That evening, after my wife's extremely detailed account of her weekend affair with her ex-boyfriend, I couldn't put into context exactly how I was feeling. I was overcome by anxiety. My takeaway was that even though I could adequately provide for Ericka financially & emotionally, I could no longer provide for her physically. She had never gotten over her ex, and now that they have been re-acquainted it was just a matter of time before they would connect again.
So I asked her point blank if she still wanted to be married, and where this left us as a couple. Her reply was both predictable and sobering:
Ericka: "Yes, I do. I still love you. But honestly I can't stop thinking about this weekend Josh. The reason I was able to give you such explicit details is because it's all I think about. 24/7. The way he fucks me leaves me feeling powerless and only wanting more from him. It's always been this way."
She didn't even have to say it. The facts of her weekend recap were clear as crystal in this regard. I mean... while he was fucking her he asked her, as directly as anyone could possibly ask, if she would leave me for him. And her emphatic reply of "yes" should have been all a self-respecting guy needed to pack up and never see her again. But my obsession with how he was able to get her off was becoming uncontrollable.
Why though? Was my fixation on this because I loved her so much? Was it from deep-seeded feelings of inadequacy? Was I transforming into a weak, pathetic, spineless definition of a husband... giving way for this ex-boyfriend to do what he pleases to my own wife at every open opportunity?
I gave her some space the rest of the evening & night, and told her that it would be best for us both to think hard about our relationship and just how much these interludes have changed things in our marriage. I remember asking myself two distinct questions:
Do I tell her that I am not the kind of guy to be settling for such disrespectful actions against me, and just leave? Or do I stay, and tell her that her happiness is what's most important to me? All while hoping, deep inside, that they find ways to be together & continue to have sex in the same manner they did from this past weekend?
That next morning, I began to execute my plan. I went into our room where she was sleeping & gently woke her up. I told her that I loved her, and that I wanted to work through this. I told her that she would need to cut her ex-boyfriend off for good & that we would need to start over in order to save our marriage. She agreed, hugged & kissed me, and said that she would since I was the bigger man for knowing the value & difficulty of forgiveness. This was an absolute facade, on both sides, as we both clearly knew she couldn't possibly stay loyal to me as long as her ex boyfriend was even remotely in the picture and still interested in her.
So I did what any other self-loathing, weak minded & tiny-ego individual would. I told her that I needed to go out of town for work and that I would be gone for a couple nights. My plan being, of course, to facilitate a situation where she would contact her ex and arrange for some 1 on 1 time with him.
I've never partaken in any type of voyeur behavior before... so I furiously researched all the best methods to cover my tracks and make her think I was actually away. While really being close, so close in fact, that I could see with my own eyes in the moment what he does to her.
That morning I actually bought a real plane ticket, printed the itinerary, and set it on the kitchen counter... very visible to where Ericka could see them and feel secure that I was for sure leaving town. I went to a local security system store & bought three (3) wireless spy-microphones (not cameras) that provide high-quality audio transmission. I placed the microphones strategically throughout the house with hopes that she would have a phone conversation with her ex & make plans on how / where they would meet. I put odds at 50/50 for this. I then packed a bag in front of her, and lied telling her I was going to the airport.
I got in the car, activated the voice recognition on the wireless microphones I had placed throughout the house. Bingo. Not five minutes after I had left, Ericka received a phone call from her ex.
Ericka: "Hey stranger. I got your text yesterday... sorry I didn't call you back. Josh was here. It killed me not being able to get back to you for so long"
Ex boyfriend: "So when are you coming to see me?"
Ericka: "You won't believe it, but Josh is headed out of town on business for the next two nights! I can meet you anywhere you want."
Ex boyfriend: "Good. Drive to the Alliance Hotel & Suites outside of Jacksonville. Pay for the room & be there in five hours. I can stay there tonight & tomorrow night."
Ericka: "Oh my God I can't believe I'm doing this!! I cannot wait to see you baby."
And just like that, Ericka commited to two more nights of cheating on me. And I knew exactly when and where she would be. I could not control myself, as I raced through the next steps of what to do. I've never wanted to see something so badly in my entire life. So I immediately asked myself, do I want to set up some type of hidden camera equipment in their room? Or perhaps, do I go all the way & actually try to hide in the room while they're going at it??
I quickly thought of the consequences of either option. Both could be irreparable. But I had to see Ericka get fucked. I was obsessed with visualizing how someone could satisfy her the way she had been satisfied this weekend.
So I made up my mind. I was going to be in that room. So I quickly looked up the hotel, and decided right then and there to drive to the property myself in advance of Ericka and her ex boyfriend arriving. I was flying down the highway, easily doing 90-95mph in my car with no regard for traffic. Ericka was still at home, and I was able to listen on the hidden recording equipment while driving, hearing the details of her reservation. I then arrived to the Alliance Hotel & Suites where they were set to rendezvous in just 3 hours & 45 minutes.
On the fly, I went into the hotel & pretended to be her ex boyfriend... and used all the information Ericka supplied on her reservation call to acquire a key. Boom. I got the key, and was headed to her room on the 13th floor... about to witness my wife cheat on me with another man... completely unbeknownst to them both.