Chapter 1

Carl and Stephanie had been married for over ten years. Both of them admitted that their relationship was sometimes abrasive, but on other occasions it was close and romantic.
Carl was a builder. He had started off as a labourer carrying hods of bricks up ladders all day, then he’d learned the basics on the job, but he had to go to evening classes to get suitable qualifications and get to the stage where he could run his own business.
The work he did was hard physical work, out in all weathers. He did not need to go to the gym because he lifted heavy weights in the form of bricks, stones or wooden planks most days. As a consequence, he had a muscular physique. His daily exertions also helped to keep his weight down, despite his healthy appetite. In the summer, the sun bleached his hair and tanned his skin, in the winter, despite three to five layers of clothing it might take him an hour to defrost indoors before he could start to relax.
Stephanie ran her own business too. She offered hypnotherapy and psychological support to anyone who wanted it. Most of her business centred around smoking cessation or weight loss. Occasionally she might get someone who needed help with anxiety or a particularly bad phobia. She was one of several complimentary practitioners all offering a different approach from the same building.
Unlike Carl, Stephanie had to watch what she ate and visit the gym at least three times a week to keep her weight down.
In their first five years together they had tried to have a family. Unfortunately, after one ectopic pregnancy and two miscarriages, they decided not to bother with children and enjoy their nieces and nephews instead. The bonus there was they did not have to look after the kids 24 hours a day every day. They would have them for a couple of hours and then give them back.
They had started their married life off in a tiny two bedroomed terrace that lead straight off the street. The only bathroom had been downstairs, near the kitchen. Carl renovated the place when they could afford to do so. He built a two storey extension to increase the size of the kitchen, create a small conservatory area to sit in and create a bathroom upstairs.
They sold that house at a reasonable profit, then moved to a three bedroom bungalow. Carl replaced the kitchen, replaced the bathroom, windows and doors and redecorated throughout, then sold it.
After ten years Carl and Steph had moved six times, but every time they moved, the house became a little bigger. They now lived in a semi-rural village in what had been an old farmhouse with lots of land. Previous owners had sold off much of the land for housing development and allowed the property to deteriorate, nevertheless, it has an elevated position above the new development, it still had an acre of land as the garden and enjoyed a decent enough view of the surrounding countryside from the back of the house and the back garden. Of course, Carl could not help developing it. He built an extension to make a modern kitchen diner and above that built a large master suite complete with his and hers walk in wardrobes. Not content to stop there, he stripped down and almost rebuilt the stables and outhouses to create two holiday let apartments. He got Stephanie involved at the interior decoration stage. She chose colour schemes and overall design and did most of the shopping.
Stephanie was happy living in the house. The holiday lets were screened from the main building, so she did not see people coming and going. Carl, on the other hand, was always on the look out for the next project. Stephanie did not want to move again. She could not face doing without heating in the middle of winter again. Nor did she want to do without water to wash in in the middle of summer. She was staying put! Any more renovations had to be done without actually living onsite!

Carl was a very sociable chap. He liked to have his Friday night out with the lads. He might come home drunk before midnight, but then again, he was just as likely to come home in the early hours after going clubbing. Midweek would see him out with his mates again. This time he was down the pub for quiz night or karaoke night. Occasionally on a Saturday, he would be out again at the local football match, supporting the local team.
Stephanie, on the other hand, did not get out as much. She went out with her friends for birthdays and Christmas. It was usually something civilised - a chat over a glass of wine and a meal in a restaurant. Nothing as wild as some of Carl’s nights out.

When they married, they had both made promises to each other. Carl had made his vows in church, as she did.
She had also made an extra promise. Carl had seen the stage hypnotists in action. He knew that Stephanie could make him do anything if she mesmerised him. He did not want to look foolish, especially when he was out with his friends. He did not want to be braying like a donkey every time he heard an alarm clock go off, or something similar.
She promised she would never use her hypnotic powers outside of her practice. It was unethical to use her gift on friends and family, especially without permission to do so.

Stephanie knew Carl was not 100% faithful to her. He had not kept his promises. Why should she keep hers? She debated the subject with her conscience for many years before she had a plan and the gumption to carry the plan out.