This was not one of the John Chapman's better days. His two earlier meetings had gone badly and his goal of acquiring a small Spanish building company was looking even more unlikely. To make matters worse, he had left vital papers at home and had to swing by the house to pick them up for his meeting later in the afternoon. He was also hungry and was trying to call his wife Anna to ask if she could prepare a sandwich which he could eat on route, but she was not answering.
He sometimes cursed his decision to give up his previous career as an accountant for a large multinational company in London to join his father's small building company, but not too often, this was one of those times. He knew that it was a gamble, but his wife, also an accountant, had a larger salary than him which would cover them in the initial period. He also knew that he could have gone back to being an accountant should the venture fail. But it hadn't failed, in fact it had been a huge success and in the 10 years since he had taken over from his father, he had grown the company into a regional player and was hoping, with the acquisition of this Spanish company, to move into the international luxury holiday home market.
Traffic was as bad as ever but at 1:30pm he finally turned into his street which as usual was full of works vehicles common to building sites. He knew from his time as an accountant that cash flow was the most important thing in his business and from the start, he had decided to buy land where they could build at least 20 luxury houses and then get them built and sold as quickly as possible. In addition, John, Anna and their 2 young daughters would live in the first built house, which would serve not only as their home but also as a site office and show home for prospective buyers. Anna had also given up her previous job and was now fully involved in the company doing everything from bookkeeping to making the tea for company meetings.
John parked the car in the driveway and headed inside. As he entered the house, he could see Ryan, one of their new labourers, coming down the stairs.
"What are you doing up there?" John asked him angrily. Ryan seemed flustered and didn't answer. "What were you doing upstairs, you know you are not allowed up there?" John repeated.
Again, Ryan hesitated but eventually blurted out "I was using the toilet, boss."
"Why are you using the upstairs toilets? Use the one off the kitchen like everyone else. Got it?"
"Eh Yes, boss." Ryan replied.
John let the boy come downstairs and then headed upstairs to get the papers from his office. As he passed their bedroom, he looked in to see if Anna was there but all he could see was handcuffs hanging from one of the bedposts. He moved fully into the room and as he got closer, he could see that handcuffs were hanging from each of the other three bedposts too. On the floor were a pair of white stockings and sheer panties. He picked up the panties and noticed that they had been cut open at one side. On the bed was one of his wife's vibrators, a small whip and most concerning of all, if that was even possible, a knife.
John was in a daze at what he was seeing and sat down on the bed. "What the fuck is going on?" he thought to himself getting angrier and angrier. It was at this point he was aware of the shower running in the ensuite bathroom. He knew that it must be his wife and stood up and headed back downstairs, left the house and headed to his car. As he did so he could see Tony, the Site Foreman, running towards him. He was a huge guy and was now in his early 60s, and the sight of Tony running would normally have brought a smile to John's face, but not today. John got into his Mercedes and drove away at speed.
John and Anna had met at university 15 years ago and it was love at first sight even though they both had partners at the time. They started dating and after two years they were engaged. Three years later they married in the Caribbean with family and friends in attendance. All agreed that they were the perfect couple. John was 6ft 2 inches and was an exceptional athlete with a physique that matched. Anna was a stunner, and people were always confused when she told them she was an accountant. With long blonde hair, slim athletic build and full 34C breasts on her slim 5ft 9 inches frame, she was every man's dream.
15 years later they still looked great and at 35 years old were both active at the gym. Like most couples their sex life had started great but with 2 kids and heavy work commitments things had slowed down a bit in recent years.
As Tony watched John drive away, he knew that things were about to change for the worst. He went into the house and shouted on Anna, who came out in her bra and panties, her hair still wet.
"What now Tony? Can't you see I am just out the shower."
Anna put on her dressing gown and came downstairs and went into the kitchen. At the same time Ryan came into the house and joined them.
"Wanting some more?" Anna teased as she looked at Ryan.
Tony looked over at the beautiful blonde. "We have a fucking problem, Anna. John was here a few minutes ago and caught Ryan coming down the stairs. He then went upstairs but we don't know if he went into the bedroom, but he stormed off so it's likely that he did. Did you clean up the room before your shower?"
Anna's face went instantly pale and with a look of horror shouted, "Oh fuck no...please god no...this can't be happening!".
"I didn't tidy anything; they are still there now. Handcuffs, stockings, whip, vibrator, they are all there. My stockings and panties were on the floor. Oh fuck, and the knife was on the bed too." Anna lowered her head and started to cry uncontrollably. Tony put his hand around her, but she pushed it away. "I will tell John that this was a onetime thing and hopefully we can all get through this. Now get out my house the two of you."
The rest of the John's day was a blur. He went to the meeting but said next to nothing and afterwards drove to a quiet picnic spot where they would often take the kids. He got out the car and sat on a bench. He had never felt so bad in his life, he felt sick to the pit of his stomach and eventually vomited on the grass. He went for a walk to try and make sense of it all. He thought he had it all. How could she have done this? He knew his marriage was over, how could he possibly forgive her. Why young Ryan? He then thought of the knife, ripped panties, handcuffs, and whip. Perhaps he raped her? He knew he had to speak to Anna to get the truth, but first he picked up his mobile and dialled Tony but was put straight through to voicemail. Anna had tried calling him several times, but John ignored her calls and text messages asking if he would be home for dinner. John took out his wallet and looked at the picture of his wife and daughters. He stared at his beautiful smiling daughters and for the first time since his mother died, John started to cry. He left the park and drove around until he knew the girls would be in bed and then headed home.
Anna sat on the sofa and heard John open the front door. She still hoped that she had got away with it, but knew it looked bad. John always told her if he was going to miss dinner and he had repeatedly ignored all her calls and text messages. She had tried to make herself look presentable but when John saw her, he could see that she had been crying, she was shaking. She looked so vulnerable, so beautiful, and so guilty. He knew then without a doubt that she had cheated on him.
Sobbing as she spoke, she said "I am so sorry, John. I didn't mean it to happen. It was just one of those things." She looked at John trying to gauge his reaction. "He came into the bedroom and started touching me and then one thing led to another, and we did it."
John had not said a word since he came into the house. It was best that he initially let his wife talk and he could decide his next steps but now it was his turn to talk.
Calmly, John took her hand and said quietly "Would you please stop talking Anna." He paused and continued, "I have absolutely adored you from the moment I met you. You have been so good for me in so many ways and, despite having offers, I can swear on the lives of our children that I have never cheated on you at any time since our first date. What you have done is totally unforgiveable and if it was just the two of us, I would instantly divorce you. But we have two kids, and they will also be victims of what you have done, I want to hear exactly what happened. Leave out nothing. If you lie to me even once I will take you and the girls over to your parents' house and we can start divorce proceedings. Is that clear?"
Anna was still shaking, and John went over to get a bottle of wine and two glasses. After taking a big gulp Anna started to talk with a tremble in her voice. "OK, I will tell you everything. You will not like this, but I will be honest with you I swear. After that you can decide our future. It all started the day of our engagement party 12 years ago."
"What?" John asked.
"You want to hear it all don't you, so please let me talk uninterrupted, it will be easier on us both." She replied.