The Todo List

Blake trudged through the front door, his body heavy with exhaustion after another grueling day. His hands were calloused, and his mind ached. He was a construction project manager. His job was to solve problems, but once the problems were solved, he often found himself lending his efforts to carpentry. Home was his sanctuary, his happy place.

The moment he was inside, however, he knew something was wrong. A suitcase sat by the door.

Blake stood frozen. Then his eyes fell on Susan. She was sitting on the edge of the couch, her posture unusually straight, her expression brighter than it had any right to be.

"Don't worry," Susan chirped, her voice overly cheerful. "I'm not leaving you."

Blake blinked, his brain trying to catch up. His silence was reflexive. All his experience had taught him to keep his mouth shut and listen when things started getting complicated, and his gut told him that this situation qualified. Confused, and with the growing sense that something was terribly wrong, he dropped his keys on a side table.

"I just wanted to get that out of the way first," Susan continued, standing up, her nervous energy spilling over into her movements. She smiled, wide, excited even, but there was something off about it. Too forced. "This is gonna sound... well, bad at first, but I need to tell you."

Blake's eyes flickered to the suitcase, his mind starting to connect dots he didn't want to acknowledge. "What's going on?" he finally asked, his voice thick with exhaustion and confusion.

Susan took a deep breath, the way someone might before delivering good news. "I'm going away for the week," she said, a little too eagerly. "With Roger."

For a moment, the room went still. Blake stood, as if his body had forgotten how to move, how to react. Roger? Her boss? The arrogant prick who seemed to think that everyone else was beneath him? That Roger?

"Going away... with Roger..." Blake said, his tone flat. Not a question, not a statement. More just a summation of what he was getting from the conversation.

Susan rushed on with a mixture of guilt and excitement. "I know, I know! It sounds bad at first, well, it is bad, I guess. I've been seeing him for a while. But that's not the point." She stepped closer, her eyes bright with an almost childlike giddiness, as if she were confessing to something embarrassing but exhilarating. "The point is, I didn't plan this! I mean, it's Roger. He's... Roger. You know how he is. He wanted me, and, well, I couldn't really say no. He's so... persuasive, you know? Once he decides he wants something, he gets it." She let out a small, almost breathless laugh. "And he wanted me."

Blake stared at her, his mind struggling to keep up with what she was saying. She was talking about Roger like he was a force of nature, something inevitable. And her tone, the way she seemed almost... proud? It was surreal. The words echoed in Blake's mind, hollow and strange. It also seemed that Blake was completely inconsequential in this affair.

"But that's why I'm telling you," she continued, her voice dropping into a more serious tone. "I didn't want to keep it from you anymore. I feel so much better just... getting it out there, you know? No more secrets. It's like a weight off my chest. And I didn't want to lie about the trip." She gestured towards the suitcase. "Roger and I are going away for the week. He... well, he thinks it'll be good for us to really enjoy each other without sneaking around, you know? Just to be together."

Blake's mouth opened, but he had no words. His thoughts were a whirlwind, and his emotions were beginning to churn. He couldn't understand, couldn't process how this was real. How Susan could be standing in front of him, so... excited, so casual about something that had obliterated the very core of their marriage.

"But don't worry," Susan added quickly, her face brightening again. "It's just a week. After that, we'll get back to normal. I'll be back to you, Blake. I love you! There's no reason to let this come between us. This," she waved her hands around, as if to dismiss the entire situation "this is just a... thing. A... blip. Roger just... wanted me. And now that he's had me, we'll only be gone a week, and I'll come back. Then we can really focus on us. On starting our family."

Blake's heart thudded heavily in his chest. His ears were ringing. How could she be so chipper, so bright and happy? She was talking about her infidelity like it was nothing, like Blake didn't matter at all. The way she spoke about Roger as if he were some larger than life figure just didn't make any sense.

Susan was clearly swept her up in Roger's orbit. She had simply gone along with it because... what else could she do? It was Roger.

"I know this might be a shock, but you're always so understanding, Blake. That's one of the reasons I love you. You're steady. You never make a fuss, and that's why I know we're going to get through this." She stepped closer, holding out a folded sheet of paper. "Roger and I talked about it. Just so things go smoothly, you know? We wrote down some... guidelines."

Blake stared at the paper in her hand, his mind numb.

Susan handed the list to him. "It's nothing big, really. Just a few instructions to make sure everything's okay while I'm gone."

His hands trembled as he unfolded the paper. Certain phrases stood out, sharp and clear:

No arguments before or after the trip. We all want to keep things calm.

Don't tell anyone what we are doing.

No social media posts about any of this.

No divorce or separation talk. This is nothing but a fling.

Don't ask for details about the trip afterwards.

Wait quietly at home until the trip is over, then focus on the future, family plans should continue as discussed.

Blake felt his breath catch. No arguments. No telling anyone. No divorce. He couldn't get past the audacity of it. The assumption that he would just obey while his wife spent a week with another man.

The arrogance of the two cheaters was unbelievable, and naïve.

Susan's voice cut through his silence. "See? Nothing crazy. Just a couple simple things to make sure everything stays good. Roger thinks very highly of you, you know? He said that you'd be fine. It might be hard, but it'll be over soon, and we'll go back to how it was. You're not the jealous type, Blake. You're practical. I know this is a lot, but it'll be okay. You're not going to make a big deal out of this, right?"

Her eyes were wide, hopeful, almost pleading. But beneath that was a certainty, an absolute belief that everything would be okay, because of course Blake wouldn't cause problems. Of course he wouldn't argue. He was her rock. Divorce wasn't even in the realm of possibility. Not in her world.

Blake's hands tightened on her list. His brain was screaming at him for something, anything, to say. But he had no words. What could he say?

Susan smiled, taking his silence as compliance. "I knew you'd understand," she said softly, relief washing through her features. "I was so nervous, but you always give me what I need. You've always been there for me, and you always will."

She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'll be back next Friday afternoon," she said, picking up her suitcase with a cheery little bounce. "Then things will get back to normal, and we can talk about starting that family, okay?"

Blake watched her walk out the door, pause, and turn to him with a those bright smile, as though everything with the world was just right. Then she was gone.

Blake stood, the folded list crumpling as his fist closed on it. It was almost funny, guidelines. As if hos actions were something they had control over, something they could dictate and manage with a few simple rules. As if this wasn't his marriage they were shitting all over.

For a second, he remained frozen. His mind still in shock. But then, something began to burn through, a fire was growing inside him that wasn't confusion or heartbreak, it was rage. And it was growing.

Blake had always been a troubleshooter. When the situation called for it, he could be a negotiator and talk through any problem. If harsh actions needed doing, he did them without a second's doubt. He could be whatever the situation demanded, once he determined what was required. What he was feeling was familiar. This was a problem that required a certain approach. Just not the one that Roger and Susan might appreciate.

He looked once more at the list. The gall of it all, the hubris. Thinking that they had a hope in hell of keeping him under their thumbs. Seriously believing he would do as he was told and play the part they gave him was foolish. Susan thought that everything would go back to normal when she got back. He could almost hear Roger's voice laying down terms, as if this were some kind of game.

Blake read over the list again, and he began to smile. To Susan and Roger, this was a question of limits, of boundaries, of making sure there were no complications. It was all about the ways they managed him, about keeping him in line. Blake had a different view. This list made plain the things that worried them, the things that they feared he might do.

In his hands, this wasn't some kind of contract. This was a spark, a beginning. If they were going to give him a list, well. he could do better. Much better.

His smile, dark and evil, spread across his face as the pieces began to click into place. His mind sharpened. Blake wasn't a man that lashed out, that screamed or threw things. No, his anger was never loud. Blake's anger was quiet, methodical. He'd built his career solving problems, and this, this betrayal, was his biggest problem yet.

How do you solve big problems? One step at a time.

Their list was much too short, too naive. It didn't even cover half of what needed to be done. He would make a much more thorough plan.

He strode into the kitchen, slapping their pitiful list onto the table as he jerked open a drawer and got a notepad and pen. He was in "the zone". Now his mind was beginning to move. He was a problem-solver. Time to solve the problem of his adulterous wife and her sleazy boss. He would solve this the same way he solved everything, by being ten steps ahead.

His new list would not be nice. It would not be short.

Blake's New List of Things to Do:

Freeze all joint accounts. Blake handled all the bills. He had always taken care of all of the finances. He wouldn't be cruel, but neither would he make things easy for her. Every automated payment, deposit, or joint account would be closed. Her money would remain untouched, but his would be unavailable to her.

Change the locks. When she came back, her key would no longer work. This house, their home, it wasn't hers anymore. She had made her choice, and she could knock on Roger's door if she wanted a place to stay. She'd find nothing here.

Sell the house. There were just too many memories here, and it wasn't worth the bother of keeping any more. He would have put the place on the market while she was away, and not given it another thought. By the time Susan returned, the house would no longer be his problem, and neither would she.

Pack up her things. Everything of hers would go into storage. He'd box it all neatly, of course, and leave it for her to collect later. The clothes, the trinkets, the photos. all the things that tied her to him would be boxed up and put away. He would even put all their furniture with it, he would be starting new, somewhere else. He didn't need reminders.

Gather evidence. Susan took her phone with her, but Blake handled all her tech needs. He would buy a new phone for her number and restore it using Susan's cloud account. All her texts, emails, and pictures would be in his hands. The phone with her would stop working, but she could figure that out when she returned.

Speak to a lawyer. Divorce wasn't off the table; it was the endgame. Blake would find the best lawyer in town and get the paperwork rolling. 'No separation or divorce'? Get real!

Have a conversation with Roger's wife. They had counted on Blake remaining silent and keeping the peace. But why should he? Maybe Roger was used to calling the shots, but there was no incentive for Blake to cooperate. He would make sure to share all of the evidence that he expected to find, now that he knew to start looking.

Focus on the future. Because this wasn't the end of Blake's life. This was merely the end to Susan's place in it. He would leave town and start new, somewhere else. He wouldn't waste his time on bitterness. For now, this list would be his focus.

Blake leaned back, tapping the pen against the paper. It was a good feeling, planning. He wouldn't beg. He wasn't going to fight for something already ruined. No, he was going to take control in a way neither Susan nor Roger could have anticipated. He was taking back his life from people who thought they were free to walk all over him.

He had his plan. By the time Susan returned, the world she thought she had would be long gone.

Blake stood in the middle of the empty living room. The house was now empty and hollow. Everything had been cleared out. Not just Susan's things, everything was gone. Her clothes, shoes, even her little knickknacks, were all packed and neatly stowed in one of two storage PODS outside. His own belongings sat in the other POD, ready for whatever came next. His buddies had helped him move everything, no questions asked. They all knew the story by then, but they didn't pry. They just did what needed to be done, in exchange for pizza and beers.

That was the easy part. Physical work always came easy for Blake. Sweat, muscle, determination, those were things he could handle. The harder part was keeping his head clear. He had been through a whirlwind of emotions over the last few days. Betrayal, rage, and disbelief all simmered beneath the surface. He was tightly wound, waiting to explode. But he couldn't. Not yet.

Blake took one last look around the house. It wasn't home anymore, just a shell. The walls felt thinner, the air colder. The place had been cleaned from top to bottom, wiped of every trace of their life together. He would never set foot here again, and that thought felt right. It was tainted now.

And then there was the title. That sweet bit of irony, his house. The one they'd never bothered to put her name on. Susan had lived here, played house here, but it had never been hers. He smirked bitterly. She'd probably never even thought about it. She just assumed that it, and Blake, would be there forever.

She was wrong.

His lawyer was efficient, crisp in the execution of the divorce papers. No drawn out conversations, no drama. Blake wasn't going to drag this out. The papers were prepared and ready to be filed the minute she returned. If she returned. He didn't care anymore. Whether she came back to a sold house and an empty lot, or stayed with Roger forever, it didn't matter.

The part that had taken the most effort had been Susan's phone. She had taken it with her, of course, when she and Roger had gone off together. But Susan had always been careless about her passwords, trusting Blake with everything. And why wouldn't she? He'd been nothing but devoted, nothing but the steady rock she'd taken for granted.

He sat down at the kitchen counter, his eyes cold and focused, staring at the restored phone in his hand. It looked just like hers, because it was. He'd cut off her service remotely, swapped the phone, and restored everything from her cloud backup. It was almost too easy. And had found everything he needed.

Her messages with Roger had been... disgusting. Not just the affair itself, Blake had already prepared himself for that, but the way they talked about him. Roger, smug as always, dismissing Blake as a non-threat. "He's too nice. He'll roll over." Blake could practically hear the arrogance in the typed words.

Susan's replies stung worse, "It'll be fine. He won't make a fuss. He never does."

He felt the bile rise in his throat, but he swallowed it down. "He won't make a fuss." That was how she saw him. Not as a partner, not as someone she respected, but as a doormat. A man too weak to stand up for himself.

There were pictures, too. Of course there were pictures. Apparently Roger liked to take pictures of Susan pleasuring him, and then send them to her. Blake wondered what kind of person would do that.

Roger had even sent her confirmation emails about their trip, gloating about how smart he was. Blake's lip curled in disdain. They were sloppy. Arrogant. And they thought they were invincible.

All put together it had made quite the presentation, the messages, the photos, all the proof of the affair. It had all been documented, neatly organized, and shared. Not just with his divorce lawyer, but with Roger's wife. Also with the board of directors Roger worked under, and a slightly sanitized version had been shared to social media. He wanted it to be shared rather than blocked for nudity. He had made a considerable effort to share the news with absolutely anyone who knew either Susan or Roger.

Blake had handled the matter of Roger's wife carefully. It wasn't about revenge, not exactly, but the woman deserved to know. She had the right to the truth, just like he had. And, surprisingly, she'd been... gracious. Too gracious, really. The calm on the other end of the phone had unsettled him, but he pushed it aside. He had done his part. Shared everything that he had collected with her via email. Whatever came next for her was between her and her slimeball of a husband.

Blake wanted to leave them with nothing. Susan thought she could come back to her life, to Blake, to their plans for a family. Roger thought he could waltz away unscathed, as though none of this would touch him. Blake wasn't going to let that happen.

Susan had been nervous but exhilarated when the trip began. Roger had planned it all, first class flights to Italy, a luxury hotel suite, and dinners at the finest restaurants. He had swept her up in the grandness of it. For a while, it was intoxicating. To be desired by a man like Roger, a man who commanded any room that he was in, it made her feel special, part of something so much bigger. Roger wanted her, and that had meant something, hadn't it?

The first night, they checked into the hotel, and everything seemed perfect. Roger had ordered champagne to be waiting in the room, and they laughed and touched glasses and spent the evening in bed. The view of the city lights through the massive windows had been breathtaking. Susan let herself be swept away by the glamour, the romance of it.

On the second day, things started to shift. At first it was small. Roger was still attentive, but he seemed somehow distant. His eyes betrayed that for him the newness of their escape was already starting to wear off. Susan had laughed at something he said over cocktails, but Roger didn't laugh back. He simply smiled a thin, dismissive smile she'd seen him use on employees he thought were beneath him. She let it go. Maybe he was tired or distracted.

Susan had left her phone sitting on her nightstand, acting as a small clock on the charger. She hadn't tried to call or text Blake. She missed him but felt that he wouldn't want to talk to her at that moment, while she was with Roger. She was slightly irritated with Blake for not even sending a single text to check on her. It wasn't important. Roger needed all her attention while she was there.

The next day, Roger took her shopping in several designer boutiques, exclusive stores she had always dreamed of visiting but had never dared, but Roger fit right in. He bought her a dress for dinner that night. For a moment, she felt like she was in some kind of fantasy, that they were living a glamorous secret life. But as the evening wore on, Roger became more distant. He spent most of the dinner checking his phone, nodding every so often when she spoke, but never really engaging. The waitstaff were fawning over him, and Susan found herself shrinking in his shadow, more accessory than partner.