Love turned into bitter disappointment without warning
I hadnt seen it coming He simply placed me in front of the finished fact: how love had become a harsh disillusion. Gift baskets
My name is Élodie, Im twentyseven. Im a confident, attractive woman with a solid job and steady income. My aspirations were modest: get married, have two children, and someday drive my own car, bought with my hardearned money. I wasnt after wealth, just love and peace.
A year ago I met Antoine. He seemed mature, reliable, with a calm demeanor and a gentle smile. I fell in love the way you only do once in a lifetime. We started dating and, soon after, he invited me to move into his flat in Lyon. I didnt hesitate.
My parents were absolutely opposed.
Hes already been married, Élodie! If he couldnt keep his family, the problem lies with him, my mother warned, her eyes uneasy.
My father showed his disapproval as well, but I believed everyone deserved a second chance. So I left. I packed my suitcase, clothes, books, a bit of comfort. At that moment I had no idea that stepping over his threshold also meant crossing a line of trust.
In the kitchen, a boy of about seven was sitting at the table.
Thats my son, Théo. Hell be living with us, Antoine said, as detached as if he were talking about a kitten, not a child I wasnt prepared to become a stepmother to on day one.
I was left speechless. Family games
Why didnt you tell me before?
What would that have changed? he shrugged. His mother moved to Marseille with her new husband, and now a child is in the way. Two of us wont manage, youre an adult
I tried to convince myself I could handle it. Ive always liked children and thought we could build a bond, become close. But everything went wrong.
Théo turned out to be irritable, capricious and illmannered. He insulted me, threw tantrums, shouted that I cooked badly and smelled bad. Whenever Antoine approached me, he grew jealous and loudly demanded his attention.
I was exhausted. After work I was scrubbing floors, doing laundry, cooking, and on top of that caring for a child who openly despised me. I tried to do right by him: help with homework, play together, read stories. He turned his back on me or called his father. To him, only his father existed.
When I complained to Antoine, he downplayed it:
Youll get used to it, youre an adult. Be firmer. If you dont want to, ignore him. Hes just a kid, what do you expect?
I clenched my teeth. Yet each night my courage waned. I no longer wanted to go back. I didnt feel loved.
One day I didnt return home. I went to my grandmothers in Bordeaux, turned off my phone and disappeared for twentyfour hours. When I called Antoine the next morning, his tone was icy. I tried to explain:
Antoine, we need to talk. You never told me wed be living as three. I wasnt ready for that. I cant get along with Théo, and you dont support me
Support you? Youre an adult! If you cant handle a child, thats your problem. You failed the test.
The test? I asked, bewildered.
The resilience test! You ran away. That means youre not made for me. You liked my flat and my salary, not me. Youre selfish!
Me, selfish?! Your exwife is the selfish one for abandoning her son! And you didnt even inform me! I wasnt ready to become a mother!
Leave, he snapped. Take your things and go.
I gathered my belongings in silence. Tears threatened to choke me, but I held firm. I walked out of his apartment, leaving behind what, just yesterday, had seemed the start of a new life.
And you know what? I have no regrets. I realized I dont have to prove my worth to anyone, especially not to someone who tried to turn love into an experiment. Gift baskets
I still believe in family, but I now know one thing: I will never let anyone secretly rewrite my life again. A man with a child isnt a condemnation. A man who hides the truth, however, is definitely not meant for me.
Love Transformed into Bitter Disappointment Without Warning
