The man of my dreams left his wife for me, yet I never could have guessed how it would end. I had admired him back in college. It was a blind, naïve, unconditional love. When he finally noticed me, I lost my mind. Honestly, this happened a few years after I graduatedwe eventually ended up working for the same company. After all, we shared the same specialty, which wasnt unusual, but I took it as fate.
He seemed like the man Id always imagined. At that point I didnt mind that he was already married. I had never been married myself and didnt know what it felt like to watch a marriage crumble, so I felt no shame when Paul chose to abandon his wife for me. Who could have predicted the pain it would cause? As the saying goes, you cant build your happiness on others misery.
When he picked me, I felt on cloud nine and was ready to forgive anything. Yet daytoday he wasnt the charming prince he appeared to be in public. His belongings littered the apartment, and he flatout refused to wash the dishes. All household chores fell on my shoulders, but back then I didnt care.
He quickly forgot his previous marriage. They had no children, and it turned out his parents had pushed him into that union. With me, he promised everything would be differentthats what he kept telling me.
My bliss was shortlived; everything changed when I became pregnant. At first Paul was thrilled about the baby. We even threw a big family party to celebrate, and everyone wished us love and good health for our future child.
That evening remains one of my fondest memories, and I have no regrets about it. Yet from that moment my blind love began to fade.
The more my belly grew, the less I saw Paul. I was on maternity leave, so we only met late at night. He stayed later at the office and attended countless company events. At first it didnt bother me, but soon it wore me out. Household tasks grew harder because I could no longer simply bend down to pick up his scattered socks.
During that period I kept wondering whether we had rushed into having a child.
I knew feelings could weaken over time, but I didnt expect it to happen so quickly. Paul still brought me flowers and chocolate, yet all I wanted then was his presence.
Soon it became clear his frequent outings werent innocent. A coworker mentioned, offhand, that a new young employee had joined our department. We were already shortstaffed, and when I went on maternity leave the situation turned critical. How ironic.
I wasnt sure it was her, but my husband definitely had someone, because he never had a free minute. Either work, a meeting, or another corporate party took up his time. One day I found a slip of paper in his jacket pocket bearing unfamiliar initials. I dont know why, but I slipped it back and pretended not to notice.
It was terrifying to be alone in my seventh month of pregnancy, yet my husband kept complaining that I had become too nervous. Every argument ended with a sigh of disappointment from him. Somehow I realized that bringing up the issue would leave me completely alone. The fear of losing him was so intense that I could think of nothing else. They say that if you fear something enough, it eventually comes true.
No matter how elegantly Paul had courted me, he was far from a gentleman. The worst things I ever heard were, Im not ready to have a child, and, I have someone else. I cant even recall exactly how he said it, but at that moment I felt I was going crazy.
I never imagined I could summon the courage to ask for a divorce. He, too, seemed surprised that I wouldnt tolerate his behavior, let alone that I would throw all his belongings out the next day. I was grateful we rented an apartmentat least we didnt have to split ownership.
And the child? What will you do about raising him?
Ill figure it out. Ill work from home, and my parents have always offered help. My mother warned me he was a womanizerI should have listened.
Responsibility toward my future son gave me confidence. Alone, I never would have had the bravery to leave.
I also realized I didnt want to raise a child with a father like him.
His betrayal was such a cowardly act that I wanted nothing more to do with him, as if a veil had lifted from my eyes.
The first months after the divorce, including the birth, were extremely hard. I moved back in with my parents, which delighted themespecially my grandparents, who were thrilled to have a grandson. I cant say I didnt miss Paul at all, but I tried not to think about him. Deep down I was convinced I had made the right choice and could give my son everything he needed.
Then, unexpectedly, he resurfaced.
It turns out Paul is deeply remorseful and wants to meet his son. But do I want that? Maybe I should really move to another city?
The Man of My Dreams Left His Wife for Me, But I Never Imagined How It Would All Unravel.
