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The John Edwards trial is getting us up close and personal with the former politician's personal life. And it's becoming very clear that Edwards' affair crushed his wife, heart and soul. The woman was fighting a terminal case of breast cancer, for crying out loud, when John's affair hit the tabloids. Her body was criss-crossed with scars from her surgical treatment. But Elizabeth's emotional pain was just getting started. What she needed most of all was a soul mate who could support her.
What she got instead was a selfish narcissist who betrayed and essentially abandoned her. Going by the testimony the jury heard yesterday, Elizabeth's emotional turmoil led to a breakdown that shocked John's staff.
Former Edwards campaign advisor Christina Reynolds testified that in October 2007, Elizabeth had a dramatic confrontation with her husband outside a private airplane hangar. First Elizabeth stormed away from her husband and then crumpled into a ball on the pavement. Another woman pulled her away and helped her compose herself. But then Elizabeth approached John again, this time tearing off her shirt and bra to expose her scars. "You don't see me anymore!" she screamed.
John barely responded. As his staff rushed to cover Elizabeth, he coolly dialed up her doctor to come and get the woman off his hands. Like she was the problem.
You can almost feel Elizabeth's desperation and frustration. She just wasn't getting through to her husband. And there was nothing she could do to make him care -- or even see her. How could Elizabeth possibly wage a successful battle against cancer when this was happening in her life at the same time? The stress, the humiliation, and the hurt -- John's affair was the last thing she needed. Ugh, it's just infuriating!
The trial has been so torturous for John Edwards' daughter, Cate, that she left the courtroom in tears. It's been hard on John, too. But I have no pity for him. He deserves to be raked over the coals. I only wish the public thrashing he's getting didn't also hurt Cate. What's so awful about this trial is witnessing the toll John Edwards' actions have taken on his family.
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Have you ever been in a bad relationship where you felt like you weren't being seen or heard?
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