I wanted to share a story my friend is going through.
I've talked about her in the past so I'll give a quick recap, but I don't have the dates so bear with me:
First affair was caught when her son was 2 or 3. He moved out, went to MC and moved back in 6 months. Things were good.
Got pregnant with 2nd child. Daughter was 18 months when affair's #2,3 and possibly 4 was discovered. Affair #2 was with a complete wacko. My friend wanted to stand and work it out but he said it would be too difficult but wouldn't leave. Finally left after 9 months. Divorce was finalized 5 years later and he married wacko within 1 month.
It's been 6 years now and he left the wacko 7 months ago. It's been a LONG 6 years for my friend. The OW is truly every woman's worst fear. She is a manipulative, conniving, evil woman. She has done such horrible things to my friend, sued her from falling in her driveway,(which was probably on purpose) demanded that the kids refer to her as "mom". Pitted her daughter against her. Got the kids ears pierced without approval, died daughters hair and so on and so on. Too many things to list.
Needless to say, friends exH just came over for a family meeting with the 2 kids, (18 and 14 now) and my friend. He basically came clean about his whole life since leaving. Told all of them how he regrets every single decision he's made. Regrets every cheating on her, regrets leaving, regrets basically his whole life! It took 12 years but it finally came out!
He said his life with wacko was nothing but a huge mistake and now he is so stuck that he feels he has no choice but to go into hiding to protect them all from the evil woman. He told my friend how OW has been obsessed with her from day one! Was jealous of her, brought her up all the time. Blamed her for all their problems. Compared everything to her. Wouldn't work full time because she didn't work full time. He would explain that she couldn't work full time as she had 2 kids! The OW had no kids! Tried to basically have her life, including the kids! Actually told people that they where hers!
Well, now that he finally left her, OW has threatened all sorts of things. He now sees the damage she has done and is fearful that she will either continue with her manipulation of the daughter or worse. She will contest the divorce and the state they live in allows that. She will fight him until he is penniless. In the mean time, she has threatened to file abandonment charges if he doesn't give her all his money to keep her in the house. She wants the same as what my friend has gotten. He explained that he is paying CHILD SUPPORT but she won't hear of it. He's afraid for everyones safety.
It amazes me that he has told her(my friend) how much of an impact she actually had on this woman. She(OW) never had any peace in their entire time together. And, he, of course did cheat on this woman as well. He has realized now that it is he who has the problem. yes, he acknowledges that OW is a wacko, but that his cheating isn't about the women in his life, but about himself. He is in counseling now to try to find this all out.
I'm not sure if I would classify him (at least when this all started) as a MLC'er. But, honestly, the stages seem to be the same. He is deep in depression as to what he's done. He wants to vanish. To run away and not face his life anymore. He wants to just start over. He thinks if he leaves, eventually OW's obsession with him and his family will fade. I think it's much more than that. I think the OW is so obsessed with "winning" that she won't be able to give up. She has put her fists through glass windows, faked a heart attack, faked breast cancer, purposely runs out of gas to make him come rescue her. She will do anything to get him. And through this all, she blames my friend still to this day. Even though he left my friend for her, she never felt secure. She was always threatened by her.
I think this just speaks volumes for all of us. These OW/OM will never know peace. How can they?