Two years ago, I’d fallen into a rut, but I also experienced a much-needed shake-up — and I owed it all to one little fling. At the time, I was still married to my ex-wife, Jenna. We’d been together 22 years, having married right out of college. She came from money, and I didn’t; we had very different goals and values. Initially, we were the definition of opposites attract, and sheer passion was enough to hold us together. But in due course, my wife developed more passion for health crazes and animal rescue charities than me, and we drifted apart but hadn’t yet bothered to divorce.

Jenna’s father owned one of the biggest yacht clubs in our town. Because he’d gotten older and dialed back his workdays, I’d taken over managing the pool area and organizing some of the... Read More