It was a close friend who clued me in that my wife of twenty-one years was cheating on me. My buddy Bruce called me at work tell me that he has just seen my wife Libby walking hand in hand into a cheap hotel on the outskirts of our tow. He said he took some pictures on his phone. Of course, I didn't believe it at first. I figured there had to be a logical explanation for her going into the hotel room with another man in the middle of the day when she was supposed to be working.
I'm TJ by the way. I asked Bruce to send me the pictures right away. I sat there dumbfounded. The was no mistaking that it was my wife, Libby, in the pictures. That night I asked her about her day questioning her if she went anywhere for lunch. To my surprise she lied; said she ate at her desk. I gave her my surprised look, asking her again, "Are you sure you didn't go out for lunch?"
Libby's reaction shocked me even more, "I said no, what, are you am me if I'm lying?" There was anger in her voice, no trace of guilt.
The pictures along with her lie really didn't prove anything. I did what every other man who thinks his wife is cheating on him does, I went to a private investigator.
They were not what I expected. Instead of the seedy dark smoke-filled office with an old disgraced cop, I was ushered into a bright modern office with two nerdy-looking young men. They impressed me with their tech-savvy and understanding of how to get in places that everyday people couldn't. While impressive, they weren't cheap.
Not cheap, but very effective. In two weeks, I was back in their office. A folder was pushed across the table that contained a full report that contained pictures and videos. It detailed my wife's affairs with two different men. One with a salesman at her work and the second with a mechanic who she met working on her car. She had been fucking the salesman, Dan Calhoun, for over a year and the mechanic, Henry Chambers, for just a few months.
With the evidence in hand my next stop was a divorce attorney. Had this been a one-time thing I might have been able to forgive her but cheating on me for over a year was too much. There were several transcripts in the report from her liaisons with the salesman that indicated he was not her first affair. The transcripts further made it clear that Libby enjoyed her current situation and wanted it to continue. She liked having the security and stability of the life I've provided for her but also loved fucking other men. She worked, but it was my business that provided our good way of life. Our son and daughter were away at Big 10 colleges thanks to the money I made.
My visit with the divorce lawyer was an eye-opener at the very least. I quickly learned that divorce laws have no interest in who the cheating party is. They are set up make sure the man gets screwed in every way possible. Yes, that is just my editorial but the lawyer agreed. I left the lawyer's office angry and depressed.
My next problem shouldn't have been a problem but given my wife's actions, I was depressed about that too. I had a meeting with my business accountant, Gerry. Gerry was going to explain the big success that was looming for my business. We had three new accounts that were going to push the business worth over ten million.
Gerry stopped halfway through his presentation. "I don't get it; I'm telling you that all your hard work has finally paid off making you a rich person and you look like you're about to kick my ass."
I swallowed hard and told Gerry my sad story of Libby cheating on me and how the lawyer told me that not only would she get half of everything but I would probably have to liquidate the company to pay her off. That didn't count the monthly alimony payments she would get to continue to fuck her lovers. The only saving grace was the kids are out of the house. Oh, the house, she would get that too. Gerry gave me his condolences and suggested we postpone our meeting until I was in a better frame of mind. Gerry packed up and went back to his office.
My afternoon in the office was completely unproductive till late in the day when Gerry called. "TJ can you swing by my office on the way home, I have an idea." Anything to prolong facing Libby was preferable.
Gerry ushered me into his office and closed the door. "First I need to ask you some questions. "You've always told me that Libby has very little interest in your business. Is that still correct?" I nodded confused where he was going. "Then I'm going to assume that she has no idea that the value of your company is about to go through the roof?"
"That's right, I've never talked to her much about the business and we really haven't done much talking lately. Where are you going with this?"
Gerry put up his hand, "Just bear with me I'm almost there. Last thing, she doesn't know that you know she is cheating on you right?"
"Right, I haven't confronted her and haven't said a word."
"Okay, divorce is your solution."
"Have you not been listening? The lawyer said I would get raped in a divorce"
No, you get raped if you confront her and divorce her. You're going to divorce her and get her to agree to your terms."
"How the hell am I going to do that, blackmail her with the photos and video? With all the money at stake, she won't care."
"You're thinking about this wrong, she's going to agree because she won't know what is actually happening. Have you ever heard of a Tax divorce?" I looked at him confused shaking my head. "It was a thing a few years ago, couples would get a divorce at the end of the year for tax purposes. There was a flood of these Tax Divorces in December for couples where they both worked but one made considerably more than the other. It could save some couples enough to take an expensive trip where they would get married again. The government has closed off most of those loopholes but I'm betting your wife doesn't know a lot about tax law."
"I don't know Gerry. Several times in the transcripts she states that she doesn't want a divorce, she just wants to have men on the side. She likes the life I provide for her, she even talked about quitting her job to have more time to fool around."
"That's even better, we'll use her greed against her. You tell her that your business is about to expand but it is going to have substantial tax consequences. You tell her you may have to take a few more out of town trips but she would be able to quit her job a short time. She will see that she could have the best of all worlds for her. More time to fuck around and more money. Tell her I've proposed this Tax Divorce with the payoff being a trip to Hawaii for the remarriage and a lot more money."
"Is that legal?" I asked.
"Of course, it is legal. We draw up the paperwork with fair terms but with you keeping your business and no alimony. Let me get to work on a draft. I will get back to you in a couple of days. It will work, I promise. You must keep it under wraps that you know about her cheating. We don't want her getting suspicious of your motives."
"That might be the hardest part," I thought to myself.
It was hard not to show my contempt for Libby. I almost lost it when she told me she was going to have to start working late on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The PI's report showed that she was fucking the mechanic on Tuesdays and the salesman on Thursdays. I was a little sarcastic but kept my cool.
A week later Gerry had the paperwork ready. He gave me a report to give Libby that would show how much we would save. It also pointed out the details that we would have to execute to make the savings happen, like putting the house in Libby's name only.
I was just glad it was Wednesday when I was going to have my talk. I didn't think I could hold it together if I knew that she had just been fucked by one of her boyfriends. I was seated at the kitchen table with three folders on the table when she walked in. "Honey, we need to talk." I knew those words would get her attention. The pale, shocked look on her face told me I was right.
Libby looked at the folders with fear. "Is there something wrong?" She asked with her voice trembling.
I picked up the first folder and opened it. "No, this a good thing but I want you to hear me out before you say anything. My company has been doing well but is about to do even better. You know I have been able to provide for our family well but always had to keep putting the bulk of the profits back in the business. We are the verge that all paying off. The problem is the tax ramifications. Working with my accountant he has found a way that we can save about fifty thousand dollars."
Libby's eyes lit up, "Fifty thousand? We don't have to do anything illegal do we?"
"No, he said it is perfectly legal and a lot of people do it."
"Okay TJ, quit dancing around what are you talking about?"
I pulled out the second folder, "It's called a tax divorce." Libby gasped. "Just hear me out. A lot of people do this, it rectifies the marriage penalty. In our case, the new revenue will bring a big penalty. Gerry said that many of his clients get divorced in December then with the money they save they take an exotic vacation in January to get remarried. They did change some of the rules that you have to stay divorced for six months otherwise it is fraud." Gerry threw that in just in case she googled tax divorce because that was a new stipulation by the government. Libby had a shocked look on her face. I had to go into damage control now. "We would only be divorced on paper. Gerry did say that we might have to stay divorced the entire year to receive the tax benefits the second year which could be substantial. I'm going to have work a few more hours and take a few more trips but it is going to pay off for the company and us. You could probably even quit your job. There are a few details we would have to work out."
I could see the wheels turning in her head. I knew exactly what she was thinking, more money and more time for her to fuck her boyfriends. "What is in the details?"
"We actually have to get divorced." I picked up the third folder. "We will have to do a split of our assets. I will do a quick claim deed to you for the house and then split our bank accounts. I will switch all the utilities into your name but have the payments come out of my account. Nothing will change but we will have more money."
