Shattered Consequences

Prologue: A Dream Turned Nightmare

I always believed that marrying my high school sweetheart, Richard, was the beginning of my own fairy tale. The elopement at 18, the simple wedding that we could call our own—all the while dreaming of a future filled with love and joy. Richard came from a wealthy family, and I never cared about that. I married him for the love in his eyes and the promise of a life together.

But dreams, as I soon discovered, can be shattered in an instant.

After only a few months of living together, everything changed. I became pregnant—a moment I had eagerly awaited. I couldn’t wait to share the news with Richard, expecting the excitement that I had once known. Instead, his reaction was a bitter awakening.

“What do you mean you’re pregnant?” he barked one evening, his voice laced with anger. “I thought you knew that the only reason we’re together is to give me some space from the family I already have! How could you do this to me?”

I was utterly taken aback. My heart pounded as I tried to process his words. Was this really the man I had loved all those years? I convinced myself that maybe he needed time to adjust, that the shock would pass. I held onto hope—hope that our love would conquer all.

But hope, as I would soon learn, can be a cruel illusion.

One night, after Richard came home drunk and without explanation, he shouted, “Get out, Tina! If I see you here again, we’ll have a problem!” And with those words, my world was turned upside down.