He told me to get evidence. Obviously, my marriage was over, and I needed to gather everything I could while he contacted one of his friends, an excellent divorce lawyer. Jane called me when she saw the two missed calls. I simply told her I was already home.
She told me she was on her way from the gym. My gym. Yeah, I could guess.
When she saw me, she asked what had happened and why I had been crying. I don’t know how, but I was mentally focused. I smiled and told her I had the flu, and that was why I had left work early. I told her not to come near me because it might be a bug.
I told her I would get tested the next day and sleep in the spare room. She agreed. I cried silently and didn’t sleep a wink. Near midnight, I heard her giggling.
I guessed she was messaging Baldi, but I still didn’t find any evidence of her contacting another man. Then it hit me. Why hadn’t I seen it earlier? I bet the affair partner was disguised as one of her female co-workers.
In the morning, while Jane was in the shower, I took her phone, created a session on my laptop, and put her phone back in the same place. We both could unlock each other’s phones. The session worked while the phone was close to my laptop or on the same Wi-Fi network.
Then I saw it. Under a female name, the profile picture was a dumbbell. I entered the chat, and most of the conversations were deleted. I guessed they used work words as code in case I snooped.
“Can you deliver the papers to my desk?” I knew she didn’t have a desk at work.
“Going to the meeting. Where are you?” “On top of them.”
“Boss is in his office. He’s clueless.”
Pretty clever. I guessed I was “boss,” because I knew her actual boss was a woman.
Jane got out of the shower and saw me. She said, “You look worse. Why don’t you stay with your parents?”
I denied the idea, thinking about getting evidence. After Jane went out, I contacted my dad, and he gave me the name and number of the lawyer. I called him and explained everything. He told me the captions I took from my laptop were useless.
They didn’t contain actual evidence because it wasn’t the affair partner’s real name, and Jane had been smart enough to leave pieces of conversation that looked innocent. I could take pictures of them at the mall, but she could argue they were just good friends. I also couldn’t invade the residential area without permission because it could get me into more trouble.
At work, I was in zombie mode, thinking about how to get evidence. I considered installing secret cameras in my house, but Baldi rarely went to my home, and Jane might find them. Unless I was out of the picture.
I texted Jane and told her I had tested positive for the bug and would stay at my parents’ house because I might need help. She liked the idea and told me she would miss me, but she would call every day. When I hung up, I called my dad and my brother.
When I got home, she had already packed my suitcase for me. She was so eager to get rid of me. I told her I would take my laptop. Then I checked her messages.
“Boss will be out of the office. When can I come to my desk?”
She sent that message almost immediately after I told her I had tested positive for the bug. Good. She took the bait. We didn’t have dinner, no kisses, no hugs.
I noticed her looking at her watch twice from the door. I told her I would miss her. I was expecting her to shut the door in my face, but she walked me to my car. Then I was gone.
My dad and brother were outside the building, waiting for Baldi to appear, but he didn’t show up. After half an hour, I thought, “Why did she walk me to my car?” Of course. Because Baldi was already inside the building waiting, perhaps inside her car.
It would have been very suspicious if her “massage therapist” had come at that hour. I hurried back to my house and entered silently. I heard music coming from the bedroom, along with moaning. Next to the door, there was a sofa, and his and her clothes were on it.
I put my phone on record and opened the bedroom door. There she was, my wife, the love of my life for 11 years, with Baldi behind her. I got a clear few seconds of both of their faces when they saw me open the door. Jane screamed and covered herself with the blanket.
Baldi immediately went alpha male. He walked naked toward me. I had recorded him with my wife. He yelled aggressively, “Why don’t you go for a walk, buddy?”
I hit his throat with my open hand. I had seen that movement in the Mel Gibson movie Ransom. The next second, Baldi was coughing, gasping, and kneeling on the floor. I yelled, “Get out of my house,” and kicked him out.
I threw his clothes at him just as my dad, my brother, and Mr. P were arriving at my house. I told them, “I’ll take it from here,” and closed the door.
Jane was still on the bed, covering herself. She was trembling. I told her, “I have never hurt you, nor will I. Get dressed. I’ll wait for you in the living room.”
While I was waiting, I sent the video to my lawyer. He answered, “I’m sorry for you, but jackpot.”
A few minutes later, Jane showed up. She couldn’t look me in the eyes. I started recording the conversation. I asked, “Why?”
She didn’t answer. I asked, “Was I such an awful husband to you?” She started crying but didn’t answer. I asked, “Do you love him?”
She shook her head, but no words came out. I stood up, hit the table, and said, “Say something, damn it.” She opened her eyes wide and started trembling again like a scared puppy. I had never yelled at her before.
I sat down and spoke calmly. “My lawyer will contact you for the divorce. Get a lawyer.”