"It's a big deal to me," I shot back, my voice rising. "You really think this is okay? That this insanity is good for our relationship?" "Yes, I do," she snapped, turning to face me. "You're so uptight, Tom. It's one night, and if you weren't so closed-minded, you'd come too. Maybe it would help us."
"Help us? Help us how? By watching you with another man?" She rolled her eyes. "Don't be dramatic."
I stared at her, heart pounding, every word she said hitting me like a hammer. Finally, I voiced what had been weighing on me all week. "I'm not going, Lisa. If you go, we're done. I'll file for divorce."
Her lips parted in surprise, but instead of backing down, she doubled down. "You'd throw away our marriage over one night? That's pathetic." "No," I said firmly. "You're throwing it away by even considering this." She scoffed, shaking her head as if I were the unreasonable one.
I didn't respond. Instead, I let the silence fill the room, my mind racing. Divorce. The word had been lingering in the back of my mind since this whole mess started, but now it was clear it wasn't a question of if, but when. What was there to save?
The woman standing in front of me wasn't the Lisa I married. She was someone I didn't even recognize. As I weighed my options, she broke the silence, her tone almost teasing. "Oh, come on, Tom. It'll be fun. If you're so uptight about it, I can record it for you."
"That way, you'll see it wasn't a big deal." Her words hit me like a slap. "You'd what?" I asked, my voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and fury. "I'll record it," she repeated with a shrug, as if it were the most casual suggestion in the world. "You can see for yourself. Maybe it'll even turn you on."
I was too stunned to respond at first. What kind of person even says something like that? But then, amidst the shock and anger, a thought crept in, a cold, calculating thought. This could work. If she was stupid enough to record herself cheating, it would be the perfect evidence.
It wouldn't just confirm her betrayal. It would leave no room for denial. The courts would side with me. She'd lose the house, the kids, everything. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm.