“You Lost Everything, Roman”: How a Woman Abandoned with Children Became the Master of Another’s Future
Hope felt free for the first time in years. Taking a deep breath of the crisp air in her hometown, she adjusted the bag on her shoulder and walked toward the cemetery. The children were staying with her aunt, Grace—her late mother’s sister. They were on holiday, and at last, Hope could catch her breath. She had come for a few days to visit her parents’ graves and see the woman who had been like a second mother to her.
But when she returned home, everything shattered in an instant.
“Hand over the keys, Hope,” Roman, her husband, said coldly, standing in the doorway. “It’s over. Lily’s pregnant. I’m starting a new life, and you’re free.”
“What?” Hope nearly dropped her bag. “Roman, how could you?”
He didn’t even blink.
“You knew this wasn’t forever. But don’t worry, you’ve got nothing anyway. The house is rented, the business is your uncle’s, the accounts are in your mum’s name. So don’t make a scene. And if you cause trouble, I’ll take the kids.”
Once, Hope had been the star of her university. A natural blonde with green eyes, slender, well-mannered, composed. She had a future, plans—her father, George Wilson, was a respected man. She dreamed they’d start a business together someday.
But in one year, she lost everything. First, her father died, then her mother soon after. Hollow-eyed with grief, she finished her degree, barely aware of the pen in her hand. That was when Roman first approached her and said,
“Marry me. There’s nothing left for you here. We’ll start fresh.”
She didn’t think—she just agreed. They had a tiny flat, bought by her father. They moved, started working, then launched a logistics company together. Hope even sold her parents’ flat to invest in it.
The business thrived, and at first, everything was split evenly. Then came maternity leave, the children, and slowly, it was all “rewritten” under Roman’s uncle’s name. She didn’t question it—there was food on the table, peace at home, the kids were healthy. Only after her daughter was born did Hope realise—she hadn’t just lost her assets, she’d lost herself.
She changed physically. Her body was worn from night feeds, endless laundry, the grind of domestic life. Roman, meanwhile, “blossomed”—gym sessions, long hair, a tan, women’s attention.
“You’ve let yourself go,” he once said, disgusted. “I’m embarrassed to be seen with you. At least get a facial.”
Her mother-in-law never missed a chance to twist the knife:
“When was the last time you looked in the mirror? My son’s handsome, and you? You look like his mother! You don’t deserve him!”
Hope tried. She saw doctors. Dieted. But exhaustion, betrayal, and indifference eroded her faster than the weight ever did.
And now, he’d simply thrown her out. No shouting, no remorse. In her bag—just clothes and the kids’ photo albums. No home, no money, no stake in the business, not even stability. Only two children her ex-husband was already planning to take.
She went to Aunt Grace, who offered,
“Leave the kids with me. Pull yourself together. I’ll help.”
And she did. She even proposed a business—a removals company. Grace invested her savings, Hope added money from selling the old flat. They started small—two vans, a couple of movers. Then it took off…
Five years later, Hope had a regional network, a dispatch team, her own warehouse. And Roman? Roman lost everything. Lily had the baby, then divorced him, taking his flat. The “uncle’s” business wasn’t as profitable as he’d claimed, and soon, he kicked Roman out.
“You’re not even on the books. Just a caretaker,” his uncle said. “I don’t trust you anymore.”
“Mum, say something!” Roman yelled.
“What do you want me to say?” His mother shrugged. “You had it all in front of you. You threw it away.”
The remnants of his “glamorous life” became a bunk in a hostel and odd jobs driving lorries. But his health failed, and Roman decided to apply as a driver… at the city’s biggest logistics firm.
He walked into the interview and saw… Hope.
Slim, polished, confident, in a sharp suit. She watched him calmly, even with a faint smile.
“Hello, Roman. Looking for work?”
“You look amazing,” he mumbled. “Maybe take me on for old times’ sake? I know the roads, the city, I’ve got experience—”
“We don’t hire deadbeat dads,” Hope replied evenly. “You’ve got arrears.”
“But I tried to pay!” he snapped. “Not all of it, but what I could!”
“The kids are eighteen now, and you’re still ‘trying.’ We don’t need employees like you.”
He clenched his fists.
“You’re punishing me?”
“No, Roman. I just learned to set boundaries. You did this to yourself. I endured. I rebuilt. Without you.”
“A new husband helped?”
Hope laughed and stood. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, her figure as youthful as ever. Only now, her eyes were steel.
“No. I did it alone. After you, I didn’t have the strength to let anyone close for a long time. Thank you for that. It toughened me up.”
“Come on, just give me a chance,” he muttered. “I loved you once—”
Just then, a tall, fair-haired young man—the spitting image of Hope—walked in.
“Mum, lunch? Everything alright?”
He shot Roman an icy look.
“Leave. Don’t bother her. And stay away, or we’ll have words.”
Roman froze. Then he spun on his heel and slammed the door behind him.
Outside, a light autumn rain fell. Roman hung his head. He didn’t even know when it had all gone wrong. But deep down, he knew—it had started the day he betrayed the one who’d once believed in him more than she ever believed in herself.
