Dan,
I have been following your thread but have stayed off of it until now.
First, my heart goes out to you, man. What a shit sandwich that you didn’t deserve. Plus the situation it leaves you and your family in.
There have been a lot of good points made by the good people here and I am glad you reached out when you had suspicions. So many people miss or brush aside suspicions only to learn later that their life and marriage was a sham all along. I am not saying yours has been but for many who pass through these boards, it rings true.
I just want to make a few observations.
You have done very well so far. Your job at the party was masterful especially with the phone.
Don’t beat up on yourself over hitting the other guy. That jackass deserved it. Hell, I would been put in jail by now for putting him in a ‘dumpster’.
Do not be surprised if this developed over a period of time, previous job etc….
Don’t be surprised if this was a full on EA/PA. It doesn’t add up with what she is talking about.
Regradless of whether you R or D, the threat is still in town until January. Expose him to your wife’s co-workers husbands if you know any of them. Spread the word that Dr. Quebec is a wife grabber.
Please check and make sure that if your wife leaves her job that it won’t affect you alimony or support wise if you decide to divorce if and when you find out this was more serious than you thought
She needs to be cut off socially from all co-workers since it appears that they enabled the affair
Gather evidence. Great job on hanging on to the phone. This way she can’t delete. Save copies of all of her shit.
Bigger is right. You can’t prevent her from coming back home but you can in the meantime move her crap into another room so this way, if an in-house separation is warranted, it’s easier to do.
Do not do a complete separation. It just gives her more time to test drive other guys without your supervision.
Check from here on out for burner phones.
Applaud your kids and your BIL for having your back. Many say don’t involve them. I have always disagreed. They have a right to fight for their family too.
Seek polygraph examiners and set her up with one asap.
If she says it was one time, it was 2. If she says 2, it was 4. Don’t believe a word of what she says, look at every word like it’s an opening into something bigger.
The fact that she his him as ‘Jennifer’ in her contact list shows the true art of a cheater or someone who has been coached by an actual cheater. So there are a few scumbags lurking.
I wish I could tell you that it is all of what she said, but I have graver doubts.
I don’t know if this as a potential empty-nester affair in the beginning or a mid-life crisis affair or just a one day fuckup. However, don’t offer reconciliation until you know exactly what you are reconciling from. Same thing the other way. Sure, landing divorce papers on her now will show consequences and bring her to her knees which is good but don’t go all the way to divorce until you know what you are divorcing from.
Keep up the good work man.
Has she indicated if she’s trying to come home ? Has she reached out to you again ?