When he left: the husband who abandoned his wife on the eve of motherhood
You’re useless to me now: how a husband walked out on his wife just as she finally could become a mother
That Friday evening, Aurélie was returning from work, completely unaware that the day would change everything. Pushing open the door to their Paris flat, she called out as she always did:
My love, I’m home!
Only a heavy, odd silence answered her.
Strange He should already be back, she thought, heading toward the bedroom.
When she opened the door, she froze. Her husband, Théo, was hastily packing a suitcase.
Théo what are you doing? she whispered, her heart tightening.
I’m leaving, he replied coldly, without even looking at her.
You’re going? Why? What’s happening?
All of this is because of your father, he snapped, irritated.
My father? What does he have to do with this?
Aurélie could not make sense of his words or the situation. In front of her, the marriage she had poured love and patience into was collapsing.
They had met when Aurélie was twentyeight. Théo, eight years older, was confident, charismatic, and seasoned. At the time she thought she had found the man of her life. Her family and friends kept urging her toward marriage, reminding her that the biological clock was ticking. Consequently, she began to view every suitor as a potential husband, which made many of them run away.
With Théo, however, things felt different. They had crossed paths in a Paris café through a coworker, and the chemistry was immediate. He was attentive and charming. When he learned that Aurélie owned an apartment in the 16th arrondissement, a brandnew car, a wellpaid civil service job, and a father who ran a business, he became even more tender and considerate.
A year later they were planning an extravagant wedding, completely funded by her father. Théo never objected; on the contrary, he eagerly accepted a position in one of his fatherinlaws shops.
Their life together at first resembled a fairytale: trips abroad, candlelit dinners, gifts. Yet one detail ruined everything: Théo never spent a dime. Aurélie always paid. At first she ignored it, then she began to ask, and eventually she pleaded.
Why do I have to shoulder everything? she complained to her best friend. I want to feel cherished, protected.
Théo would laugh:
Stop worrying, sweetheart. Everythings fine. Dont make a fuss over nothing.
At work he did the bare minimum, spent most of his time on his phone, and secretly stashed his earnings in a hidden account. Aurélie remained oblivious.
Then she fell seriously ill. Hospitalized for a month, Théo rarely visited, while her parents came daily. When she returned, the flat was in a dreadful state.
You didnt even clean? she exclaimed.
Why? Thats a womans job, isnt it? he shrugged.
But I was in the hospital, Théo! And its always my job to clean everything!
Well, youre home now. Do it yourself.
Exhausted, she hired a cleaning service. Doctors warned that recovery would take at least a year, and a pregnancy was out of the question for the time being.
A year later, when the physicians finally gave the green light, she told Théo, trembling with hope.
Can you believe it? We could try we could finally have a baby!
Meh Not now, Im busy, he muttered, eyes glued to his gaming console, a PlayStation she had bought with her own money.
Weeks passed. He avoided her. Then, one day, he blurted out:
Listen, Aurélie Im leaving. And Im not interested in having a child with you.
What?!
I dont love you. I never have. You were just convenient the flat, the money, the car. Im fed up. Youre useless now.
Théo, you cant youve seen everything Ive endured, everything Ive waited for
Your problems, not mine. I do what I want.
He slammed his suitcase shut, stuffed his console inside, and walked out.
Aurélie lay collapsed for days, not eating, not sleeping. Three days later her worried parents came to fetch her. Seeing her in that state, her father nearly erupted in anger.
They took her to their home in Provence. That very evening Théo was fired, and through connections her fatherinlaw had his bank account frozen, wiping out all his savings.
Théo found himself penniless, jobless, homelessbarely enough to rent a tiny room, clueless about the future.
Months later, Aurélie secured a new job and met a man named Lucas. He wasnt young, but he was upright, calm, and treated her with immediate respect and kindness.
Six months after that, a small miracle arrived: two pink lines on a pregnancy test. Tears, laughter, a call to her parents, and an immense pride for having finally gathered the courage to say enough.
