Una familia feliz Book

Helen and Dan seem to have drifted apart not taking time to spend on their relationship. So of course when she comes home to find another woman's clothes strung out on the steps leading to their bedroom and then to actually see the woman there . . . well it doesn't look good at all. Sounded very intriguing and full of angst, right? The other woman was Dan's secretary and he seems intent on blaming her for the whole scenario. Of course, Helen isn't buying it. Why wouldn't another woman want her hot husband? Dan gets very upset that Helen doesn't believe him and he quickly fires his secretary.

Then he turns it around to blame her by claiming his love has been thrown back in his face a lot. He wants unconditional love and his child will be the one shot at that. Seriously, that sounds a bit selfish to me. Dan comes up w/ a brilliant solution so that he can still be there in the house for his children. Helen comes up w/ her own scheme and agrees to his plan.

It failed in several points for me though.

**SPOILERS** I felt like Dan truly loved Helen, okay I wanted to feel that, but after dismissing his secretary he hires her back WITH MORE PAY (and she will be made partner) because he needs her. Dan can NOT function w/out this manipulative OW??!! No one else in the entire world of HPland could be helpful to this man? I wanted to believe Dan loves Helen, but to hire back this POW OW was very distasteful on his part and to not even tell his wife - smacks of keeping secrets. He let go of his pride for OW, but not for his wife.

It looked really bad for Dan because his explanation didn't hold water either. Why in the world would OW take his clothes w/ her? That made no sense to me after all they are in his house and he could just put on other clothes, of course it wouldn't go w/ his story of a spill though since there was no evidence. He is very upset and angry that Helen won't believe him.

There is a text from OW that Helen finds later that doesn't sound good and it is signed "Love". BTW do secretaries sign off like that?

Dan wants OW to tell the truth, but she is ashamed - she eventually agrees though. Dan also wants Helen and OW to be "happy family" - really he wants her to go to OW's wedding! Helen of course starts to believe Dan - has to as the pages are drawing to a close.

OW wants forgiveness so that she could feel clean and decent after what she did. Dan wants Helen to give that forgiveness as well. Nice guy who was so concerned for the way his children would be raised and he thought blaming their mom for manipulations of OW is a good thing?! (ok technically it wasn't all OW's fault) Idiot forgives this woman for destroying their marriage and practically destroying their children's family as well w/ her manipulations. Oh and Helen is fantastic because she forgives OW. Guess I'm not. I can't believe he could hold such anger towards his wife for not believing him but so quickly forgive the OW.