real life
‘My husband had another wife – and I found out on Facebook!'
Hayley Brown, 36, and her husband had separated. But when her friend sent her a very surprising photo, she was in for one huge shock...
As we swayed on the dance f loor, my new husband pressed his cheek against mine and whispered, “I love you so much.” “I love you too, Mark,” I replied. “It’s been perfect, hasn’t it?” We’d just got married and the day had been everything I’d hoped for. I’d chosen a silver, black and red colour scheme with silk f lowers so I could keep them afterwards. The cake was white and sparkly, with three tiers, and big white feathers on the top. A stretch limo had ferried me and my three sisters – who were my bridesmaids – to the ceremony, and now at the reception I was having the most wonderful time, dancing to Lone Star’s song Amazed.
It was July 2012 and I was pregnant so we didn’t have a honeymoon but I didn’t mind as I was so happy. Mark had been married before and divorced, but I was certain I’d be the one he’d grow old with. Our daughter was born in March 2013 and life seemed perfect. However, the following year, when I fell pregnant again, I began to notice something. Mark started coming home late from his job as an electrician. When I asked him why, he was evasive. “Why are you so secretive?” I said. “I’m not,” he replied. “I’ve just got a lot on with work.” But I started to suspect he might be having an affair. “Are you seeing someone else, Mark?” I asked him. “Of course not,” he said.
But he never seemed to be around and, as my pregnancy progressed, my imagination ran wild.
Finally, after months of this, I became deeply unhappy. “I can’t live with a man I don’t trust,” I told him. “I think we should break up.” Just before the birth of our little boy in 2015, we separated. It was tough, coping on my own. Mark didn’t come to the birth and only visited our son once, brief ly. I knew then that our marriage had ended so I told Mark I wanted a divorce. “OK,” he said. As the one requesting the divorce, I’d have to pay for it, but I couldn’t afford it right away. However, as a stopgap, I changed my name from Rowlands back to my maiden name of Brown. Mark began paying maintenance for the two children, but that was our only contact.
‘Why are you so secretive?’
Years passed and in August 2018 I met a new partner and fell in love. We had a daughter together in November 2019, and with three little ones, I had my hands full. Then one evening,after I’d tucked the kids into bed and settled onto the sofa with a brew, I checked my phone and my jaw dropped – I had a new message from a friend on social media.
It was a photo of a man in a smart dark suit and a woman in a nice white d
