When we started dating, Josh told me he couldn’t wait to have a baby with me because he was the only child of his parents and his parents were eager to have grandchildren. I wasn’t eager about children yet. I was only twenty-four and was looking forward to life rather than becoming a mother too soon. I told him about my plans to get married before anything else.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP CHANNEL TO RECEIVE ALL STORIES IN YOUR INBOX

He wanted us to get married as soon as possible. In fact, we were only three months into our relationship when Josh suggested marriage. He took me home to meet his parents. His parents have a name and are very popular because of what they do in the country. His dad asked a few questions before his mom took over.

She asked a thousand and one questions. I answered honestly and even tried to be funny. I didn’t know rich people didn’t have a sense of humor. They kept straight faces while I tried hard to make them smile. After everything, his mom said, “I hope you like my son enough to stay and become a family with us.” I smiled and said he was all I had and I was ready to stay.

We went to visit his parents every Sunday, and soon I became part of the family. His mom would call me and ask what I was doing. When she needed the kind of help I could offer, she would call me, and I would be there for her.

While we were planning our wedding, I got pregnant. We were far advanced with the wedding preparations, so I wasn’t really bothered about the pregnancy. I knew that when push came to shove, we would marry even before the pregnancy began to show. I told him, and he was very excited. “That’s exactly what I wanted. This is the biggest news of my life. I can’t wait to tell them that we’re already expecting.”

I begged him to let us hide the pregnancy from his parents first and only tell them after the marriage. He said no and that his parents would be very disappointed if they did the math and realized I was pregnant before marriage. Before I knew it, his mom was calling me. “I learned you’re pregnant.” I said yes. Again, she went ahead to ask a thousand and one questions, and I answered every one of them honestly.

I still wasn’t bothered, knowing we were going to be married very soon. Days after talking to his mom, he came to tell me we would not be able to marry until the baby was born. I was like, “How’s that possible? If we marry in the next two months, no one will know I’m pregnant, so why wait until after delivery?”

His answers were not coherent. I got the impression the decision wasn’t coming from him but from his parents. I told him, “You know my position when it comes to children. I told you I didn’t want them until marriage, so if that’s the case, the pregnancy will go, and we hope there’ll be another one when we get married. I’m not ready to have a baby when I’m not married.”

He kicked against it. He said I was not going to do such a thing as if he owned my body. This time it was his dad who called me. He said he heard what I’d said and was pleading with me to listen to his son and that, right after delivery, I could have any wedding I wanted. His mom was there but, surprisingly, didn’t say anything. I told them my parents would be very disappointed if they learned that I was pregnant and not married.

The day I told my parents I was pregnant, my boyfriend was with me. My dad simply said, “Then you two should get married before it begins to show.” My mom also echoed what my dad said. When Josh said his parents didn’t want it that way, my dad asked him, “How do you want it? Forget about your parents and say what you want. Aren’t you a man?”

For almost a month, it was my family against his family. When my family said yes, they said no, and when they said yes, my family also said no. Throughout the discussion, I noticed one thing. Josh didn’t have a voice of his own. I could see he was leaning toward what we were saying, but he didn’t have a voice. My dad was very specific about him stating his mind, but he always looked in his parents’ direction.

I knew I would be in trouble in the near future with a husband who wouldn’t fight for me. I woke up one morning, went to the hospital, and told the doctor, “I’m carrying confusion. Can you help me bring it down?”

A few minutes later, I walked out of the hospital empty. No more confusion. It was very hard for me, but it was harder for me to see two families go at each other. When I saw Josh in the evening, I told him, “I’m no longer carrying a baby. You can tell them I miscarried.”

He went bonkers, asking what I’d done to his baby. “Do you think it’s fair? Do you think my parents would be happy hearing this? Why are you this selfish?” I didn’t banter words with him. I only told him I needed some quietness around me so I could sleep.

I Called My Girlfriend And Another Man Answered The Phone

The marriage didn’t happen, which I’m very happy about, but what pains me now is hearing him say the pregnancy wasn’t his and that I was scared of a DNA test, which was why I didn’t have the child. At no point in our discussions did they mention DNA or suggest that they suspected the baby wasn’t Josh’s. If they had told me that, I would have left earlier than I did. But I’m still happy that I didn’t end up in that kind of family.

Tell me why, one year later, he’s here telling me we should start all over again. We should give ourselves another chance to make it work because we are meant for each other. A man like Josh is meant to be with his family more than he’s meant for anyone.

—Juliana

This story you just read was sent to us by someone just like you. We know you have a story too. Email it to us at [email protected]. You can also drop your number and we will call you so you tell us your story.

******