The fallout from her betrayal to the beloved Sgt. Carter was too great, and her reputation was shattered. Campton was a small town, where everybody knew each other. Because of her reputation, nobody would hire her but she still needed a job.
After a month trying to find work, Claire ended up taking a job at the local poultry factory at minimum wage. She was working with a majority of immigrants that didn’t speak English and had nobody to talk to. The smell of the factory was sickening and remained on her clothing when she returned home. This was a constant reminder of her fall from grace, each and every day. Her happy loving life turned into a mournful journey, all for the attraction of power and status. She truly loved her husband, and losing him was more than she could handle. Six months after the divorce was final, depression set in and she ended up living a life addicted to antidepressants. The drugs allowed her to function, but the happy, loving life she once enjoyed no longer existed.
Councilman Wilbur Montague was divorced and taken to the cleaners by his wife. The media had a field day on the hot shot, self-aggrandizing asshole. Nobody in town would hire him and he finally had to take a sales job on his brother’s used car lot, just to make ends meet. His dream life and political career was now a thing of the past, his children hated him and his ex-wife never spoke with him again. He became an alcoholic and took his own life five years after the affair, literally drinking himself to death.
Carter and Kaylee survived the betrayal and made the best of their lives. Kaylee visited her mom once a month but Carter never spoke with her again.
Ellen Baker took Carter to dinner to thank him for the exclusive story, which propelled her career from the state-wide recognition. They saw each other often and their relationship became one of friends with benefits. Ellen was amazed that Claire gave up this guy, with his extra-large equipment, for the little weasel Wilbur. Carter was the best lover she had ever had and was determined to hold onto him by making sure he knew she had a place for him.
Kaylee went off to college in Athens and learned a lesson about loyalty and betrayal from her mom. She would never make that mistake after seeing the wreckage it caused.
Claire never remarried but did reconcile with Kaylee. She saw Carter with Ellen at Kaylee’s wedding, but they never spoke again after the divorce.
Carter never remarried but had over 6 girlfriends that enjoyed him to the fullest. He became quite popular and in demand when word got out about his large endowment, and stamina in bed. From time to time, he missed his old life, but he found his new life a little more entertaining and satisfying.
“Love is a frail thing, easily broken by the hands that once held it dear”
D.H. Lawrence