The Fifth Day: Another Ending

The following is an alternate version of the story: "The Fifth Day" and "The Fifth Day - Laying the Ghost" by VanCliffe. I had trouble understanding the reason for the Fifth Day in the original story (my problem). So, I wrote this ending which seems to fit the story in a different manner. It would be advisable for the reader to have first read "The Fifth Day" before reading this alternate ending.

My apologies to VanCliffe if I have done damage to his original story.

Comments and criticisms would be greatly appreciated.

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The world seemed to be spinning out of control as I sat in the front seat of the van. My mind was in a total mess. Those little bells that had been going off in my head all week were correct. But, I had not paid serious attention to them.

Something was amiss since last Tuesday evening when Sally told me she had called the doctor because of a yeast infection that she had contracted. She said the doctor prescribed some medicine to cure the yeast infection and he also told her to refrain from having intercourse for at least a week.

The manner in which she told me this didn't sound very convincing. It had been years since Sally had an yeast infection. She had learned how to clean herself and prevent the nasty infections from coming back. There were a couple more warning bells that went off in the back of my mind. I shook my head and said nothing.

Sometime earlier this week, it must have been the first day when she was with him, Tuesday she said, she seemed totally different and distant as we sat having supper. More bells were going off in the back of my head. After supper, she excused herself and went into the bedroom to lie down. I watched some stupid TV shows for a couple of hours and then went to bed.

Sally wasn't sleeping as I came into the bedroom, but there was something cold about her as I got into bed. She turned off the lights and didn't respond when I said 'Good night, lover.' More bells went off. I just kept ignoring them.

The rest of the week, she held this distant aloft demeanor which had me so confused. Several times I tried to broach the subject with her, trying to find out what was bothering her. She deflected my questions and didn't answer me directly. I thought it must be the yeast infection bothering her because she was in mid cycle.

Although it was a busy week for me at work, Thursday morning just before lunch, I called Sally to invite her out to lunch as we had frequently done on the past. There was no answer at home or on her cell phone. That caught me as particularly strange because Sally, like most women, was never far away from a phone. I did not leave her a voice message I called. This time the alarm bells seemed to resonate a little more in my brain.

Whatever was bothering Sally, needed to be brought out in the open. I just made a note this weekend I would get her away and we could then have a quiet time to explore what was troubling her. We needed to have a deep husband and wife discussion about our current relationship. I even thought, if the circumstances were right, I might confess my fall from grace and renew my promise that I would never stray from our marriage vows again.

But now, in this horrendous way, Sally had thrown up it all up in my face. Her knowledge about my tryst with Tina and the deep hurt I had caused her. Then, in a more spiteful way, she presented me with this sordid revengeful affair she conjured up as a way to get back at me for the one time I was unfaithful to her. This was the reason she was so distant from me and had given me a phony excuse for not having sex with me all week.

Sitting in the van, my mind went over this whole sorry mess.

True, it all started because I was seduced into having sex with another woman. Sally then found out through an email from Tina. And without ever confronting me with the facts, she decided she would get her payback through her own tryst.

It would have been so easy for her to confront me and extract a confession. She would have heard my confession and the promise I made to myself that I would never ever again cheat on her. With that confession, she would be able to extract a heavy penance from me for a long time.

I would have told her that I was sick to my stomach when I came home from that week long project session at the resort. When I walked into the house, I had the strong urge to come right out and confess my fall from grace right then and there. But, I didn't. I didn't want to hurt her. I thought the episode would disappear and soon be forgotten by Tina and me.

I felt Sally didn't need to be hurt needlessly. It was a one time tryst. Never to be repeated again. So, I hid the truth from her, only to have the truth surface without my knowledge. Now, our marriage is in complete turmoil and its future in grave doubt.

The more I thought about this situation, the more I began to realize Sally had really pushed this revenge thing much further than she need just to even the score. I had not tried to purposely hurt Sally with my indiscretion. Nothing I did was so blatant as what she was doing to get her payback. She didn't have to sit in a parking lot like I was, all the while knowing I was having sex with another woman at this moment. My fall from grace was done far away from her without any premeditation or her knowledge of my tryst.

Now, after finding out about my indiscretion, all of her actions were premeditated and calculated to have the most devastating effect on me. It wasn't about evening the score, or just payback. No! It was all about her being spiteful and wanting to cut me deeply by her actions. Then again, maybe she had found a way to end our marriage and be with another man. She had said how different and amazing sex with another man really was for her.

It was easy for her to blame it all on me. It was all my fault. She even came right out and said it was my fault that she spread her legs open for another man.

But, my mind rebelled against that indictment. Yes, I did have sex with another woman... But, not like she was doing to me with her hateful revenge.

My mind was still trying to find a full justification for her continuing her tryst after she had evened the score in her mind. Why didn't she just drop it there? Why did she have to bring me here and rub my nose in her wanton affair? Just telling me she had been unfaithful would have been sufficient penalty for me. No need to mentally castrate me.

But now, that seems not to have been enough for her. She needed to totally humiliate me and cut me to the quick. Our marriage might have been damaged by my actions, but her actions over these past five days are much more destructive to our holy bond.

As much as I tried, my mind would not let go of the fact that Sally was taking her revenge to the extreme. This was more than she needed to do to punish me. Even after her first day with him, we would have had a good chance to put the broken pieces back together in our marriage. But, now.....

I took a pen and paper out of the glove box and I wrote a quick note on the slip of paper.

DON'T COME HOME.

WE'RE THROUGH.

Your EX-HUSBAND

The slip of paper seemed to be screaming out at me. "Think this over before you act."

Could I do this? Could I end it like this? Could I walk away from the one woman I truly loved?

But, a little voice in my head asked, did she really love me as deeply as I loved her? If so, how could she be so hateful in her actions? Why was she threatening all night about us maybe going our separate ways? Had she made up her mind already? Was she going to come back later and tell me our marriage was over just to further humiliate me?

The decision was made. I would preempt her decisions by ending our marriage here and now. The thought of her cutting my balls off again by telling me that she wanted her lover and not me, sealed my decision. I got out of the van and walked back to the bar.

I handed the note and a twenty dollar bill to the bartender.

"Give this note to Sally whenever she returns. OK?"

The bartender looked at me with a curious eye. I'm sure he figured out what the note said without even reading it as he took the note and money from my hand.

"I'll give it to her as soon as she comes back." He nodded his head and slipped the note into his shirt pocket.

I turned and walked out the door. A sudden wave of despair crashed over me like a huge tidal wave. My knees shook and my mouth went instantly dry. Tears welled up in my eyes as I stumbled toward the van. Before I drove away, I took one more deep breath. If I left the parking lot, my marriage would be over. If I stayed, my life might just be a hundred times more miserable than it was at this moment.

The club quickly faded in the rear view mirror. Tears were now streaming down my face. The ride home was a drive through a living hell for me. There was an urge to turn around and face whatever Sally had in store for me. My ego quickly stepped in a squelched that wimpy nagging voice. What's done is done and it won't be undone by me.

My mind was a total mess as I pulled into our driveway. There was a part of me that wanted to hang on to the past. Hang on to my wife and the life we had before. The other part of me, now the more dominate part, began to push my thoughts to what I needed to do next. What happens after this split? What do I have to do to protect myself? What about the actual divorce? What about the living arrangements?

Now, my natural organizing self began to take charge. Protect yourself physically first and foremost. Next, protect yourself legally. Take possession of the house and the bank assets. Get a legal restraining order.

My mind was now working at deadline speed. Change the locks on the house. That item, all of a sudden became the first priority. I went to the phone book and found a 24 hour locksmith. I dialed his number and after a couple of rings, a man's voice answered.

I told him I had an emergency that required all the locks in the house to be changed out immediately. It couldn't wait till tomorrow or later. He told me there would be a hundred dollar surcharge for coming out at night and on short notice. I agreed to pay the charge and gave him my address. He said he would be out within the hour.

Next, my mind told me that I had to do something to keep Sally from having to get inside the house. Since she only had the clothes that she was wearing. I went to the closet and took out the two largest suitcases we owned. I began to fill them with her dresses, jeans, tops, underwear, several shoes and her bathroom toilet articles. I crammed everything of hers I could into the suitcases. Both bags were extremely heavy, but I managed to get them loaded into the van. It was the vehicle that Sally always drove and we both considered it 'her car'.

After parking the van at the front curb, I left the keys on the front seat and removed the garage door opener. Just as I returned inside the house, the locksmith arrived. He quickly assess the scope of the job.

"It'll take about an hour to get all 5 locks changed." He said.

"That's fine. Tell me if you need anything from me." I replied as I sat down in front of the computer. He returned to his truck for the tools he needed.

I went to my email archives to check on the emails Sally had told me she found from Tina. The emails were all there, including the one Sally sent under my name telling Tina essentially to get lost. There was no email reply from Tina. The affair was over.

As I sat there with the emails on the screen, my mind was mulling over the questions of why Sally didn't directly confront me about the Tina tryst. Why had she chosen to reek her vengeance on me in this most destructive way? Was there something seriously wrong in our marriage that she refused to tell me? Was this her way of getting everything settled in one grand and glorious revenge act?

As I sat, contemplating what I needed to do next, the phone rang. Somehow I knew it was Sally. The phone rang several times and then went into voice mail. With the speakerphone on, I could hear Sally's voice begin to speak. There was a trembling and tightness in her voice.

"Oh god, Peter, please pick up the phone! I know you're there. Please, we need to talk. Don't end our marriage this way. Please, Peter, talk to me now." I could tell that she was on the verge of crying. I didn't pick up the phone. The line went dead in a few seconds.

So now, she was sounding like she wanted to 'kiss and make up' after I had met her challenge and preempted any future actions by her. Somehow, she must have thought my guilt trip would be so intense I would just lie down and let her walk all over me. Wrong!

Sitting down at the computer, I pulled up our bank accounts and proceeded to move all the funds from the joint accounts to an account in my name only. With that done, I called the three credit card companies and reported the cards stolen. They asked if I wanted new ones issued. I told them that I would call them back when I wanted the new cards issued.

The locksmith came in and told me he was done with all the locks. He gave me a couple sets of keys to the new locks and I gave him a check for his work. Now that part was done. Sally could not get back into the house unless I let her.

The phone rang again while I was still on the computer. I had the word processor program on the screen. The phone call was from Sally again. There was more angst in her voice as she pleaded for me to talk to her. I ignored the phone and began to type out a one page notice in large bold letters.

SALLY,

DO NOT RING THE DOOR BELL OR KNOCK ON THE DOOR. I WILL NOT ANSWER YOU.

I HAVE PACKED 2 SUITCASES FULL OF YOUR CLOTHES AND OTHER ITEMS. THEY ARE IN THE VAN AT THE CURB. JUST TAKE THE VAN AND DRIVE AWAY.

AFTER YOU FIND A PLACE TO LIVE, SEND ME THE ADDRESS AND I WILL SEND THE REST OF YOUR BELONGINGS.

YOU STATED SEVERAL TIMES TONIGHT THAT WE MIGHT JUST GO OUR SEPERATE WAYS. YOU WERE RIGHT. NOW YOU HAVE CHOSEN YOUR PATH, YOU CAN WALK IT ALONE. SOMEHOW I WILL FIND MY OWN PATH TO WALK.

GOOD BYE.

YOUR EX-HUSBAND

I made several changes to the notice before I finally printed it out. I took the notice and taped it to the outside of the front door. It was quite obvious to me Sally would get a ride back here and try to confront me face to face. That wasn't going to happen.

Walking around the house, I checked all the windows and doors making sure they were all secured and locked. Then I disconnected the front door bell, no sense in having that annoying sound attack me sometime during the night.

After my security walk around, I went into the den, poured myself a very tall Jack Daniel's. As I slumped down in my lounge chair and took my first long sip, my hands began to shake and tremble so badly I had to set the glass down on the table. My mind had just exploded into an a ball of emotional pain. I began to cry uncontrollably. It was like I was in some kind of nightmare and I was trying so hard to wake myself up. Yet, every other sense in my body told me this was no dream, this was reality. Then, I remembered the envelope and the wet panties I had shoved into my pocket.

The envelop probably contained a 'Dear John' letter I thought as I opened it. Photographs. No letter, just dozen or so photographs.

I had no doubt in my mind what the subject of the pictures would be. I thumbed through the selection dispassionately, amazed at how calm I had become with an almost analytical eye, as though the cunt depicted in most of the shots in glorious color was not that of my wife.

One showed the swollen labia, open and ready, the forefingers of a male hand pulling back the hood of her clit, exposing it red and raw looking, distended, alert, above the yawning crimson hole, glistening with moisture, that was evidently about to be, or had just been fucked. There was no doubt that it was my wife in those photos. I could see her face in some of the shots and her 'designer stubble' in most of the others. She hadn't lied about his penis either. It was a weird appendage, crowned with what looked like the head of a big mushroom. I was developing a severe dislike for this man.

Another shot showed jets of cum that had been ejaculated onto her belly, a trail of cum hanging from the gaping mouth of her sex. The flash of the camera had lit up the inside of her abused cunt. I could see the grayish-white sperm inside her, contrasting with the redness of her vaginal passage.

Yet another showed him wedged belly to belly up inside her. Another with his hand wrapped around his prick poised at her opening, a stream of whiteness spewing from the mushroom end into her.

Then, turning to the next one my heart sank. It was the one image I was praying I wouldn't see. The bulbous head of his cock buried just inside the straining ring of her once virgin anus. In the picture a female hand could be seen. Her hand! Pushing against his groin as though in protest against the unnatural assault. A futile attempt judging by the next photo, he was sunk right in ball deep, their bodies gleaming with the fluids from her orifices.

It went on and on, each one superseding the last in its grossness, it's explicitness. There was no doubt in my mind whose influence had generated them and whose hand was directing the action and taking the photographs. It was her lover and she was willingly submitting to his ever direction and command. "Anything!" She said that she told him on the first day.

This was her final act of total humiliation heaped upon my male ego. Cuckold, that was me now. That would continue to be me in the future if I lost the courage to end our marriage at this point. My first thought was to destroy these photos and her panties, but then the another thought took its place. This was prime evidence of her wanton adultery that would surely weigh in my favor if Sally ever wanted to get down and dirty during the divorce proceedings. The photos and panties went into a Ziplock bag which I place in the locked safe.

Then I went to my computer again and pulled up the emails sent by Tina and Sally. I deleted each of the emails. After thinking about what I would say, I sent Tina an email to her new address. In the email, I explained that the last email she received was sent to her by Sally after she found Tina's email to me. I went into all the sordid details of Sally's revenge actions. I told her I would be filing for a divorce from Sally the first thing on Monday. I also told her just how fantastic she was during our four days and if she were to come to town, she should definitely call me. Finally, I asked Tina if she would have any problem denying that she and I ever had a tryst if Sally wanted to use that against me. I told her to reply to my email address at work. I didn't want any evidence to be on the home computer.

I sent the email off into cyber space not knowing what the outcome might be. After it was sent, I hit the delete button and the email disappeared from the screen and memory.

Tina could either be a 'friend' and deny the tryst if asked or, she could be one of the 'band of sisters' and turn the tables on me. If she turned on me, that might cause more problems for me in the long haul. But, I felt it was worth the chance to see just how Tina would react to the news that it was Sally who sent her the last email telling her to get lost. I was counting on her sympathy after she read the details of Sally's hateful payback actions.

Nothing more to do tonight except finish my JD, shower and go to bed.

All of a sudden there was a loud pounding on the front door. Without even looking, I knew it was Sally. Then I heard her voice calling to me asking me to let her in. Begging me to talk to her. The banging on the door continued for about 15 minutes and then stopped.