Law of the Heart: the Real Deal

This is an alternate ending to "Law of the Heart" by Headhuntertales.

To fully understand my ending you will need to read his entire story. It is a great story and I know you will enjoy it.

I have added three new characters: Sharon, Jake's old love interest in Washington D.C. and Jake's parents Ted & Jeanne Roberts.

My ending picks up the story somewhere before the end of Headhuntertales' chapter 6

I am going to use a few of Headhuntertales' exact words here at the beginning and once more shortly into the story. They appear in italics……

I used my best lawyer skills to talk, cross examine and question my wife. I didn't directly attack her or even tell her what I knew, I just kept negotiating. Jill never picked up on what I was doing. Words like: "We can be as happy as ever"; or "We each can confess our needs to each other"; and "Can we agree that our family is more important than anything else?" None of the bargaining tactics worked. At the end of the evening, Jill was in tears claiming not to understand what was going on with me and I had moved through the bargaining stage into that of 'Depression.' The next to last stage my Law professor had told us about. By the end of the evening I had failed. It was like the "Pre-trial mediation had failed and now we had no choice but to go to trial."

My ending begins:

Jake's Story

I told Jill that I thought I needed some alone time and was going to leave for a while. She wanted to know why I had to leave and where I was going to go. I told her that I had to think through a few things and that I was going to take a few days of vacation. I told her that I thought I would go down to Washington D.C. for a few days because I could think better on my home turf. I said I would take the opportunity to stop in and see my parents and some old friends while I was there.

I could see a visible flinch when I mentioned Washington D.C. and that is exactly what I wanted to happen. My old high school and college girlfriend Sharon lived in Washington D.C. and Jill knew it. Jill was jealous of Sharon and she didn't like it one bit that I had mentioned Washington D.C. Sharon and I had been quite an item back then and in all the years Jill and I had been married I believe that Sharon is the only person that Jill felt threatened by. That knowledge played into my plan perfectly.

I left her there to contemplate me going to Washington D.C. and I went up to our bedroom and threw some clothes, my razor, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a few other personal items into a suitcase. I tied my wedding ring with a little ribbon and added her wedding ring and engagement ring from the back of the wedding album where I had taped them. I attached them at the exact spot where the photographs of our ring ceremony were attached in the album. I also left a long letter addressed: "To My Loving Wife, Jill," and replaced the wedding album in the bottom drawer of her dresser.

I walked into Little Jake's room and caressed his face and kissed him goodbye with tears streaming down my face.

When I came downstairs Jill said to me, "Jake, please don't go to Washington, D.C. alone."

I said, "Why not Jill? You were in Miami alone with me here, why should my going to Washington alone and you staying here be any different?"

She had no comment.

Of course I wanted to get her thinking about what she did while she was alone in Florida and begin to worry about what I might do while in Washington.

I could see the tears welling up in her eyes as I walked toward the door. I turned and said, "I am going now."

Again from Headhuntertales:

As I left I gave bargaining one last shot. "Jill, please let me know when you are wearing your rings. Maybe then....." I let the sentence hang as I quietly slipped out my front door.

I drove downtown to the Holiday Inn Select – Government Center Hotel and checked in for the night. They have a pretty decent rate for a park and stay package and I wanted a safe place to leave my car while I was in Washington D.C. The hotel was also in close proximity to the Downtown South Station so I could easily catch the early morning train to Washington D.C.

I sat in my hotel room thinking about Jill, our marriage, her cheating and all that was going on. I thought about the letter I had left for Jill and everything I had written to her.

I am afraid that I didn't get very much sleep that night. I just couldn't seem to get all of those thoughts out of my head enough to fall asleep. I must have dropped off at some time though because the next thing I knew my phone was ringing for my wake up call.

"Mr. Roberts," she chirped, "It is 6:00 a.m."

I showered quickly and hurried to make it to the station for my 7:20 a.m. train to Washington. I knew the trip would take between six and seven hours and I would have plenty of time to sleep or contemplate the state of my marriage. I made it to the station with time to spare and boarded the "Express" about fifteen minutes before it departed.

Thankfully I was able to get a couple of hours of sleep while on the train so I wasn't totally wiped out when I got to Washington. Upon arrival I went to the phone bank in the station and called my mom and dad.

"Hi dad, it's Jake," I said. "I am going to be in town for a few days and was hoping I would be able to stay with you."

"We would love to have you stay with us Jake," he said. "We have been expecting you to call."

"Why is that dad?"

"Because Jill called us looking for you," he stated.

"What did she say dad?" I questioned.

He replied, "She didn't say much at all. Just what is going on Jake?"

"It would be best if I wait to tell you about it when I get there dad," I flatly said, "I am sure you will agree."

"Okay Jake, but your mother and I are worried about you."

"Don't worry dad," I said, "It will all work out somehow. See you in a little while. Goodbye."

"Okay, goodbye Jake."

When I got there we exchanged all of the usual hugs and kisses and I took my bag to my old room and got settled in. I was really dreading telling my mom and dad about Jill and I but I knew I had to do it sometime.

When I went downstairs I asked them if they would come sit with me so I could explain what had happened and why I was there.

I didn't give them all the details but I did tell them that she had cheated on me in Miami and I found out and she denied everything. I laid it all out so they understood perfectly what had happened and my reactions. I told them that I just needed to be away for a while and give myself the opportunity to sort things out.

I did not mention my letter to Jill because I didn't want anyone to know it existed until she discovered it. I knew my parents would not intentionally tell her, but I wanted her to find it on her own if she ever did.

I told them I was going to poke around town for a few days and would spend time with them most evenings. Dad offered to let me use one of their cars which I knew he would.

I also told them that I was not going to return Jill's phone calls and that they should tell her I just wanted to be left alone for a while. I didn't tell them I would be checking my cell phone calls though.

On Thursday I went and took in the Smithsonian Institute. On Friday I visited the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials. Saturday I made a trip out to Arlington to see the cemetery. I was doing everything I could to get my thoughts off of my troubles and look at the great things that had been done for our country.

In the evenings I would sit and talk to my parents and just reminisce about the past and all the good times. Each evening after I went to bed I would go online and download some data files for a project I had to work on while I was away. Those first few days I didn't contact any of my old friends and acquaintances.

Sunday we went to church and spent the whole day looking at family picture albums. I have to tell you it was awfully difficult to look at pictures of Jill and I without getting emotional. I think my mom noticed and soon the albums were put away.

During those four days Jill had called twice looking to talk to me and was told I needed my alone time. She never left a message so I did not return her calls.

I checked my cell phone every day and there were several messages from her but she never told me she had found her rings so I did not return her calls.

Monday morning I made the trip to the Supreme Court. I had planned all along that I would spend some time there. As a lawyer it was like viewing the highest peak in a mountain range. The Supreme Court embodied all that I found just in the nation. It was the last word on right and honorable in my opinion and I just wanted to spend some time there.

Spending the time there brought me back together

On Tuesday I got in touch with a few of my old friends who still lived in the city and made arrangements to meet with them throughout the week. During the days I hung out with my parents or did some sightseeing, and then in the evenings I would go out for a while with my friends. All the time I was thinking about Jill and wishing that she and I were enjoying ourselves with my old friends. I regretted that she wasn't there but I was able to have a good time. Each evening I would update the data files for my special project. My course was set, it only depended on Jill now.

During that time I did not talk to or see Sharon. A couple of guys mentioned that she was in town and that they talked to her on occasion.

By the time Friday rolled around I was pretty depressed. I was certain that Jill hadn't found my letter and I knew my marriage was going to be over. It was over a week and she had not called and left the message that she had found her rings. I was sick about it. Hurt and disappointed that in all that time she hadn't thought to look at our wedding album.

Did she even care that I was gone? She had left a few messages but none contained the right words so when I didn't return her calls she had given up. Now the one call I hoped to get seemed out of the realm of possibility. It wasn't going to happen.

I called Sharon to see if she would be able to meet me for cocktails and dinner. She was very surprised to hear from me and was excited about meeting me but had reservations. She said she knew I was married and wanted to know why I wanted to meet her. I told her that yes I was married and I just wanted to see her since I was in town. I told her the truth, that Jill and I were having a problem and I just wanted to see her and talk to her. Sharon was never married, having dedicated her life to being a nurse at Georgetown University Hospital. The fact that she never married is one of the reasons Jill was always so jealous of her.

Sharon asked me if meeting me might make my problems worse and I said I didn't see how they could get worse. She finally agreed to meet me, but she had to work until 5:00 p.m. and wanted to go home and change before we met. That was fine with me so we agreed to meet at Black Salt, a seafood market restaurant at 7:30 p.m.

I arrived early as usual and was seated when Sharon arrived. She had hardly changed from the last time I had seen her. She had the same curly blond hair, cute figure and a radiating smile. I rose from my chair to greet her with a hug and light kiss to the cheek. She hugged me back and sat down across from me.

We had a couple of drinks and shared a crab appetizer. When dinner arrived we also shared a bottle of wine. The conversation flowed freely between us and in short order we had gotten caught up on much of what had happened in our lives since we had parted. Oh, I am sure that neither of us shared everything but enough that we got caught up very well.

We laughed about the "good old days" and all the fun we had had. We even talked about why we had broken up back then and neither of us had bad feelings about it. She had wanted to go to nursing school and stay in Washington and I had felt it was time to move out of the city to seek my law career. I think at that time we both knew it would be a point of contention so why make that trouble for ourselves.

Anyway, we had a very pleasant evening together and I hugged her and put her in a taxi for home. I told her that I would call her and let her know what happened with Jill and me.

When I got to the house my dad said, "Jake, I think there might be a problem. Right after you left Jill called. I didn't recognize her voice at first and she asked if you were still here."

I said, "No Sharon, he just left and should be at the Black Salt by the time you get there."

"She instantly started to sob and it was then I knew it was Jill," he said. "She didn't leave a message and I could still hear her crying as she hung up."

"Oh Jake, I am so sorry," he cried.

If the truth were known, I thought that was great. Jill could perhaps finally feel my pain. I did nothing wrong in having dinner with Sharon and I had no guilt at all. I will admit that I just wondered if she and I would still connect and we did, but I had no intentions of pursuing that at the moment. I just wanted to know.

I said, "Dad, it is okay. Maybe it will make her think of our marriage in a new light and that is what we need to happen. It is okay, really."

Saturday afternoon I checked my cell phone messages and there was still none from Jill.

Saturday night I didn't feel like going out any more so I stayed and visited with mom and dad. Late at night I downloaded my project data files and went to bed. I did not sleep much because I felt the impending doom of the end of my marriage.

Sunday morning I packed my things, said my goodbyes and took a taxi to the train station for my return trip to Boston.

I checked into the Holiday Inn again and spent the day working on my project.

I called Sharon and told her, "Sharon, everything here is a total mess. I really don't want to get into it all at this time, but I just wanted to let you know. Give me some time to sort all of this through and I will call you again."

She said, "Jake, I am so sorry you have to go through all of this. Whenever you want to talk, just give me a call."

I thanked her and hung up.

Monday morning I called my attorney and set up a meeting with him. I went through the entire scenario with him, giving him all of the information I had.

Monday afternoon Jill was served with divorce papers. Included with the papers was a brief note from me that said, "Jill, you probably should look through our wedding album. I am sorry you didn't think enough of our marriage to do that on your own. Jake"

Jill fills in the blanks.

The whole time Jake was gone I was in a terrible state. I knew I had cheated on him and I suspected he really knew something had happened but not exactly what. I figured if I just kept on denying everything eventually he would let it go and we would be alright.

I got extremely angry when Jake's dad thought I was Sharon. I knew he was going to see her and I was overcome with jealousy. It was the first time I felt my marriage was really at risk but it also infuriated me.

Then on Monday afternoon I was served with divorce papers and you could have tipped me over with a feather. I couldn't believe Jake would do that to me, he loved me too much. I read his brief note and went to look at our wedding album.

Oh my God, there were my rings and his rings. There was a long letter from Jake addressed to me. He said, to Jill My Loving Wife, but at that time I knew he didn't mean it anymore. Here is his letter.

**************************************

Dear Jill:

Since you are reading this letter you have obviously found your engagement and wedding rings. You have also found my wedding ring. Your discovery has probably raised a lot of questions in your mind about how your rings got there, why my ring is there also, what I know about Miami and what is going to happen to our marriage and our family. This letter should answer all of your questions.

First of all the rings are in the wedding album because I hoped at some time you would actually reflect back on our wedding and what our marriage should have been all about. I placed the rings by the pictures of the ceremony of the rings because that is where we took our wedding vows.

Do you recall our wedding vows Jill? I do, I recall every word as if they had been spoken yesterday.

Pastor Stillman said, "The vows you take today are a commitment to make a life together knowing with the uncertainties of the future that your love for one another will remain constant through it all."

Turning to me he continued, "Jacob David Roberts, do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, to live together in holy matrimony, to love, honor and comfort her, keep her in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, as long as you both shall live?"

I said, "I do."

Switching his focus to you Jill, he said, "Jillian Ann Lowell, do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband, to live together in holy matrimony, to love, honor and comfort him, keeping him in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

You said, "I do."

He went on, "The exchanging of the rings symbolizes the sacred bond that exists between you. As the circle of these rings knows no end, so may the love declared here today by the two of you never end and forever be renewed."

Again turning to me he said, "Jake, repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed, in love and truth, and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow."

I repeated every word.

He asked you again, "Jill, repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed, in love and truth, and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow."

You repeated it.

He then said, "In as much as Jake and Jill have this day consented together in holy wedlock and have given and pledged their troth each to the other in the presence of this company, by virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of the state of Massachusetts, I pronounce you husband and wife."

He grinned and added, "You may now kiss your bride."

Jill, as I write these words to you I am sitting here crying my eyes out with a heart that is broken.

I know everything Jill. Well, maybe I do not know everything, but I know enough, actually more than I wish I knew.

My case ended very abruptly on Friday morning and I knew if I rushed I could make the early afternoon flight to Miami so I didn't even go home to pack or even call you. I just made it to the flight and I couldn't call you from the airplane so when I landed I thought I would just surprise you at the reunion. The surprise, however, was going to be all mine.

When I got to the beach resort I was told that the lawyers were on an afternoon cruise on two different boats. The boats were scheduled to return between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm so I walked down to the dock to wait for you.

When the first boat arrived you weren't on it and I didn't see Steve, Meredith or Sally either so I figured you were on the second boat.

I just sat there talking to this old guy on dock. His name was Frank and he said he always came down to watch the hot women get off of the cruise boats. He had a pair of binoculars which he said gave him the advantage of seeing the women before they put their suits back on.

My ears perked up when he said, "The second boat is the Mendoza twins. They always have hot women on their boat."

Well by this time I wasn't feeling too hot as you can imagine so I decided to just sit and wait it out. It wasn't very long and Frank spotted the boat coming in and he piped up, "Yep, they got a few naked ones on there today."

Well, you know the rest Jill, you know what I saw. I saw my wife on Juan & Hector's boat topless. I saw Meredith, Sally and Hector's wife topless. I saw the touches and special attention that Juan was paying to you.