A Second Chance

I unlocked the front door with my key after knocking, stepping inside to my home. I could suddenly hear the sounds of passionate lovemaking coming from my wife's bedroom. The bed springs were groaning under the motion, the headboard banging against the wall, my wife moaning loudly.

"Fuck me hard, Oh my god, fuck me, yes! Don't stop Jarrod, I going to cum!"

I stood there frozen in the lounge room, unsure what to do. This was certainly an awkward position to be in. You might be thinking that my wife was cheating on me, well she wasn't. That's what made this awkward.

My name is Mark Thompson, I'm twenty-seven years old and married to Jodie who is a year younger. We got married about three years ago, and about a year and a half ago Jodie gave birth to our beautiful daughter Sienna. So, what has that got to do with Jodie being fucked in her bedroom by this guy Jarrod?

Well, while Jodie was heavily pregnant with our daughter, I began a sexual relationship with a woman I work with named Traci. For the last three months of Jodie's pregnancy, then the next three months after Sienna was born, I would sleep with Traci whenever her husband was away travelling for work. Yeah, I know, what an asshole I was.

Traci and her husband Rick have an open marriage of sorts, in that he travelled a lot for work and was free to enjoy himself while on the road. Likewise, Traci was free to enjoy herself while he was away. For six months I was who she enjoyed herself with. There was never any deep emotional connection between us or anything close to that, it was just fun sex. Traci made it clear when we began that she was not looking for a boyfriend, she would not leave her husband, and would not tolerate me contacting her while her husband was not travelling.

That suited me fine as I too loved my wife, Jodie. I was not looking to replace her, it was just that we had stopped having sex as Jodie's pregnancy went into the last trimester. I'm not proud of myself, or that while Jodie didn't want sex for the first couple of months after giving birth that I continued to see Traci when the occasion arose. People could ask 'how can you say that you loved your wife and yet cheat on her when she's pregnant?' Well, I didn't really have an answer for that, though I did love her.

It turned out that one of Traci's neighbors knew Jodie, and well, Jodie immediately separated from me starting divorce proceedings. We were to have a twelve-month separation prior to being able to finalize our divorce. We had separated fifteen months ago now, but Jodie has yet to sign and file the final divorce letter.

That meant that legally, she is still my wife.

I have a key to what was our home, although I had moved out when we separated. Every Saturday I would have Sienna, or at least spend time with her at our home. Today was one of those days, it was twenty to eight on a Saturday morning and I was meant to be there at 8am to pick up my daughter for some father daughter time.

So, there I stood in the lounge room, unsure what to do as I could hear my wife being fucked to an orgasm. Should I collect Sienna and leave a note, no, that would seem creepy, sneaking through the house taking my daughter while Jodie and her boyfriend were having sex.

Should I wait for them to finish, again no, I wasn't going to wait out here, for Jodie to know that I sat patiently waiting for her to finish fucking this guy. I did want to check on my daughter though, and I stuck my head into Sienna's room to see her sound asleep in her cot. I quietly left the house and drove to the shops to buy a few things. I texted Jodie to let her know that I was running a little late and would be there by 8:30 hoping this would give her enough time to finish.

When I returned Jarrod's car was no longer in the driveway, so I knew they were done. I again knocked before entering the house, Jodie always said I didn't need for her to open the door for me when I arrived, that it was still my house too. Considering I was still paying for most of it, I agreed.

As I stood once again in the lounge room Jodie came walking out looking freshly showered, drying her hair at the same time.

"Hi Mark, I'll be back out in a minute." Jodie turned and headed back to the bathroom.

"Do you want a coffee? I could do with one myself."

"Yeah sure, you know where everything is."

I made two coffees and placed them on the kitchen table, taking a seat waiting for Jodie to return.

"Thanks for that." As Jodie sat down with me.

I wanted to ask her about her new boyfriend, some guy that was going to be around my daughter. I wasn't sure how to ask that without pissing off Jodie. I knew Jodie had been out on a few dates with different guys over the last few months, she had dropped off Sienna on those nights. I wasn't happy with this situation, but I figured I owed her after what I had put her through. I was unaware that she was now in a relationship with one of her dates, or at least was having him stay over and was sleeping with him.

"What have you got planned for today?"

"I'm taking her to the park, the one near the lake. Should only be for an hour or two. Then we'll be home and I was hoping to be with her here a bit longer if that's okay?"

"Yeah of course. Do you have diapers in your car? Powder and some baby wipes too?"

"Yeah, I just bought some extras on my way over."

We both sipped on our coffees, I still wanted to ask her about this guy.

"Can I ask you something?"

"If you have to ask permission, maybe you shouldn't be asking."

I sat there looking at Jodie, she was just reminding me what I had lost. She was a beautiful woman, at 5 foot 7, long blonde hair, with a knockout body even after giving birth. She was always focussed on her fitness and had gotten her body back to her pre-pregnancy shape a few months after giving birth. What I liked most about Jodie however was her pretty face and hazel eyes that had a blueish tint. I always get lost staring into her eyes.

"Well? Are you going to ask or not?"

"I was going to ask if you're seeing anyone?"

"Why are you asking? You know I've been out on dates a few times."

"I just want to know if some guy is going to be spending time here with Sienna."

"No, you don't get to ask me that."

Jodie was shaking her head, I could see her pleasant mood beginning to change.

"Are you still seeing Traci?" She fired back at me.

"No, I stopped seeing her when we separated. I've told you that before."

I looked away from Jodie, I didn't want to start an argument, or keep one going.

"Have you been on dates since Traci then?"

I looked back up at Jodie wondering where she was going with this.

"A few, yes."

"Did you have a relationship with any of them?"

"No, not really."

"So, you just slept with them then?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"I'm just concerned who you might be hanging out with when you have Sienna. None of my business though, is it?"

Okay, this was not a conversation that was going to go well for me if it continued.

"I'm sorry, you're right. I have no right to ask you about who you're seeing."

Jodie just stared at me. If her eyes were lasers, I would probably have a hole bored through me at this point. I was aware of how much I'd hurt her, that I turned her life upside down and broke her heart. What was nagging at me though was that she had not yet filed to finalize the divorce for the last three months, why was she waiting and stringing me along when it was clear that she was now with someone else?

"Can I ask why I haven't received the final divorce letter yet?"

Jodie angrily rose up from her chair and headed towards the bedroom.

"I'll sign it for you now if you want it that badly."

"Jodie, wait! I'm not asking for you to do that, I just don't understand why you are dragging this out if you are seeing someone else. I get it if you're trying to punish me."

Jodie stopped and turned around to face me, then walked over and sat back down to drink her coffee.

"I'm still so angry at you Mark, for what you did. They say it gets easier with time, and if I'm in a relationship with someone new. So maybe I'll feel better about officially ending our marriage soon, but I don't want to sign it while I'm still angry, I have Sienna to think about."

"So, are you saying there might still be a chance for us?"

"No, I don't think so. I just want to make sure that I'm doing the right thing for our daughter. I don't want to do it while I'm still emotional about it."

"Okay, thanks for being honest. Look, I should get going, is Sienna still asleep?"

"What do you mean still? You haven't been in to see her yet."

I just shrugged and made me way to Sienna's room, hoping that Jodie would not figure out that I was here when she was fucking Jarrod. Although it would explain for her why I was asking about which guy she was seeing.

Over the next three months I continued to come over on Saturdays to see my daughter, the conversations with Jodie were cordial, pleasant even. She was not making it difficult for me to see my daughter, she was not being a bitch about my cheating, she had still not filed to finalize the divorce. It was like being stuck in limbo, while part of me was trying to move on, part of me was hopeful that Jodie would take me back. But seeing that she now had a boyfriend, that was unlikely.

During those three months I had also been out on a few dates with a woman named Katherine, she was lovely and easy to be around. On our third date we ended up back in her apartment for a good night of sex. However, after our next dinner date she decided to end it claiming that I wasn't ready for a long-term relationship like she was. I'm not sure how she came to that conclusion, I never said I wanted only a fuck buddy or a causal relationship. I never spoke about my wife and rarely mentioned my daughter to her. I don't know.

I arrived at 8am on the Saturday morning as per usual to see Sienna, knocking on the door then entering the house. Jodie surprised me, she was sitting on the couch, and had been obviously crying. Now Jodie isn't someone that cries often, I could count on one hand the times I had seen her crying and it was always for a serious reason.

My instinct was to go to her and comfort her.

"What's wrong?" As I moved beside her to put my arm around her.

"No, don't." Jodie said firmly and put her arm out to stop me from embracing her.

I sat back a bit, not sure what I should say or do. I felt a little rejected to be honest.

"What's got you upset? Is it your family?"

"No." As Jodie replied she looked up at me with anger in her eyes.

By the way she stared at me I wasn't sure what to say, she was clearly upset and somehow it looked like I was to blame.

"I just broke up with Jarrod, or he broke up with me, I'm not sure anymore."

Alright, I get why she is upset but how was this my fault? Maybe she just hates all guys at this moment. I just nodded and said nothing, giving her time to explain if she wanted.

"He wasn't ready to be in a serious relationship with a single mom with a baby, and not with the dad hanging around."

"What, would you both rather I didn't see my daughter?"

"I think he would rather not see our daughter. He wasn't interested in bonding with her at all which I was getting annoyed with."

"It's probably hard to be with someone who has a young child that's not your own."

"What are you on his side? He knew I had a baby when we first started dating."

"Fuck no, I'm not on his side. I'm glad he's gone."

"Oh really, you would rather see me all alone while you go out there and fuck whoever you want?"

"That's not what I meant. I want you to be happy, I want it to be me making you happy though."

Jodie looked into my eyes, then let out a sigh.

"That's not going to happen Mark, not after what you did to me. I don't know if I can ever trust you again."

"How will you ever know if you don't give me a chance?"

"I just can't, I won't let you hurt me again like that, I can't go through that again."

"And yet we're still married eighteen months after our separation."

Jodie looked away from me, as her tears began to flow again. I was not making it better for her.

"Why? You told me you were sorry, you told me she didn't mean anything to you, but you never told me why. Why did you cheat on me when I was so vulnerable, when I needed my husband to be with me through having our first child? Why would you do that to me? To us?"

Ah fuck, now she wants to have that conversation. I couldn't look Jodie in the eyes, looking down at the floor feeling the guilt that has followed me for the past year and a half. I had asked myself this question plenty of times, I have tried to justify it to myself so I could sleep easier.

"Whatever I tell you won't help, it'll just make it worse."

"I'll decide that, just tell me. Tell me truthfully."

"Alright, first though I'm not trying to make excuses, I take responsibility for what I did, and that it was my fault, okay?"

Jodie nodded, I still couldn't look her in the eyes though.

"When you were getting more and more pregnant, you started to not want to have sex as much, then not at all. I know that sex was becoming uncomfortable for you, but I was missing the intimacy with you."

"I was seeing myself in the mirror you asshole, I was as big as a whale and feeling ugly and fat. I had my hormones going crazy. I needed you to be understanding Mark! It was the first time I had gone through all of this."

"I know, I should have been. Instead, I felt like you were rejecting me. I was too selfish, too ignorant to understand what you were going through."

"So what, you chased Traci to get some pussy that you were missing at home?"

"She saw that I was distracted a lot at work, frustrated. She offered me a way to 'relieve' myself."

"How fucking nice of her."

"She and her husband have an open relationship, they can play with others. To her it was no big deal, it was just sex, she loves her husband."

"That's nice that her relationship with her husband gets to fuck up my marriage."

"It wasn't meant to, it was just meant to be a bit of fun while you had the baby then we would go our separate ways. Besides, it's not about Traci, it was my fault. I never should have done it."

"So why didn't you go your separate ways after I had the baby, Sienna was three months old when I found out you were sleeping with Traci."

"Because you still didn't want to have sex with me after having Sienna, you didn't want me to touch you."

"That's because I still felt fat after having the baby. I was feeling depressed, I wanted to get back into shape so I could feel attractive again, and again you only thought about yourself."

"I know, I did. And I've had to live with the knowledge that I was a selfish ignorant twat."

Jodie was quiet, just watching me.

"So, I don't see you cry much, was this Jarrod guy that great that he brought you to tears to lose him?"

"No, and fuck you. It's just all of this. I wasn't meant to be seeing Jarrod, I wasn't meant to be going out on dates with other guys. This was meant to be the happiest time of my life, newly married, my baby girl, our own home, a good job, and being madly in love with my husband. You asshole."

"If it makes you feel better, I agree with everything you just said, including the asshole bit at the end."

"Go and get Sienna, I will see you when you get home."

My morning with Sienna was wonderful, I never cared much for other people's babies except to smile and say how gorgeous they are regardless if they were or not. But once you have your own little girl looking up at you, it changes everything.

I did give some thought to the conversation I had with Jodie this morning, that we finally talked about what happened, that she sort of admitted that she missed me although she also said that us being together would never happen. I was confused about what to do, I didn't want to hang around waiting for Jodie to come around while she fucks other guys in the meantime. Also, that if there was a chance, I didn't want to mess that up by dating someone else. I don't know.

I decided I would wait and see what Jodie wanted to do, I wouldn't push her though. If she started to date someone else, then I would too and we would go our separate ways. If she didn't date nor would I, it was the only plan I could come up with.

Over the next few weekends, we were getting along a lot better. Better than just being cordial, almost like friends, but not yet how we used to be. I never wanted to give myself hope, but I was starting to think there was a little bit there. We even texted each other a few times most days, and not just about our daughter.

Then I got the text asking me if I would mind having Sienna tonight, Jodie has a date. I reluctantly agreed, unlike previously I intended to make this the last time.

I know I shouldn't have been getting my hopes up. Jodie has been clear that we would not be getting back to together, so I don't know why I let a bit of hope creep back in. Now I had to figure out my way forward, one without Jodie.

I arrived at our house at 7pm to pick up Sienna, Jodie's date was for 7:30pm. As I went inside, Jodie came out of the bedroom dressed for a night out. Damn she looked stunning.

"Hey Mark, thanks for doing this at short notice."

I just nodded, trying to bite my tongue.

Jodie stopped what she was doing and looked over at me, I think she could sense my bad mood.

"Why have you got that sad puppy dog face right now?"

I gave Jodie a stern look.

"Because you're about to go out on a date with another guy. I was hoping that my wife, the mother of my child, might want to give her husband a second chance before jumping on the next guy."

"You know I said that we could never get back together, right? You chose this path, not me. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life alone Mark, I'm going to meet someone nice and be in a relationship, maybe get married again. You're going to have to deal with that."

"Alright, I said my bit, and you've made your decision. What time do you want Sienna back?"

Jodie let out a sigh, arguing with me right before her date was not something she was enjoying, I'm sure.

"Why don't you stay here? It'll save you driving back and forwards, and I won't be out too late I promise."

"You expect me to sit here while another guy comes and picks you up? Do you want to just take my balls now or are you planning on doing that later?"

"Mark, you don't get to play the jealous card. Not ever. Besides I'm not trying to hurt you, I just thought it would make it easier for you, but it's up to you."

"Fine, let me go check on Sienna, if she's wide awake I might take her for a drive."

I went in to see Sienna, she was laying in her cot, quietly playing with a little stuffed toy. She smiled up at me when she saw my face, and called me 'daddy'. I could hear a car pull up in the driveway and the door close. Jodie's face then appeared at Sienna's door.

"Hey Mark, my date is here, if you do take Sienna for a drive can you lock-up please?"

"Yeah sure."

Then as the front door opened, I could hear a guy's voice talking with Jodie, then the door closed and it was quiet.

Within ten minutes Sienna had fallen asleep, so I decided to watch some TV. How did I end up sitting here waiting for my wife to return from a date with another guy? She needs to get a babysitter, she made her choice clear tonight that there was no hope for us, so I need to do my own thing, and sitting here waiting for her is not one of them.

It had just gone 10pm and I was checking in on Sienna when I heard a car pull into the driveway. The lights in Sienna's room were off, so I walked over to the window and peered out to watch as Jodie and her date got out of the car and made their way to the front door. One thing I noticed is that the guy is pretty big. Not fat, but tall and solid looking. He towered over Jodie even with her having heels on, so maybe he was at least 6'4 or 6'5.