I had admired him since my university days. You could say it was unconditional love – foolish and blind. And when he finally paid attention to me, I completely lost my head. It happened, to be honest, a few years after graduating—we ended up working at the same company. After all, we had the same specialty, so it was a common occurrence. But I thought it was fate.
It seemed like he was my dream man. In my youth, I didn’t care at all that he already had a wife. I had never been married before and didn’t know what it felt like when a marriage fell apart. So I wasn’t ashamed in the slightest when Daniel decided to leave his wife for me. Who would have thought it would bring me so much sorrow? They say it’s true—you can’t build happiness on someone else’s misery.
When he chose me, I was on cloud nine and could forgive him anything. In truth, in daily life, he wasn’t the prince he appeared to be in public. His belongings were always scattered all over the house, and he flatly refused to wash the dishes. All the household chores fell on my shoulders. But at that moment, I didn’t care.
He quickly forgot about his previous marriage. They didn’t have children, and as it turned out, it was her parents who had insisted on the wedding. With me, everything was different—or so he told me.
My happiness didn’t last long—just until I got pregnant. At first, Daniel was overjoyed that he was going to have a child. We even organized a big family gathering to celebrate. Everyone wished us love and good health for our future baby.
That evening remains one of my best memories. And I don’t regret it. But from that moment on, my blind love began to fade.
The bigger my belly grew, the less often I saw Daniel. I had gone on maternity leave, so now we only saw each other late at night. He stayed late at work more often and went to company parties. At first, it didn’t bother me, but very soon, it started to wear me down. Household chores became increasingly difficult because I could no longer just bend down to pick up the scattered socks.
During this time, I often wondered—did we rush into having a child too soon?
I knew that feelings cooled over time, but I never expected it to happen so quickly. Daniel still brought flowers and chocolates, but at that moment, I just wanted him to be there with me.
Eventually, it became clear that his company events were not without reason. My colleagues casually mentioned over coffee that a young new employee had joined our department. There had already been a staff shortage, and when I went on maternity leave, the situation had become critical. What irony.
I wasn’t sure if it was her, but my husband definitely had someone because he had no free time left. Either work, a business meeting, or yet another office party that couldn’t be missed. One day, I found a note in his jacket pocket signed with initials I didn’t recognize. I don’t know what came over me, but I put the note back and decided to pretend I didn’t know anything.
It was terrifying to be left alone in the seventh month of pregnancy, yet my husband kept complaining that I had become completely irrational. Every argument ended with his disappointed sigh. Somehow, I understood that if I brought up the subject, I would definitely end up alone. The fear of losing my husband was so strong that I couldn’t think about anything else. There’s a belief that if you’re afraid of something too much, it will surely happen.
No matter how beautifully Daniel once courted me, he was no gentleman. The worst words I had ever heard in my life were: “I’m not ready for children.” And: “I have someone else.” I don’t even remember exactly how he said it, but at that moment, I felt like I was losing my mind.
I never expected to find the strength in myself to file for divorce. Apparently, he didn’t expect that I wouldn’t put up with his behavior. Nor did he expect that I would throw all his things out the very next day. At that moment, I was relieved that we had been renting the apartment—at least we didn’t have to divide it.
“What about the child? Think about the child. How will you support him?”
“Somehow. I’ll find work from home. Besides, my parents have long offered to help. My mother always said he was a womanizer—I should have listened to her.”
Perhaps the responsibility for my future son gave me confidence. On my own, I probably wouldn’t have left.
But I also realized that I didn’t want to raise a child with a father like him.
His betrayal was such a vile act that I wanted nothing more to do with him. It was as if the veil had lifted from my eyes.
The first few months after the divorce, including the birth itself, were incredibly difficult. I moved back in with my parents, who were overjoyed, especially my son’s grandparents. I can’t say I didn’t miss Daniel at all, but I tried not to think about him. Deep inside, I was sure I had done the right thing and that I would be able to give my son everything he needed.
As soon as I regained my strength, I started looking for work. I had occasionally done legal translations before, and now I turned it into a full-time remote job. Of course, there were months without income, but my parents supported me during those times. Soon, I built up a stable client base, and I no longer needed their help.
My son grew quickly, and I didn’t even notice how the first few years passed. I only realized it when I saw that he needed his own room. My parents didn’t want us to leave, but I wanted to create our own space. I needed a home office, and he needed a comfortable place to study. By that time, I could afford to rent an apartment.
From that moment, everything started to fall into place. Kindergarten turned into school, first grade into fifth, and for the first time in a long while, I felt happiness and freedom again. Then suddenly, he appeared again.
Our city isn’t that big, and in our legal field, everyone knows each other. So it wasn’t hard for Daniel to find out where my office was. At that moment, I regretted not moving away with my son to another town. It turns out my ex-husband had finally settled down and deeply regretted his actions. He said he had been too young and foolish. He regretted never knowing his son. He insisted on meeting him.
The situation is this: the law does not prevent a father from seeing his child. And I know that if Daniel really wants to, he will find ways to reach my son. But I’m terrified at the thought of it. Several weeks have passed since our conversation. I told him I would think about it, but in reality, I just can’t process what’s happening. I want to find a way to prevent my son from meeting his father.
Now, I wonder if this is some sort of punishment for me. A consequence of taking Daniel away from his first wife. Maybe I really should move to another city?
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