In addition to causing me grief and rage, my wife’s decision to leave me and the children left me with a tonne of questions from my girls and my whole family, ones I was unable to answer.
What I thought had been a lovely ten-year marriage ended as if it had never happened.
Melissa grew aloof during the latter months of my marriage and spent more time on social media and her phone than with the daughters.
She felt as though something had changed. She has changed from who she used to be.
She abruptly told me that she wanted to leave the marriage after that.
I attempted to persuade her to reconsider, saying, “Melissa, it’s not just about you and I, we have two daughters together.”
My entreaties became pleading in the days that followed, but she refused to listen.
I responded, “What’s wrong, Melissa? We can work on whatever’s causing you to feel this way,” but she looked intent on getting out.
Although we didn’t have a lot of money, we could manage to take family trips twice a year and had nannies for the daughters as they grew up, but it seemed like my wife wanted more.
“I’ve discovered who I am,” she declared. “I’d like something different.” After packing her bags, she departed.
I was devastated and had to balance taking care of my daughters, the house, and my job. In addition, my whole family was curious as to why my marriage ended abruptly, and I was at a loss for an explanation.
The girls’ incessant enquiries about when their mother will return broke my heart.
The worst part of all was that my wife departed before I could even tell her I had been diagnosed with cancer.
I eventually discovered the real reason for Melissa’s choice a few weeks later. Her financial consultant was with another man.
I saw pictures of them travelling to Paris and dining at fancy five-star restaurants as I browsed through his Instagram.
In order to enjoy herself while her girls left blank spots on their crayon drawings in the hopes that she would return, my wife left me and the children.
Particularly for Sophie and Emily, who missed their mother, it was agonising.
However, we eventually came to terms with Melissa’s absence. My days were spent juggling the lengthy and exhausting chemotherapy sessions with my obligations. The possibility of my daughters losing their father was my greatest worry.
It was an absolute nightmare the next year. I vomited and was scarcely able to stand due to the agonising chemotherapy. Along with losing a lot of weight, I also lost my hair. But I wasn’t going to give up.
I was at last cancer-free after enduring all those hardships, twelve rounds of chemotherapy, and several radiotherapies.
It felt almost poetic justice when I finally met my wife at a petrol station two years after she had left us. It seemed strange to see her after all that time. My eyes were unbelievable. “Is that you, Melissa?” As soon as I stepped out of my car, I asked.
She appeared frail and elderly, as if everything had fallen apart.
After initially attempting to avoid me, Melissa sought to speak with me at the closest park.
Now, the self-assured lady who desired more from life than spending it with her husband and kids was crushed. She pleaded to get back in touch with her daughters, regretting that she had ever left.
“No, Melissa,” I firmly stated. Because their mother had abandoned them, they suffered for a long period. However, they have now at last moved on and are doing well.
She was left penniless after her new partner, Marco, proved to be a scammer.
I even felt sad for my wife at one point because she made bad decisions and left me and the kids, but I refused to allow her tears affect my mind about not bringing her back.
My children and I both deserved better.