welcome to Lost relation Chronicles you ever get that sudden uneasy feeling like something's just off the kind that sends a chill down your spine and raises the hair on the back of your neck well that's exactly the kind of night I've been having my name's Alistair Brown I'm 46 years old standing 5' 11 in and weighing about 175 lb I manage accounts of a big manufacturing firm my wife Elizabeth though she prefers to go by Liz is also 46 she's 5' 6 in and around 130 lb with a figure that still turns heads tonight she
looked especially gorgeous in the dress she had on Liz Works in design and Graphics at a large advertising agency here in Fort Worth we've been married for 25 years our story goes way back we grew up on the same block and have been best friends since the fourth grade by the time high school rolled around we were dating and Liz was my date to prom that night we became even closer sharing something truly special for the first time Liz and I both went to the University of Texas for 3 years and for the last two
of those we shared a one-bedroom apartment I guess you could say we were already living together back then we have a daughter Maria who's 21 and currently studying at the University of Oklahoma yeah she crossed state lines Trader LOL Maria recently got engaged to William Thompson a great young man from Oklahoma City William comes from an oil Rich family his father is a major player at a big oil company based in Norman Oklahoma at 26 will William's a bit older than Maria but that maturity shows he's head over heels for her and we couldn't be
happier for them he's studying business law while Maria's been taking a mix of whatever classes interest her she hasn't declared a major yet mostly she's been enjoying her time as a cheerleader and well spending my money financially we've been solid Liz earns around $60,000 a year working in design at her agency while I as a manager for an accounting company bring in over $500,000 annually about 15 years ago we stumbled upon a foreclosed property on Lake Arlington we made a cash offer of $350,000 bought it fixed it up and now it's worth a cool $2.3
million I suppose it's time to Circle back to the reason why my nerves are on edge tonight and why I can't shake this unsettling feeling 3 days ago Liz casually mentioned that her company was hosting a party this coming Saturday night after filling me in on the details she added Alis I know you don't really enjoy these events and you'll probably be too tired so don't feel like you have to go if you don't want to but I was actually looking forward to it no Liz I told her I'm off the next few days and
I'd love to go yet over the next couple of days she kept insisting that I didn't need to come every time I reassured her that I was excited to attend and finally meet her co-workers despite her repeated attempts to convince me otherwise I stood firm when the evening of the party arrived Liz looked absolutely stunning in a tight black dress that hugged her curves and made her long long blonde hair shine her blue eyes were bright practically glowing in the low lights of the venue as soon as we stepped into the main room I noticed
a man probably in his 50s making a Bee Line toward her in that moment I saw Liz extend her hand outward almost like a subtle stop gesture before quickly turning toward me with a smile and planting a kiss on my cheek that was the first time I felt a knot tighten in my gut something was off we had a few drinks together but I made sure to stay sober I was driving and more importantly I wanted to stay alert tonight not that I've ever doubted Liz's loyalty in 25 years of marriage I've never suspected her
of cheating but tonight my instincts weren't about her they were about this man later as we were seated at our table I overheard someone mention his name Chad Smith that's when the feeling of unease settled deeper into my bones Chad Smith it turns out is one of the senior advertising sales reps at Liz's company I couldn't shake the sense that something was off especially after the way Liz kept glancing in his Direction while we danced each time I caught her looking Chad was already staring right back at us after one of our dances as we
were catching our breath at the table Chad approached without even acknowledging me he asked Liz directly if she wanted to dance with him the nerve of that guy he didn't so much as glance in my direction let alone ask for my permission the arrogance was infuriating and I could feel the blood rushing to my face my fists clenching under the table Liz must have sensed how close I was to losing my cool she smiled sweetly at Chad and declined saying all my dances are reserved for my husband I could see the flash of anger in
his eyes before he turned away heading toward the dance floor with another woman in toe not long after Liz asked for another drink so I made my way to the bar but as I returned I saw Chad standing in front of Liz talking to her the look on her face those sad almost pleading eyes stopped me cold I stayed back hidden in the crowd watching that's when I saw her lips move forming the words sorry baby I've always been good at reading lips it's a skill I picked up over some years there was no mistaking
what she said sorry baby the words sent a chill through me for the rest of the night I stayed Stone Cold Sober my senses on high alert I noticed the way people around us were watching watching me watching Liz and definitely watching chat there was a tension in the air a feel feeling that I was the last one in on a secret by the time we left my mind was spinning I had never been one to keep things bottled up so as soon as we got in the car I asked Liz what's going on with
Chad I kept my voice as steady as I could but there was no hiding the suspicion and hurt that was boiling up inside me Liz who the hell is Chad the two of you seem to have some sort of connection are you cheating on me I kept my eyes on the road but the tension was thick enough to choke on honey she sighed Chad is just someone I work with I can't believe you would even think that I love you more than anything her voice was steady but something about her tone felt forced like she
was trying too hard to sound reassuring I didn't push it further that night I just let the silence sit between us Liz knows me well enough to understand that if I ever found out she was cheating there would be hell to pay growing up she'd seen firsthand how far I was willing to go to get even back in high school when some punk used to bully me I waited until school let out cornered him beat The Living Daylights out of him stripped him of his pants and left him there humiliated Liz was right there to
back me up swearing to the teachers that I couldn't have done it because I was with her the whole time so yeah Liz knows damn well that I won't be the kind of man who just rolls over and takes it if she's messing around she should know there's a storm coming but in the pit of my stomach I couldn't shake that feeling the way she looked at Chad the way she spoke to him sorry baby those words were burned into my mind maybe she was right and I was overthinking it or maybe just maybe there
was more to this story than she was letting on for now I kept my suspicions to myself but I was already planning my next move I wasn't about to sit in the dark Liz knows what I'm capable of when I've been wronged and if Chad Smith thinks he can play games with my marriage he's got another thing coming Liz has over 125,000 in her 401k and I have over 1 million in mind so I decided I need to know for sure I'd had enough of the doubts and sleepless night nights so I hired a private
detective I knew he was discreet and efficient he delivered exactly what I needed a solid stack of evidence photos videos even audio recordings it was all right there cold and clear a few weeks later Liz and I were sitting at our usual spot in the dining room sipping our morning coffee like we done for years I decided it was time to confront her so Liz I said keeping my tone as calm as I could youd never cheat on me would you never have right her eyes darted up surprise flashing across her face no honey of
course not why would you even ask that Alistair without another word I reached into my briefcase and pulled out the large manila envelope I started laying the photos down on the table one by one letting the images do the talking in the first photo there she was kissing Chad outside a Motel 6 the next one showed her walking into a room with him another photo had his car parked right outside our home then came the gut punchers Li straddling Chad in my favorite recliner the same damn chair I used to relax in after a Long
Day's Work and the final nail in the coffin them together in our bed Liz's face went pale her hands shaking as she reached for one of the photos Alister it doesn't mean anything she stammered I don't love him it's just sex I leaned in closer my voice cold as ice it means everything to me Liz she looked desperate now scrambling for some excuse some explanation no he's not not better than you Alistair he's not even as Big And as far as better it's not it's not about that it's just different that's all we've been doing
it for over a year a year I snapped my voice louder than I intended you've had a boyfriend for over a year she shook her head looking almost offended at the word at work we don't call it that I'm his office wife a lot of people at work do it Alistair it's it's just part of the culture my jaw tightened my fists balled up on the table what I couldn't believe what I was hearing tears welled up in her eyes and she reached out for my hand but I pulled away you're not going to leave
me are you Alis she asked her voice barely a whisper I leaned back in my chair shaking my head slowly but not for the reason she hoped Hell No I'm not leaving I spat you are before she could respond I dropped the final bombshell I've already packed your clothes and personal stuff in your BMW I want you out of my house now when I grabbed Liz by the arm and practically dragged her to her car her eyes were red and swollen tears streaming down her face she looked like a broken doll but I felt no
pity she done this to herself where will I go Alis she sobbed desperation clear in her voice I don't care where you go I said coldly go live with your office husband a look of panic crossed her face I can't go to him she whispered Chad is married with three kids I already knew that thanks to the Pi's thorough report I even had the names of his wife kids and their home address but I wasn't about to let Liz know how much I knew let her scramble to figure out where she could turn Liz I
said my voice low and hard I don't care where you end up head back to Motel 6 if that's what you want but get the hell away from here and stay away she was sobbing uncontrollably now trying to plead with me Alistair Are you seriously going to throw away 25 years of a good marriage I stared her down my face emotionless no Liz it was less than 24 years of a good marriage and over a year of a cheating marriage you're the one who threw it away without another word she got into her BMW tears
still flowing the car's engine roared to life and she sped off leaving me standing in the driveway for a moment I thought about how empty the house would feel without her but the anger quickly swallowed that thought hole a few hours later just when I was starting to relax the phone rang it was Maria I took a deep breath before answering trying to steady myself hello Maria how's everything going with the wedding plans I asked forcing cheerfulness into my voice I was genuinely happy for her even though my own life was unraveling I was footing
the bill for The Big Wedding she'd always dreamed of but she and William were doing most of the planning it was the least I could do for my only daughter I loved her with all my heart and I wanted her to have the best day of her life but instead of the excited chatter I was expecting there was a long pause on the other end my stomach twisted something was wrong dad Maria said her voice hesitant I just got off the phone with Mom she's shek crying and saying you threw her out of the house
what the hell is going on I felt like I'd been punched in the gut the last thing I wanted was to drag Maria into this mess but there was no way to avoid it now Maria listen to me I said slowly trying to keep my voice steady your mother she's been unfaithful for over a year she's been having an affair with a man from her work dad grow up Maria scoffed over the phone it's the 21st century that kind of thing happens all the time it's not a big deal if a woman goes out and
gets some action on the side men used to do it all the time I've never done it I shot back my voice tight with anger and I sure as hell won't put up with it so are you doing the same thing to William dad that's none of your business besides William and I aren't married yet so whatever I do is my concern not his I was stunned who else in our family is doing this crap aun Nancy does Dad so what my own family a pack of cheaters I muttered feeling sick to my stomach Dad
you need to get over it and let Mom come back home Maria insisted besides it's not that big of a deal and by the way I've met Chad he's a great guy mom wants him involved in the wedding and so do I I couldn't believe what I was hearing are you serious have you all lost your minds I was boiling with rage well if you want chat at your wedding let him walk you down the aisle because if he's there I sure as hell won't be and with that I hung up the phone rang multiple
times that night but I ignored it I was done 2 Days Later Liz showed up at the house with a piece of paper in her hand a court order it seemed her so-called office husband had a top-notch lawyer and she'd managed to secure a temporary order granting her the right to return home until everything was settled she had the audacity to try to talk to me about her affair she stood there with that infuriating calmness trying to justify her actions Alistair it wasn't affecting our marriage she claimed I've always been affectionate with you when you
asked for it and I can continue to be that way but I don't see any reason to stop seeing Chad the sheer audacity left me speechless she truly believed that what she' done had no impact on her marriage that she could just carry on as if nothing had happened expecting me to accept her and chat as part of my life I didn't know whether to laugh or scream you know damn well Liz I'm never going to put up with a cheating wife I spat barely keeping my rage in check and as for your so-called affection
don't bother I'll never touch you again you can keep the master bedroom it's already tainted seeing as that's where you screwed him I've been sleeping in one of the guest rooms ever since I found out how much of a 304 my wife had turned out to be Alistair I am not a 304 she protested her voice shaking I don't care what you want to call yourself Liz it doesn't change a damn thing I'll be filing for divorce this week to put an end to all of this but Liz wasn't backing down Alister I don't want
a divorce she said her tone shifting and you should know Chad and I have already consulted with his lawyer if you go through with it I'll get the house and half of all our assets you make more than I do so I'll be entitled to a big chunk of your paycheck in alimony so my dear husband she added a cold smile on her lips you might as well just sit back and accept it like Chad says go to hell you and Chad both I stormed off into my room slamming the door behind me hours later
around midnight there was a soft knock on my door Liz stood there tears streaming down her face Alistair please she pleaded I'm sorry I want us to work this out but I also want Chad her words hung in the air like a slap to the face I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry at the sheer absurdity of it all the following morning I went to consult one of our company lawyers his assessment was grim and aligned with what Liz had taunted me about she'd get the house half of everything and with Maria already out
of the house there'd be no child support on top of that I'd be on the hook for around $125,000 a year in alimony Alis he said with a heavy sigh there's no easy way around it you're screwed if you go through with a divorce the next few days were tense but quiet we avoided each other not exchanging a single word but on the third day Liz broke the silence so are you still foolish enough to pursue this divorce she asked her voice dripping with contempt my lawyer is still reviewing everything I replied flatly screw you
alist she hissed I'll take everything you have I didn't bother responding just took a long drink from my high life and ignored her about an hour later I noticed Liz talking on the phone in the dining room she walked over and handed me the receiver her expression triumphant someone wants to talk to you Alistair she said hello I answered Alistair this is Chad came the voice on the other end listen man I get that you're pissed but you need to just accept this and roll with it cucky boy otherwise we'll take everything you have and
make your life a living hell you have no idea who you're messing with I growled into the phone you can keep the 304 I don't want her anymore she's damaged good so screw you and with that I slammed the phone down Fury boiling in my veins I looked at Liz in disbelief unable to comprehend how foolish she and Chad were I had caught them red-handed by hiring a private investigator complete with video audio and photos and speaking of the audio if they were so smart wouldn't they have realized that the conversations in this house and
on these phones were still being recorded clearly they weren't as clever as they thought they were the following week Liz met with her office husband four times always at Motel 6 never at our house I had made it clear to her that if she brought him back here again I would end them both I think she finally understood I wasn't bluffing the company I worked for had been acquired by a larger company from Colorado we were now running both their products and hours out of the plant with two accounts manager myself and Alex Alex was
a young sharp guy from Colorado the plant manager for the new company and I liked him a lot he had been through a divorce before he joined us so he understood exactly what I was going through the company was looking to downsize and consolidate into one manager the upside for me was that we were unionized which gave me some protection they were pushing for the younger guy Alex to take over but since he came from the purchasing company they had been trying to buy me out their latest offer was $500,000 plus converting my retirement into
Company stock Alex and I decided to hit up a local strip club near the plant he frequented the place since his divorce left him with a lot of free time it was during one of our conversations there that a thought hit me everything finally clicked Alister I know what you're going through Alex said that ex of mine took everything I just wish I had sold everything off or given it away and vanished before I ever got divorced Alex you're the smartest guy I know I replied grateful for his perspective I finished my beer shook his
hand and thanked him before heading out I drove home and luckily Liz wasn't there I figured she was off with her office Affair again she didn't come home all night and as the hours passed I realized just how little I missed her at one point I had loved Liz more than anything but now all I felt was hatred I was ready to put my plan into action it was Sunday I was watching football when my daughter called Dad are you getting past your anger what do you want Maria I'm calling because Mom wants me to
talk to you about the wedding all right what's going on Mom and I think Chad should be part of the wedding too maybe he could walk up the aisle behind you and me then sit down when we get to Mom Maria is that really what you want yes Daddy I think it is and I know Mom feels the same way you're my father and mom's husband but Chad's her office husband so we both think he should be there Maria I have a better idea let your office dad walk you down the aisle because I won't
be there I'll call William and apologize Dad don't be silly William doesn't like this either but he'll get over it by our wedding night Maria I wish you a good luck life sweetie bye what does that mean Dad I didn't answer just hung up and sat there tears filling my eyes Liz came home that night and asked did you miss me honey I will never miss you go somewhere and die Liz ran off to her room crying on Monday morning I arrived at the corporate office at 8:00 a.m. and accepted the buyout offer half a
million was transferred into an offshore account along with onee salary with the house and cars already paid off my next stop was the bank I had paperwork drawn up to borrow money against the house in Liz's BMW the house valued at $2.3 million easily secured a $2 million loan and I borrowed $40,000 against her car which was worth $45,000 the goal was simple put some debt in her name the challenge now was getting Liz to sign the documents that was going to be the tricky part afterward I went back to work finishing up the next
two weeks for a smooth transition especially for Alex who was a great person to work with that afternoon I called the wedding planner and canceled my credit cards ensuring they wouldn't cover any of the expenses I informed her that I would no longer be responsible for the wedding costs then who will pay for it Mr Brown she asked tell Maria to ask her new dad Chad for the money I replied back at the office I worked on creating some fake life insurance policy applications each for $1 million in coverage on myself later that evening I
called Liz and she seemed surprised to hear from me Liz if you're not with Chad tonight how about we have a nice dinner that sounds great I'm so happy you're getting past all this where do you want to go the Italian in downtown Under The Lights is that okay that sounds so romantic darling maybe you'll get lucky tonight alist I hope to get luckier than you think tonight Liz I said we had dinner and during the meal Liz tried to kiss me but I gently told her later I then brought up the insurance policy claiming
it was for a cool million I told her the company had suggested I take it out with her as the beneficiary Liz isn't your sister Nancy a notary yes Alistair she is we need to sign these in front of a notary letun go over to her house tonight get it done then we can celebrate okay Alistair let's go I paid for dinner and we drove over to her sister's house Liz signed and annealed all the papers without question her judgment clouded by the six glasses of wine she had she was so happy that we were
together and she never bothered to read what she was signing as I said earlier what a stupid move on her part the next day I rushed the sign papers to the mortgage company and the bank the bank quickly approved the $440,000 loan the $2 million however would take at least a week to process I arranged for it to be transferred to the offshore account one week later I wrapped up my time at the company I stopped by the Ford dealership and traded in my truck for a new F350 paying in cash of course next I
went to the bank closed all of our credit cards emptied our savings withdrew everything from our checking accounts leaving only $11,000 behind I also had a friend move all of my offshore funds into different accounts to cover my tracks and erase any records the next steps were harder for me I hated that innocent people were going to get hurt by what I was doing I met with my future son-in-law explained everything that had happened how I had cut off the money and shared my concerns that Maria might cheat on him I gave him the audio
recordings of my conversations with Maria William was absolutely absolutely crushed my next stop was Chad Smith's house a beautiful woman in her 50s answered the door and I couldn't help but wonder how someone like him could cheat on someone as classy as her once again it showed how stupid people can be I handed Miss Smith the videos pictures and audio recordings she was in tears but before I left she told me this wouldn't be the first time he had done something like this but it would be the last time she ever put up with it
it turns out she's a major shareholder in an advertising agency I wonder how that might affect a few people's jobs as for Liz I couldn't help but wonder how she would manage her $900 a month car payment and $16,000 a month mortgage maybe her office husband will be able to help out right now I'm heading to the RV dealership to pick up my 36' 5th wheeel travel trailer everything is going according to plan I paid cash for both the truck and the RV and I had them registered under my cousin's name I also have three
credit cards all in his name my plan is to head to Florida for a few years lay low and hope that Liz eventually files for divorce on grounds of Abandonment I'm hoping that happens soon 1 year and 3 months later a lot had changed Chad had gotten divorced and he was right his ex-wife got everything she took the house and 60% of their assets plus $6,000 a year in alimony Chad lost his job but managed to land a position at one of the last remaining Blockbuster video stores as a tape rewinder and DVD cleaner he
now lives in a small one room apartment above a local adult store Liz had a much tougher time her mortgage and car payments kept piling up she had always believed the house was paid off in full but the truth was she never knew about the ongoing payments eventually she lost both the house and the car with her credit ruined finding a decent apartment was impossible she also lost her job but managed to pick up a waiting job at a Denny along the interstate she filed for abandonment hoping to secure a divorce to qualify for welfare
assistance but it didn't go as she'd planned they couldn't locate me in time and she ended up with a quick no fault divorce just to get the welfare benefits she needed as for my daughter she never ended up getting married William confronted her about the audio recordings and she tried to downplay it claiming it was no big deal just some casual Arrangements nothing more it was the same excuse she gave me William called off the wedding and Maria's World completely unraveled she lost the support of her wealthy family and her father and now she's living
in a two-bedroom apartment in a rough part of town with her mother from what I've heard Liz and Marie are spending a lot of time together though I'm not sure if dating is the right term when men show up at their place every night handing over 20 bucks each it sure seems like they're spending time together all right as for me I'm living the good life down in Southern Florida the sunny weather the bikinis and a fantastic job working with one of the big five companies life couldn't be better dear listeners please share your thoughts
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