He abandoned me, leaving three kids and my aging parents, and fled to Italy with his mistress. I couldnt stop him. It all began on my birthday.
At the time I lived in a tiny village, my finances were modest, and the shop windows in town displayed countless beautiful things that caught my eye. I became fixated on a pair of sandals. I stood there, imagining myself wearing them, strolling down the main street while everyone stared.
Someone nudged me with an elbow. When I turned, a smiling man stood in front of me.
Pretty, arent they? he said, nodding toward the sandals.
Yes I whispered, still staring at the display.
Lets have a coffee. If I buy you those sandals, will you agree to a date?
I knew I would look naive and ridiculous to him, but at that moment I didnt care.
Alright, I replied.
I wanted that gift. I wanted to feel special, even if only for an evening.
We sat in a café, he ordered a cake, and I began to tell him my story. I said my parents were deada halftruth. I had indeed buried my father, but my mother I had buried her in my mind ever since she abandoned me as a baby. I narrated it in a way that would draw his sympathy, and it worked.
Thus the whole thing started. I started visiting the town more often, and we kept meeting. His name was Laurent. He welcomed me into his home, surrounding me with attention. First came the sandals, then dresses, jewelry, fine perfumes. Yet I didnt become his mistress for the presents; I loved him and believed he loved me too.
I was foolish. I made a mistake and became pregnant. I expected every possible reactionWe have to split, Figure it out yourself, Get an abortion. Instead, he said, Youll move in with me. Well raise this child together. I was overwhelmed with joy.
My mother had ruined my life. We married, and I thought fate finally smiled on me. Then one day someone knocked on the door. I opened it and nearly fainted. Standing on my doorstep was my mother, carrying a sack of sauerkraut, as if we had just seen each other yesterday. A neighbor had revealed where I now lived, and she wanted reconciliation.
Laurent discovered the truth. He learned I had lied, and his love vanished instantly. He shouted, called me a provincial fraud, asked if my father would rise from his grave, since I seemed to make people disappear from my life so easily, and he threw us outme, my mother, and the sauerkraut.
I still believed in himand once again I was wrong. I returned to my grandparents house, sent my mother away, and found myself alone with my child. Then Laurent came back.
Lets go back together, he said. We have a son. I believed him.
Naïve, I thought love could overcome anything. He no longer let me into his apartment; we moved into his elderly parents old house, caring for them. I accepted, doing everything for him, his parents, and our son. I became pregnant again.
One day we argued, and in anger he reminded me, Dont forget youre only a guest here! Those words cut like a knife, yet I stayed, convinced love would survive the trials. When the second child was born, he complained that money was tight and his business had failed. Now we were both penniless.
The third child arrived, and I thought nothing would change; we would stay together no matter what. He began working longer hours, leaving early and returning late. I assumed he was making sacrifices for the family.
Then one day he announced, I cant live like this any longer. Theres no future here. Im leaving abroad. I believed him. He seemed exhausted, downcast, worn out. I even encouraged him to go, hoping he might succeed elsewhere.
Later, by chance, I discovered the truth at the airport: two tickets to Italyone in his name, another in the name of a woman he had been seeing for years. I understood everything, but I couldnt stop him. He left, and I was left behind with three children, his parents who were now familiar to me, an empty house, and a heart full of pain.
I dont know how to go on now. I just hope that someday the hurt will be less acute.
He Left Me with Three Children and Elderly Parents to Run Away with His Mistress.
