Now It Ends

There is no sex in this story.

Now It Ends

It has been 10 years since I last sat for a job interview but here I was at the age of 44 looking to continue with the work I love. My name is Alex Price and I am a mechanical design engineer. I am new to the area and the truth is this company used to be one of my biggest rivals. I have a feeling they will offer me a job when they see what I can offer them.

Soon it will hopefully all come together. My plan that is, the plan I have to get rid of my cheating wife.

I met Holly in 1993 and even now I can picture her from back then. She was beautiful and so confident. I on the other hand was shy and introverted. I guess being raised by a domineering bitch of a mother would do that to a guy. She was also ably assisted by the ugly sister's. Their names were Megan and Anna and they bullied me all through my childhood. Megan was the oldest and 13 years my senior, Anna was 10 years older. I guess I was a mistake and not planned and they all blamed my birth on the separation of my parents. My dad left home in 1977 when I was 5 and never returned. Only recently have I found out the truth.

"Come on in Mr Price, it's good to meet you."

I was immediately drawn to the warmness of Robert Williams the owner of Sutton Hydraulics. He was a complete contrast to the bastard I was leaving.

"Thank you for seeing me Mr Williams," I said cordially.

I took a seat in his impressive looking office as he sat opposite me and began to speak.

"I'm surprised you're leaving Walker Engineering Mr Price."

"Please call me Alex and I can't wait to be out of there," I replied.

"They're doing great work there Mr Price...Alex sorry."

He was still looking at me with a sense of confusion on his face.

"Well I'm doing great work there Mr Williams..."

"Please call me Robert," He interjected.

"As I was saying I've been working hard the last 10 years and it's been my designs that have driven the company forward, all to no real gratitude and recently to absolutely no respect."

He looked at me seriously for a few seconds. I had let nothing on about my situation and for now I was willing to keep it quiet.

"Well without doubt I want you here Alex. I can offer you the package you have asked for which accounts to a few thousand pounds pay rise but you also suggested on the phone that if you could help win us a few more contracts you would like to be paid commission, is that right?" He asked furrowing his brow.

"Yes."

"I hope it's not anything illegal Alex, I'll have no part in that," He said.

I raised my hand to insure him of my honest intentions.

"I have a lot to do with our customers. I speak to them on a daily basis. I know how much they are charged for our products and I know the contracts pretty much inside out," I started to explain to a studious looking Robert Williams.

"How would anybody know if we offer a better deal? And with my designs and your team here we can become the top dogs in the game. What do you think?" I offered confidently.

He held out his hand and I shook it. I looked him in the eye and could see an honest and decent man stood before me. Another part of the plan was completed.

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Now back to my cheating wife Holly. We met at Kingston University in South London. She was in her final year of a creative writing degree and I was finishing my masters in Mechanical Engineering and Design. Like I said I was way too shy to approach her and she was never short of attention from men. She was 5ft 5 with brown hair and big brown eyes. The type you could get lost in. She had a nice body but I knew she was out of my league. The guys who chased her were all outgoing and popular.

To my surprise one of her friends got talking to me at a party and Holly came over and joined us. I had little experience of women and I think being humble and bashful made me attractive to her. I managed to build up the courage to ask her out and began dating. I am not ashamed to say that she took my virginity but after around 6 months of dating I heard a rumour that she had been screwing around with other guys, I had no way to prove it and was afraid to confront her.

Holly was a spoilt child; her parents spoiled her and her sister Caroline and most of our relationship I had to put up with her acting like a princess. If she did not get her own way she would create a fuss and she wouldn't hesitate in creating problems in public, which just caused me embarrassment. My friends couldn't stand her and thought I should get rid of her but I fell in love and I had never really experienced that before.

When we graduated we both found jobs and managed to find a flat outside of Southampton in Hampshire. Her family were from there and I had long since stopped having anything to do with mine. We were married a year later and the following year we welcomed Sophie to the world, shortly followed by Ava a couple of years later.

Holly loved being a mother and everything between us seemed to be great from then on. I got promoted a few times and then 10 years ago I started working for Walker Engineering. The increased salary and bonuses helped us to save for a better house, but like most people in the world 2008 was a bad year.

The economic downturn meant that many people lost their jobs. Contracts were harder to win so we all had to up our game and work longer hours for no extra money. It was at this time when both the girls were full time at school that I realised Holly was having an affair with some guy from our old university. I was so focused on work that by the time it ended I was none the wiser who he was, my best friend Toby thought it was a guy in her class that had moved nearby. I confronted her once about it and she just laughed in my face and told me to stop being stupid. But I could tell she was lying.

The fact I was able to keep my job and the good salary meant I was in a great position to buy a nice house. Holly was always on at me to own a house that befitted our status, whatever that meant, but I conceded as I always did and we managed to buy a beautiful detached 5 bed house in Southampton. It was a buyer's market at the time so we got a good price even though the mortgage was a little steep.

One thing I did do that was out of character was to open a new savings account in my name only. I only put my end of year bonus in it and with me being the sole breadwinner and the one responsible for all the finances and banking, I don't think Holly would have known about it even if I waved the receipts under her nose. In retrospect this turned out to be one of the best things I could have done. I needed some protection because I was not sure if Holly planned on dumping me if the old lover ever returned.

After that time everything seemed to go back to a semblance of normality and the girls were always a top priority for me. I encouraged them in education and made sure I spent plenty of time with them at weekends. In fact it was me who took them to dance classes, concerts and to the zoo on more occasions than I can remember. Holly always seemed too busy on her coffee outings with her other spoilt and lazy friends.

I rarely socialised with the other husbands but we all seemed to be henpecked and under the thumb to varying degrees. My friends used to sing 'Under my Thumb' by the Rolling Stones to me when I had to cancel plans in favour of whatever Holly wanted to do. Even at work the guys on the factory floor would make comments about my marital situation, especially Holly's control over me.

It was only a few months ago that it all came to a head. Ava had just left for university and for the first time in 18 years Holly and I were alone. Both the girls were attending our old alma mater and as I finished unpacking Ava's belongings into the apartment she would be sharing with her sister, she turned to me and asked why I was even with their mother. I was gobsmacked as she was always such a quiet girl like her old dad.

"Dad I heard she's screwing around with Henry Walker at your company," Ava said. I can remember the tears in her eyes even now as she spoke.

It was news to me but I was not surprised. All these years I could have investigated her affairs and never did for fear of breaking up the family and my girls suffering for it and resenting me like my sisters did my dad. I allowed her to cuckold me because the alternative did not bare thinking about. I still loved her but I loved what we had created even more.

This news did a number of things to me. Firstly I realised for the first time the level of animosity felt by my girls towards their mother was far greater than I could ever have imagined. They loved and respected me but I knew they were disappointed I hadn't taken a tougher stance with Holly. Secondly, it brought up old feelings I felt towards the women in my life whilst growing up and how that contributed to my weaknesses. Finally, I realised at work I was being talked about and laughed at openly by the staff and most noticeably by Henry Walker, who just happened to be the nephew of the owner Jack and the man cuckolding me.

I did not know what to do but I knew I couldn't go on allowing this, especially now my youngest daughter was aware of the ridicule I was receiving at the hands of Holly. I knew I had to confront her.

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My heart was racing as I was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Holly to return home. When she finally appeared I found I was unable to speak again. She just looked at me in a way I can only describe as apathy and with contempt. She said nothing to me as she emptied her bags into the cupboards. Finally I spoke,

"Are you having an affair Holly?"

She turned to face me, slightly blushing but with no hesitation she replied,

"I wouldn't call it an affair darling."

I was shocked and sickened by her admission and yet waited silently in anticipation of her explanation of how screwing another man was not classed as an affair.

"You are a wonderful man Alex, you're a great provider and you're my best friend but there are things you can't provide me and I'm not ashamed to say I want it all," She said bluntly and openly.

"So that means you're cheating on me," I said dismayed by her brazen approach to infidelity.

"Only my body," She said "not my heart or my mind Alex that belongs to you."

My head was spinning and my stomach was in knots. The sheer unabashed cheek of what she was saying left me speechless.

"I never deny you sex Alex and all I'm doing is exploring with a couple of younger guys," She admitted.

"WHAT!" I screamed

I never raised my voice and my reaction took her aback. She walked around the table and took a seat opposite me.

"Don't shout at me Alex," She said regaining her composure.

"You admit to cheating on me with two guys and I'm supposed to be quiet," I replied.

"I love you Alex but this is how things are going to be. Live with it or I'll leave and be with them anyway," She said issuing me both a threat and an ultimatum.

I just sat looking at her when her face softened. I thought for a minute she had seen the hurt in my face.

"Everyone does it these days Alex. My friends have had flings with younger men and they say it makes the marriage better," She said.

I was in shock. I was struggling to absorb it all before but now Holly was actually trying to justify her adultery by telling me all her friends were cheats too. As for the notion that it would make our marriage better was contemptuous at best. She did not care for the marriage or me, only the comfort and security I could provide. I spoke again,

"So I can have another woman, is that what you're saying Holly?"

She looked at me for a few seconds and then laughed in my face. I sat in silence as she continued to laugh before trying to control herself.

"Yeah right Alex. Come on be serious, you struggle to speak to women you have known for years, what chance are you going to have to chat someone else up?"

She was openly mockingly me whilst continuing to giggle and I felt embarrassed and ashamed but she refused to let up.

"This is how it's going to be Alex so don't ruin a good thing. I'm still your wife, I still love you and I still come home to you every night. Do not mess up your life by complaining about it or doing something you'll regret."

She left me at the table contemplating what had just happened to my life, to my world. She was so open about her activities that I realised she did not care for me one little bit. I did not care if her friends were all cheating whores but that did not give her the right to be one. Not only that but she actually had the audacity to threaten me. I was angry, very angry.

That night I slept in the spare room. I couldn't face being anywhere near her, but around midnight Holly woke me up and asked me why I wasn't coming to bed. Was she really this deluded? I knew she was a spoilt bitch but really?

"Oh come on Alex, get with it. This is the way the world works now. You're just acting like an old man," She said.

I said nothing. I could sense her presence still on the landing looking into the spare room.

"Oh suit yourself Alex. You'll come back to bed soon I know. You deny me nothing and you know as well as I do I'll get my own way," She said confidently.

In reality she was right. What had I ever done in a 22 year relationship that suggested anything other than my unbridled loyalty and willingness to go along with everything she said and wanted. It was public knowledge that I was under her thumb and henpecked and now it was well known amongst her friends and my work colleagues that I was a cuckold too.

I did not sleep a wink so I decided to head downstairs and watch some TV.

There was a show on about celebrities who trace their family tree and although a lot of it flew past me it did get me to thinking about my own family. I had no contact with my mother or sisters but started to think back to my dad. I remembered so little about him. Did he have family? He must have had. Why did he leave and was it as my mum said that he abandoned us? Before I left for university I had heard from my brother-in-law that my dad had died years ago but my sisters denied any knowledge of it. It was pretty much the time I decided to cut them out of my life.

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The following day I was up and out before Holly emerged from our room. The things she said to me were still racing through my mind and I desperately tried to focus on something more positive just to get me through the day. I started to think about the TV show from the previous night and I thought about doing some research on my father. The girls no longer needed me as much and my wife was off screwing god knows who so maybe getting some answers to who and what my father was might actually help me and occupy my time as well.

"Good morning Alex."

I turned to see who spoke and was confronted with Henry Walker. The smug look on his face as though he was about to burst into laughter at any minute just made my blood boil. I just looked at him and said nothing.

"How's your wife?" He asked openly mocking me.

I heard a few giggles by the coffee machine from grown men. I just looked at them as they stood their ground. I made my way past them as they continued to chuckle at my expense. I felt like the whole world knew my business and even the boss's secretary Olivia seemed to find my situation laughable and open to mockery.

"Can I get you anything Mr Price? A pair of balls maybe?"

I looked up at her.

"What did you just say?" I asked glaring into her eyes. She shifted her feet and walked right up to me,

"I told you there were no calls," She said trying to stifle her laughter.

I walked into my office and sat at my desk. My day had started off in the worst possible way and now I was a laughing stock at work as well as home. I tried my best to focus on my project but the anger within me refused to abate. I decided to start looking into my father. All I knew was that he was born in Cambridgeshire and left us at the age of 38 in 1977 so I searched for family history sites in that area.

After only a thirty minute search I discovered that there were 14 people named James Price in Cambridgeshire who were born in 1939. I knew he might have died years before I went to university so I was able to narrow it down to 3 possible people. I decided I did not have the time to go searching for each one so I placed a message on genealogy websites in each of the towns I had found.

As I sat in my office thinking about the last 24 hours I was called by my boss Jack. He wanted to speak to me in his office. Now Jack was a successful and wealthy man but at 60 he had been married three times. He was cheater and a bully. He is one of those power mad types who commands respect but gives none in return. Many times in the past I had thought about quitting but he always convinced me to stay and the money was the best in this area. One thing I did know about him was that he was screwing his secretary Olivia behind his third wife's back.

"Now I hear these rumours about your wife playing around on you Alex," He said bluntly.

"With your nephew," I snapped back.

"Well yes he's a cad that boy, it runs in the family," He said laughing as I remained silent, "but that's what I want to talk to you about. I don't want this to affect the business and family comes first after that Alex. So if you've a problem it will be you who'll have to leave the company. Is that understood?"

He was talking to me like an old school teacher punishing a child. I bit my lip as his eager secretary Olivia hovered by the door. She was no doubt collecting some information to spread to her friends on the factory floor. As I turned to leave I wondered why a young woman like her would lower herself to the depths of having sex with a dirty old man like Jack Walker. As I passed her I heard snickering again. I put my head down and walked out. As the door closed behind me I heard the explosive sound of laughter which was obviously at my expense.

As I made my way back to my office I realised that being here was doing me no good at all. I had paid for my girls' education and all I was doing now was financing my wife's infidelities. I was a pretty simple guy, I liked my gadgets but I could live without the big house. The majority of my living costs were Holly's indulgences. Weekly hair and nail appointments, her car and phone plus other unnecessary luxuries.

At work I was normally happy, it was my place to be creative and I was very successful. I was the one who had designed many of the parts being produced and sold here and I was sure I could find gainful employment elsewhere. They just thought I was too weak and well, they were right. I wasn't the confrontational type and I never made waves because I was content. I was good old Alex, the submissive engineer who people could walk all over.

I looked at my screen saver of the family on holiday, I rolled the mouse and the page opened to my email. I had a message waiting for me and it was from a woman called Jennifer Holmes from the Cambridge Genealogy Committee. I was taken aback by how fast they had replied, I clicked and read the message. I was blown away.

Jennifer had read my message appealing for information on my dad and had gotten in touch with a woman who claimed to be his niece who had been on the same site many months ago researching her family tree. Her name was Rachel Murray and she was my cousin. I mailed back my number to Jennifer and asked if Rachel could possibly contact me. I left work with my spirits slightly raised.

As I walked through the door I could smell dinner cooking. I left my bag in the hallway and walked into the kitchen to find Holly busy getting everything together. We managed to mumble a greeting but ate in silence. During dinner Holly kept trying to make eye contact with me but she must have known I was still angry. Before tonight I never went a few hours without rolling over and letting her off the hook or allowing her to get her own way. She broke the ice,