing was way off... How could they plan a wedding even though the slut had called and then she agreed to come back without notice to organize the wedding.
Partway into page two and I can't stomach the ridiculous fluffy bullshit.
It's a stupid old whore's wet dream.
You are a talented writer, and appreciate the time you take to write your stories. As for this story, there is no RAAC after that B.S. No one would forgive a person who had been cheating for 4 yrs, having been sexually and emotionaly absent for 4 yrs due to their cheating. She didn't care for 4 yrs, it was all about her "spicing" up here life, damn the families she effected, why would she care now? The only reason for remorse is because she got caught. IF there was forgiveness/reconciliation there would never be ANY trust by Dave and he would always be looking out to see if she was cheating again. On this level, once a cheating slut always a cheating slut. His life and the life of his kids would be miserable for an indefinite time or until he couldn't take it anymore and filed for divorce again. However, in the real world, the bitch would have been able throw all 3 options back at Dave and gave him option 4, she gets the house, kids, alimony and child support until the kids are through college and gets to fuck whoever she wants and tells Dave to fuck off and go cry to the Priest about what a little bitch he really is. That is reality.
Version 2 was … sweet and romantic, I guess, but completely unrealistic. I’m not sure even an idiot would marry her again after only a couple of overheard conversations. Version 1 at least addressed issues that needed attention before renewing commitments. My two cents.
By the middle of page 1, I hated this cuck shit and came to the end to tell you. She cheated FOR 4 YEARS???!!! And he forgives her? What the actual fuck?
Very much liked it. But the wedding at the end was kind of telegraphed as soon as it was mentioned that the husband was getting married again!
While I am not against reconciliation, I don't think she did anything to deserve it. Being gone for 4 years after cheating, lying and betraying for 4 years, I don't get how he could possibly trust her again. She's done nothing to deserve it.
You write well, but I struggle with the overall plot. But THANK YOU!!!
Very good story I just re-read. I would say it was too improbable to be believed but I have been trying to understand quantum entanglement. God, a soul, the Astros winning an honest World Series, are more probable than QE and so is this reconciliation. And yet QE exists. So 5 stars!
Honestly I think reconciliation can only be accomplished with a once or twice sexual meeting not more than that. Sorry but more than that deserves a divorce even with children living at home. I highly doubt in real life a spouse would take someone back after all that time.
Well written but completely ridiculous ending. Who would remarry a long time cheater without even meeting her for 4 years. Also what’s her problem that her lover has other lovers, if it truly is just sex why would she care?
Both parts were good, however I really enjoyed the ending of the second part. Just an old romantic. Thanks for your writing.
I'm not sure about 100% believable, but that hardly matters, but I thoroughly enjoyed both versions and as a 'reconciliation where possible' believer (& it's certainly not always possible nor desireable) it was very emotional writing for which I thank you.
You pulled it off. Made me cry at the thought of that much forgiveness. I wish I had it.
Highly entertaining for both stories. Well written. Good characterizations and plot element. Made some much better out of a tough and bitniffy original base story. Now why she would just flee in thr second story is odd. Just leave her kids. 4 more wasted years 8 years overall. What a tragedy.
The first one was too simple as everything gets resolved in thr back of a van and the hotel room in like 4 hours. It has some clever discussion points but it doesn't lend itself that well to reconciliation. Of course the author took a story meant for BTB and worked to make a reconciliation out of it. Tough gig. The second one was much more emotional. Her betrayal is magnified by her abandonment of her family. She would not have been that hard to trace given that she did not change her identity and had to register with the casino board to get a dealer job. A good PI firm would have found her (eventually) but maybe hubby did not have the inclination or money to look (at least at first after he learned of her leaving the family behind). But that is an aside. Her remorse and owning what she did really comes through. But then again her betrayal of 4 years of twice a month, and then 4 years of disappearance, is really massive. So with the caveat that reconciliation is basically implausible no matter what clever author plot, I will say that the second version is a really clever plot. The phone on speaker with the note passing and the reveals is amazing. Also David woukd learn a lot about hoe Matt the predator operated via the murder trial and testimony of the other women. Her reactions to Annie's questions and statements came off as very genuine. While I still don't see a reconciliation, time and her contriteness might allow reconnection to her family and kids and cordial, co-parent relations with David. Her willingness to help pay for her kids' college despite practically living in a box was touching and a good reason to reach out to Annie. Annie was superb. Melissa's reaction to the news that she would have been forgiven was emotionally taut. The wedding scene makes for a touch (though unrealistic Hallmark moment. I was almost waiting for us to be told that she was on the throes of a fever dream or a drug overdose and dying on a hospital bed, but hey the author was serious about their intent for reconciliation. So yeah given that the second ending was powerful and impressive and creative. Still not realistic. Hard to imagine a wife woukd have zero emotional feeling about Matt (she was after all pissed he had eight other women) and that she would just do it out of habit for thr better part of 4 years, once the allure of illicitness and having a secret, wore off in a few months. But then why did her sex life go to shit, and why not make love to her husband for 4 months? She had no guilt it appears until discovery as she compartmentalized her work self from her home self. Except that failed as she reduced her interactions and intimacy with her husband until was pretty bad at the end. Would have been better fit to the intended story (though not the original base plot), if she had sustained a reasonable sex life with her husband. After all wasn't the picture to spice things up? By the end of her tawdry affair, it did not appear to spice their lives up just hers. So lose the sexual and emotional disconnect, because the is a big deal. See how David goes on a valid tirade when he learns she fled and disappeared, when he was set via intervention of his family and the counselors + priest, to offer her the three options. Again given what she did and the severity of what she denied her husband: time, intimacy, sex, emotional connection, and new sexual experiences, that is a huge obstacle to reconciliation. None of which was dealt with on the second story (yes discussed in first but answers are too simple and not revisited). But again the second one was an entertaining read once the reader gets past the fact it would not happen in the real world.
Very touching story.
The second had much more emotional weight. But I liked the first more.
I think the second could have been my favorite, if the time she was gone was shortened to like, a month, or less. She gets to Vegas, gets set up. A couple weeks later she calls her sister. It's less time robbed, and I don't think most people could go four years without knowing how their loved ones are doing.
Seriously?????Writer seems totally deluded to offer the wife redemtion... that too after four years of cheating. For the cheating to have gone on for so long..it could not have been a hoodwinked wife... no she had to have been in love but not enough to run off..but to satisfy her needs... that is long term betrayal. And RAC is stupid for this type of betrayal...shows a husband with no self respect..absolutly none!,,
Interestingly after having read a lot of different categories on this site, LW section seems to attract it's own subsection of readers.
Having said that, I found this story very good. If warranted redemption is available for everyone.
Phenomenal pair of endings to a very inventive and interesting story. Masterful in my opinion, and thank you for it. Well done.
You set yourself a difficult task, and achieved it both times, IMHO. Both versions were clever, but I preferred the second. Five stars.
All the naysayers looking for a BTB, when the author stated his goal was a reconciliation, should apologize. I liked both the story's endings. Brought a tear to my eye just because life is short and people do stupid things, and really enjoyed the creative ways the author brought about the end. I'm giving 5 stars just to make up for the lesser votes
Overall a good story, both times, but hubby was too Jesus like. You had a 4 year affair, I'm mad as hell, but I forgive you. And what's with the counseling gimmick now prevalent in American culture? Infidelity is the one thing I believe that cannot be helped with a stranger sitting in front of the two parties taking notes, no matter how fancy the clipboard is. I guess its tied to the confession kick; the need for absolution from anyone.
I enjoyed both endings. I liked the first the best. However, it is almost impossible to believe that a husband could forgive his wife that quickly after a four-year affair. The story made me forget about probabilities and be thankful that it all worked out.
Really poor attempt at changing the intent of a story. Reed, apparently you were a real asshole in your younger years, but I forgive you brother.
Unlike some other posters, I did not think these two conclusions to PAPATOAD's original flash story was that bad. I actually enjoyed them. I would not call them RAACs, though the first one came close to it. The second one was not RAAC for sure. At least IMHO.
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One point did stuck out for me in the second version. Melissa, for all intents and purposes, did chose Option one, even though she was not aware of the options available to her and their respective consequences. Still, she did chose to runaway. The family members ALL agreed to shun her if she did that. Why then is Annie talking to her? Why are the family members accepting her back? This goes against the agreement they all made. As I write this post, it occurs to me that it could have been a bluff, to encourage her to accept Option Three. But, there was no indication that this was a bluff.
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Now, I thought that option one was to harsh. If she chose option one and came back, then the shunning would go against Catholic/Christian teachings, Story of the 'Prodigal Son' anyone?
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In any case, I did enjoy these two tales. Thank-you
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Pasqual
This is so shit. So unrealistic and pathetic. I normally get pissed when guys go full toxic and call the writer and character cucks and shit but for this i gotta agree. This is so stupid cause he finds out she's been cheating for years and even with the backing of both families he caves in and gives he a second chance. What the fuck. So pathetic
This was good, totally unrealistic, but somehow realistic at the same time.
People who have never had someone so thoroughly and completely manipulate them won't understand how insanely deep that rabbit hole can go, but I think this touched on it a little.
I wish the second version had a little more conversation, the surprise wedding was a little meh for me, but overall a good story.
I did like the story I'm a forgiven person
I would have a very hard time taking my wife back that cheated and cuckold me for. four year. Thats not a fling. Then she takes off for another four years leaving her family with our a word. Husband then married her with out even a conversation with her
What a wonderful story. I almost didn’t read the second portion, now I am so glad I did. Thank you
You bastard! You fucking bastard! That is your masterpiece! Bravo! Good job!
I’ve read hundreds and possibly thousands of stories on this site and this is only the second one to bring tears to my eyes. The last story to do that was because it was so sad. This is the only one that brought tears because it was so emotionally beautiful. It calls us all to be more than what we are. Excellent and Rare work to be posted here.
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Your wife/exwife must have cucked you over and over, maybe even with RR.
Excellent quality of writing. I like both BTB and RAAC, the question is based on the story how should it go. In this case the wife willing had an affair for 4 years. There were no drugs, coercion, or anything else forcing her to cheat. It was not a 1 time event, or even a few times; it was close to 100 times over 4 years. I really don't see a reason for reconciliation in this story. You did a great job, but this story as is doesn't deserve that. I think in this case it could go either BTB or for Dave to simply live his life better, and have little to do with her. As I said, the story will decide how the ending goes, and I think you chose the wrong story for this project.
Nicely written but TOTALLY unbelievable. No one would offer blanket forgiveness after their wife had a four year affair while cutting him off from sex.
The page after page of Melissa’s self loathing got boring after a short while.
Fanastic. The second story was even BETTER! I'm following this author from now on.
I really enjoyed both versions of the same story. Very well thought out, since a lot of readers in the LW's section don't like it when there is reconciliation, I'm sure you will get some if not a lot of negative feedback, but not from me. Thanks for the story.
Well-written, I’d say, but the preemptive forgiveness and willingness to reconcile on the husband’s part seemed to come from nowhere in both. Like, he really cares not at all about the four years of lying and cheating?
oddly, the story keeps feeling like it was written as a one-time slip up and then a later edit changed it to “four years” instead of “four hours” or something.
so the real question. reedrichards if you are married and your wife cheats on you, are you just going to forgive her.?
personally dudes like you and i’ve known a few are just grade A pos. “i can’t take sex serious”. then don’t get married you stupid fck. karma is a bitch and you will get yours
Not only did you set out to completely ruin a good BTB but you took 7 pages to do it.
Utterly ridiculous. Not believeable.
1st version. He finds out she's been cheating regularly for FOUR years. Doing things with BF that she's always denied her husband.
Cut off sex and intimacy with husband.
Husband finds out. With photos and videos as proof...that he looks at (meaning he cannot unsee the betrayal).
And 3 weeks later he is comoletely forgiving her in their first conversation?
Hahahahahaha...that's funny right there. Serious fantasy land territory.
Nonsense.
And the 2nd? Wedding? What the actual fuck?
And why am I not surprised RR is commenting here about forgiveness...he's out fucking married women because "gee sex with married women is just not a big deal" to him.
So if he (or any other asshole) is putting the dick to your wife...you should just forgive. <start cliches>It was just sex. It didn't mean anything. She just needed to try out a new dick. It was just to satisfy a curiosity. She only loves you. Can't we forgive and forget?<end cliches>
I mean Jesus says...
Yeah. What a self righteous hypoctical asshole. Go fuck yourself douchebag.
Any woman engaging in a 4 year relationship with another man has already left her marriage and certainly doesn't deserve unearned forgiveness.
And yes. For that kind of betrayal by any spouse...forgiveness and any hope of an actual equal future relationship built on love, respect and trust has to be earned.
I don't care what the fuck Jesus says about it. A woman or man who cheats like this and is immediately forgiven for it? With no real effort? Will have zero respect for their partner. And in the right future situation will probably do it again if they are reasonably sure they won't be caught. It simple human nature.
So ReedRichards pretty much admits to being a man whore that enjoys fucking married woman and destroying their marriages. Wow!! That's really something the be proud of. And we wonder why the world is as fucked up as it is.
Incredibly boring to the point that I gave up when he involved CHILDREN in a situation they had NO business in.
Please ignore the anonymous naysayers, I enjoyed your approach to both versions and look forward to your future scribes. 5*
Nope, there has to be a clear and compelling reason to reconcile. She clearly had abandoned the marriage and was getting her sex from some asshole, while avoiding/ignoring her spouse. She rebuffed all his efforts to improve their sex life. The marriage was over long before she was caught. The same would be true if it was him and her that was cheating. No way any real man/woman puts up with that kind of disrespect from their spouse. Sorry, just not at all believable.
ManoBlue wrote:
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"Reed Richards, if forgiveness is not earned than what is it. That’s exactly how it is, to think anything else is being naive. If A betrays B and than B forgives A who didn’t try to do anything to offset that feeling that’s just a glutton for future behavior. We know some much but but so little. As much as we know about emotions we still can’t control them. If you not truly contrite than what are you?"
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This story as written specifically mentions that the family was Catholic, and I gave you the Catholic position: forgiveness may or may not be asked for, but it is not something given because it has somehow been paid for. The Church doesn't really do indulgences anymore.
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More, we are taught to pray, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against is." It's simply not a matter of forgiveness being earned, but freely given.
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Now, that may not work for you; you may be totally unable to forgive any trespass against you unless it is somehow earned, somehow paid for to the last penny, but that brings up the other half of the equation: have you been perfect yourself?
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This is LW, and the commentariat here really doesn't like forgiveness, and really doesn't like reconciliation; it's a tough crowd. I suspect, though I certainly do not know, that many of the harshest critics here have been cheated on themselves, and have not been able to get over it.
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Me? I'm the asshole here, not the guy who's been cheated on, at least so far as I can know, but the guy who screwed four separate married women, though I was unaware that one of them was married until later. Personally, I would have hoped that all four could have managed to save their marriages, though I am personally aware that two did not. A lot of people don't like my stories because they just don't get it: sex is fun, and that includes adultery. I just can't take sex as deathly seriously as some people here do.
I liked the story but geez.
Get rid of the 16 chapter intro.
And introduce the characters with details through the story, not at the beginning where no one will remember.
Ok. I thought it was pretty good. Well written. Both stories hugged at my heartstrings. 5stars
5 stars because it makes me want to comment.
I do not understand why he would want her back? It isn't so much her cheating, it was the utter lack of intimacy between the two those last 4 months. She actually just isn't a very sexy or even physically loving person. Two times a month with someone she doesn't love was sufficient for her along with zero times a month with the husband she supposedly does love. He could do a LOT better with just a friend with benefits.
OK, so I generally like QM’s stories…and look forward to reading them. This offering, for me, is a mixed bag. V1 was a slog for me to get through. It felt stiff and emotionless…like reading a legal brief. Clearly QM was working on a concept, but needing human lie detectors and anticipating every little possibility was a bit much. V2, OTOH, led me to feel a range of emotions. It isn’t the best work that QM has produced, but it was a good read. I actually feel bad for readers who have such impoverished imaginations that they dislike stories that don’t end the way they like them to end. The world is a big place, folks, and it’s actually fun to let an author build a world in which you wouldn’t necessarily want to live.
I liked the story or stories. The husband's quick forgiveness seemed a little bit too easy but ok. The real problem started with the length of the affair. Four years of meeting a couple of times a month for sex wasn't believable. Yes, the relationship would have evolved or ended in four years time. If the affair had been ongoing for say six months then the reconciliation would had been much easier to believe.
Pathetic story, unrealistic outcome, the husband is just begging to be cucked again. The sad moronic fantasy of a closet cucky boy..
And Frank66, eat the corn out of my shit.. We have the same right to give honest critique if we want to. Fuck off and go back to your sisters closet and play dress up.
You set yourself a difficult task here. Papatoad's tightly-focussed original sets the scene very well and lets us (me, at least) follow Marsha's realisation that she's been caught. She doesn't seem to expect any mercy or to have any hope.
Offering these two possibilities, both leading (as you set out to do) to reconciliation seem a bit contrived. However, given the original, you will always have to do that and I am not going to criticise you for trying! I like the idea of the three options and the way that they work out. Her family and friends are definitely trying to rescue her from herself and to show their love and support for her. That is pretty much what you have to write if you are looking for reconciliation so, again, it is not a criticism. I do think that arriving back at the re-wedding in the second tale does push credibility. I think the wedding is needed (again, to meet your required reconciliation) but I think that getting re-connected with family etc. would have taken longer.
You set yourself a demanding task here and you tackle it well. Thank you, I wouldn’t have been brave enough to even try.
WOW! a very clear and strong 5 from me, and the heck with all these sniveling cowardly commenters who hated it. Yes, I read all the comments up to this time, and feel I must apologize for them. 'Well, the story didn't turn out the way I thought it should, so I'll give it a 1'..... what nimrods. This is fiction, folks, and came out of the writer's fertile imagination. The plot twists at the end were some of the most dramatic I've ever seen, and told really well. The second version is much better than the first, and I'm glad I got to read it. Thanks.
Wow, I'm still trying to decide why the first part was even written. I can't see any man agreeing to reconcile with a wife who cheated over four years within days of discovery of the affair. Now the second part seemed a bit more realistic and was well written but it still was like most of the "reconciliation" stories on this site - forgiveness was given by the spouse, not earned by the cheater. Sure she was in Vegas trying to make a living and regain her dignity praying that her family was OK. Now jump to her arrival home and her 're-marriage' to her husband is underway. Maybe this story fits better in a fantasy category.
This is nothing but pure garbage. The second version was even worse than the first. Please stop writing and do something you are good at.
In addition to my previous comment, let me add: the serial cheater, so skilled at manipulation? Bullshit, psycho babble, and a convenient excuse. ANY ADULT KNOWS when they don't want their mate to see what they're doing, they're fucking up. And four years isn't skillful seduction, it's a 2nd life. This story sucked, blew, and wiped; all at the same time.
⭐⭐⭐ 👎 This story was well-written. The grammar and spelling are better than most on this site. But, in the end, this is long-winded drek!
In both versions, a four year affair doesn't get reconciliation. This never happened, all is forgiven. BULLSHIT!!! Priests and counselors can go to hell.
In the v1: leave the kids home, no choices, drive the whore to the truck stop and sell her skank ass to every and any trucker available. Then, sell her outright! Bye bye bitch. Hope you make the news!
V2 is just ridiculous. Four year affair, took off for five. Everyone welcomed the cheating slut with open arms? B U L L S H I T!!! Children that old would hate her, without help. And the husband would have to be the most spineless wimp ever.
In general, ANY SPOUSE that takes back a cheater deserves it WHEN (not if) they are cheated on again.
He had to come up with $25,000 for the cruise. She split the cost of Room 22 for four years. Did Bethany have to repay that $20,000 to her husband?
The first one was nonsense. The second one was better but still almost unbelievable.
We knew from the story how Melissa had suffered and regretted her adultery, but none of the characters in the story knew that. What the characters in the story knew was that Melissa had lied, cheated, deceived, and had pretty much abandoned her husband and committed herself to 4 years of adultery, which might have been 5, or 10, if she hadn't got caught. And when she did get caught she did the logical thing for a selfish self centered entitled child: she ran away and hid from the betrayal and debauchery she committed, for another four years. So having all her family embrace and trust and welcome her back was ridiculous. Well, except for Dave. Of course the cuck took her back, he's the one who enabled her whoring from the start: He Was SO fucking NICE. And boring. And kind. We have to remember that "Kindness Is Everything." Fuck justice and truth and reality. They rely on you kindness, so they can fuck you over. There are LOTS of Melissa's out there.
Even in the first version Melissa was still a liar and a cheat. How many times did she surrender to having to tell the truth, only because her words were being evaluated. And it didn't help the immediate reconciliation fantasy that she wrote down TEN sexual methods that she tried with her asshole lover, but never with her husband, 50% of which she wanted to keep doing, with whoever she ended up fucking, Dave, or whoever. You made the husband less than a cuck. He's so fucking weak and self denigrating that maybe Melissa just wanted to enjoy fucking a Man once in a while?
So maybe Dave is dumb enough to believe its not his wife's fault she ended up living a double life with another man. But I doubt anyone else in the family is that stupid. Melissa fucked her way out of her marriage, fucked her way to Las Vegas, fucked her way to a job and an apartment, and having tired of that, is now given the opportunity to fuck her way back into Dave's family. Good for Melissa. I hope Dave gets everything he deserves from her. Thanks for the effort.
A very well written if somewhat unbelievable tale. I think you did a very good job of building the story and the characters. I am not a fan of reconciliation but this one did grab at your emotions and that is what a good writer does even if you don’t agree with them.
Woman do not value easy forgiveness. In fact they despise the weak man who gives it, and it only increases their desire to cheat on him. They want to feel like the guy they are with is special, strong, confident and a privilege to be seen with. If you don't understand this concept, you cannot write a "REALISTIC RAAC." You are just writing another unrealistic romance where "true love" heals all wounds and pays all the bills. The cheater sees the husband crying in the rain and it breaks her heart and she immediately changes all her values, thinking, and becomes a saint.
I really like the concept of turning a BTB into a reconciliation.
Unfortunately I feel like both versions here fail.
It may just be that picking a story where the wife has been cheating for 4 years is too tall of a hill to climb.
As unrealistic as the first version was the second is worse. We're supposed to believe that after cheating for 4 years and then abandoning her family for another 4 years that Dave is ready to remarry her 2 1/2 weeks after she gets in touch with her sister?
I just can't find it in myself to suspend disbelief that much
The second variation is just not good. Come to the wedding and be married. Nope
Well the first one was so gay I almost couldn't finish it.
Onto the second.
If you want to write stories that aren't bad, amateur fiction, one hint is NEVER use anything like this: "We husbands - talked - in the counselor's office. Based on his record, Matt is a very skilled manipulator." The "seducer/manipulator" trope is a tired device for relieving the Little Ladies of moral responsibility. If women are so feeble-minded and immature that they shouldn't be let out in public without a duena (don't know how to get the mark over the "n"), then they shouldn't vote, have jobs, or be allowed to make any important decision for themselves.
Then there is the question of plausibility. How could anyone suspend belief on a plot-line that culminates in a slut who had a 4 year fuckathon and then abandoned her family for 4 years returning one bright shining day and , to her surprise and without the slightest contact with her ex-husband, is taken to a church where she walks down the aisle for him to remarry her? Not even the Hallmark Channel would present such a cheesy, implausible plot.
On the first iteration, 4 fucking years, and she is told she has been very naughty but gets a dream vacation and a do over? WTF.
To write a plausible reconciliation the cheater can't have done something too extreme. The "February" story is one example of the type of thing no wife would ever do and stay married, unless you write your husband as a closet cuck. There are more examples of that sort of thing, as I'm sure you know. Other examples of "extreme" are the long term and/or serial adultery cases and cases whether wife gets emotionally involved with her lover. Assuming you don't have an extreme case, the required story element for a possible reconciliation is genuine repentance. This is not saying "I'm sorry", "I'll do anything to make it up to you", "I love only you." Rather, "repentance" means demonstrating that she has truly demonstrated that she has "turned away"( etymology) from her sin. To do that in a convincing way requires some extended writing involving the wife showing that she has been humbled, morally changed, and can, because of the foregoing, be trusted. A few authors hee have pulled it off, but more write simple minded, offensive RAACs.
For starters it was way too long. Believe it or not longer rarely makes better stories here. THere are a few than pull it off but they are truly the exception.
I have little issue with a RAAC IF, and only IF, its plausible. This was NOT one of those. He wanted to rugsweep, and that only leads to worse things down the road, factually speaking, she might as well keep cheating. Minimizing what she did, rugsweeping again, most marriages do NOT get through that, down the road its generally a disaster.
A couple times a month for 4 years? Sorry but theres an emotional attachment to some degree with her preferred sexual partner. And, for what its worth, marriage rarely survive long term affairs. Not just because of the sex, also the emotional aspect of it.
In the end you made him just this side of a cuck with this RAAC. It was preposterous, and about as far from any type of reality as a MAGA fan and an invite to MENSA.
Please keep writing. There are some real nuggets here that with a bit of polish could make this story top shelf. The negative comments have NO idea what it takes to write a story. I gave you 5
There should have been an Option 4 - “We will discuss the future when Ellen and I return from our South Pacific cruise”
The problem is that they're both reconciliation stories. But what she did was not forgivable. D
The second version was much much better. Good writing. I enjoyed it. This story, was not a RAAC (reconciliation at all cost) but was rather a reconciliation at reasonable cost. I think we could use some new acronyms: RACS (reconciliation against common sense) and RARC (reconciliation after rational consideration).
A suggestion for all writers of RARC. There needs to be remorse, apology, ownership of the failure, and recognition of the harm. However, there needs to be another ingredient, which is often missing in stories of reconciliation: an offer of atonement. This is not the same as punishment. The perpetrator should offer something to the victim that involves a (possibly small, possibly big) sacrifice. It could be an offer of an asymmetric post-nuptial, a hall-pass, previously denied sex acts, an offer to be spanked, being a love slave for one weekend per month. The victim does not have to accept the atonement. Don't just have the perp say, "I'll do anything." That puts the burden back on the victim. Make it a specific gesture of atonement.
Literotica is loaded with authors and would-be authors who love to take someone else's plots and rework them and "improve" them. Here we have an author who manages to come up with two alternate plots which more or less satisfies this highly critical and often insatiable audience of anonymous commenters. I do believe that most improprieties committed by people in the marital world are worthy of second chance opportunities, although there is a strong contingent of insatiable "anons" who would cheerfully boil all transgressors in oil if they could. Here we have not one, but two, reconciliation plots which work. Both fanciful and unlikely, but palatable. I give the composite a 4* for diligence and modest creativity.
Dumbass took her back. Hope she fucks him over again just for being stupid.
You should have made 2 stories out of it. Then you have 2 good stories worth at least 3 stars.
Of course it is just my opinion. But by giving the same RACC twice, just made the whole thing a waste of time reading. That is why I hated it. You are a good writing and I am wondering why you choose to merge them into one.
Keep Writing
JH4Fun
The second version was excellent. The first version was decent but had some plot gaps that kept me from buying into its premise. The second one still had some plot point that made me say “huh?”, but the powerful emotion of Melissa’s penance and resurgence over powered the gaps. The BTB crowd will still hate you, but great job. LOL! 5*
I may be in the minority but the idea that a wayward wife can be the victim of a master seducer is patently repugnant to me. Letting a cheater off the hook because they were seduced by a serial cheater than makes it their life's work to get married women to cheat in even the smallest measure completely takes away their individual agency in the affair. They chose every action they took getting to the actual affair. They were never blindsided by a sudden overwhelming desire to have sex with this guy because he had been nice to them for a week or a month or however long it took to get in their pants. They don't get any points for it taking 8 months of flirting and compliments and small gifts and whatnot while they built up a connection to someone that wasn't their husband instead of just a few weeks or just a couple of months. I actually hate that is even a concept that comes up in these stories of infidelity. Reality is that they liked the flirting and enjoyed the attention and wanted to take the affair physical at some point. All the choices were willful and the affair begins intentionally. Given these facts it makes reconciliation stories that don't depict this as flights of fancy. Reading these RAAC stories virtually always fall flat because there is no reason to take back a cheater that engages in an intentional affair for any length of time. When infidelity is depicted in some fashion close to what it actually is it makes it virtually impossible to believe that a reconciliation is possible. I can get on board with a RAAC story for a single transgression or a drunken one night stand but anything more than that and it just doesn't make sense to me or feel in any way authentic. Any person deserving of a reconciliation attempt wouldn't have chosen to cheat in the first place.
As for the second half of this story it was completely over the top and felt like a fairy tale more than a redemption. Sure she suffered but she did absolutely nothing to deserve a second chance and I would even argue that her running away was the last nail in the coffin towards any kind of reconciliation and it would be far more likely to not happen because she chose that way to deal with her betrayal. Neither of these versions had anything that felt like authenticity. I have no idea how any guy could make a choice to forgive his wife for a four year affair. Four years of distance, and waning sexual connection and just a disconnect feels like far too much to overcome trying to put a marriage back together again. That kind of shit doesn't happen in one day regardless so these stories which kind of have to have that baked into them to have any kind of punch at all emotionally always feel like a fairy tale instead of realistic depiction of cheating and recovery.
Melissa was a terrible wife to be sure, although there is no suggestion that she was a similarly uncaring mother. Well, obviously she shattered the family and hurt their father but you know what I mean. Yes, the second story had more signs of regret, I just struggle with the plausibility of her abandoning all contact with her kids for four years.
+1000 to Franceman comment.
He explains all the phase there need to be in a good reconciliation
screwing around outside of marriage for 4 years then abandoning the family for 4 years - why would anyone? don't even reach the heights of unbelievable!
Comments on second version -
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"No one will hear anything you tell me from my lips. Promise." - Not from her lips, but from the speaker phone! I wasn't positive, but I also thought that when she put the phone face down that someone was listening. I admit that in neither case did I think it was Dave listening in.
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I guessed that the marriage was going to be hers.
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Dave SHOULD have been marrying Annie!
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I liked the first version better.
I quite enjoyed part 1, even though the relative positions of man and wife were pretty extreme. As I approached the end of page 3, I was wondering how it could possibly sustain another 4 pages. All became clear: a rewrite!!
No thank you, I'd had enough. The mere threat was enough to mark the whole opus down.
I enjoyed both versions, however version two demanded more penance. It is also much more of a true fairytale.....but isn't that what a RAAC is all about? Good tale.
A leopard cannot change its spots, just as a human cannot change his mind only to hide it from his surroundings.
I'm not sure her self-imposed exile in Vegas for four years makes her a better candidate for reconciliation with Dave. No matter how miserable she made herself, it just made her increasingly distant from him. I don't see how it brings them together.
Obviously a lot of work went into it. Good effort. Just not sure I can buy either premise.
Screw the others. I think it was an entertaining read. I don't care about the seriousness of the matter. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Keep on trucking and with more happy endings,
I will add to the chorus. This is not a justifiable reconciliation. It went on too long. The wife was not contrite enough and really didn't give anything up.
The first scenario was completely implausible. The second scenario was better, given her 4 year chastity, but a 4 YEAR affair is never going to be forgivable.... together again, maybe, but not re-married at first sight.
Slogged along for a while and then I just started skimming. While you do seem to write well this was just way too long and monotonous. I could never relate or like any of the characters. You may have been better off breaking this into two separate stories. Though I doubt I would have still enjoyed either one.
While forgiveness may be a wonderful thing living with a wife you can't trust isn't much of a life in my opinion. You can spew all the psychological babbling you want to justify this RAAC but she had a 4 YEAR affair and there was no signs of it stopping until she got caught. And it really didn't seem to bother her until she found out she was just one piece of ass out of eight others and the asshole showed his true colors. As far as the thought of are you better off with or without her what makes you think she's going to change one bit?? Are you OK with her hooking up with the next smooth talker that comes along?? Are you ready to endure another 4 year affair?? Or are you willing to constantly watch and be checking up on her the rest of your life?? Life's short and that's not the way I want to spend mine.
You obviously put some thought and time into this saga. It's too long. It isn't very plausible (what man would forgive and forget an affair that long?). And given her actions and her mindset, why not go route #2 and STILL go to Vegas. Except she'd have her half of their assets, some contact with her family and the complete freedom to go anywhere, do anything and start over again. That's the route to choose. Not some convoluted re-marriage.
I think Dave was a bot to easily forgiving, but aside from that I enjoyed that you explored this from 2 angles. I think she really didn't get much in the way of punishment in the first version, so his instant forgiveness wasn't super believable. Anyone that thinks spending four years away from her family wasn't punishment, is a heartless person. Sadly yhough, she punished her whole family as well, so she still shouldn't have been given the easy forgiveness. Thanks for sharing and good luck on the next one.
"I have discovered a soft spot for reconciliations - but they have to be believable (fully understanding that 'believable' is a relative term, and given the wide audience here, settling for 51% is probably challenge enough.)." That line encouraged me to read your story because I also have a soft spot for reconciliation stories. But they have to be believable. Now I regret reading the whole thing. I dont think even 10% of the viewers will believe that something like this could have happend. I'll try to be constructive about where I think the stories went wrong. Story 1: The blame shifting already started very early in this one. You tried to sell us that it was mostly Matts fault that she cheated. In my opinion utter bullshit, its not like it was a one time event where Matt took advantage of her while she was drunk. No it was a 4 year long affair, she knew what she was doing, she loved the thrill of cheating and reveled in having that secret and even enjoyed the sex after those two things faded. You cant blame the guy and tell us she didnt know what she did and was seduced. Not in a 100 years. The most cringy part was option 3. 'We will never talk about it and move on like it never happend.' What the hell...? How is that believable? But the greatest fault was that Melissa didnt need to do anything other than to never cheat again. I can see why your test audience didnt like this one. Story 2: The start was already weird. 4 years after she ran away she still lived in poverty? Why didnt she go to work in her chosen field? If she was scared that she could have been found this way than why did she work for a casino? Its not like they dont need to legally hire her. So I really dont know why she didnt work for another financial institution, she already had the needed education for it. Then there was the reconciliation, it was almost as bad as the other one. She just appeared after 4 years to her own wedding. Nothing happend there to resemble a reconciliation. How could Dave even still love her? Their marriage was already shaky in the intimacy part of it. They had maybe once a month sex for a few years and the last several month before she disappeared no sex at all. There was not even any affection like kisses or hugs or whatever. How could anyone claim they were at this time still deeply in love? And then after he knew that she cheated on him for 4 years and then disappeared, he still held a candle for her for 4 more years? I dont know about that.... To sum it up: Both stories were very unbelievable in my opinion.
Sorry but you failed big time. This attempt was worse than the first. In this version she fucked around for 4 years then she abandoned her family for 4 more years and never did a single thing to earn a reconciliation. I guess we shouldn’t expect much from an author that thinks priests are qualified to give marital advice. One star because I can’t give less.
Hmmm.... There seems to be a rare consensus amongst the commenters so far. Rationally speaking, one has to grant that there is validity in their analyses, as there is no penalty for her transgressions applied in the first version other than public shaming in front of her family; and only minimal physical hardship (having to start over from scratch economically, find a job, etc.) and the concurrent psychological/emotional trauma of living with her own cheating and the SELF-INFLICTED loss of her loved ones and friends.
But let me introduce at least one thought from a "Devil's Advocate" position: If we are to take the author's STATED INTENTION in his introductory comments that in creating these two scenarios he hoped to write a viable RAAC tale rather than a full-blown or even partial BTB--then in fact he did so competently. Had he not...why would there be so much outrage from the pyromaniacs at the cheating bitch getting off without being burned?
Does the firestarter group believe that there is NEVER true recognition by adulterers that they have fucked up and devastated those they loved? Or that there is NEVER true forgiveness in the world? If so then why do we even preach forgiveness from the pulpit, and WHY do pyromaniacs even read RAAC stories, as doing so is automatically a waste of time.
Also: The wronged husband in the first scenario DID set up stringent BTB penalties should the wife stray a second time; and in the second scenario the very PUBLIC spectacle of the husband's forgiveness would create a CRUSHING conviction of her total worthlessness (not only in the wife should she stray a second time but also in EVERY person that she loved and held dear--kids, parents, siblings, closest friends, spiritual mentors) such that she might as well kill herself because she would have no reason to live.
For both the quality of the plot development (twice) and for presenting a "viable scenario" needed for a RAAC I say Kudos and good work. More please. 5 out of 5