The Second Chance

For those of you who have stayed with me until this chapter, I am very thankful. I am also quite pleased that I have received mostly higher ratings for my first endeavor.For those who made the effort to comment, I thank you for offering an opinion. While I think it is true that most people who take the time to write will be critical, fortunately, in my case, most of those criticisms have been constructive in nature, and I have learned from them. Being human, I would also welcome words of encouragement and praise, so if you like it, please do not hold back. I think the loving wives category is the most difficult and challenging, but I find it the most fascinating and engrossing.

I'm still struggling to find an editor, and I have made some more inquiries, but as of yet I have not found any.

In this chapter, Robert learns the truth. It is not the last chapter, but there will be resolution of some conflicts. For those of you who are interested, there will be sex in this chapter. No one under the age of 18 will be depicted as having sex.

I am still able to alter the ending if anyone wants to offer ideas about revenge.

Chapter 11: The Second Chance

I found myself seated in my sister's living room, my heart racing with a blend of excitement and trepidation, as I awaited Robert's imminent arrival. The air was charged with anticipation and nervous energy, knowing that the moment had come to lay bare all the carefully amassed information I had in my possession. The weight of revealing my authentic identity bore down on me, my mind entangled in uncertainty over how he would receive such unexpected news. Contemplating the impending shock that awaited him, I grappled with the decision of whether to pair the revelation of my truth with the evidence of Stacy's intricate scheme, or to allow him the space to absorb the initial revelation before introducing the rest. After discussing it with my sister, we ultimately concluded that it might be wisest to unveil each revelation in succession, opting to lead Robert through a series of revelations, one step at a time.

Jessica went to get Antoinette from the crib and then sat down on the couch to breast-feed her as she chatted with me. She knew I was a little apprehensive and she tried to reassure me.

"Don't worry, honey, everything will be alright," she reassured me. "I understand your concerns, but remember, you were drugged and coerced, not acting willingly. Robert is a physician who has an analytical mind. I believe Robert will understand that you did not have control of your actions."

"But suppose he does not believe me. Suppose he doesn't forgive me for hiding the truth from him after the girl's night out?"

"I think he will forgive you. If he does not, you can ask to go to counseling. Dr. Lambert has already offered to intervene on your behalf. I am sure that Robert will respect the opinion of a colleague and see it like a rape and not consensual sex. Hiding the truth from him may not have been a good decision, but it was understandable, and I am sure he will find it in his heart to forgive you."

"Jessica, I was coerced, but not forced at gunpoint. "I said, still feeling anxious.

My sister smiled warmly and said, "You have nothing to worry about. With your charm, you could sell Robert the Brooklyn Bridge right now!" We shared a laugh, finding some comfort in the lighthearted moment.

"Don't worry honey things will go just fine," she reassured me.

Then she added, "By the way I forgot to tell you that your boyfriend. Jake rang my doorbell this morning."

"What did he want" I asked.

"He said that he was looking for Anne," responded my sister. "He said that he thought she was out of the hospital and that she might be living here. Well, I let him in. I knew he was a friend of Roberts and I remembered him from your high school days. I did not want to be rude, so I invited him inside for a cup of coffee in the kitchen. I told him that I have not seen Anne, at least not the Anne we both remember," she said, giving me a little wink.

"But I told him that I will let him know if she visits. Technically, that is not the truth, "she said, smiling, a little wicked smile.

I chuckled a little. "He is probably snooping around, hoping to be able to find her so that Stacy can tell the process server where to go. "I said.

"Yes, you're probably right, hopefully that will never happen." She said.

"He didn't say anything about Jean Sutton, did he?" I asked.

"As a matter fact, he did mention that he thought his girlfriend was the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, and he thinks you're a special woman." She responded.

"He is right about me being a special woman, but he is dreaming if he thought I would really date him, let alone marry him after what he did to Anne. I knew Jake in high school, and although he always was a handsome boy and kept himself fit, he has a very weak personality. He was shallow and let us just say, 'been there, done that.'"

Jessica said, "It is a pity that he let Stacy influence him because he is handsome and he seemed quite charming."

"Lately Jake has become more interesting than the kid I knew in high school. But, after helping Stacy to destroy my marriage, I hate him," I said resolutely.

The doorbell chimed, prompting Jessica to answer its call. Meanwhile, baby Antoinette set her down to peacefully slumber in her crib. My sister exuded a maternal aura, dressed in a soft, pale yellow chiffon gown that elegantly highlighted her natural grace. The gentle sway of her unrestrained curves, accentuated by the absence of a nursing bra, carried a captivating allure. With her post-pregnancy weight shed, her figure boasted a slender waistline. Jessica's unwavering commitment to self-care and her radiant appearance never ceased to earn my admiration. As she delicately prepared to express milk, I could not help but contemplate the prospect of motherhood myself. Just as she completed the nourishing task for Antoinette, another knock echoed from the door--a visit from Robert awaited.

"Hello Robert, come on in. You already know Jean Sutton?" She said, ushering him into the living room where he took a seat on a sofa. I saw his look of surprise when he saw me.

"Hello Jean," said a curious Robert. "Looks like I can't seem to stop running into you."

"Hello Robert. Jessica invited me to come."

Jessica took a deep breath and looked at Robert resolved to begin. "Yes Robert, I want you to know that Jean is a good friend of your wife Anne."

Robert had a look of shock on his face. "What? Why didn't you tell me Jean? I had no idea. You pretended like you did not know her?" He said anger building up in his voice.

"Now just hold on Robert. If you thought I was coming to advocate for Anne, would you have listened to me? Would Stacy have let me near you?" I asked him bluntly.

Robert frowned, and spoke sternly, "so that is why you asked me to help you find a job in Columbia Presbyterian, to ask me to reconsider Anne's story?"

"Robert, someone had to get you to get past the hurt and open the door to communicate with your wife. Yes, I deceived you, but it was for a good cause and it worked. If I had not intervened, you would still not be talking to her and you would never have come here asking to discover the truth about her cheating."

Robert's angry face softened and then he put his head down and spoke quietly, "I guess not. I guess my inflated ego has taken over my head for a long time now and I have acted a bit childish in not having an open conversation with Anne," he said remorsefully.

"But Jean why isn't she here? I told Jessica that I wanted a face-to-face meeting with her. I cannot locate her. Do you know where she is?"

"So, you can tell the process servers where to have her served?" Jessica interrupted. I already told them I did not know where she is when they knocked on my door looking for her!" She said sternly.

Robert looked embarrassed. He looked at us both before speaking.

"That was not my doing. Stacy had called my lawyer and told him that he could find Anne here. She did not discuss it with me."

"Well, Robert since when you letting Stacy speak for you in your personal affairs?" Said Jessica.

"Look, I am sorry about that, but I do not want to talk with Anne about a divorce. I wanted to ask her why she cheated on me. You know Jean. What you told me about that evening. Maybe there is more than what I saw!"

"Yes, Robert there's more than what you thought happened that night," I said. "I found out the whole truth if you care to listen?"

Robert looking contrite locked his eyes on Jessica and said, "I am sorry I never let you explain. I was angry and I could not let go of it. I was hurt profoundly and blinded by rage, and I closed my mind to you and Dave and just about anyone who was sympathetic to Anne!"

"Look Robert," said Jessica. "I understand how you felt. It was a horrible thing to discover that your wife was unfaithful to you, especially in the atrocious way that you discovered it. Maybe, had Anne not been involved in that accident, then with her persistence you might have relented sooner." She said in a conciliatory tone.

"Jessica, I have spent all my anger. I still love Anne. It started that night of the accident. I did not want to see her suffer. I really do not hate her anymore. I just want to know what happened? Where there drugs involved? Tell me what you know, please I want to listen," he said imploringly.

Jessica turns towards me with a gesture, indicating that I should begin. I took a manila envelope from my briefcase and took the photo made from the video that Tanya had given me of a naked Robert being straddled by Isabel. I pulled out the photograph and showed it to Robert. The photograph was a bit blurry, but you could recognize both Robert and Isabel.

"First explain to me how you got into bed with Isabel Silverman?"

Robert's face looked ashen as he studied the photo and recognized his nude body being straddled by a naked Isabel.

"Where did you get this photo? That cannot be me! It is impossible! I do not know that woman! The photo is fake!" He said. Then, he looked at Jessica. "Are you trying to make me look like the bad guy here?"

"No Robert," I immediately spoke up. "You are not the bad guy. We did not fake anything. This photo comes from a cell phone video I want you to watch so you can see what Anne saw that night. Your just another victim here like she was of a conspiracy to break up your marriage."

I pulled out a DVD from the envelope and opened my laptop on the coffee table and put in the DVD and started the video. Robert sat in stunned silence as he watched the video of his wife opening the door and catching a view of naked Isabel jumping up and down on top of a naked Robert which looked like fucking. He saw the look of horror on Anne's face as she ran out of the room crying.

"My God! I must have been drugged! Look, I'm not making a move to help her!"

"Yes, Robert, you were drugged. Jean has talked to that woman Isabel who said Stacy had paid her to play a joke on Anne. She is ready and willing to back up what we say here about the whole incident. If Anne had tried to approach you that night, Isabel was instructed to say that you must have passed out drunk after coming on to her. But as it happened it was even better since Anne never realized that you were unconscious, and she genuinely thought you were cheating on her. Stacy was right there to lead her away quickly and to comfort your wife now with alcohol and ecstasy in her system confused and upset. Stacy suggested to Anne to do a revenge fuck with Joe Silverman.

Both Jessica and I explained the whole story. How Stacy had given Robert knock out drug and had given Anne ecstasy to drug her. Then Stacy pushed a drugged Anne into another room where there were three swingers thinking that your wife wanted to try swinging with them and get airtight. Although Anne did not want to do it, they forcibly stripped her and began to hold her down making love to her.

I said to Robert, "Stacy then went into your room and awakened you with smelling salts and then brought you to Ann's room to catch her stripped naked right at the point they had begun to assault her! But, when you head that angry reaction startling all the men, they stopped and noticed that Anne was incapacitated. So, they stopped immediately and never did have any real intercourse with her."

Robert looked stunned! Then, his face turned pale. He looked like he was sick. He jumped up, ran to the bathroom and I could hear him heaving his guts out. After a few minutes he staggered back to the living room, pale and sweaty with an enormous look of pain on his face. Jessica got up to bring him a glass of water, but he gestured for her to sit down again.

"No, Jessica, I am all right. I want to continue. Jean, what about the video of the stripper and Anne? How did they manage to stage that? Was Anne drunk that night? He said with increasing apprehension.

I continued with my story, "Yes, I talked with Linda Stapleton. Do you remember her? Stacy and Anne used to hang out together with her when you were a hospitalist. She was there that night and took the videos. She is also willing to testify about how Stacy drugged Anne that night and paid the stripper extra to treat Anne to a special service. Jake never showed you the video where Anne struggling to fight back with her drugged mind and punched the stripper in the chest. But Linda gave me copy of the video that she had."

I proceeded to play another DVD which Robert had never seen showing Anne struggling to get away from the stripper who stopped smiling when she struck him in the chest and ran away from him picking up her clothes.

Robert just looked completely dumbfounded and anger was building up in his eyes. "That is not what I was told happened. I cannot believe how evil Stacy is! That witch destroyed my marriage and caused me to hate Anne while she had been raped twice! I will kill that bitch! I will ring her neck!"

"Robert calmed down. We need to get together and decide how to get revenge on Stacy. But you need to know that your supposed friend Jake was also in on the deal." I said.

"Why didn't Anne come to me and tell me what happened to her when that stripper raped her? I wish I had known. I could have helped her get through it. We could have gotten her evaluated for drugs. "He said in frustration.

Jessica spoke up, "I do not know Robert you will have to ask her. I asked her why when she first told me what happened. I told her that it was a mistake, but she was so upset that night."

"Look at it from her point of view. She was drinking and had never been drugged before and she had not realized that she was on ecstasy. Secondly, the setting was so embarrassing that no matter how she explained it, you would have thought she was a girl who had too much to drink and acted like a slut. Furthermore, none of the women witnesses would have thought that she was coerced into sex. I doubt the police would have charged anyone with a crime after the fact. Lastly, in her mind it was not consensual sex and thus, not a true betrayal and so she would have been tempted to put the ugly incident behind her and pray that you would never find out."

"It is something about which we must talk. She should have told me the truth and trusted me to be fair. But, in a way I also took the cowardly way out by not talking with her when I first discovered her infidelity. Rather than talking to her about it and finding out the truth, I ran away licking my wounds and I shut her out of my life. We are both guilty of this."

Robert looked like he was completely dead. He had red eyes and was struggling to hold back a whirlwind of emotions from profound anger to profound grief. "What a compete fool I have been. No wonder Jake was always talking badly about Anne as if she were a slut in school."

This time I raised an eyebrow," What exactly did he say?" I asked hesitantly.

Robert proceeded to tell everything that he could remember that Jake had said. All the innuendos and lies that he had fed Robert without ever having had a chance to confront me. He even told me what Billy had said about me sleeping with the football team.

"Robert those are all lies. Nothing like that ever happened at Silver Lake High. I never slept with the football team, and I know that Billy still hangs out with Jake occasionally, so I bet Jake put him up to say those things about me!" I said forgetting to pretend that I was Jean.

"What do you mean you? You mean Anne! And where is Anne? I must speak with her. My God I have done some terrible things and I must tell her that I still love her, and I need her back in my life. Please Jessica! Please tell her I need to speak with her! I am desperate here! I am so sorry that I was not there for her during her recovery from the accident! I am so sorry that I did not give her a chance to explain! I cannot believe how much I betrayed her. She was an innocent victim, and I did not know it! Oh my God! She was in the ICU, recovering from a subdural hematoma, multiple fractures, mandibular and maxillary fractures, on life-support, and I walked away. What have I done!" Robert broke down sobbing and I started to lose my composure. With tears in my eyes, I went to comfort him and hugged him tight. I could not speak, and Jessica saw my anguish and spoke up for me.

"Robert, I will tell Anne everything we discussed here today, and I will set up a meeting with you soon. But you must know that Anne is different from before. The accident changed her.... Jessica stopped speaking, trying to find the right words.

Robert let go of my embrace and turned to Jessica. "Oh God Jessica I would be forever grateful to you if you explained how much I love her and how much I want to make it up to her, if she could forgive me!" He pleaded.

"Uh, Robert it is not so simple. Her appearance has changed..." she began to say. Robert began to understand.

"Do you mean Anne has been scarred d or disfigured from the accident? I do not care what she looks like! She could look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and I would still love her with all my heart!'

My heart leapt for joy when I heard Robert say those words of unselfish love. I was tearful bursting with joy at hearing his proclamation of devotion and undying love for me. It was time to end his pain and show him Anne O'Callaghan. But, how to tell him.

Once again Jessica came to my rescue. "OK Robert you will meet Anne here tonight for dinner. Her appearance will be entirely different from what you expect. You must prepare yourself for this shock."

"Jessica, is Anne using a wheelchair? Is her face disfigured?" Robert responded, fearing the worst.

"No nothing like that. She had extensive plastic surgery however and looks like a different woman. She lost a lot of weight and has been in rehabilitation. Everything about her is different, even her voice!" Jessica said.

"Oh my God! I cannot believe that I was not there through all her pain and suffering! I am in shock now and I am having trouble processing what you are saying. Can she forgive me? I never stopped loving her. I know that bitch Stacy lured me into her bed with sex. I was very depressed and vulnerable. But now I want to strangle her... oh God what have I done," Robert wailed tears filling his eyes.

Jessica ran over to comfort a tearful man with me. I was fighting to retain my composure and not give away my secret.

My sister managed it well. "Robert please do not worry. She wants to talk with you and in my heart of hearts I know she will forgive you. But honey you need to say nothing about this to Stacy or Jake... ok?"

Robert struggled to regain his composure and stood up. Thank you, Jessica! You are the best sister-in-law! What time shall I return for dinner?"