Edit 1: Of course, these are not our real names, but I seem to explain some things better with analogies, metaphors, and as a narrative. I do not know if I need a disclaimer, but all of this is from my point of view. Therefore, it is afflicted with my bias. I do not know what to do, and I am extremely conflicted.

As there are characters in any story, conflicts, climax, and resolutions, the reality is that there is always more. Whether it be more depth to a character, more history, or more challenges. In this story, I am Jack. My wife is Jill.

Jill did not think she was going to fall in love or find anyone she would ever want to marry again. A single mother of two kids who had recently divorced a violent, narcissistic husband. She met Jack when she was 23. Jack returned home after his enlistment in the military and while working as a cook, ran into Jill through a friend both had known for years. They immediately hit it off as friends then to friends with benefits. After a year of hanging out constantly, both sides catching feelings, Jack felt it was time to share how he truly felt with Jill. Jack had never done this before. Jack had asked dates out, but not one that was a single mother. Miscommunication his intentions, ugly-crying and face-to-face with Jill, Jack shared that he did not want to be friends. He was trying to communicate that he wanted to be more than friends. Jill somehow understood. They became exclusive.

Jack and Jill were seen together and moved in with each other. Jack began taking the responsibilities of a step-parent and as a new parent. Jill began to trust Jack as he began to show his care and love as a family unit. They began to tackle challenges together as a parenting team and as a couple.

As a family, Jack and Jill began to talk and plan about the future and what would be best. Jill insisted that Jack go to school and get his degree which the military will assist with as he was a veteran. Jack resisted as he wanted to be around for his two sons and his girlfriend through life moments. Jill and Jack discussed more, and they would be able to have more enjoyable opportunities with one of them having a better quality occupation. Then it was agreed. Jack was going to college.

As it was another challenge juggling time to study and get schoolwork done while meeting credit requirements for financial assistance, Jack began the steps to getting his engineering degree. Jack had to spend a lot of time away from the family to work with fellow students on schoolwork, projects, studying, and more. Jack always made it clear that he was going to be home for dinner and to watch the boys in their school sports and activities. The impossible was becoming very possible. Struggling to make ends meet while trying to improve their childrens' quality of life. Jack and Jill were motivated to improve their childrens' quality of life as Jack's and Jill's youth was dysfunctional and abusive.

Jill began to feel left behind. Hearing about the positive impact and motivation it was giving Jack, she began to get educated and licensed with the state for insurance. Jill caught on quickly navigating the complexities of the insurance world. She got the corresponding license and certifications needed. Because this made her valuable in her field and in the area, Jill was able to get better pay and benefits at a different agency. Jack and Jill lived in Smalltown. The other agency was an hour long drive to Metroville. Jill was excited, and Jack wanted Jill to be happy. So after much discussion and compromise, Jill was going to work at the agency in Metroville.

Jack and Jill discussed saving on gas, travel, and other things that Jill should stay down in Metroville with her sister on the weeks they did not have their sons home. Their sons alternated weeks between Jill and their biological dad. Jill made the drive every day from Smalltown to Metroville and back when it was Jack's and Jill's week with their sons.

Jack had now been in school for 2 years. Halfway there. Jack and Jill's mutual friend that they met through, Jane, was visiting from across the country. Jane was going to surprise Jill first at her agency. Jack and Jane had planned this surprise. Jane walked into the agency and saw Jill kissing someone else. After the awkwardness and some questions, Jane felt it was important to call Jack and tell him about it. Jill had called Jack first and told Jack that she had made a mistake kissing a client. Jill explained that the client, John, mistakingly took Jill's generosity and helpfulness as more than just kindness. Jill apologized profusely to Jack, saying it was her fault. If she hadn't leaned over her desk to hand John the insurance documents, the kiss probably would have never happened. Jill admitted that was also the moment Jane arrived at the agency and saw Jill and John kissing. Jack forgave Jill as this seemed like an accident, and Jill contacted Jack right away. After the phone call, Jack received a phone call from Jane sharing a very similar story except she was pretty sure she heard Jill tell John before they kissed that Jill would see John later. Jack told Jane that she must have misheard and that Jill had already called him sharing a very similar story. So... Jack shrugged it off and went about things normally when Jane and Jill both arrived from their drives from Metrovill to Smalltown. They all reminisced about old times and what everyone was up to now.

Edit 2: Three months go by. Things continue like clockwork. Jack goes to school. Jill works at the agency in Metroville. Every other week, the boys are home. Jack begins to get some strange texts about seeing Jill out with another man in Metroville. The messages say, "It looked like they were holding hands," "It looked like they were more than friends." Jack knew her job at the agency involved taking some clients out to lunch. At least that was what Jill told Jack. Jack explains this to the messengers and witnesses. Jack thinks that Jill is doing her job and shrugs it off.

Jack gets some startling messages from Jill the following week. "Jack, can you please come by. Some guy is stalking me. He lives all the way in Smalltown." Jack takes this very seriously because it is from Jill. Jack knows he is an hour away from her. Jack suggests, "Should I call the cops to come by until I get there, and we can share with them what is happening?" "No, Jack! I am scared! Can you just come to Metroville? Pleeeasse?!" "Okay," Jack obliges. "I will be there as soon as I can." During Jack's drive, he is receiving messages from Jill showing messages from this person saying things like, "At five bells, we can finally be together." "I will be there soon. Leaving now." Jack is extremely concerned. Jack arrives at the agency in Metroville, and Jill runs up to him like a hero rescuing the maiden in a familiar fairy tale. The time came for the person to arrive. No one walked through the agency door. Jack continued to wait with Jill. Jack asked Jill questions while they waited. "Are you getting any more messages?" "Does he know that we are going out?" "Thank you for coming, Jack. No. No more messages. I told him, Moe, that I already have a boyfriend. Moe said that he didn't care because we weren't married." An hour passed. Two hours passed. No arrival from Jill's messenger, Moe. "Okay, ready to go home, honey?" Jack asks Jill. "Yes." So Jack and Jill drive to Smalltown in their separate vehicles. While driving, Jill calls Jack. "Jack, could you stop at Moe's home and tell his wife in Smalltown that he was stopping to see me? He has a history of doing this. She may lose her crap on me." Jack responded, "How do you know where Moe lives?" "Moe's wife and I used to hang out when my ex-husband and him hung out. Moe even did this then." Jack obliged. Seemed logical enough. As Jill headed home, Jack took a detour to Moe's house. Jill assured Moe would not be home and that Moe's wife would be. Jill said Moe's wife would be more amicable with Jack because she does not know Jack. Jack knocked at Moe's house door. A woman answers, holding a baby. Jack assumed this was Moe's wife. Jack shares what Jill was going through and some of the messages that were screenshotted and shared with Jack. Moe's wife starts sobbing. Jack hears, "... not again..." softly. Awkwardly, Jack says goodbye while walking back to the car to head home. Jack shares what transpired with Jill. "I do not think Moe will be bothering you anymore." "Thank you, Jack," Jill says with a thank-you hug.

Three more months pass. Again, returning to the normal day-to-day, week-to-week like clockwork. Jack starts getting messages about Jill being out with another man. Jack responds to all of them with, "That is a part of her job." And the more the messengers pressed, Jack would respond confidently that Jill would tell him if something was happening. Jack told the messengers that they were reading things out of context.

Edit 3: The next six months... Jack started to pay more attention. Jack saw orders on their Amazon account for things that never arrived at Jack's and Jill's home in Smalltown. Things like a bunkbed, blankets, and potty training books. The oldest son was starting junior high. The youngest son was in middle school. These orders didn't make sense to Jack. Their sons also had their own rooms with their own beds. The orders especially did not make sense after seeing that they were even delivered to an address in Metroville. Jack brought up the orders and purchases to Jill. Jill shared that they were delivered to her sisters address in Metroville. Jill said she ordered those things for her sister because Jack and Jill had Amazon Prime. Jack commented that he did not know Jill's sister had kids, let alone young ones. Jill explained that the bunk beds were a gift to her other sister. The book was a copy of a book read to Jill as a child, and she wanted he sons to have a copy to read to their children. Jack nodded and accepted Jill's answers. At about the fifth month of these six months, Jack has been in his head. "Why would people say this about Jill?" "Do others not trust Jill?" "I need to trust her, or how is this relationship going to work if trust is one-sided?" Jack began to hear other comments that started to chip away at his loyalty. "Where are all your guys' pictures together on Facebook?" "Why is Jill's status single now?" "Are you guys together anymore?" This was a lot to take in for Jack. Had Jack been living in denial? Jack began searching on his Facebook account. Any picture with Jill was gone or untagged. Jack checked Jill's page for photos of them. Nothing. It was like their relationship never existed according to the digital world. Jack and Jill had been together for 4 years at this point. Jack began to get anxious as what-ifs, coulda-woulda-shouldas, and his own stubborn pride and ignorance caused this. Was Jack's relationship with Jill even real? Was Jack delusional? Jack was scared that his world, his relationship, and possibly his family was all a well-thought out manipulation. Jack began to gear his attention to what Jill was focusing her attention on. Jill would sit on the phone for hours in their driveway when she returned from Metroville. The boys would ask, "Who is that?" when Jill was on the phone, and she would respond with, "Mommy's friend," "Auntie," or, "Mommy's work." Jill always had her phone faced down and would hurry to it if it was out of her reach and Jack was near it. Jack did not want to do anything bad or break the law, but when put between a rock and a hard place, it put Jack in a tough position. Jack went to Metroville one midday to surprise Jill with some flowers. Jack thought if she was being unfaithful, he would somehow catch Jill as it seemed Jill was out to lunch, or lunch was delivered to Jill. When Jack arrived, flowers in hand, Jill runs outside of the agency. "What are you doing here, Jack? This is quite the surprise." "I just wanted to remind you how much I care about you, Jill. Can we go inside to your office and talk?" "Actually... I am with a client right now. Maybe next time, let me know if you are coming, please?" "Okay. So... I should just head home?" "Well, yeah, goofball. I have to work the rest of the day." "Okay. See you at home." Jack was STILL unsure. Jack had no actual proof she was being unfaithful. ... but everything else did not add up.

Seeing as kindness didn't work on the rock, it was time for Jack to lay the hammer down. He did not want to compromise his honor. Jack logged into her Facebook account. Unfortunately, it was the same password Jill used for everything else. And it was like a tornado. You can prepare for it. You can even see it coming. You can be trained for it. But, in those moments, sometimes the overwhelming panic and fear take hold. All the pictures of her with John, John's family, John's kids, and then the messages with John. They were at the point that they were telling each other that they loved one another. This sent Jack into a dark, spiraling hole l.

Edit 4: Jack began drinking. He was so overcome by hurt and pain that he did not know what to do. He reached out to a couple of friends just venting. One of his friends came over to calm Jack down. After Jack's friend left and Jack had calmed down. Jack began messaging Jill. "Hey. Where are you? What are you doing?" "I am with my sister at a theater. We are about to watch a play. It is the second showing." "At 9 o'clock at night?" " Yes." "Picture or it didn't happen." The image Jill sent back was a selfir with a theater stage and curtains in the background. "Okay. Checks out. Lol. Can you come home, please? I have something important I want to tell you." "Can you tell me after?" "No... this cannot wait." "Just tell me over the phone!" Jill commanded frustratingly. "Nope." "PLEASE!?" "No." "Okay! Fine! My sister wasted a ticket. Happy?" "I am happy you are coming home, yes." She tried to get it out of me on her drive back to Smalltown. When she arrived, I turned the laptop towards her with the messages. "Don't worry. I took pictures of everything." Jill stood their speechless. "So... what do we do now, Jill?" "You broke into my Facebook?!" "I just typed in your usual password, and it worked." "You didn't seem like you wanted to be with me!" "Of course I do! What would make you think that?!" "You never proposed, Jack! We have been together and lived together - for what? - four years now." "Hold on! You said you were okay with that. That we would get there when it felt natural." "Yeah, because you weren't taking any initiative that you wanted to marry me!" "So you were just trying to start a life elsewhere instead of ending it with me?! Do your kids know?! Does your sister have any kids?!" Jack was shooting out questions before they could get an answer. Jill was just yelling. Jack could not make out any of it through all the thoughts and noise. Jack was not listening. Jack was hurt and wanted answers to what seemed obvious to the world. Jack continued, "You were just trying to erase me, huh?!"

Edit 5:

After the dust settled, Jack proposed to Jill. Jill accepted. They officially got married two years later. This was the same year Jack graduated, and Jack got his first engineering job in Borderton - five hours away from Smalltown. Jack and Jill bought their first house in Borderton that year as well. Their sons continued to alternate as shortly after Covid ended up making things remote. Jack was doing well at his engineering job, and Jill was being promoted fast at the Borderton hospital for as hospital staff, leaving insurance behind. Those two years they lived in Borderton seemed like a breath of fresh air. A new start.

Edit 6:

Due to legalities with the childrens' custody. Jack and Jill had to return to Smalltown. Jill took this opportunity to pursue education in the healthcare field and get her degree. Jack began working remotely and would hold down the finances. The decree stated that the boys had to graduate from Smalltown's schools. So, to make light of a challenge, Jack and Jill sold one of their vehicles to move back up, joined a gym together, and started to prepare for their future. Jill started working as a barista at a coffee shop that was near the college she was attending in VinCity. So, while she was not in school, she took hours there. After her first struggling through her first academic year as a non-traditional student, she also wanted to check off an item on her bucket list - participate in a pageant. Jill shared with Jack that maybe she should join a gym closer or in VinCity as she schools and goes to the gym there. Made sense to Jack.

As the pageant approached and Jack supported and helping Jill prepare for it. Jack began having another sneaking suspicion. Jill kept her phone screen hiding away. She even got one of those privacy screens. Jack thought he was imagining things again. As Jill's attention fell to her phone, Jack was desiring relationship attention. He resorted to social media and nsfw content. Jack enjoyed the attention he was getting showing himself off, but the attention was not filling his cup for intimacy, attention, or a healthy relationship. The day of the pageant arrives and Jill wins the pageant. She shares her victory on her social media channels. Jack checks their shared Facebook account and see the people she is thanking. Jack is not on that list. Jack notices he is also not in any of the photos. Jack confronts Jill with the preface that he is not trying to open old wounds. Jill says that Jack is overreacting and that people should know they are married and together. She also adds that she takes pictures with Jack all the time. She even tries to prove herself by making the background on her phone Jack's picture.

Edit 7:

Even with a shared page, Jack feels like he is being cast aside. He is only being used as a means to an end. Jack isn't stupid. He knows she can make other pages and accounts and do whatever. Jack hurts because the distrust is just digging deeper. That love, that desire, that yearning, that kind of care is what he is searching for and can not seem to get it from his pail of water. He has been too busy helping Jill up, holding all the pails, and never filling his with water. It is like Jack is punishing himself to forever climb that hill like Sisyphus's uphill battle. Never getting the a drink himself. Jack feels that if he is honest with Jill, it will fill up his pail. Jack comes clean about showing himself across social media outlets, seeking physical attention and admiration. Jack knows that this is wrong and feels that if he clears his conscience of the guilt, things will feel better. Still no water to drink. Jill acknowledges Jack's behavior and forgives him for it. Some time goes by, and again Jack's suspicion rears its head. Jack confirms this by finding searches on Jill's laptop that were along the lines of, "How to get a younger guy to make the first move," "How does an older woman get the attention of a younger man," "He is married. If I am married, is cheating okay?" Jack again confronts Jill with this. Jill denies it and says that it must be the oldest son using the computer because he asked to use it one time. Another cycle of suspicion and Jack feels like he is losing. Jack doesn't want to lose, Jack just wants to be noticed celebrated, appreciated. Jack knows the boys are a priority, but a relationship should be, too. I remember hearing a quote somewhere, "The children are important, but when it comes to a lasting marriage, your spouse and you should be number one." This resonates with me. The kids will grow up, move out, and experience life without their parents, but a lasting relationship requires both to be present with one another.... or something along those lines.

Edit 8:

It looks like Jill is continuing to get attention from outside of the relationship. She is climbing that hill with other boys. Jack falls back I to social media attention. Maybe UnoFans will be a healthy distraction. I share my body; I could get a few dollars from it. Jack thought that by letting Jill know he was doing this on Unofans, she would be okay with it. Jill gave Jack the permission and freedom to do so. Maybe to keep his attention elsewhere instead of on her. Jack gets excited when Jill even send him a picture. Even more so when Jill asks if he wants to take one together or be in a photo. People should not get that excited over a simple photo. Jack then began to try getting what seeking intimacy along another avenue. Jack decided he was going to have an online affair, or a long-distance affair, or some type of affair as that would leave Jill hurting. Jill would feel the pain that Jack felt. Jack had a for sure thing. He had someone who he was honest with about being married and this person he was planning to have an affair was okay with it. Jake still felt guilty because he felt it was a domino effect in the wrong direction. Jack wasn't going to feel happier by doing this. Jack cancelled the affair plans with the other person as he was not comfortable, felt like Jill would find out, or not even care. Even then, Jack felt guilty perusing sites for infidelity. Another secret. A unquenched thirst. "Would Jill care?" "Would she blame me?" "Would she blame the other person to keep me around until one of us dies?" "Would she make it out to be my fault and her the victim?" Jack tried to get Jill's attention by saying he wanted to die. This way, he could leave Jill and the boys with money to leave Smalltown again. However, Jack never had a plan. Jack felt better as he finally acknowledged that he was drowning, drained, and tired of doing this over and over again and getting nowhere. Dehydrated. Empty. Jack even started going to therapy and even the therapists were wondering why he would even stay with someone like that. Jack also suggested couple's counseling because Jill always said that no one is leaving until one of us dies. It sounds like a trap. It sounds like Jack is a possession and when used up past his expiration date - Sayonara sucker!

Everything seems so apparent to the outside world. Maybe Jack was piling on complications on top of a very obvious resolution to all this.

No one is innocent in this. Jack and Jill have been married now for 4 years and together for 12 years.

Did the story need to go this in-depth with the story. Probably not. Jack has sure understands why people feel trapped in relationships. So much can be speculated and interpreted.

I did not know where to post this. I also did not think I would vent this long. If you stayed and read this and got to the end - thank you.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Edit 1: To add more story. Edit 2: Added more to the story. Edit 3: Still adding to the story. Saw some of the comments. Pretty accurate observations. I wish this was a script. Would have been less painful. Edit 4: Continuing the story. Edit 5: Had to pause. Was getting emotional. Writing more story. Edit 6: Story Continuation. Edit 7: And the story continues. Edit 8: Saga completed.