Dear reader.
Have mercy on me in your comments.
I come from mainland Europe e.g. a non English speaking country.
All mistakes are mine
There is no sex in the story. Perhaps in a sequel?
===
Introductions first.
"I am Rick.
I am 46 years old. I am 6ft 3 inches and weigh about 185lbs.
What do I do for a living? I work for a major airline in the cargo division.
That entails morning, afternoon and night shifts.
I earn a decent paycheck because of the irregularity allowance.
I am in good shape. Running half marathons and working out keeps me fit.
Yes I'm married. 23 very happy years and 1 year of pure hell.
My wife is Karin. 5 feet 8 inches of beauty.
Karin works as a medical secretary at a hospital.
===
Last year two things happened.
First, the good news:
A few days ago I won the jackpot . A very tidy sum.
Second; the bad news.
My marriage was starting to fall apart.
It started with my wife, Karin, wanting separate accounts for our salary.
Karin wanted her independence. She wanted 'girls' nights out. Go to places and adventure. But without me.
Then the nagging started.
About my shifts. Me, working on the weekend and on holidays.
I never was around when needed.
After that it became my cooking. It was disgusting. So she went out for dinner.
I never had a complaint before.
I didn't participate in the household enough anymore. She made to do lists and dropped them on the kitchentable.
Now I'm not earning enough money.
After that the demands came.
Karin wanted a new car, but even when she had her own income and bank account I had to pay for it.
Same for the new kitchen, she'll never use it, but... The new sofa, bigger television and so on.
Last week I was at the end of my wits and started to seriously doubt myself.
It all changed when I returned early from my weekly 10 miles run.
It was too hot and too humid. It would be irresponsible to carry on.
When I entered the house from the backyard I heard Karin talking on the phone.
Then and there a bomb dropped.
She has a lover and was cheating on me.
Luckily I kept my wits and recorded the rest of the conversation with my phone.
Actually, at first, I was relieved. It wasn't me to blame. But I was mad as hell.
But how to react? I wasn't going to take this lying down.
I avoided being noted and went upstairs to the bathroom
I took a shower and changed into something comfortable and sat down.
It took a while before I started to function again.
Act normal.
That shouldn't be too difficult in this poisonous atmosphere.
The 'normal' being: not talking to each other except for the sneers and nagging from my wife.
What do I want?
I want out of this marriage. As soon as possible and without paying for her lifestyle nor for her lover.
I'll start to open an offshore bank account or at least an account Karin can't access.
So I had to wait to collect my prize until I had an offshore account.
Next. I needed a house. Preferably in another state.
Am I going to confront Karin?
Hell yes there will be a confrontation, but it will be on my terms.
I opened my laptop and started house hunting.
I decided on a location with a mellow climate.
In a little town surrounded by many forests I found a little house for rent with an option to buy.
Two bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and a porch, some land.
The estate agency was delighted and eager to rent it out for 6 months. Renewable after 4 months. I paid up front for the first 6 months
That went well!
Next came the bank account.
That became much easier. Now I have an official address.
I planned a meeting with my supervisor.
I handed him my resignation. I told him that I will take my vacation and comp time immediately so I won't be back anymore.
The next day I left home at my usual time, but instead of driving to the airport I went for a leisurely breakfast.
At nine I was at the lottery office. I went through the mill.
Because the money went into an offshore account the Taxman wanted his share.
I parted gladly with the money because it ensured my privacy and freedom.
After all was finalized the account showed a very nice sum of 8 figures.
