Tell her the truth, ‘Prince Charming’

Dear Amy: I have a problem. My wife leftme because she couldn’t take life with me anymore. Honestly, I don’t blame her.

One day I decided to text her from a different phone number. I pretended I was someone else and she started texting with me, not knowing that it’s me.

I’m enjoying our conversation, and so is she. I think she likes the person she’s talking to, but it’s me, the person she hates.

I can tell she’s falling for this person, but I can’t tell her it’sme or shewould hate meeven more.

Itwas notmy intention to have her fall for me as someone else, and I don’t want to break her heart, so what can Ido?

The stuff I told her as someoneelse is all stuff I told her when we were married, but I guess it sounds different coming from this other person. What should I do now?— Scared

Dear Scared: First of all, congratulations for reproducing the basic plot ofmany timeless stories — from Shakespeare to “You’ve Got Mail” — in your actual life. To follow through on this plot line, in the movie version, your wife would be seduced to the point where she (or you) would urge ameeting in real life. Themeeting would be on a bridge, or at the top of the Eiffel Tower or Empire State Building. She would see you, you’d embrace, and shewould confess that she was hoping all along that you were the mysterious person at the other end of the texts.

But alas, real life does not work out as neatly as our screenplay would suggest. The unfortunate fact is that what you have done is fraudulent, deceptive and cruel. She will feel manipulated, and she will likely be very upset.

You should tell the truth now, and do so in the most charmingway youcanmanage. Ask her to forgive you, and ask if she would be willing to do openly what she has been doing with your alter-ego.

Readers can send email to askamy@amydickinson.com.