Confronted

{if Trust <= 70}When you arrive through the door, your wife is sitting on the couch. She's already dressed in a night shirt, and although the television is on, her head snaps towards you so quickly that you know she wasn't really watching the programme on the screen. But you're a bit surprised to find her there at all, because you told her you were working late and she doesn't usually stay up to wait for you coming home.

"What's the meaning of this?"

She's already on her feet before you take two steps into the room. With astounding speed, she's right in front of you, thrusting her phone into your face. You back away slightly so that you can read what's on the screen.

Messages fill the screen and the names immediately give away the fact that they're sent between your wife and your best friend. A chill runs down your spine as you wonder if she somehow knows you read her earlier messages. Or worse if Matt told her that they're supposed to have sex on their date on Friday. But you swallow your nerves and **** yourself to read the texts before you overreact.

Ari: hey can we meet 2 talk?

Matt: huh??? u kno we cant

Ari: no?! y not?!

Matt: didnt eric tell you? he doesnt want us talking all communication goes thru him

Ari: wtf?

Matt: he was really upset about the picture u sent me

Ari: how does he even kno about that?

Matt: sorry i told him how amazing it lukd didnt mention the price tho

Ari: thats okay

Matt: lukd so good i had to tell someone

Ari: haha its really okay im not mad well not at you

Ari: well talk 2morrow AFTER i talk to him

It doesn't seem like she knows about the sex date so you take that as a plus, but you do realize that you have to explain why you were so bothered by the dress picture without revealing that fact.

"Matt said it right there. I was upset about you sending my best friend a picture of yourself in a sexy dress. A dress I've still never seen."

Ariana lowers her phone and places it at her side so that she's standing across from you with both hands on her hips, making her the picture of the stereotypical angry wife. All she needs to complete the ensemble is hair curlers and a frying pan.

"And that gives you the right to tell me who I can and can't talk to?" she barks back. "You didn't even discuss it with me, you just told Matt and left me in the dark."

"Like I was left in the dark about the dress," you mention again with some genuine bitterness. "Honestly it went clear out of my thoughts when I came home and you didn't tell me about the dress. In fact you denied even doing anything that day."

"I was...building up to it..." her tone softens. "It's a really nice dress, but it's nothing like what I would usually wear. It's kind of embarrassing. Just wearing it makes me feel like a hooker."

"How are you gonna wear it to a restaurant if you can't even wear it for me?" you point out.

"Don't you think I know that?" she huffed. "I've been trying to talk myself into it, but I felt guilty about how much it cost and I knew I'd have to tell you, so that wasn't helping. Neither is this pressure you're piling on me now."

"And regardless, even so you could have talked to me about it." In the space of a breath she completely changes tact and is on the offensive again. "You can't tell me who I can and can't talk to, or I can only talk to someone through you. Do you know how controlling that sounds?"

"I don't think it's unreasonable to not want my wife to send pictures of herself in a sexy dress to other men and feel upset when she doesn't freely offer the same to her husband."

She inhales deeply and out again, to calm herself and the situation. Her eyelids flutter closed with the breath and as they open again, her eyes lock with yours and she offers a weak smile.

"Sweetie, I understand you feeling jealous. And it's kind of nice to know I can still make you feel that way, but the response isn't to try and control my life for me."

You can understand what she's saying, but her tone frustrates you, since it makes you feel like you're a child being lectured for not knowing any better.

"I don't think it's entirely my fault," you insist, not willing to give any ground if she isn't going to meet you in the middle.

"Of course not. In the future, I'll be more conscious of what I'm sending to Matt. I'm not going to only communicate with him through you, and I think it's unreasonable to have to show you every message I send, but if it's things like pictures, I promise to share them with you too."

"I...uh..."

You're not sure about those terms. It sounds like your wife is going to keep talking and sending pictures to Matt, but she's simply going to also send the pictures to you if she thinks they're inappropriate. But if they're inappropriate why would she be sending them to Matt at all? But the thought crosses your mind and before you can speak it into sound, your wife is already beside you, pressing a soft warm hand against your chest as she leans up and kisses your cheek.

"I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to act this way," she says breaking from you. "but thank you for being so understanding."

Were you though? The situation has been successfully diffused and you managed to get through the argument without her finding out about the sex date. But the outcome wasn't exactly what you wanted when you chose to put yourself in middle of their communications.

You can't even continue to argue. Your wife has already begun her ascent up the stairs to the bedroom. There's been too long a pause. Trying to keep fighting now would just seem petty. Tired, you rise and head to bed yourself, hopeful that another opportunity will arise to make yourself more clear.

{else}When you arrive through the door, your wife is sitting on the couch. She's already dressed in a night shirt, and although the television is on, her head snaps towards you so quickly that you know she wasn't really watching the programme on the screen. But you're a bit surprised to find her there at all, because you told her you were working late and she doesn't usually stay up to wait for you coming home.

"What's the meaning of this?"

She's already on her feet before you take two steps into the room. With astounding speed, she's right in front of you, thrusting her phone into your face. You back away slightly so that you can read what's on the screen.

Messages fill the screen and the names immediately give away the fact that they're sent between your wife and your best friend. A chill runs down your spine as you wonder if Matt told her that they're supposed to have sex on their date on Friday. But you swallow your nerves and **** yourself to read the texts before you overreact.

Ari: so i showed eric the dress and he almost ripped it off me!!!

Matt: haha i told you it looked good. but you shouldnt b txting me

Ari: no?! y not?!

Matt: didnt eric tell you? he doesnt want us talking all communication goes thru him

Ari: wtf?

Matt: he was really upset about the picture u sent me

Ari: how does he even kno about that?

Matt: sorry i told him how amazing it lukd didnt mention the price tho

Ari: thats okay

Matt: lukd so good i had to tell someone

Ari: haha its really okay im not mad well not at you

Ari: well talk 2morrow AFTER i talk to him

It doesn't seem like she knows about the sex date so you take that as a plus, but you do realize that you have to explain why you were so bothered by the dress picture without revealing that fact.

"Matt said it right there. I was upset about you sending my best friend a picture of yourself in a sexy dress."

Ariana lowers her phone and places it at her side so that she's standing across from you with both hands on her hips, making her the picture of the stereotypical angry wife. All she needs to complete the ensemble is hair curlers and a frying pan.

"And that gives you the right to tell me who I can and can't talk to?" she barks back. "You didn't even mention this when you brought up the dress."

"Honestly it went clear out of my thoughts when I came home and you didn't tell me about the dress," you tell her. "Then you got mad when I tried to show you how much I liked the dress."

"That's not why I'm upset. The dress already makes me feel like a hooker, and you launching yourself at me without control just made me feel like even more of a slut. Besides, I bought this dress to wear for Chez Mignon and you were gonna ruin it before I even got the chance to wear it properly. What was I gonna do if it got stained or ripped before tomorrow? This dress was already expensive enough. It's not like I can just afford to buy another, and there's not enough time to get it cleaned."

"And regardless, you can't tell me who I can and can't talk to, or I can only talk to someone through you." In the space of a breath she completely changes tact and is on the offensive again. "Do you know how controlling that sounds?"

"I don't think it's unreasonable to not want my wife to send pictures of herself in a sexy dress to other men and feel upset when she doesn't freely offer the same to her husband," you say. "You sent him the photos but I had to ask to see you wear the dress for me."

She inhales deeply and out again, to calm herself and the situation. Her eyelids flutter closed with the breath and as they open again, her eyes lock with yours and she offers a weak smile.

"I meant what I said before you know, a little jealousy is sweet. It shows how much I mean to you. But too much is scary. You can't try to control my life for me."

You can understand what she's saying, but her tone frustrates you, since it makes you feel like you're a child being lectured for not knowing any better.

"I don't think it's entirely my fault," you insist, not willing to give any ground if she isn't going to meet you in the middle.

"Of course not. In the future, I'll be more conscious of what I'm sending to Matt. I'm not going to only communicate with him through you, and I think it's unreasonable to have to show you every message I send, but if it's things like pictures, I promise to share them with you too."

"I...uh..."

You're not sure about those terms. It sounds like your wife is going to keep talking and sending pictures to Matt, but she's simply going to also send the pictures to you if she thinks they're inappropriate. But if they're inappropriate why would she be sending them to Matt at all? But the thought crosses your mind and before you can speak it into sound, your wife is already beside you, pressing a soft warm hand against your chest as she leans up and kisses your cheek.

"I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to act this way," she says breaking from you. "but thank you for being so understanding."

Were you though? The situation has been successfully diffused and you managed to get through the argument without her finding out about the sex date. But the outcome wasn't exactly what you wanted when you chose to put yourself in middle of their communications.

You can't even continue to argue. Your wife has already begun her ascent up the stairs to the bedroom. There's been too long a pause. Trying to keep fighting now would just seem petty. Tired, you rise and head to bed yourself, hopeful that another opportunity will arise to make yourself more clear.{endif}