by qhml1
Great story. At the end when Linda finally apologized The husband should have said. " I'm glad you see it but Your apology doesn't mean anything to me because when you Marc on night of our anniversary I didn't mean anything to you"
Necessarily this approach weighs heavily towards excessive explication. That leaves you with a story with little pathos which reduces it to a glorified police report… ie “just the facts Mam” ah la “Dragnet”. Still a valiant effort even if it is rather devoid of any emotional content.
4 stars
It's good, but over long. Way too many unnecessary details. I swear I read this before, must have been one of the hundred that already tagged on to this before you.
Well done, the best redo of the ' done to many times story's yours was like all yours. Very good
This story is like HPV. It never goes away.
Still, it was better than the original. That's all I am giving.
I don't know if I liked the story per se probably because you skipped directly into the action so to speak. Also because there's no real narrative from the wife just reaction dialogue. I think most guys would react the same way if revenge is possible there really is no expiration date you want total annihilation. Anyway thorough exposition on the revenge and definitely no raac in this guy's future.
Good story, I normally don't read this genre but glad I did this one. Well played and maybe the best of the "February Sucks" spin-offs I have read.
Cheers
SAGE
I’ll look forward to the next one hundred versions of February Sucks, if they are as good as this 5* post. Thank you, Sir.
Yeah a good take on an old story. I reckon l’ve read just about every take on George’s story that’s been published here and they are all mostly good. There a couple of bombs, but hey, what can you do.
This take is up there with the best versions, so it scores highly too, 5/5
This was probably the most entertaining ending yet for this story. The nuclear response always puts some readers off, but is appropriate to the actions of cheaters here. Thanks for what you write for this site, as there now only a handful of you that still contribute quality works.
Always enjoy Q's stories. This take of February Sucks was a lot of fun.
Every time I see these sequels, they are like a magnet. When I see qhml1, it is like a magnet. Enjoyed the read.
She would never have anyone's best interest at heart but her own. If she's proved anything, she's proved that. He's a fool to believe any different and will just get burned all over again. Some people never learn. Her lame confession at the end was just that, pathetic. She's just a terrible human being.
At last a February Sucks version (though sneakily naming it something else) that ends how the original and its many derivatives should have ended, and it only took a hundred plus versions to get it right. But notably it needed an author of qhml1’s quality to show everyone else how it’s done.
But alas I’m pretty sure there’s a plethora of idiot authors out there still going to think their idea is the one that’ll get the Pulitzer prise for originality, perhaps something like alien abduction and replacing Linda with a pod person for instance, haven’t seen that plot twist yet.
I think what many authors miss with this story is not just the fact that the main character was disrespected and trust demolished, but there is no way the wife wouldn't compare her experience with the football player with her husband and she would always find her husband lacking. There's no way he could compete with a fulfilled fantasy.
Trust can be rebuilt over time, maybe. Respect can be earned, possibly. But an experience like that is indelible.
Very good. Unlike many I actually like reading all the different takes on this story. If it had happened in real life I can't see anyone taking her back. It was just too much.
This is my favorite treatment of the "February Sucks" topic, and I hope (futilely) that it will be the last.
When I saw this was a "February Sucks" story completion, I thought "Oh, nooo". I think I've read most of the 100 or so versions, so I was worried. I shouldn't have been. Thank you for a great alternative finish. I enjoyed it immensly. Yes, a tad "fantasy like" with the Court cases payouts and eventual new relationship but an excellent story. One of the best, if not THE best, completions. Thanks again. Cheers.
A '5' new treatment of this amazing and durable story from George Anderson, that I think he would like. The characters went in a slightly different direction from the others, and in its own way, this version feels as good as some of the best of the others.
Well played !
EastCoaster
"Linda was rapidly turning in to the most expensive piece of pussy he'd ever chased."
/
- this made me smile.
I like what happened to Marc without Jim ever touching him physically.
But I kinda think what he did in burning Linda down was too over the top and illegal.
Then Jim somewhat made up what he did to Linda in the end.
So all good. Thanks qhm1. This wasn't great but it's nice.
Entertaining read. The story did leave me with two nagging questions though.
How would Linda ever find someone willing to marry her again? I can see lots of guys wanting to fuck her. I can see some gold diggers getting together with her to get some of her settlement payout. But, how would she ever find someone who could trust her enough to have a legit marriage if they knew her history?
What kind of a lawsuit could Linda file against Marc and win a huge settlement from? It's not like he drugged her or blackmailed her. Yes, a decent human being wouldn't have approached an obviously married woman like he did. But, she's a grown ass woman who made a really bad decision and paid the consequences. How or why should she benefit financially for her bad decision making?
Good solid five here. Certainly in top three of all the followups to this story.
I am pretty sure that Defcon 1 is nuclear war. Defcon 4 is just a notch above normal readiness. And I don't know how Marc did not get arrested for conspiracy to commit extortion, burglary, assault, etc. when he sent the goons. Any good prosecutor could have made that a felony with serious time.
The greatest disappointment this week is finding that an author I admire has decided to wade into this story. Can’t for the life of me understand why.
The length of this story made it just average, I was bored with most of it. Please let February go back to being a shitty month.
Oh Lord, pleeease, no more of the F...ing February!! Although, i gave it a ****
Jeesh .... great author, but this mess was well beneath him/her. Just a lazy and improbable BTB cliché that went on far too long. I do enjoy a good (realistic) BTB, and for that matter also a well-written and believable reconciliation, but this was just trite.
5* I liked it. There are those that complain about the twist other writers have put to GA story. My advise to them, Don't read them! One correction I'd like to make. Being retired from the Telecommunication field, when a call is terminated all the other party would ever hear is a click. If you slam the phone down they hear at most a click, If you hang up gently you hear the same click. It's a switch, the connection is broke in milli-seconds, long before the the handset reaches the resting position on the old phone. What people hear is there imagination "That Sum Bitch hung up on me".
Really well done especially after all the after burner George Anderson attempts that flopped. This one covers all the bridges.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Finally a "sequel' to George Anderson's story where reality shines through and truly shows the results of someone's actions. Your story, as are your many others, is one of the best!
A great read and a great take.
A lot of readers are peeved by every new February story, but I enjoy them The story setup preys an every family man's deepest fears so it will always be a classic. If I had my way there would be a February Sucks even every February.
Another great story by Q! The story was true to the original but was easier for me to stay comfortable with the husband's actions. By the end, I was expecting a meeting and forgiveness, but I think most of your other stories were a little bit stronger. I assume it was close to 8 years later and it was only at that point that she truly realized her mistake, yet Jim was still OK with "Thank you Linda, in some way that makes me feel a little bit better!" What would I have written? "All of this time, and that's the best you can do? Apology accepted, but you're still a self-absorbed narcissist!" Oh, I still re-read your stories - I still want to be like you when I grow up!
That story didn't deserve one additional treatment, much less 100. Sorry to see you jump into this. Better than most of the attempts, but the original premise was so awful, I have no idea why a right of your skill level even bothered.
I normally deduct a point on any sequels to GA’s story, but I have to break tradition here. Your level of excellence in story telling combined with command of prose raises everything to a higher level. 5*
Well, we can cap the stream of revised “Sux”. That finished it off. As always, excellent!
Gave it a 4. Would have been a 5 but the selfish slut got off too well in the end.
Kept my attention--if only to see what variation of this now (in)famous tale would be thrown at us. I guess that's telling, psychologically speaking, of how George Anderson's "February Sucks" story still resonates and intrigues. Revised versions range from RAAC's to BTB's of several stages of intensity--a tribute to how individuals respond in different ways to the same situation.
I liked this one, gave it a 4 for the writing quality but only a 3 for the (not very radical) change in the MC's behavioral response to the wife's transgression and the damage done to all the main characters. The storyline itself always rates a 5 (it has from the beginning) so...that all averages out to a 4.
But I'd be damn proud if one of mine rated that. So kudos on a good tale and...more please.
MLJ
Jeez, you are more than capable of writing your own good stories, why did you dive into this horrible morass? There is simply no way to recover this terrible story and your story does nothing but taint you for involving yourself in it. Write your own stories.
Not too long ago I read a February Sucks follow up which I commented it was the best I had ever read. Now it is second to the best and yours has replaced it.
I found his mugging distasteful. Maybe if the assailants were apprehended and traced back to Asshole but to my liking the mugging could have been left out.
Thanks for a great read.
Lina deserved to be dragged through the mud at a minimum. I don't see her as dumb or as unable to understand what she had done. I see her as a clinical narcissist who miscalculated the out come of her toxic selfishness. I want to see her utterly destroyed.
Thanks for sharing...
Well, that definitely hit the nail on the head! Hopefully once & for all:) 5*
If OP shortened this to about half this length, focusing on just MC's intensity and his quest to make Linda understand what she did to destroy the marriage-it would be a great story. As it is, the prevalent, the over-the-top scenes hurt the overall story. Edit it hard, stripping away all the excess. 3***
I like the symmetry of bringing horses in at the end of another addition to the collection of ultimate Loving Wives dead horse beating stories. At least none of the horses added later were harmed in the writing of this story, only the Feb sucks nags.
It's not qhml1, a far better writer than this story deserves at this point, it's just me, with my tired and jaded cynicism.
Please....I have posted on others....for the love of all that is holy....stop the Feb stories.....
It's amazing how many sequels the original story has spawned. This is a good one. There remains one unanswered question and it runs to the heart of why the original betrayal was so destructive - she seems to have been a good wife for years. There was never any indication that she could betray him, and then she did. That is what undid his love so completely and unexpectedly. How could he not know all those years? However, I did like the revenge angle and the happy ending was delightful.
Clever twist to a story that’s been reissued more than the Bible.The original is still the best but this comes pretty damn close imho.
It would be hard to assign a “Best of Endings” award to any of the many endings to GA’s story, but this would have to rate in the top ten. Thanks for the effort! CD Oh Yeah—almost forgot—5 stars!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I didn’t think someone could conjure up a new thread on this but you sure did!! Well done,
I was really enjoying this one. I'm fine with realistic fantasy when it comes to a BTB story. What I can't accept is the regret or RAAC-actions after the fact. seriously, she had money to buy her own car, who buys a bitch like that anything? especially after she admitted she gave her number to Marc. Or who invests in her start up company? please!
The only reason I read this is because you are a great author. I HATE that this story still continues; I'll never read another one.
Because you are a great author I pretended that this wasn't a recycled story and gave you 5*; you really are a wordsmith.
Nicely done. I loved how the husband’s friends blasted out with their computers. Double Ouch!
Probably the best of 5he bunch, and I bet I’ve read virtually all of them ( good and bad). I do think you were too kind to Linda, but that’s only my opinion. Honestly, I am not sure I could have come up with a more complete punishment for her.
Great work as usual!
Bob
Slider_48167@yahoo.com
What a mess from a good author. You just couldn’t stay away from a over done story. And this version really sucked. I just skimmed thru after 3 pages of jiberesh.
One of the best endings for a story that NEVER should have happened. A wife who would do this to her husband has no love at all for him...period. His entire married life was a sham. Her immediate demise is the only acceptable conclusion.
Very well done and a very good outcome. I really like how well written your stories are. They draw me in, no matter the subject. Thank You....John
Well written but pretty much the same as a lot of other FS versions. Wife fucks up, two BTBs, hubby goes off into his golden years with a better wife and a bigger bank account. Not much new here. 3 stars only and that for decent writing skills.
Good story Q, 5 stars from me.
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The editing wasn't great: wrong tenses, missing words, confusing broken sentences, and, just an estimate, but it's missing practically HUNDREDS of commas. Maybe. Just a rough guesstimate. Ball-park, at best. But a LOT of commas are missing.
No man , fake fiction or fantasy would help this ex wife. Kids yes . Ex wife hell NO. GAVE YA A 3 ON IT cause semi cucky helped her .
"Even today I can't tell you why I did it and thought it would be all right." Yeah, you've drank the Literotica Author's coolaide. A lot of authors lacking wit and imagination use that line, like all the readers are that stupid or clueless. Linda abandoned and fucked over her husband because she was thrilled by the opportunity, thought she could get away with it, and lacked the internal virtue and strength of character to tell Marc to go fuck himself. And of course, she simply did not respect her husband, her marriage, her children, or herself all that much. No slut ray, no mental dysfunction, he married an empty soulless woman, he got what he married, so he got what he deserved. Stop slinging the "I Don't Know" bullshit.
As to all the logistics and legal plots and computer hacking, it was OK. Sure, contrived and over the top, but what the hell, its fiction, right? Thanks for the effort.
Well if there is a way a hackneyed story to be made decent it was qhm1. On the other hand I kind of wished he had chosen a different story,the nature of this story means it is much less than qhm1 is possible of.
I loved it. It's about time (100+ attempts) at getting the story right, and with a proper ending for this mess. And with it costing Marc 110 to 170 Million dollars, I bet Linda was the most expensive piece of pussy he ever got. :-) And of course there were the usual cliches the LW troupe likes to use, but including her getting hit by "the Martian Slut Ray" being my favorite, and it's use in the story was appropriate. Her not understanding that she was at fault was her biggest issue, and she carried it on thru to the end. I'm really surprised that she was able to land another husband after all of her dirty laundry being publicly exposed like it was. But then maybe he was after her money.
It's really unfortunate that after all that time with counseling that she finally got it (in the last paragraph) that she was at fault, and brought all of it on herself, and finally taking the blame. All it took was the right counselor to put it in perspective for her to understand. At least divorcing her (Linda) was the right thing to do, and it allowed him to move on and have a great life with Scarlett (along with another child between them).
I gave it 5 huge stars. I doubt this will be the end of the FS stories, but we can all hope it will, as it was the best one since GA's original (that didn't have a proper ending).
“Even today I can't tell you why I did it and thought it would be all right.”
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What GA did in his original version of this story was to invent a woman doing something that NEVER could make sense given the predicates of her being a “loving wife” in a “happy marriage”. So even in this we’ll written and entertaining version, one of Lit’s best veteran writers was not able to come up with a rationale that made any sense. Because it never did…and never could.
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As such, one of the better attempts to make sense of the impossible premise and deal with it.
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A very solid 4 ****