I know I am competing with something or someone, and if she is going to come back then I have to be the more "attractive" choice.
Wrong.
First wrong simply because you might be wrong about OM.
IF OM does exist and your wife is MLC then you really are not competeing with OM...you are outlasting her MLC.
Being a better looking option isn't really about competeing with him...it is just looking good when she wakes the f up.
I use the squirrel analogy. My dad used to get the squirrels in the back yard to eat almonds out of his hands. He'd get a bit upset at me when I came bolting out the back door to see what he was doing. I guess in the days before cable there wasn't much to do. : )
Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn. - C.S. Lewis
Life is usually all about how you handle Plan B. - Jack3Beans
Listen without defending; Speak without offending - FaithinAK