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Welcome to the CRS podcast where we dive deep into stories of resilience, relationships,

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and the revelations that change lives.

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In today's episode is a roller coaster of betrayal, self-discovery, and ultimately justice.

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If you've ever wondered how far someone will go to twist the truth and how you can fight

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back, this episode is for you.

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Stay tuned because this story will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew

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about trust.

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So let's get into the episode.

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So there I was, sitting in court, trying to stay calm while my ex-wife's lawyer painted

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me as the worst husband and father imaginable.

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They went on and on about how I was a serial cheater who destroyed our family and how my

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ex-wife deserved full custody of our kids because of it.

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She was sitting there with fake tears streaming down her face, nodding along like she was

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the victim of some tragic betrayal.

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Meanwhile, I was holding a USB drive that I knew was about to flip the entire situation

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upside down.

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But let me back up and explain how we got to this point.

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My ex-wife and I were married for eight years and honestly the first few years were good.

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We had two kids together and I really thought we were building a life.

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But around year six, things started to change.

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She became distant, always glued to her phone or finding excuses to be out of the house.

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We argued more and connected less.

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I chalked it up to stress or a rough patch.

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But deep down, I started to feel like something wasn't right.

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When came the day I found the proof.

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She accidentally left her Apple Watch at home one morning and while I wasn't trying

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to snoop, it started buzzing non-stop with messages.

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At first, I thought it might be work stuff, but then I saw the preview of one message.

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Can't wait to see you tonight.

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My heart dropped.

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I scrolled through the messages and there was evidence of her affair.

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She'd been seeing some guy from her gym for months.

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They were talking about meetups, sneaking around and even joking about me being clueless.

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I was furious, but instead of confronting her right away, I decided to play it smart.

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I knew if this went to court and I had a gut feeling it would.

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I need more than just a text message to prove what was going on.

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She's the type of person who's great at flipping the script and making herself look like the

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victim.

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So, I installed a couple of cameras in the house, one in the living room and another

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by the driveway.

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Nothing invasive, just enough to get a clear picture of what was going on.

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Sure enough, within a week, I had all the proof I needed.

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There were multiple videos of this guy pulling into our driveway while I was at work or letting

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him in and the two of them getting way too cozy on our couch.

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I even caught audio of her laughing and telling him, don't worry, he's too stupid to figure

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it out.

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That one stung, but it also made me even more determined to handle this the right way.

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When I finally confronted her, she completely lost it.

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Instead of owning up to what she'd done, she turned it around on me, yelling about how

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I was spying on her and violating her privacy.

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She packed a bag and stormed out with the kids, saying she needed space to figure things

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out.

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A week later, I was served with divorce papers.

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Here's where it gets even crazier.

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She was going for full custody of our kids and claimed that I was the cheater.

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Her lawyer filed court documents accusing me of having multiple affairs during our marriage,

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being emotionally unavailable and creating a toxic environment for our kids.

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She even listed specific dates when I supposedly brought women into our home while she and

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the kids were out of town.

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None of it was true, but she was throwing everything she could at me, hoping something

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would stick.

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I'll admit, it shook me.

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I knew I wasn't perfect.

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I'd worked long hours and maybe wasn't as present as I should have been, but I was

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a good dad and I'd never cheated.

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I couldn't believe she was willing to drag my name through the mud like this, all while

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pretending to be the victim.

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When the court date finally came, her lawyer came out swinging.

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They painted this picture of me as some sleazy, neglectful husband who didn't care about

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his family.

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The neck sat there, nodding and dabbing at her eyes with a tissue like she was in a lifetime

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movie.

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For a moment, I could tell the judge was starting to lean toward her side.

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That's when I pulled out the USB drive.

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I calmly handed it over to my lawyer, who asked the judge for permission to present

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new evidence.

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As the first video started playing, the room went silent.

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There was her lover's car pulling into our driveway.

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There was her opening the door and letting him in.

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And there they were, cuddled up on the couch, completely oblivious to the camera.

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The best part?

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The video included audio of her saying, don't worry, he's too stupid to figure it out.

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I couldn't have scripted a better moment.

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Her lawyer tried to object.

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Claiming the footage was an invasion of privacy, but the judge wasn't having it.

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They allowed the videos to be entered as evidence and gave my ex a long, hard stare.

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You could feel the energy in the room shift.

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Suddenly, her whole story fell apart.

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The judge ended up dismissing all her accusations against me, calling her out for trying to

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manipulate the court and weaponize the kids.

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Not only did I get joint custody, but the judge also ordered her to pay part of my legal

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fees, citing her malicious and unfounded claims.

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After court, she actually had the nerve to try to apologize.

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She said she was just hurt and scared and didn't mean for things to get so ugly.

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I told her it was too late for apologies.

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The damage was done and all I cared about now was being there for our kids.

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It's been a few months since the dust settled and things are starting to feel normal again.

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The kids are doing well and I'm doing everything I can to be the best that I can be.

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My ex, on the other hand, has been keeping a much lower profile.

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I guess she realized that playing the victim only works until the truth comes out.

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The whole experience was a nightmare, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's

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this.

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Always.

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Protect yourself.

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Be unpredictable, especially when emotions and custody battles are involved.

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I'm just glad I trusted my gut and had the foresight to gather proof when I did.

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Moral of the story?

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Don't let anyone rewrite the truth about who you are, especially when your kids are

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on the line.