Worse Than a Cheating Wife

I would like to thank Chimney Sweep for giving me permission to write this sequel to his story, "

Cheating Wife, But So Much Worse...

"

I would also like to thank those who offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories.

And now, the disclaimers:

For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper... In addition:

Characters in this story may participate in one or more of the following: Smoking, consumption of adult (meaning, alcoholic) beverages, utterance of profanities.

All sexual activity is between consenting adults 18 years of age or older.

Statements or views uttered by the fictional characters in this story do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the author.

Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (Yes, I DO moderate comments) And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...

...

Is Heather right? I asked myself that question after I finished typing out everything that came to mind about my marriage to her. Could I tolerate her so-called "need" to have two husbands?

The question nagged at me for about half a nanosecond. No, dammit, she's NOT right. She cheats on me for six months or more with some rat-faced putrid piece of pale pig flesh, MARRIES the clown in some kind of New Age ceremony out in Colorado, then comes home and expects me to just accept it, claiming she still loves me.

On top of all that, she thinks she can have her way by giving me sex -- or rather, letting me take it from her -- and so far, she's been pretty successful. That's when it hit me, like one of those head-slapping V8 moments. She's stringing me along, using sex as a weapon. She knows how attracted I am to her, and how excited she makes me.

Guess what? That ends, right fucking now, I thought to myself. I looked at one of the wedding photos we had framed on the wall. Noah and Heather Harrison, the caption on the photo read. In case you haven't quite figured it out yet, I'm Noah. With a swipe of my hand, I sent the photo flying off the wall.

It's not like we've been married for twenty years and she's going through a phase or suffering from empty nest syndrome. And it's certainly not because I travel because I don't. We've only been married for two years, and she's been cheating on me with that rat-fink, Steve, for a quarter of that time.

Wait a minute, I thought to myself. Why didn't I see this before? If she's actually married -- I mean, with a marriage license and the whole bit -- then she's broken the law. And if that's the case, she's probably got a license or a certificate of some kind somewhere in her junk.

I tore through her things, not caring where they landed after I pulled them out of the boxes she hadn't unpacked yet. Then I found it -- a small manila envelope. I opened it up and found a marriage certificate between one Heather Simpson and Steve Mackenzie along with a small pile of photos.

Simpson was Heather's maiden name. She must've used her driver's license as identification. It wasn't due to be renewed until her upcoming birthday in three months and still showed her maiden name and old address. Legally, she was supposed to have had it changed within 90 days after we got married, but she never did for some reason.

Looking at the certificate, I found the URL of the county where it was issued. I fired up my browser and went to the URL on the certificate. It took me a bit, but I found the notice showing their marriage. Damn!

I did another search and found that in Colorado, bigamy is a class 6 felony. According to the law, "any married person who, while still married, marries, enters into a civil union, or cohabits in this state with another person commits bigamy." If convicted, she would receive a minimum one-year sentence and a $1,000 fine. The max, according to the website I read, is 18 months in prison and a $100,000 fine.

"I hope you like wearing orange, Heather," I said to no one in particular, as I searched the site to find a way I could report them. I found an email address and sent a short message, referencing their marriage record.

After I sent the email, I turned to the small pile of photos in the envelope. They looked so lovey-dovey, Steve and Heather. One photo showed them with their faces mashed together looking at the camera with big smiles on their faces.

I looked at the photo for quite some time, letting my anger build up. As I studied the photo, I began to notice things. They were little things, but the more I looked, the more disturbed I became. Sure, I had seen them together when they came to the apartment, but I had never spent any time actually studying their faces.

Now that I had, I began to wonder what else they were hiding from me. If my gut instinct was right, and it usually was, I would need to get a DNA sample from both of them. But how? I did a search and found a local lab that did DNA tests, so I called and arranged to pick up a test kit. The next thing I need to figure was how to actually get a sample from the two cheaters.

I looked over my notes and decided that now is the time to act. So I called and was able to get an appointment with one Lisa Hawkins, Attorney at Law, this afternoon. I shut down my laptop and put the certificate and photos back into the envelope. I decided to take that with me to the lawyer's office. I grabbed the folder with our banking records and headed out.

I grabbed a bite to eat and headed to Lisa's office. I planned to pick up the DNA kit after my appointment. When I got there, an attractive brunette escorted me inside Ms. Hawkins' inner sanctum. Lisa stood and we shook hands.

"So, you've decided to go for the divorce," she said.

"I have," I told her. "I thought you might be interested in this," I added, handing her Heather's marriage certificate to Steve. Her brows furrowed as she looked at the paper.

"But she's already married to you," Lisa said.

"Yes, that's right," I said. "She used her maiden name, and I checked. It's legit."

"No, it's not," Lisa said. "It may be recorded, but it's not legitimate. It's called bigamy. Each state has different penalties, and in this state, it's a third degree felony. She can face up to 10 years in prison along with a $10,000 fine."

"What about Steve?" I asked.

"The same applies to him, assuming he knew you and Heather are currently married," she said. "I see this was done in Colorado."

"Is that significant?" I asked.

"Well, Colorado is one of the easiest states to get married in," she said. "There's no waiting period, no residency requirements and they don't even require blood tests. They can even officiate their own ceremony if they want. All that really matters is the fee is paid and the certificate is signed and filed within the allotted time frame."

"Damn," I said. "What do you suggest I do?"

"If it were me, I'd report this to the authorities. Then I'd divorce her. But that's just me," she said. "The real question is, is this something you can live with?"

"No," I said. "There's no way I can go along with this."

"Alright," she said. "As an officer of the court, I have no choice but to report this to the authorities. If I were you, I would cut off all physical relations with her. If you're having sex with her, the court could see that as a tacit approval of her actions. I can start the paperwork on this, but I won't file until she's taken into custody. That will give us a bit of leverage. Looking at your financial records, I see the two of you don't have very much. There's no children and no real property, so that makes it a lot simpler."

"She's been after me to accept her new arrangement, and it's really driving me nuts. Is there something you can do to keep her away from me?" I asked.

"Well, I can ask for a temporary restraining order," she said. "If she's in jail, that could become academic, though."

"Do what you need to do," I said.

"Okay," she said. "I'll get started on this right away."

"There's one other thing that's nagging at me," I said.

"What's that?" she asked. I pulled out the photo of Heather and Steve and handed it to her. She looked at it as I spoke.

"Is it just me or do you see a bit of a family resemblance between the two of them?" I asked.

"I take it this is your wife and her lover?" Lisa asked.

"Yes, it is," I told her. She looked at the picture carefully before saying anything.

"Well, he's certainly not the most attractive man I've ever seen, but yeah, I do see some similarities. You think they're related?"

"I'm beginning to think so," I said. "I plan to pick up a DNA test kit when I'm done here."

"But how do you plan to get their DNA? Surely you don't expect them to just voluntarily give it to you?" she asked.

"I hadn't figured that part out yet," I said.

"Then perhaps you should leave that to me," she said with a smile. "When do you want to start taking action?"

"The sooner the better," I said.

"Do you know where she'll be staying over the next 12 to 18 hours?"

"Yes, she said she's staying with Steve tonight," I told her. She smiled when I gave her Steve's address.

"Leave this to me," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. I thanked her, paid a hefty retainer and headed back to the apartment. When I got there, I repacked Heather's things -- or to be more precise, I crammed her crap back into the boxes and bags. Then I called her parents and told her about the divorce.

"What?" Linda, her mother asked, shocked.

"Yes, she went to Colorado and married some other guy, and she actually expects me to be okay with it," I said. "I've already packed her stuff, but she refuses to leave. Can you guys please come over and pick it up?"

"Yeah, sure," Linda said. "We'll be right over." A half hour later, Linda and her husband, Greg, were at the apartment. I explained as much as I could stomach and showed them a copy of Heather's marriage certificate from Colorado.

"What the hell is wrong with that girl?" Greg asked.

"By the way, do you have a picture of this guy?" Linda asked.

"Sure," I said, handing her a picture of Heather and Steve. She looked at it closely and showed it to Greg.

"Is that who I think it is?" she asked him. He looked at the picture closely before saying anything.

"It's been 24 years, and he's obviously changed quite a bit, but it sure looks like it could be him," Greg said.

"Looks like him, who?" I asked.

"Heather's twin brother," Linda said. I looked at them, shocked. What?

"Did you say 'twin brother?' Heather has a twin out there? Does she know about this?"

"Yes and no," Linda said. "Heather has a twin brother. She doesn't know about him yet. But maybe now she does."

"Okay, now I'm officially confused," I said.

"We adopted Heather as a baby," Linda said. "Her mother was a street-walker. A prostitute. She was also a drug addict. She died shortly after giving birth to two children, a boy and a girl. We adopted the girl and named her Heather. The boy was adopted by a family from Colorado. We saw a picture of him when he was a baby. I'm sorry to say this, but he was just as ugly then as now."

"And you say they got married in Colorado?" Greg asked. I nodded my head.

"Yeah. They supposedly went to Colorado for some kind of obstacle course event, but in reality, they visited his parents and then got married out in the wilderness somewhere. His parents even paid for their 'honeymoon suite.' According to her, it was like magic. Like they were meant to be together or some such bullshit," I said. Linda listened intently, then her eyes grew wide.

"Oh my God," she said quietly.

"What?" Greg asked.

"I've read about this, but I've never seen it for myself," she said.

"Read about what?" I asked. Linda was a psychologist who specialized in married couples. She considered herself much more than "just" a marriage counselor and tended to refrain from using the term.

"It's called genetic sexual attraction," Linda said. "It supposedly happens between family members who are separated at a very young age and meet as adults. There really isn't much evidence to suggest it's a real phenomenon, and most experts dismiss the idea as being pseudoscience. Still, it's a fairly complex issue and there are some who think there's something to the idea."

"You think maybe Heather and Steve might be experiencing this attraction?" I asked.

"If they're really twins, it might be possible," she said. "Noah, if that's the case, then Heather needs your help and support. You need to be there for her, to help her break this attraction."

"No," I said. "I can't do that, Linda."

"Why not? Don't you love her?" she asked.

"It's not a matter of loving her, Linda," I said. "She's been cheating on me with this puke for six months. That's a quarter of the time we've been married. No one forced her. No one drugged her. On top of everything else, she lies to me and trots off to Colorado with this guy and marries him. Worse yet, she expects me to be okay with it. Says she needs both of us. It's almost like she overdosed on stupid pills or something. But there's one very big problem."

"She broke the law," Greg said.

"That's right," I said. "She not only broke our marriage vows, she broke the law. She knew exactly what she was doing when she signed that paper. And she refuses to see that what she did was wrong." Linda nodded her head, but it was clear she was hurt by this. "Did Heather know she was adopted?"

"No, we never told her," Greg said.

"Well, she's about to find out," I said.

"Are you going to have her arrested, Noah?" Linda asked.

"It's out of my hands, Linda," I said. "My lawyer said what she did is a class three felony in this state. That's a possible 10-year prison sentence." Linda broke down crying and Greg held her as she sobbed.

"Isn't there any way you can put this behind you?" Linda asked through her tears. I shook my head.

"Not under these circumstances," I said.

"I can't say that I blame him, dear," Greg said. "It would be one thing if she was drugged or raped, but it's clear she wasn't. You saw her signature on that certificate. You saw her face in that photo. She deliberately used her maiden name and hid the fact that she's already married. That's fraud, no matter how you want to spin it."

"Are you turning on her, too?" Linda asked.

"No, but I can't turn a blind eye to this, and you know it. I work in the County Sheriff's office, for crying out loud. I do know some good outside defense attorneys, though, and I'll make sure she gets good representation," he said. Linda nodded her head.

"Alright," she said. "Thank you for that at least."

"We'll take Heather's stuff back to our place, Noah," Greg said. "She can stay with us if the judge lets her out on bond. I'm sorry this happened."

"It's not your fault, Greg," I said. They gathered her stuff and left the apartment. I ate dinner and watched some television, but I really wasn't paying much attention to what was on. About 6:30, I got a phone call.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Heather screamed. "You had me arrested? Why?"

"For starters, you've broken the law. Didn't you know that bigamy is a felony in this state? I thought you were supposed to be smart," I said. "Guess you're not as smart as you thought, huh?"

"What makes you think I committed bigamy?" she asked.

"Your signature on your Colorado marriage certificate, you ignorant slut," I said. "Yes, I found it. I also checked, and your illegitimate marriage to Steve has already been recorded."

"So why did they take a DNA sample?" she asked.

"To verify something," I said.

"Verify what?" she asked.

"Whether or not Steve is your twin brother," I said. She gasped at that.

"No way," she said. "You know I'm an only child."

"Really? Maybe you should have a talk with your parents."

"What are you saying?" she asked.

"Just that. And no, I'm not going to bail your stupid ass out of jail," I said. "In fact, I'm divorcing you. Maybe now you'll believe me when I say I'm done with you. Goodbye, Heather. Don't call me again." With that, I hung up the phone. The last thing I heard was her sobbing, but I felt nothing for her.

Epilogue:

Heather and Steve ended up staying in jail. The prosecuting attorney convinced the judge that both of them were potential flight risks. Greg followed through with his promise and got her a good attorney. But he wasn't quite good enough.

The DNA tests showed that Steve and Heather were, in fact, siblings. Heather maintained that she had no idea they were related, but Steve broke down under interrogation and admitted that he knew they were related even before he pursued her sexually.

Both of them were found guilty of bigamy and Steve was also convicted of incest and fraud. I was visiting with Heather after her conviction since Linda suggested I see her if for no other reason than to get closure on our relationship.

Even after everything was said and done, and knowing that Steve was her twin brother, she still claimed it was "magic" and things would have been great between the three of us if I wasn't so pig-headed about her infidelity.

"Did you stop to think about children?" I asked.

"Steve and I talked about it, and we decided that you would be listed as the father, regardless of who got me pregnant," she said. "He admitted he wouldn't be very good in that department."

"And the two of you decided this without even consulting me," I said. "Talk about fucked up." About that time, a sheriff's deputy came up and served her with divorce papers. Even though she knew it would happen, she still broke down crying.

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't love you any more," I said. "To be more precise, you fucked whatever love I had for you away with your twin brother. I hope it was worth it to you." I stood up to leave. "Goodbye, Heather." I turned and walked away, hearing her sobs behind me.

The next day, the two of them were brought back for their sentencing. For starters, their marriage in Colorado was nullified and the state waived extradition since our home state has much harsher penalties for what the two of them had done.

Heather received seven years in state prison, while Steve was sentenced to 25 years. Steve's sentence was harsher because Heather's attorney convinced the judge she had no idea he was her twin brother while he knew she was his sister and pursued her anyway.

Jada and Keith -- two of Heather's friends -- managed to get back together after all the sordid details between Heather and Steve came out. Jada, in fact, was one of the two people who clued me in about Heather and Steve. They kept setting me up with blind dates to get my mind off of what Heather had done, but I realized I had some serious issues with trust.

Oddly enough, it was Linda who helped me out the most. That's right -- Heather's mom. At first, she kept pressuring me to try reconciliation, but by the time all of the testimony was made public, she changed her tune.

It took a good six months after the divorce was final, but she finally got it through my thick head that not all women are like Heather. I continued to date, and a year later, I met Lisa. She was burned by a cheating husband and the two of us were able to relate to each other. I'm not sure where it's going, but so far things are looking good.

And she assures me there are no twin brothers in the closet...

...

Fade to black...