Smack-Dab Divorce

Rachel Spry is among millions of women whose lives were twisted into disarray by a philandering husband. David, twelve years Rachel's senior, was a conniving cheater who lived a two-faced existence. He was a successful corporate lawyer and supposedly devoted husband, yet an adulterer carrying on an affair often consummated on business trips. Not only was David unfaithful while he and Rachel were in the process of adopting, he continued his sexcapades after admitting his guilt when confronted by Rachel and while they went through couples' counseling.

In Smack-Dab Divorce, Rachel (a pseudonym) offers a compelling and sometimes light-hearted account that is part memoir, part cautionary tale, and part self-help. She offers keen insights and coping strategies she learned about marriage, divorce, and recovery-much of it revealed in excerpts from personal journals she kept during counseling. Rachel uses her experiences and acquired coping acumen to provide empathy, guidance, and hope to women who suspect their spouse is cheating or have started or been through a divorce.

Thanks to therapy-assisted hindsight, below are some of the things Rachel says she wishes she had known before getting married:

• Develop a guard/warrior mindset for yourself
• Define the repercussions if your needs are not being met in marriage.
• Expect and demand the truth from your spouse.
• Do not allow him to change the subject and interrupt you.
• Do not be so tolerant.