One Storm Leads to Another

The camera moved to three other couples but then swung back around to Mel and David. This time, Mel broke the kiss, looked up and saw them on the screen. The look of sheer panic on her face was impossible to hide. She buried her face in David's chest pulling his head down so he wouldn't look up.

For fifteen minutes Henry sat on the floor tears flowing from his eyes. He alternated between muttering questions like, "Why Mel?" to sheer anger, "Fuck you Mel and for sure I'm going to fuck you, David Miller!"

As he began to regain his composure, he realized he had to move and move quickly. In the Corps he had learned if you sit still and do nothing, you die. If you move and take the fight to the enemy, you have a chance. He began to move.

Henry called his good friend and attorney Michael Lipscomb. Michael was a bit surprised by a call at 9:30 on a Friday night but was even more surprised to hear the topic. He told Henry how sorry he was and pushed him a couple times asking if Henry was certain, it was Mel. Once convinced he told Henry to hang up but take the call that would be coming his way within the next five minutes.

Three minutes later the phone rang. He didn't recognize the number, but it was a 512 Austin area code.

"Hello, this is Henry Canne"

"Hello Mr. Cane, this is Erica Hamilton, attorney at law and a good friend of Michael's.

"Hello Mrs. Hamilton, thank you for calling me".

"Call me Erica and I'll call you Henry," Erica responded. Henry was about to say something, but she kept going.

"I'm sorry to be short with you Henry, but time is of the essence. Your wife is at a concert with another man, and you witnessed them on live stream being intimate, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"OK, where were they sitting and what were they wearing as best you can tell?"

Henry answered as quickly and succinctly as possible.

"When we hang up send me the most recent and best picture you have of your wife. I have a PI on the way to the concert as we speak. He will be there in ten minutes and he's going to stay on them all night and the rest weekend if necessary. We need to gather as much evidence as we can as quickly as we can."

"OK, thank you."

"Henry, can you figure out an excuse to stay in Sioux Falls for a couple more days? I'd like our evidence to be airtight and just one night at a concert isn't going to cut it. If you can stay snowed in or doing some more work for your client, we have a better chance of catching them with their pants down. Please pardon my candor."

"Yes, I can arrange that." Henry replied.

"OK, Henry, send me the picture ASAP and sit tight. I'll call you back no later than noon tomorrow with an update. Call your wife in the morning at a reasonable time and let her know you're delayed at least until Monday night. I assume your employer will be OK with this."

"Yes, I'm a senior VP so my schedule is flexible. There is some more work I could do here with a client on Monday."

"Great, I'm sorry, I must run. We will speak tomorrow."

Henry was grateful for the conversation and quick action. His head was still spinning, and he had no idea what the eventual outcome would be, but clearly this woman was good. He didn't sleep much that night and on a side note, he never listened to FGL again.

By 5:30 AM Henry quit trying to sleep. He got up and looked outside. The snow was lighter but still falling. He flipped on the local station. A total of 22 inches had fallen in the last 36 hours. Quite a record for Sioux Falls. Clearly, nothing much would be moving until later in the day or even the next.

Henry began making notes.

• Cheating was a nonstarter for him. Whether this was the first time or the hundredth didn't matter. Trust broken between close nit relationships was something he wouldn't tolerate.

• As if cheating wasn't bad enough, the contempt they both showed him was beyond the pale. They were slow dancing and making out in a very public setting in his town. Even if only one or two acquaintances saw them, the word would be spreading. "Did you hear Melanie Canne is cuckolding her husband with her boss?" No way he would put up with that bull shit.

• He reviewed his actions as her husband for the last five years. He'd always been faithful, not that women were pounding on his door. He rarely looked at another woman. He was head over heels in love with Mel and that meant he was completely faithful to her. They fought from time to time, but he was a good husband to her. Caring, friendly, protective but always respecting her as his equal partner. Nope, he didn't deserve to be treated with such derision.

• He made a spread sheet of assets and liabilities

• He made a very short list of people he'd need to call including his boss, dad and two buddies from the Corps.

• He made a list of next steps pending his conversation with Erica.

It was only 7 AM so he tossed on his sweats and went to the hotel's fitness room and worked out hard until nine.

After showering and getting some breakfast he picked up his phone. There were two texts from Mel wondering how he was and telling him how much she missed him. She mentioned the concert was OK, Sue had joined her. More disrespect.

He decided to check something out. He probably should have waited to run it by his lawyer, but he was, after all, a Marine. Inactivity in the face of crisis didn't seem to be a good option. The phone rang twice before it was answered.

"Hey Henry," Sue said, "I heard you're stuck in Sioux Falls. I saw the weather map, it looks terrible!"

"Hey Sue, yeah, it's a white out around here. Texas hasn't had this much snow in one hundred years much less a day or so. I'll be glad to get back home."

"What can I do for you Henry?" Sue's voice sounded nervous.

"Listen Sue, I was just wondering. How did you like the concert last night? I thought the opening song 'This is how we Roll' was sweet! I watched it live stream from my hotel room."

"Yeah Henry, it was a great show, I know Mel had fun, but really missed being with you."

"Thanks for saying so Sue. Can I ask you one more quick question before I let you go?"

"Sure."

"I know you're a huge FGL fan, so I'm wondering how the hell you could confuse 'This is how we Roll' with 'Up Down' which was the song they opened with last night. How is that possible Sue?"

It was quiet on the other end of the line, so Henry continued.

"Sue, I know you are Mel's friend, but I also considered you a friend along with Jim. (Her husband) But now it appears you've chosen sides and are willing to throw away our friendship so she can fuck her boss. I'm not sure what I did to you and Jim to deserve such disrespect, but your betrayal cuts very deep with me."

Sue had a huge lump in her throat and tears began to form in her eyes. It was dawning on her she'd chosen poorly in covering for Mel. No friend would ever ask someone they cared about to help them be dishonest and hurtful towards others.

"I'm so sorry Henry," she responded in just above a whisper.

"How long has it been going on Sue? How long as David Miller been fucking my wife?"

"About six months Henry."

Henry had prepared himself for something like this but hearing it for the first time brought him up short. He had to struggle to keep his composure.

"Sue, does Jim know you're lying for Mel and helping her betray her wedding vows to cheat on me?"

Sue gasped, "Oh no Henry, Jim knows nothing about any of this. He would be mortified and completely ashamed to learn of my role."

"OK Sue. For the time being, I won't tell Jim about the part you've played. Everything will come out soon enough and I'm sure he'll have questions you will need to answer. Jim is a good man, so my advice to you is come clean when the time presents itself. In the meantime, if I hear that you've breathed a word of this conversation to Mel, I'll call Jim myself and make damn sure he understands in no uncertain terms the roll you played in helping Mel hold me in contempt and destroy our marriage."

Sue was now crying. "No Henry, I won't say anything to Mel. I won't even answer any texts or phone calls through the weekend. I'll find a way to avoid speaking with her. I'm so, so sorry and ashamed Henry."

Henry clicked off without saying goodbye. On the other end of the conversation Sue began to realize the depth of her stupidity in the name of friendship. She knew she would have to talk to Jim sooner instead of later. Sooner would probably be best.

Henry next called Mel. She sounded sleepy but played the loving wife to perfection. She pouted quite a bit when she learned he wouldn't be home until Monday night at the earliest. She and Sue had fun, but it wasn't the same without him. She had little planned for the day, run some errands, do some picking up around the house. Nothing special. She'd save special for when her hubby got home, she promised. She ended the conversation with a dutiful, "I love you." Henry replied, with "Goodbye." She thought that odd, but then David was fondling her breasts and pinching her nipples in a way that was driving her crazy, so she didn't give it another thought.

At 11:58 AM Henry's phone rang. It was Erica. She gave a very brief update and then told him she'd call back around seven that evening with a thorough report.

She called at 7 PM on the dot. The long and short of it was as follows.

1. The PI was very, very good. He'd gotten into the concert and took more pictures. Mel had been spooked by the cameras for a while, but by the time the concert was ending they were again hugging and kissing.

2. They went back to Henry and Mel's house. The PI had anticipated this and had an associate plant recording equipment in several rooms. They spent the night being very vocally sexual in the master bedroom.

3. Later in the kitchen they'd had a very casual but revealing conversation about their relationship going back to when it started. They freely mentioned several sexual escapades in the confines of the law office. They also discussed how to continue keeping it a secret.

4. They went out to lunch and then back to the Canne's bedroom for the afternoon and evening... more sex.

5. The PI would continue to surveil and record, but Erica assumed it would be more of the same

Next, she wanted to know what was on Henry's mind. He'd been thinking and jotting notes all day. He laid out his musings to his attorney.

"She's scorned me publicly and privately for six months. The marriage is over," he began.

"She needs to feel the humiliation she's heaped on me with her friends and family. The truth of her actions need to come out. No reason to amplify or exaggerate. The facts speak for themselves, but no irreconcilable differences bullshit."

"I want her served at work ASAP. I want his wife to know when I'm serving Mel and maybe she can coordinate and serve the dick at the same time."

"Same outing goes for David the dick. I want his wife to have everything we have on him. I hope and pray she takes him to the cleaners in the divorce. I also hope his partners have more moral fiber than him and force him out of the practice. Maybe if we threatened to sue the firm since they had sex in the office on numerous occasions, we can motivate them in that direction."

"I don't want to stay in the house. I need to sell it. Too many memories. In all honesty, I don't know if I'll even stay in Texas. However, I don't want her in it either. Hope we can just do a 50/50 split through a sale. I also want to protect all my assets like a fiend. I don't mind using my money to pay off cars or other small debts, but I sure as hell don't want her getting any alimony from me. She just got a big bonus and was already pulling down low six figures."

Erica asked a few clarifying questions. She told Henry it was highly likely with his ability to earn good money she'd get some alimony. However, if the law firm had a morality clause, they could clearly show her infidelity brought down the marriage. That could help.

Henry would stay in Sioux Falls, or back in Austin, under wraps until Tuesday midday. Mel would be served mid-afternoon. Erica would try to track down Mrs. Miller before then and see if she wanted to join the fun.

Henry noticed Mel never called him again on Saturday or through early evening on Sunday. She and the dick must have been having a wonderful time. He knew he'd have to ring her, or she might get suspicious. He called around nine.

"Hey, you, I was just thinking about you and realized we hadn't spoken since yesterday. I hope your still heading home tomorrow. I can't wait to get my hands on you, I've missed you so much!"

"Sorry Mel, but it will be Tuesday. I have a fight through O'Hare that will get me home around 3 PM so we can plan on dinner together."

"OK," she replied sounding disappointed. "But the next time I run into James (the CEO and Henry's boss) I'm telling him no more winter trips! He ruined a perfectly good weekend we should have enjoyed together."

"You tell him whenever you want when see him again," Henry said almost chuckling at that thought. Inside he was thinking, "What a fucking cold-hearted evil bitch you have become Mel."

They talked for another moment or two and before they hung up Mel said, "Henry, I love you so much. You know that right? You know how much I love you."

"Yes Mel," Henry replied, holding back some new tears, "I know exactly how much you love me," and with that he hung up. He simply couldn't allow himself to let her humiliate him even if he gave her a clue, he knew what was going on with her. "She will never humiliate me again," he thought as he hit the speed dial for his boss James, to keep him in the loop.

Henry was sitting at the kitchen table on Tuesday afternoon by three sharp. He wasn't sure when Mel would be home. He knew from Erica; everything was moving forward. She would be served sometime between two and four. Apparently, Mrs. Miller had already forgiven the dick for two earlier affairs with women such as Mel. She was in no mood for a third and gladly hired Erica to represent her as well.

Both Henry Canne and Diane Miller were named as complainants in the civil suit against Conner, Simms & Miller. Erica reminded both she didn't think it would go anywhere, but word on the street was although Conner and Simms weren't necessarily choir boys, they weren't the type to put up with a lack of morals that harmed their practice. Perhaps the dick might be shown the door.

At 3:15 PM Erica called to let Henry know the deed had been done. While they spoke briefly on next steps Henry's phone was blowing up with texts and calls from Mel. In order, the texts read...

"WTF???"

"How dare you humiliate me at my workplace?"

"Answer me you prick!"

"You better be fucking home when I get there."

"I'll never forgive you for this!"

Henry had only seen combat on two brief occasions. His work in communications was a combat support role. But every Marine is trained to be a rifleman and twice in Iraq, he'd ended up caught in a firefight. Neither had lasted long, and his captain, who never praised anyone, pulled the young 1st lieutenant aside and told him he'd done just fine for a rookie. Henry's experience in the battle was keeping him calm and resolved about the fight about to erupt in his kitchen.

"Henry, Henry, where the fuck are you?" Mel screamed coming through the side door off the driveway.

Henry sat silently at the table. Mel came around the corner with a file in her hands and threw it violently down on the table.

"You motherfucker! You served me divorce papers at work? How could you do that? How could you be so cruel? Do you realize how humiliating that was?" Her tone then softened just a bit. "Why Henry" Why would you file for divorce? We love each other, we have a great marriage and a glorious future in store. What are you thinking, talk to me!"

Henry remained calm. He realized this was the first time he'd laid eyes on Mel since the terrible revelation he's had on Friday night last. Her eyes looked hollow and puffy. She was jumpy and nervous. He noticed she'd opened the divorce petition, but it didn't appear she'd gone through the file.

"Sit down Mel and we'll discuss this."

"Don't tell me to sit down you bastard! Who do you think you are? Are you fucking some bimbo on the side? I swear I'll cut your nuts off if you are!" She was hovering over him.

"Enough is enough," Henry thought to himself. He stood and towered over her. Looking down with a calm but grim expression he said once again in a voice that commanded attention. "Sit down Mel... now!"

She sat.

"Mel, have you even looked at the file attached to the divorce petition?" She shook her head side to side but didn't reach for the file. "Well let's have a look at what led to my world crashing down around me last Friday night.

First, here is a picture of you and David the dick at the concert. Nope, not Sue as you lied to me, but your boss. That's a lover's embrace and passionate kiss the two of you are enjoying."

Mel pushed back from the table as if the picture was a rattle snake getting ready to strike. "David it's not..."

"SSSHHH, quiet Mel, this is my time to talk. You'll get your chance. This next item is a thumb drive. I'm not going to put it in and play it, you can do that on your laptop later. But it is a recording of you and the dick having sex in our bed last Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Included is also conversations had right here at this table in our house between you and the dick discussing past sexual romps and how to keep me and Mrs. Diane Miller in the dark going forward."

"By the way, I know your office isn't right next to the dick's so you may not have noticed Mrs. Miller served him divorce papers as well today. Not sure how he's going to explain getting caught fucking an employee for the third time to his teenage kids, but that's not my problem. You knew you were number three, right?"

Melanie flinched at this revelation. Obviously, she thought she was special, the only one outside his marriage he'd ever been with. Seems the dick was also a great liar, but then again, he was a lawyer, what did she expect?

"Right, anyway, there are more pages outlining your betrayals as best as Sue could recall. Apparently, she realized covering your ass was about to cost her her marriage to Jim, so she turned state's evidence to use legalese. Another way to say it is, she threw you under the bus and told all. All the nights she lied and said you were with her. Even the girls weekend away last November was a ruse for you and the dick sneaking off to South Padre. By the way, I wouldn't call Sue anytime soon. Jim was very clear the marriage was over if she spoke to you outside his presence."

"Finally, you have a copy of the civil suit Diane Miller and I are filing against your law firm. Fucking the dick in our marriage bed doesn't violate any company guidelines. However, his desk, he couch, his private bathroom are all parts of the law office so that is where we may have a case. Our attorney believes we have a fighting chance on that one."

"So, my dear slut wife, that is why I'm divorcing you. You've crushed my heart in a way I don't think I'll ever be able to put into words. I was so upset last week when I had to fly to Sioux Falls because I was excited to spend time with the only women I've ever loved. The only woman I ever wanted to love. My wife, the person I hoped would be the mother of our children. Then, as I sat and watched the concert on live stream, hoping to get a glimpse of my girl singing and dancing, making the best of us being apart with her faithful sidekick Sue. I almost died when I saw her in the arms of another man, lusting after him, welcoming his kisses and caresses. My soul was destroyed in an instant."

"I think I'm a big enough man to take being wronged Mel, even seriously wronged. People aren't perfect. I'm not perfect. Forgiveness always needs to be part of a marriage. But you didn't wrong me, you held me in contempt. You deliberately humiliated me for everyone to see. That, I cannot, I will not abide. I won't be married to you Mel, not for one moment longer than is necessary for the divorce to go through. I won't make it easy on you. I'm going to keep as much of my money as possible. Your family and friends will know what you've done. I won't hide the truth from them for someone who spit in my face with her actions. You're on your own now, I guess it is what you may have wanted all along."