I Was On A Combat Mission In Afghanistan When My Daughter Managed To Reach Me At The Base. Her Voice

my daughter urgently requested my presence expressing concern about her mother's involvement with someone else despite the distance I could sense her distress through the grainy video quality she informed me that my wife had been spending several nights a week with a man named Donald KY the mayor known for his big fancy car and occasional limo rides Stacy my daughter described his appearance and confirmed her fears about the situation prompting me to assure her that I would try to come home Stacy pleaded for my Swift return emphasizing the need for discretion in dealing with her mother I promis to do my best expressing my love for her before ending the conversation my name is Robert Crawford I'm 42 years old and a design specialist for a large Electronics firm I'm also a major in the National Guard which is why I'm currently on a year-long assignment in Afghanistan serving on the Command Staff I've been married to the love of my life Kathy for 18 years and together we have an amazing 15-year-old daughter Stacy Kathy is 40 but looks even younger she's the most beautiful woman I've ever known 5' 6 in with a terrific body that actually improved after she gave birth to our daughter her dark brown hair Falls to her shoulders and her warm brown eyes always Sparkle when she smiles which is often I can honestly say our marriage has been Rock Solid even even during my deployments our time together has been warm and loving our love making passionate and always satisfying I've never doubted her Fidelity and she has never doubted mine so what happened I had no clue I completed all the necessary paperwork for 30 days of Emergency Family Leave and caught a flight that 26 hours later found me renting a car at my hometown airport and heading for home on a Friday night around 6:30 I parked the car half a block from my house the mid November Sun had set and the street lights cast an ominous glow on the neighborhood lights were on in the living room kitchen and upstairs Master Suite I observed my wife moving around the house seemingly getting ready to go out I discreetly called my daughter's cell phone and she answered after three rings speaking softly I reassured her and asked if her mother was going out she confirmed that her mother had been in her room for over an hour heard the shower and sensed her excitement for the night Stacy expressed her dismay wondering why her mother was putting the family through this I advised her not to pass judgment until we knew the full story Stacy asked about my plans and I mentioned that I intended to follow them and assess the situation before deciding how to respond she urged caution and asked if I needed to change clothes I declined mentioning that my cam fatigues would suff ice for the occasion we exchanged expressions of love and I assured Stacy that we would always be together regardless of the circumstances at 7:00 a black Mercedes rolled into my driveway and a tall slender well-dressed man emerged from the car I anticipated him heading to the door but instead he conversed on his cell phone the lights in the master suite went dark and a minute later the door opened and my wife stepped onto the porch she ensured the door was locked behind her and briskly walked toward her date wearing a big smile despite looking stunningly beautiful my heart shattered when I saw her glance back at the house to make sure Stacy wasn't watching then she shared a warm kiss with the mayor before he helped her into the car and they drove away fortunately I remained composed enough to capture the kiss with my cell phone I followed them at a safe distance encountering no issues due to the light traffic they crossed town and arrived at the recent hotel's parking lot parking a few spaces away I observed as they exited the car and entered the building walking closely with their arms around each other I snapped another photo revealing the evident long-term nature of their affair they appeared so comfortable together resembling a loving married couple on a date night I waited until they entered the hotel before donning my camo hat and sunglasses trailing behind them once inside I couldn't see them but it didn't concern me I received the usual smiles and thank you for your service comments which I acknowledged while checking the information board listing current events one event stood out the St James hospital charity ball on the third floor with live orchestra music filtering down to the lobby disregarding the elevator that transported couples to the ballroom I opted for the stairs avoiding Swift detection and acknowledging the need for exercise after long flights on the third floor I followed the music and easily found the ballroom passing the entrance I glimpsed them inside acting like the happy couple they portrayed greeting friends and supporters my wife briefly looked back at me but there was no recognition as far as she knew I was still 10,000 mies away facing flies sandstorms and the Taliban I also noticed she wasn't wearing her wedding rings after passing the entrance I entered the room sat in a stall and contemplated my next moves it was challenging to grasp what I had seen I had been certain my marriage with Kathy was as solid as any could be I felt foolish while I was honoring my duty in Afghanistan my loving wife was at home dishonoring me breaking our wedding vows what was wrong with the people they were meeting didn't they realize the woman hanging on the mayor was married to an army officer serving overseas warm tears ran down my cheeks but I wiped them away no time for self-pity I had a plan to formulate and execute at that moment I faced a much different enemy than the Taliban remaining in the bathroom stall for half an hour I allowed the festivities to reach full swing before approaching the ballroom door only a few people at the entrance noticed me as I edged close to the wall and walked slowly to an area away from the bar and food tables behind a pillar I had a clear view of most of the room although I lacked a ticket for the event my uniform held more clout than any piece of paper the young man taking tickets saluted me and said welcome sir as I entered the thought crossed my mind it's unfortunate my wife and her lover don't show the kind of respect for me and the uniform I wear it took me a few minutes to locate Kathy and her date they were dancing to a slow song my wife's arms around his neck her head against his chest his hands resting possessively on her bottom I managed to take several photos but it took all my willpower to keep from rushing onto the floor and decking the guy kicking his balls up into his kidneys however that would only give me a little satisfaction and likely put me in jail what I wanted what I needed was absolute proof of their Affair then I would find an appropriate way to exact revenge for their total disrespect of me our daughter and the US Army they danced another dance then arm in- arm made their way to their table sharing an affectionate kiss and caress before sitting down I captured it all in photos having seen enough for the moment I made my way out to the hallway and found a seat where I could watch the ballroom doors and the elevators as an army officer I had learned patience and it paid off 2 hours passed before the event began to wind down and people started making their way out the door and down the elevators it wasn't long before my wife and the mayor made their exit and stood just outside the door talking after a minute they smiled at each other and turned together to the bank of elevators on their left but instead of pushing the down button they chose the one that would take them up it was more than weird I was only about 15 ft from them sitting on a bench against the wall wearing my camel fatigues and sunglasses my name tag clearly displayed on the front of my uniform looking totally out of place the Tuxedos and ball gowns though many other couples noticed me and smiled or waved my wife and her lover were so tuned into each other that they never gave me a glance observing them into the elevator holding hands I noted that their car stopped on the 11th floor after confirming it didn't go up again and return to the third floor where more couples were waiting I headed back to the registration desk I explained to the attendant that I had an Urgent Message for mayor kamaly and showed my government from an ID requesting his room number despite initial hesitation she eventually disclosed that he was in room 1114 thanking her I took the elevator to the 11th floor and located room 1114 after checking the hallway for other occupants I pressed my ear against the door hearing only soft conversation unsatisfied I proceeded down the hall found the door to the stairs and secured it with my handkerchief to prevent it from locking glancing at my watch I noted it was midnight Stacy had mentioned that her mother usually came home between 2:00 and 3:00 and once even as late as 7:00 so I had a long wait but again my army training and patience paid off through the window and the door I could see room 1114 ensuring I wouldn't miss them when they were done with their activities as I waited I tried to keep my mind focused on the task at hand but the truth was that my thoughts kept drifting I couldn't help but imagine my wife with another man a man who was now sharing the intimacy she had once promised only to me my heart wasn't just broken it felt as though my entire life was spiraling into a dark abyss filled with pain rejection and humiliation I knew I had to keep myself composed for my daughter's sake but the realization that the woman I loved more than anything whom I trusted completely was at that very moment sharing her love and passion with another man overwhelmed me with a the tidal wave of pain around 1:30 a.m. I stepped out of the stairwell and pressed my ear against their door hearing faint sounds that resembled moaning then I distinctly heard my wife exclaiming yes oh God yes do me Dawn do me hard like that you're so good the sound was one I had heard many times before during our moments together with tears streaming down my cheeks I returned to the stairwell anticipating they would soon finish and leave their room within the next hour at 2: a.m. I exited the stairwell for the final time positioning myself against the wall outside their room ready to capture their exit on my cell phone's video 15 minutes later I heard the chain being removed and the door clicked open I began recording as they emerged he had his arm protectively around her and she leaned against him smiling Kathy looked freshly scrubbed and well groomed while Donald fin appeared pleased with himself they kissed briefly turned towards the elevators and then Kathy noticed me leaning against the wall I confronted her about her actions questioning how her rendevu with her lover went upon realizing my presence Cathy appeared shocked placing her hand on her heart and expressing disbelief she fell to her knees pleading that this wasn't supposed to happen and that I wasn't meant to see it her lover taking a moment to register the situation insisted that it wasn't what it seemed and that Kathy was merely assisting with his new campaign I sarcastically remarked on the irony of such campaign tactics involving infidelity I questioned the mayor's morality highlighting the impact on my marriage while I was away serving our country the mayor attempted to deny any close involvement urging Cathy to corroborate his story disregarding his plea Cathy rejected his attempt to manipulate the situation recounting the kissing moaning and phrases I had heard through the door I conceited defeat acknowledging that my wife was now his expressing frustration and calling them both cowards I emphasized that even our daughter was aware of their actions the mayor stood there stunned and Unsure how to respond while my wife knelt on the floor sobbing I informed Kathy not to bother coming home that night and suggested she spended with her lover instead I mentioned my intention to comfort our daughter and stated that on Monday I would file for divorce followed by informing the news media about the mayor's actions I instructed Kathy to stay away until I returned from my 30-day emergency leave after which she could decide how to proceed with her life Kathy pleaded with me asking for forgiveness for her infidelity during my deployment and requesting that I not disclose it to our daughter who already knew about the situation I expressed my confusion over her actions but acknowledged that they had chosen each other disheartened I left for the elevator as Kathy apologized but I couldn't find it in me to accept her remorse observing their apparent happiness together I left them with a harsh farewell and stepped into the elevator leaving them behind when I arrived home I found Stacy waiting for me clearly upset she embraced me tightly expressing how much she had missed me I reassured her of my own feelings and confirmed that I had found her mother and the mayor together Stacy affirmed that she wasn't concerned about her mother's absence stating that she had felt neglected she pleaded to come with me when I returned to Afghanistan but I explained that she needed to stay here Stacy insisted that she couldn't stay with her mother expressing her resentment towards her despite her feelings I reminded her that her mother was still her mother Stacy tearfully expressed her belief that her mother didn't love her and sought comfort in my arms I held her as she cried I finally convinced Stacy to go to bed and secured the house including setting the door chains just in case Kathy decided to try to come home I had no proof that Cathy and her lover had used any of our bedrooms but I didn't want to take a chance so I slept on the couch even though I wasn't sure they hadn't been there either sleep came only in spurts 45 minutes here half an hour there I kept thinking about how I would handle the situation when Kathy came to claim her clothes and personal items she'd need until I left in 30 days I could have been a nice guy and taken a hotel room leaving the house to her but I just couldn't find it in my heart to be that nice she was the one who destroyed our marriage so she could at least suffer the minor inconvenience of being displaced from her home for a month besides I was certain her lover would be happy to put her up they'd been acting like a married couple now they could live like one for a while call it a trial marriage Stacy and I both slept until noon or at least until around noon I woke up first prepared coffee then made toast and scrambled eggs for us we engaged in small talk while eating and then proceeded to rinse the dishes and load them into the dishwasher suddenly the phone rang and Stacy and I exchanged glances before she answered it Stacy spoke with her mother expressing skepticism about her sincerity she mentioned the ongoing affair with Donald KY and emphasized that it wasn't a one-time mistake Stacy admitted to being the one who urged me to return home highlighting her mother's neglect and obsession with her Affair despite her mother's plea not to hurt mayor KY Stacy refused to comply indicating her frustration and disappointment after the call Stacy remarked on her mother's apparent confusion and lack of understanding regarding the situation she expressed her concerned that her mother didn't grasp the gravity of her actions and couldn't comprehend why I didn't want her to return home I reassured Stacy that her mother's lack of understanding would become apparent as consequences unfolded the rest of the day passed quietly with attempts to distract ourselves from thoughts about Cathy and mayor KY we discussed Stacy's future plans with me suggesting she stay in her current environment despite her concerns about her friend's reactions to her mother's actions I told her that real friends would stand by her but she wasn't convinced we settled things with my Assurance that I'd call my mom to see if Stacy could stay with her until my deployment ended hopefully in another five or 6 months late in the afternoon the phone rang again it was Kathy I answered but as soon as I heard Kathy say Bob oh Bob please give me a chance to explain I passed the phone to Stacy without saying a word what Mom Stacy's voice was hard and cold and she held the phone away from her ears so I could hear what her mother was saying Kathy insisted on speaking with me despite Stacy's resistance Stacy demanded an explanation for Cathy's actions over the past 6 months accusing her of betraying our family Kathy defended herself claiming she didn't intend to hurt anyone while Stacy continued to express her disappointment and anger throughout their conversation Kathy could be heard crying as Stacy expressed her hurt and disappointment emphasizing the pain caused to our family due to Kathy's actions Kathy responded Ed by expressing her love for Stacy and me prompting skepticism from Stacy Kathy then quietly requested some personal items including clothes and birth control pills expressing regret and frustration throughout the conversation Kathy could be heard crying Stacy sarcastically remarked about the possibility of Cathy becoming pregnant with the mayor's child and the inconvenience it would pose she then mentioned packing Cathy's belongings including clothes and birth control pills and hinted at Cathy's need for makeup to maintain her appearance as the town social figure Stacy concluded by stating that Kathy's belongings would be left at the curb for her to retrieve after ending the call Stacy started crying and I comforted her by wrapping my arms around her I acknowledged that she had been tough on her mom but I understood her anger I assured her that we would overcome this situation together after giving her another hug I left her to gather the items her mother than needed I retreated to my office to strategize drawing on my military training to meticulously plan our next steps I viewed the situation as a battle that required careful planning and execution the tasks I needed to handle were mostly straightforward I plan to hire a divorce lawyer cancel our joint credit cards obtain separate credit cards for myself and Stacy change the beneficiary on my life insurance and retirement plans to Stacy and transfer half of of the funds from our checking and savings accounts to new accounts accessible only by Stacy and me however figuring out how to deal with mayor KY posed a greater challenge I believed he deserved punishment for his actions and I wanted to ensure he was exposed as the Cowardly wife stealing individual he truly was later that evening around 8:00 I received a phone call at home answering I identified myself as Robert Crawford the caller introduced himself as Ray swansson A city councilman and a friend of Mayor Kaley he expressed a desire to discuss what he referred to as a little misunderstanding involving me my wife and the mayor the previous night I found his choice of words concerning especially considering the gravity of the situation involving my wife and mayor kamal's Affair Ray expressed his belief that there was no need for Harsh language suggesting that the situation involved a simple late night Gathering between consenting adult who had perhaps overindulged in drinks he seemed optimistic that discussing the matter could resolve everything however I rebutted stating that mayor KY had been involved in an affair with my wife for the past 6 months while I was deployed in Afghanistan and I had caught them together the previous night Ry acknowledged the difficulty of the situation for me but hoped we could find a resolution for everyone's benefit I retorted by questioning who exactly he meant by everyone emphasizing that my primary concern was for my daughter and that the concerns of others were of little importance to me Ray expressed his concern mentioning the mayor's influence in the community and the potential consequences for anyone who caused damage to his reputation in response I asked if he was making a threat to which RAID clarified that he was merely stating the reality of the situation and expressed his reluctance to see any harm come to me or my loved ones I then issued a warning to Ry urging him to listen attent ly I emphasized my experiences dealing with the Taliban over the past 6 months indicating that I would not shy away from confronting someone like mayor KY whom I described as a dishonorable individual involved in stealing another man's wife I asserted that neither Ray nor the mayor had faced an opponent of my caliber before I conveyed to councilman swansson that I was unfazed by his perceived power and warned him of the consequences of challenging me I mentioned that my son to be ex-wife neglected to inform the mayor of the repercussions of involving herself with me furthermore I highlighted the extensive support network I had among former military personnel within a 100 mile radius emphasizing our disdain for individuals who exploit soldiers spouses during overseas deployments I advised councilman Swanson to distance himself from mayor KY to avoid facing the repercussions of his actions hinting at the impending consequences for the mayor Ry attempted to negotiate with me suggesting that a substantial sum of money could resolve the situation however I dismissed his proposal expressing my intense anger towards Donald Connelly for exploiting a soldier's wife while I was deployed I asserted that no amount of money could alleviate the paying CA to my daughter and me I insisted that the only resolution satisfactory to me would involve kamaly and my wife experiencing the same pain they inflicted on us I authorized Ry to convey this message to both of them them Ry expressed his concern acknowledging the potential Fallout from the situation he sought a resolution to mitigate the consequences I responded by outlining the steps necessary for resolution including Comm Le publicly admitting to the affair and resigning as mayor I emphasized that nothing less would prevent me from exposing him and seeking retribution Ray expressed surprise at the seriousness of my intentions I assured him of my resolve and excuse used myself mentioning that I needed to prepare dinner for my daughter Stacy arrived from the garage informing me that she had placed her mother's belongings by the curb where they were picked up by an unfamiliar individual driving a black Mercedes Ray joked about the possibility of the clothes ending up for sale at Goodwill if not collected by the right person I mentioned that I had packed Stacy's regular clothes but hesitated to include her fancy night gowns I expressed my discomfort at the sight of some particularly provocative lingerie she owned Stacy acknowledged my concern with a nod I advised her that she would eventually need to address the situation with Stacy to which she responded that she would do so when the timing felt right the weekend passed without further incident Stacy assisted me with laundry while I focused on my plan to expose mayor kamaly on Monday morning I contacted a friend at the local paper John Foster and arranged to meet him for coffee at Danny's John a former sergeant in my National Guard company greeted me warmly during our conversation I provided John with some information regarding mayor kamal's affair with the wife of one of our soldiers during our deployment in Afghanistan I refrained from disclosing the solders identity emphasizing the sensitivity of the matter I stressed that if I were in the solders position I wouldn't want such a betrayal to become public knowledge I shared observations of Connelly's interactions with the so 's wife leaving the decision of how to proceed to John I informed John that contrary to rumors the woman involved in the affair was not separated or going through a divorce her husband had only recently become aware of the situation I acknowledge John's concern about making baseless accusations against the mayor and the risk of legal action when asked about evidence of the affair I presented the pictures and videos I had captured though I requested that the woman's identity be partially obscured John understood the implications and appeared uneasy I expressed my resolve to John acknowledging that although the truth would eventually surface I was prepared to confront the shame I explained that during conal's affair with my wife I was overseas unaware of the situation I emphasized to John the Betrayal inherent in taking advantage of a soldier's absence by engaging an infidelity with his spouse John understanding the gravity of the situation offered to look into the matter further after confirming that the affair had persisted throughout my deployment I transferred the evidence to his cell phone we briefly reminisced about Fallen comrades from our company before parting ways with a handshake I proceeded with the next step which involved searching online for a reputable divorce lawyer after reviewing references I selected RJ Collins Esq and scheduled an appointment for that afternoon upon arriving at the office I was surprised to find that R Jade stood for Revenge Joy a woman in her 50s with a straightforward demeanor she wasted no time in asking how she could assist me I informed her of my need for a divorce preemptively warning her that it would not be amicable due to my wife's affair with the town mayor during my deployment she reacted with surprise dropping the pen she had been holding I confirmed to Joy that the mayor in question was indeed kamaly and proceeded to provide her with a detailed account of the situation ation which she attentively listened to for the next half hour she took notes throughout occasionally pausing to seek clarification or asked questions when I mentioned my daughter Stacy Joy inquired about her feelings regarding the matter to which I explained that she was deeply upset and reluctant to stay with her mother during my deployment considering Stacy's age and preferences Joyce suggested the possibility of having her stay with my mother instead I agreed and decided to contact my mother to arrange our discussion continued for nearly an hour I provided Joy with an overview of our financial situation and she advised me to discuss potential resolutions with my wife I explained that witnessing the closeness between my wife and the mayor left no possibility for reconciliation and I requested that she prepare the divorce papers promptly over the following week Kathy contacted me five times but I kept the conversations brief promising to update her on the proceedings later on Friday Joy informed me that the divorce papers were prepared and needed information about where they should be served I informed joy that I intended to invite Kathy to my home the following Monday at 2: p.m. while Stacy was at school so she could be served with the divorce papers I called Cathy's cell phone and arranged the meeting for Monday at 2: p.m. at the house Kathy attempted to engage in conversation seemingly prepared to explain her actions but I cut her off stating that she would have the opportunity to speak later on Monday Kathy arrived a few minutes early and we sat down at the kitchen table seeing her I felt a pain of emotion despite the circumstances she looked beautiful I offered her coffee but she declined requesting only water I acknowledged her desire to speak and assured her that she would have the chance to do so however I also informed her that someone would arrive shortly to serve her with the divorce papers her her expression turned pale I explained to Kathy that I didn't desire this situation any more than I had desired her affair with Donald commy I indicated that it seemed neither of us would have things go our way Kathy pleaded with me to listen to her explanation expressing hope for a resolution I agreed to hear her out she recounted how she had worked on Donald's election campaign and developed a friendship with him during my deployment feeling lonely and depressed she found Solace and Donald's companionship Kathy recalled attending a dinner event with Donald where he advised her to use her maiden name and leave her wedding rings at home to avoid gossip she admitted that she hadn't thought much of it at the time but recognized now that removing her rings was a mistake that night Kathy recounted she mingled with numerous people all of whom perceived her as a single woman when I inquired about when the affair began Kathy admitted that it didn't start immediately but rather after a night of of close dancing and a goodn night kiss when Donald dropped her off she Justified her actions by expressing her loneliness and the Allure of being treated like royalty by someone prominent in the community I confronted Kathy questioning her decision to engage in such Behavior while I was away at War she acknowledged her wrongdoing and admitted to feeling confused and longing for my presence despite my absence she continued Donald's company provided her with enjoyment and helped alleviate her feelings of loneliness Kathy confessed to the increasing frequency of their outings and the closeness that developed between them as the affair progressed Kathy confessed they began seeing each other two or three times a week one evening after a romantic dinner Donald invited her back to his place and despite her initial hesitation she agreed Kathy recounted feeling remorseful afterward and insisted that Donald take her home after ending things with Donald and expressing her love for me Cathy admitted to reconsidering her decision Donald she recounted sadly had left her alone for some time before reaching out to express his longing for her companionship he assured her that he missed her and wished to see her again but only his friends he apologized for their previous actions and promised not to put her in a compromising situation again despite her initial resolve Cathy confessed that she agreed to see Donald again the following weekend Kath Kathy recounted that Donald took her to a private party at a friend's home on the Bluffs she described it as a small gathering with only five or six couples all of whom were influential individuals in the town during the event Kathy was caught off guard when the wife of a prominant doctor inquired about how she managed to capture Donald's attention unable to think of a suitable response Cathy admitted to fabricating a story about being separated from her husband and going through a divorce the news about Kathy fabricated separation and impending divorce quickly spread throughout the small town causing Kathy to feel trapped during a weekend when our daughter Stacy was away Kathy spent time with Donald at his home leading to their ongoing relationship Kathy expressed deep regret for the pain she caused me and Stacy acknowledging that her actions were the worst mistake of her life and that she wished she could undo them however she admitted that undoing the damage was impossible when asked about her feeling for Donald Kathy admitted uncertainty about whether she loved him but acknowledged enjoying their time together despite my probing questions about their closeness and the possibility of marriage Kathy remained unsure about the future of their relationship the doorbell rang and I suggested that it might be for Kathy she approached the door slowly and confirmed her identity when handed a manila envelope containing the divorce papers Cathy stood at the door for a while visibly upset before closing it and turning to me tears streaming down her face she asked if our relationship was truly over to which I affirmed despite her Declaration of love I counted that what she loved was the life we had which she had discarded I informed her that our daughter Stacy would stay with my mother until my deployment ended Kathy broke down in tears overwhelmed with regret the following day the front page of the local newspaper displayed a picture with a headline questioning the identity of a married woman leaving a hotel room with mayor kamaly the photo showed Cathy and the mayor kissing as they exited room 11:14 accompanied by a caption questioning whether her husband serving in Afghanistan was aware of the situation the article described the charity event attended by the pair and hotel records confirming the mayor's reservation of the room for the night additionally the couple was photographed leaving the room at 2:00 a.m. the article also mentioned unverified rumors of regular meetings over the past 6 months between the woman and the mayor while her husband was deployed in Afghanistan the newspaper asserted its editorial right to bring the story to light given the mayor's stature and the offense against a soldier stationed In Harm's Way causing a significant uproar within minutes of the story reaching people's doorsteps the mayor's office entered damage control asserting that the story was entirely fabricated they claimed mayor Kaley would never jeopardize any marriage especially that of a soldier serving his country overseas they contended that the photograph was an obvious fake attributing the situation to unnamed Sinister individuals targeting the mayor a promised press conference later that afternoon aimed to set the record straight fortunately over the past 6 months too many people had seen kamaly and Kathy together displaying affection in public one by one his friends and supporters began distancing themselves several people anonymously called the newspaper to confirm that they knew for a fact the couple had been having an affair because they had witnessed it on more than one occasion expressing outrage upon discovering that the woman's husband was deployed in the Army while the affair was taking place that afternoon mayor Conelly held his news conference but none of his friends on the city council stood by him in fact the only people backing him up were his staff and even half of them were strangely missing the newspaper and TV stations were present recording the entire event as commonly expressed horror and being accused of such an unthinkable thing he assured everyone that he and the woman were merely acquaintances and had never done anything to bring shame upon them or the woman's husband halfway through his speech Cathy pushed her way through the onlookers and reached the microphone in an act of defiance Cathy revealed her identity stating my name is Kathy Crawford I am the wife of Army Major Robert Crawford and and for the past 6 months I have been having an affair with mayor kamaly KY tried to dismiss her claiming he didn't know her and calling her a liar Kathy confronted him expressing shame and heartbreak accusing him of pursuing her despite knowing she was married and that her husband was in Afghanistan tearfully she apologized to her husband through the TV cameras and left while reporters bombarded the mayor with questions he turned and stormed back into City Hall I must confess that exposing all of that to the world damaged my already fragile ego however I was aware of the risk I was taking when I approached John Foster my newspaper contact the next day the president of the city council announced the mayor's resignation and declared that the council would govern the city until a new mayoral election could be held while I should have felt satisfaction all I experienced was profound emptiness loneliness consumed me and I missed my wife more than I had ever thought possible that afternoon my reporter friend called to inform me that KY had packed up and left town without leaving a forwarding address and my soon to be ex-wife hadn't accompanied him during the remaining days of my leave I spent as much time as possible with my daughter in the last week I allowed Cathy to move back into the house Stacy and I traveled to my mother's home 60 Mi away where I enrolled her in school promising to return and get her as soon as my deployment was over the following week I was on a plane back to Afghanistan my heart filled with Burning Anger that I intended to unleash on the enemy lurking in the desert what happened to Kathy a few weeks later she moved in with Kamal and they too departed from town did Robert return from Afghanistan yes but he suffered critical injuries and his daughter assisted him in getting back on his feet he lost one of his legs in an ambush currently he works is a designed specialist for a large Electronics firm residing with his daughter occasionally he speaks about the challenges faced by soldiers who have served Duty outside the country story two my 27-year-old girlfriend I'm a 28-year-old man and I met toward the end of college and we have been dating for 5 years we ended up moving in together after graduation and sharing an apartment surprisingly we lived together during the pandemic and it brought us closer together I loved her so much that I was even planning on proposing to her some of her friends and family had even been talking to me about the perfect proposal and we had been trying to plan it I really thought of her as my best friend and I never would have thought she could do something to hurt me however I was wrong and now I'm here writing this post.my girlfriend has a ton of friends but I have a smaller group of buddies that I hang out with I'm very introverted while she she is the poster child for extroverts she can make friends literally anywhere she goes I've always thought that was a Charming quality of hers especially since it's always forced me to come out of my shell a little bit more point one of her good friends had a birthday coming up so she took it upon herself to plan a surprise girls night for her and the rest of the friend group I even helped my girlfriend plan some of the stuff like I said I'm a bit of an introvert and some people don't really think my personality misses well with my girlfriends one of her friends in particular always made me nervous when she was around my girlfriend I don't know why but I had a suspicion that she was particularly against me I had never done anything to her but it seemed like she was out to get me she never made it a secret that she didn't like me she was going to be at the party with my girlfriend which made me a little uneasy however I trusted her and I didn't think she was going to let her friend constantly badmouth me all night long.so the night of the party came and I agreed to drive my girlfriend over to her friend's apartment because she didn't want to have her car with her she invited me up to say hi to everyone and for the most part everyone was fine but the friend who didn't like me made what I thought was a joke about how she knew someone who would be a good fit for my girlfriend my girlfriend gave her a dirty look and told her to stop so I felt confident that she wouldn't entertain anything I went back home and took advantage of the time I had alone to play some video games I spent a few hours online with one of my buddies and when I was done I popped down on the couch and started scrolling through my phone I saw some Instagram stories from the girls who had been at the party so I looked at them just to see what everybody was up to for the most part everything seemed totally fine I saw my girlfriend sort of running the party and still having a good time but as time went on she sort of disappeared from the posts it almost looked like she left early I didn't think much about it in fact I just called it a night and went to bed my girlfriend was spending the night over at her friend's house and I was just excited to see her the next day when I woke up in the morning I looked through my phone again where all of the girls had posted their nights on their official pages every time I saw one on my feet I scrolled through the photos but when I came across the girl who didn't like me I stopped one of the pictures she posted was of her my girlfriend and another guy all three of them were arm in-arm and smiling it struck me as odd because I was told it was a girl's only party so I didn't know why there was a guy there on top of that his hands were very low on my girlfriend's body I could tell that she was blushing and smiling as she looked up at him but I didn't know if that was perhaps due to alcohol or if it was flirting I thought back to what her friend said about having somebody who would be be a better fit for her and my heart sank did she really try to set my girlfriend up with another guy I looked at the tag on the picture and found his profile I knew most of my girlfriend's friends and I had never met him before however he and my girlfriend were following each other on Instagram it was also alarming to see that he was very clearly in a relationship I didn't want to bring it up when she got back later that day because I didn't want to sound like some crazy jealous boyfriend a few days had passed and I noticed she was acting kind of weird one of the biggest red flags to me was that she was less willing to spend time with me she was distant instead of watching television shows with me she would be on her phone in the bedroom watching them she didn't hug me or kiss me and we didn't sleep together which was odd I never knew where she was when she was going out normally she would tell me that she was going to the gym or the library but she was slipping out without giving me any information I asked her about it and she told me that she was an adult and didn't need permission to go places we ended up getting into an argument that night and I could tell that a lot of it was based on things her friend had said about me she told me when she was angry that she almost felt like I was holding her back from excitement in her life I didn't know what to say after that so I just left when I returned in the morning she apologized and told me that she didn't mean it we ended up forgiving each other and moving on but after several days of the same things happening I figured that there was something wrong that she was hiding from me while she was asleep one night I grabbed her phone and looked through her messages my mind had been going crazy and I needed some assurance that it was just paranoia I looked for the name of the man that I saw in the picture first but nothing came up then I searched the word nightclub in her messages to see what came up there were a lot of messages between her and her friends but I found one friend named Chloe on her phone that I didn't know I knew everybody that was invited to the party they had a small group going but I genuinely didn't think that my girlfriend had a friend named Chloe I clicked on those messages and lo and behold Chloe was actually a man well the man from the Instagram post I looked through the messages and confirmed all of my worries they had been exchanging explicit pictures and messages in one message he said that he couldn't wait to be with her again my mind was completely focused on the word again when I read it the absolute worst part of all of it was reading a message from my girlfriend where she said that I was boring and she wanted to spice up her life by sneaking around with the other guy my world felt like it had completely caved in all of the dreams that I had for my life with my girlfriend had been shattered and I didn't know what to do to move forward I left the bedroom and sat in the living room room thinking about what I was going to do I had no interest in staying with somebody who cheated on me and treated me like I was nothing to them if she wanted some excitement I would give her some like I said earlier I was planning on proposing I had a ring and everything if she wanted to humiliate me I was going to publicly humiliate her in front of her friends and hundreds of strangers being the extrovert that she is we thought that a public proposal would be ideal for her she would have wanted people to see the grand gesture of our love the day came for the proposal and it was picture perfect it was a cool winter day with snow flurries in the air making it a romantic evening she and I had gone to a roller rink that popped up in the Heart of the City every winter three of her friends and my best friend were hiding in the crowd and videotaping us because they were expecting me to propose I asked the DJ for the microphone telling him that I had a special surprise planned for my partner he assumed I was proposing so he handed it over to me and I got on the microphone to get the attention of my girlfriend all of the strangers in the rink looking over at us were smiling and pleased to be witnessing such a profound display but when I told my girlfriend that I was breaking up with her because I knew about her Affair their smiles turned into a completely shocked expression there was complete silence in the rink after I said it everyone was staring at my girlfriend and her face had turned as r red as a tomato I told her that I saw the text messages and I told her that I was going to be moving out into my own apartment and she would never hear from me again her friend that didn't particularly like me was one of the ones hiding away so I told her that she was a bad person and I think she should work on herself when it was over I reached out to the girlfriend of the guy my girlfriend was cheating with and told her everything she dumped him and I saw that she went live on Instagram telling all of her followers about it my perspective on this story is infidelity and secrecy in relationships caused serious damage to trust and respect the decision to make a public proposal and then end the relationship was an expression of pain and disappointment however communicating with the new partner of your ex partner and telling them about it could worsen the situation and lead to additional problems it's important to focus on your own healing and seek support from loved ones and professionals