Towards the end of the weekend, on Sunday afternoon, Shan’ann texts her husband, asking him if he wants to visit his grandmother on Monday [August 6th]. Bear in mind, up to this point Watts had been in North Carolina almost a week, and spent almost all of that time with Shan’ann, the kids and her parents.

According to Sandi Rzucek’s typed statement, Frank was with the couple while they were in Myrtle Beach, and a day and a half later Sandi joined them too. So here we are, with two days left of his vacation, and by the end of the first weekend Shan’ann suggests to her husband he might want to go and see his grandmother? Does he want to do that tomorrow?

Watts said yes, he did want to see his Maw Maw, and was hoping to see his folks too.

Notice the craven language he uses.

“I was hoping both. If not that’s ok too. I wanted to see Maw Maw in the morning if possible.”

Shan’ann will decide who her husband sees, and if and when that happens. But she also lays down the law. He must go and see his family alone. She’s not going, and neither are the kids.

In this simple act Shan’ann is demonstrating early warning about her attitude to custody. It’s also 100% accurate because later in the timeline she tells her pals she will fight for full custody if it comes to that.

About ten minutes later Watts pitches the idea of taking the girls to see his grandmother. But he’s also considerate, saying he doesn’t want to leave them without a car.

Shan’ann’s having none of it. She puts him in his place for having the temerity to even ask her such a thing. Her health is suffering because of this stress. She’s not kidding! She instructs him [and indirectly his parents] when to pick him up – when the kids are asleep, after dark. In other words, she’s perfectly happy to leave him seeing his folks until the end of the day.

Five minutes later Watts is insistent but also carefully obedient. He tells Shan’ann he really wants the kids to see Maw MAw, and promises to make sure there will be zero chance anyone will see them. These words have an ominous ring to them, given the events of exactly week later, Sunday night in Colorado.

At 20:28 Shan’ann tries to corral her husband with a convenient quote. It’s about husbands protecting their wives. Watts is advised to always take his wife’s side. Given that Watts was embroiled in an affair at this point, this quotation likely didn’t have the sort of impact that an ordinary conversation could have. But it seems later that evening that was on the cards regardless.

Between talking Shan’ann sends more long texts to her husband. Bear in mind they’re in the same time zone, the same town, the same house, probably not the same room though.

At 22:24 [the quote having failed apparently to solicit the right response], Shan’ann tries guilting him. The kids don’t deserve a broken family. [Later she will ask him if he would stay with her if they didn’t have kids]. Late on Sunday night, the penny is dropping that Watts isn’t just unhappy about his dad, or about Nut Gate, or about the situation with the children not seeing his parents, he’s not happy about her. Five days into his trip and Shan’ann’s finally figured out that Watts isn’t in love with her, and she can’t figure out why?

“I don’t know how you fell out of love with me…”

At this point it’s probably worth noting comments made both by Watts’ mother Cindy and Shan’ann’s mother Sandi. Early on during their relationship, Cindy observed how Watts and Shan’ann interacted. Whatever she saw prompted her to say to Sandi:

“I just don’t see it.”

Meaning, she couldn’t see how Shan’ann loved her son.

Sandi was livid at this observation, but what we can clearly see in the events of August 5th is a sort of passive-aggressive attitude – on Shan’ann’s part. She wears the pants, she calls the shots, it’s her way or the highway. When she finally figures out how much her controlling, domineering attitude has stung her husband, she has absolutely no idea why.

She then borrows strength out of the fact that husbands in general ought to do X, and because of the children, he ought to do Y. Shan’ann not only doesn’t listen to him, she doesn’t grant him the opportunity to be himself. When he does, then she’s not kidding about her problems and another imminent tantrum. It never seems to occur to Shan’ann that he might be unhappy about certain decisions because he wants to see his family just as much as she wants to see hers.

Shan’ann also provides a little insight here into something that’s been niggling at her all week.

“I practically had to ask for a kiss at the airport.”

Since she’s been badgering him and bullying him all week [over Nut Gate], she now wants a genuine explanation for what’s wrong. But whenever he genuinely asks something [like whether he can take the kids to see his parents], she jumps all over him. Is he really going to be so foolish to talk to her about something really serious, like their finances, or an affair?

On the subject of “finances”, it’s probably worth mentioning that Shan’ann confided to her mother about the extent of debt they were in. According to Sandi, a big reason for the debt they were in was due to the kids’ medical bills. [Not because of her health, because of the kids’ poor health].  This medical debt may have prompted the Rzuceks to move in with the Watts family for 15 months to help out. But imagine that – Watts spent over a year-and-a-half with his in-laws living with him, essentially dealing with two Shan’anns over that period.

When he’s back in North Carolina he’s staying with them, while being told when he might be able to see his parents, and under what conditions. A slightly unfair equation?

“I don’t know how you fell out of love with me…”

“I just don’t see it.”

“I practically had to ask for a kiss at the airport.”

At 22:34 Shan’ann has a change of heart, and tries another, gentler approach. She tells her husband she didn’t really miss his help these last few weeks, because though exhausting, she can handle that [it’s not quite the same message in her Thrive spiels though is it?].

She goes on to tell him how much she’s missed him – his smell, his holding her and touching her. On Day 5 into their holiday, it’s a little late for that, and what happened to her warning a few hours earlier, about not dealing with or not being able to handle the pregnancy? It’s as if a switch flicks in Shan’ann’s mind right here and she suddenly remembers that her husband is a person. Her first thought is to engage him animalistically – sexually.

Clearly, given what is happening at the time, and because of his mistress, this is the last thing on Watts’ mind.

Amazingly, in the midst of telling her husband how much she misses him, she also reverts back to the tough guy, telling him in the same text if he’s not interested, if he’s done, he must tell her. She seems to be offering herself to be touched etc. but if that’s not what he wants, he must tell her.

“I NEED you to tell me!”

He knows exactly what will happen if he does tell her. If his world is radioactive now, it will be melted down to nothing if he reveals any more than the absolute minimum.

So what does he do? Watts doesn’t respond besides telling her [we find out the next morning] that he doesn’t want to lose the kids. This is how he feels. This is probably how he responds to her question [at 23:00]:

“Would you stay with me if we didn’t have kids?”

“I don’t want to lose the kids.”

It’s a loaded question that really means: have you stopped loving me – or the kids? Or more bluntly – do you still love me? He doesn’t. If he possibly can, he wants to come out of this with his daughters. But that’s not going to happen. He knows that’s not going to happen.

The biggest warning of all to Shan’ann is this moment right here: though Shan’ann’s trying to engage him in every conceivable way, Watts is sort of okay just staying in his room, letting her rage one moment, beg and plead the next. He’s made up his mind. He’s already engaging with, dreaming – secretly – of someone else.

At 23:09 Shan’ann’s still at it, but Watts is done, and likely in more ways than one.