When Cheating Has a Cost ...

Thank you, Candace.

Two police officers led a broken Nancy to the interrogation room. It was without a window and had a huge two-way mirror on one side. In the middle stood a table and two chairs facing each other. On the table were a mic and a camera. One officer had her sit facing the mirror. She sat down with tears running down her face. The two men left the room and a young woman entered with her badge hanging at the end of a neck lanyard.

"I am detective Lincoln, Sarah Lincoln." She sat opposite Nancy. "I know it's a very hard time for you right now, but we need to go through everything up to the point of what happened this morning in the parking lot of the liquor shop."

"I have already told the two officers everything, detective. It's been already four hours that I have been here and I need to go home to my family." Nancy stopped talking and started crying.

The detective turned around to the mirror and made a gesture. Immediately an officer walked into the room with a box of tissues, placed it on the table near Nancy and left closing the door behind him.

"My thirteen-year-old daughter needs me, I need to go," pleaded Nancy with tears in her eyes.

"I completely understand Mrs. Westford, but there were so much crying and sobbing that the two officers didn't understand anything. After your call to your parents, they drove to your house and they are with your daughter." The detective said in a soothing voice. "I have a few questions. We need to understand the whole situation." She held Nancy's hand. "This is not an interrogation, take it as a conversation between two adults, two women."

"I understand." Nancy sobbed.

"Do you want something to drink, Mrs. Westford? Coffee, water?"

"No, thank you. I'm good. Let's just finish with this conversation please. Where should I start?" Nancy picked up a tissue from the box and dried her tears.

"Let's say from the beginning."

"I was born Nancy Stewart. On my first day of Grade 1, the teacher made me sit next to Steve Westford. He was a very charming boy. He had those weird things for school like multicolored pens, a pencil with Mickey head at the top, a sharpener in the shape of a butterfly and a scented eraser. We became friends and during lunch time, we sat together. In the afternoon when my mom came to pick me up, he ran to us and gave me the pen." Nancy smiled. "Mom was surprised by his kind gesture. She told me afterwards that I already got an admirer on my first day of school. Since then, we were always together and we did all our classes together. Of course, we always sat next to each other. The whole school knew that we were inseparable. We lost our virginity together the night of our high school graduation. He has always been gentle and passionate."

"How about both of your parents?"

"They knew that we were in love since childhood and they were ok with that. We went to college; I took Business Admin and he chose Accounting. He has always been very good with figures. After college, he got a job as a junior accountant in a cosmetic manufacturing company and I went to work in the administrative section of a supply chain company. Three months later we got married. Steve was an only child and we stayed at my in-laws. Steve said that we could save the money of buying or renting a house for our children. A year later Stephanie was born, she was named after her dad. Steve was the happiest man in the world and I knew immediately that my daughter would become a dad's girl. After we brought our baby home, he was spending most of his time in her room, standing by her crib and either humming or singing."

"Was he neglecting you?" Lincoln asked.

"Oh no. He is...was a perfect gentleman." Nancy started crying again.

"Be courageous, Mrs. Westford."

"We had the help of my in-laws to look after Steph. Steve's mom was a housewife, she would take care of her when I went back to work. Steve has always called his parents by their first name, John and Mary. When Steph was growing up, she would call them by their first names too. A real dad's girl."

"How about your parents?"

"It was grandpa and grandma."

"It appeared that life was good. No mortgage, your daughter was being looked after by her grandma, sorry Mary. A loving husband and also a caring father. So, what went wrong?" Lincoln frowned.

"When living with the in-laws, it was like being watched every time. If I was late coming home from work, even ten minutes, Mary would ask if there was heavy traffic on the road. When I would go shopping alone, she would ask where I was going and the time I would be back. When I wore a tight dress for work, she would comment. It was as if I was living in a prison."

"Maybe she was overprotective. How about Steve?"

"Steve is the nicest person I have ever met. He would never say anything to hurt me. One day he told me that we were already in love before we were born. That's my Steve."

"Did you ever tell him about being watched by his mother?"

"No, never. He was so close to his parents that I never wanted to raise the issue. I knew that he would immediately search for a house and move out with his family. I didn't want this to happen." Nancy sobbed. "He promised to protect me, to care for me and to bestow all his love on me. He has always treated me like a queen."

"Do you want to take a short break, Nancy?" Lincoln asked in a motherly voice.

"No, let's finish with this. I need to go home."

"As you wish." Lincoln inhaled deeply. "What was the turning point?"

"After Steph turned eight, John decided to have an early retirement. He bought a three-room apartment in Naples, Florida near the beach and left the house to us. We only needed to pay the utilities, repairs and property tax. John and Mary were still the owners of the house. When they moved out, it was as if I gained my freedom back, but it was heartbreaking for Steve and Steph. I started to wear whatever I wanted. When I was late in the afternoon after work, I didn't have to answer to anyone. My colleagues who had always invited me to their girl's night out and to which I always refused before, were shocked when I turned up alone, one Friday evening, at the bar where they usually go."

"Steve agreed to let you go alone to these nights out?"

"Yes, indeed. He loved me so much and he never refused me anything. He trusted me more than anything else. In our group there were single and married women. Some were faithful to their boyfriends or husbands and some were not. Whatever happened during those nights out remained our secret. I had always drawn a line between myself and the men we met. Then one Friday evening I met a married man. We talked, we drank, we danced. On the dance floor, he pulled me tight against him and I could feel the bulge in his pants. It was exciting. After a couple of dances, he took me outside to his car which was parked in a far corner. He opened the rear door and bent me over the seat, pulled up my skirt and lowered my panties. I asked him to wear a condom. He opened the front door and removed one from the glove box. Without foreplay, he inserted his dick inside me and fucked me like there was no tomorrow. Each time he pounded into me, I could feel my juices dripping on the back seat. After he released all his cum inside the rubber, he removed it, tied it and zipped his pants. When he pulled me out of the car, I could still feel the pounding. He shut the rear door, thanked me for the fuck and gave me the condom full of his sperm. I could feel its warmth in the palm of my hand. He climbed into the vehicle and drove away. I threw the condom in a trash bin and walked to the bar."

"Why did you cheat on your husband?"

"Because I could. It was exciting and it was only sex. That night when I came home, Steve was already sleeping. I watched him and I cried. I promised myself that I would never do it again. Then I remembered that I already made one at the altar, in the house of God, in front of friends and relatives. I could not sleep that night, I hated myself. The following day I could not look him in the eye. He asked me if there was anything wrong. I lied, I told him that I was not feeling well. In fact, I was full of remorse. That night, as an act of repentance, to forgive myself, I almost killed him with sex. He filled all my holes and the following morning I woke him up with a blowjob."

"When did you next cheat on your husband?"

"I stopped going to the monthly girl's night out. Each time my colleagues invited me, I always found an excuse. Around six months later, while they were pleading with me to be present that evening, one of my colleagues, Carmella, the doyenne of our department, intervened on my behalf and told them that I was not interested and to leave me alone. Later during lunch time, she came to sit by me. She was mid 50's and already a grandma. She has never gone out with the colleagues. She asked me the reason I stopped with the girl's night out. I answered that I didn't want to cheat on my husband while being alone with other men. The temptation was there and at any time I could cross the line. She looked at me in the eyes and asked if I have already done it. At that particular moment I could not lie to her. I told her the truth and how it hurt."

"As a mature woman, I hope she gave you good advice." Lincoln cut in.

Nancy looked down and shook her head. "She held my hand and started telling me about her life. She married young. She had two daughters, already married with kids. After her menopause, she started to feel old, which she could not accept. She began to wear tight dress with cleavage, putting on lots of makeup and styling her hair like the younger generation. Her husband was good with it. Still, she was not satisfied. One Saturday, after shopping, she was in a coffee shop and a young man, around twenty, sat next to her. After she finished her coffee, without hesitation he asked her if she wanted to have some fun. Taken aback at first, she smiled and asked if he knew a discreet place. The young man rode with her in her car and showed her an underground parking garage where there were no cameras. He fucked her twice on the back seat. They started meeting regularly and after six months he brought a friend and later on another one. Up until now she takes lovers who are in their early twenties."

"Her husband never noticed till now?"

"She is very careful. I asked her if she had any regrets. She had and she told me that she loved only her husband and with her young lovers it was only sex. To clear this guilt, she would never let them come into her mouth. This was for her husband only. She also said that if the husband didn't know, it didn't hurt."

"My goodness! Don't tell me that you let yourself be influenced by her?"

"Unfortunately, yes. My girl's night out started again, but this time I was alone. Steve thought I was with my colleagues. I decided to fuck married men only because obviously they were cheating on their wives and would keep everything discreet. You can't imagine how many of them are out there trying their luck to fuck other women."

"As long as there is a supply, there will be a demand." Lincoln remarked.

"I always stopped the relationship after seven to eight months." Nancy ignored Lincoln's sarcasm. "I feared that a prolonged relationship would be a danger to my married life. And at the same time, I would know different types of men. After one lover, I would take a pause of two to three months then I would look for another one."

"Where do you meet them?"

"As I mentioned earlier, these married men are everywhere. You'll find them mainly in every watering hole. We will fuck in motels on Saturdays when I went shopping alone, leaving Steve at home to take care of Stephanie and the household chores; during my night's out without the girls or sometimes I will take a long lunch at work. Sometimes, after work, we will have a quickie on the backseat of my car."

"You were very busy. Were you never tired when you reached home? How could you manage your double life without regrets?"

"I got used to it. One thing though, I never refused Steve anything. He had me whenever he wanted me and he is the only one I had anal sex with. I have always refused my back door to my lovers. In my mind, it was my husband who owned me and no one else. Plus, I insisted on my lovers wearing a condom during sex even though I was on birth control. I didn't want to bring any diseases home."

"Life was good then?"

"Till I meet Lou, some six months ago. The biggest mistake of my life."

Lincoln shook her head. "Tell me how it started with Mr. Cypher, Lou Cypher?"

"One Saturday I was in a supermarket and while I was bending down to take a bottle of juice from the lower shelf, I felt someone bump his crotch into my ass. I turned around with shock. It was Lou. He said that he was sorry and that he tripped over something. There was no one in the aisle at that particular moment. There was no one to confirm if it was a deliberate action or not. He then walked away with a smile. When I was walking to my car in the parking lot, I could not stop thinking about that guy. His cock was big and hard like a steel pipe. When I was about to climb in my car, he ran to me from nowhere and presented his excuse again. This time I could notice his dick in a horizontal position. I don't think he was wearing any briefs and he could have done it on purpose to be noticed. I told him that it was an accident and everything was good. He invited me for a coffee and I told him that I was married and showed him my ring finger. He said that he was not. He wrote his name and phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to me. He asked me to give him a call whenever I wanted to talk to a friend."

"You didn't throw the paper away, did you?"

"No. The whole day and the rest of the week I was thinking about him and his dick. That Friday I lead myself to temptation. I phoned him. He was expecting my call. We agreed to meet the following day at his place. He gave me the address. I have never met my lovers at their places for obvious reasons. It was exciting to have sex with someone in his own bed while at the same time I was going against my own rule and conviction concerning single man. I decided to give it a try. On Saturday we met and the first thing I told him was that he should wear protection. He was a little bit reluctant and then he obliged. I also made him aware that my backdoor was out of bounds. I was not into fingering or rimming either. He accepted my conditions. He knew how to use his big dick and I orgasmed several times."

"So, it was not a onetime fling?"

Nancy shook her head. "We continued to meet the same way I did with my previous lovers. After about three months I noticed that he was becoming a bit possessive. One evening during my 'girl's night out' he begged me to spend the night with him as he wanted me to wake up in his arms the following morning."

"Did you?"

"How could I? Then he wanted to meet on a more regular basis, which I refused. One day he gave me a powder and told me to put it in Steve's drink at dinner time. He would sleep like a log. He would then come to my place at night and fuck me in my bed with my husband sleeping next to me. That was insane and I told him that I would never do something like that. It was then that I decided to distance myself from him. I stopped meeting him during lunch time or after work hour. I found all sorts of excuses. We met after three Saturdays. He was not happy. He was irritated and fucked me with rage and pounded me so hard that it hurt. After the second round he asked me to cut Steve off from sex."

"What did you do?

"Steve was my man, I belonged to him. I stopped seeing Lou for almost a month. He kept calling me and sending me messages. I would occasionally reply to him saying that I was busy and that he hurt me so much the last time that I was still recovering. He apologized and even sent some flowers to my office. Then last Saturday I wanted to meet him for the last time and to tell him that it was over between us. Also, I realized that I had gone too far with my cheating and it was time to put a halt to it. It would be my last tryst and after that I would be the best wife a husband could have."

Nancy looked away from Lincoln, there were hundreds of things going through her head at that point.

"As usual we met at his place." Nancy continued. "We were in a missionary position when he turned me around and I landed on all my four. He held my waist and lifted it up. I thought he would do me in a doggy style. Suddenly I could feel he was forcing the tip of his dick into my anus. I struggled and succeeded to jump out of the bed. He grabbed my arm and pulled me with force onto the bed. I kicked him very hard in his groin. He released me and held his dick with pain. I immediately seized my cellphone which was on the nightstand. I told him that I would speed dial 911 should he continue trying to rape me. He didn't respond, he was groaning in the fetal position. I yelled at him that I didn't want to see him again. I quickly put my dress on and left his house."

"Did he try to reach you since then?"

"No, the whole week he didn't contact me, till this morning." Nancy inhaled deeply and shook the head. "After about ten missed calls from him, I blocked his number. Then he called the home phone. I don't know how he got my home phone number. I have never given it to him."

"May be without you knowing, he took it from your contact list in your cell phone."

"May be. I was in the bathroom. Steve had gone to the liquor store to buy some wine. Today he wanted to surprise us with Coq au Vin and Tiramisu as dessert. Steph took the phone and Lou gave his complete name and said that he was my colleague at work and he needed to discuss an important file. She told him that I was busy and I would return his call later. After she informed me about Lou, I asked my daughter to go and clean her room. I know she always put the music on loud while doing so. I then went to the basement and called him from my cell phone." Nancy stopped talking and looked down at the floor.

"What did he say?" Lincoln asked after a pause.

"He asked me to come to his house immediately or else he would let Steve know about my affair. Straight away I responded that it was my intention to let my husband know about my cheating. I told him that Steve loved me so much that he would forgive me. We would go for therapy together and I will never look at another man again. Steve would be the only one to have me till death do us part." Nancy sobbed and dried her tears. "Then he said something that terrified me."

"What was that?" Lincoln frowned.

"He said that Steve was certainly a wine-loving person and that he had good taste. I froze on the spot. I was speechless. Then he continued by saying that if he couldn't have me, nobody would. Then I heard two gunshots and people screaming. I panicked, I yelled at him about what was happening, that I heard gun shots, what has he done. There was no response till I heard a car door closed. He said the same thing again that if he couldn't have me, nobody could. I then heard a single gunshot. I panicked. I took my car and sped to the liquor store. When I reached there, the police had already put the yellow crime scene tape around. I found my Steve lying dead in the parking lot with two holes in the chest." Nancy burst into tears.

"Lou Cypher was found dead in his car near the crime scene with a hole in the back of his head. Apparently, he shot himself in the mouth." Lincoln held Nancy's hand. "You have a daughter to take care of." She turned towards the mirror and nodded. "Your parents are waiting at the front office. Come, I'll walk you to them."

Walking down the hallway, Lincoln stopped Nancy. "According to what you said, Steve was a very good husband and father. He loved his family. He was a good cook, he did the chores, looked after the yard and the house. He gave you total freedom. He was the perfect and ideal husband that any woman would dream of, still you cheated on him."