[Elspode]

Our Puritanical, patriarchal, monogamous society makes things like this rather unpleasant. While it may be as cut and dried as manipulation, asserting the late-in-life manhood reinforcement, or simply tapping a chick 20 years your junior, it is far more likely that it is much more complex than this.

The simple fact of the matter is that it *is* possible to love more than one person, complete with the physical intimacy that goes along with deep relationships. However, we are societally conditioned against the concept of polyamory, and so we have to ascribe sinister motivation or something more shallow than love as the reason for the relationship.

It boils down to what one values. Professor Guy values his current status quo vis a vis the job, the wife, the prestige and the opinion of his peers. In a perfect world, those things wouldn't be at risk.

However, allowing that the Prof is "brilliant", then he was fully aware of all of these things as being the prevailing societal and real-world winds when he first unzipped Bri's knickers, and so it is reasonably safe to assume that she was always going to be the other woman. Since he *is* brilliant, then it necessarily follows that he wasn't honest if he didn't let Bri know that there would never be more than boffing and incidental socialization. If she *did* know that, then she has no complaint coming. But, if Rocket Boy led her along, misrepresenting his intentions to keep the nookie supply going, Bri has been wronged.

Whatever the case, Bri has the right to grieve the loss of a relationship that gave her something she wanted or needed. But I have to agree with the general opinion, here...I think breaking it off is just a sign of Bri's mental faculties coming back online, and seeing that her emotions weren't doing a very good job of driving the bus.

Here's to the fine job of avoiding another terrible bus crash, Bri.