My husband decided to keep the kids after the divorce. Let him have them…

Alejandro and I were married for over a decade. We went through everything: happiness, disagreements, but never betrayal. We have two children — our eldest son and a little girl who just turned three. I truly believed we were an unbreakable family. Staying together that long without failing each other already felt like an accomplishment. Until, like lightning on a clear day, I discovered he had a lover. It was all vulgar and disgusting. He betrayed me. He crushed my love, my trust, my dreams — as if they meant nothing. I didn’t scream, I didn’t make a scene. I simply asked for a divorce. Staying with him was no longer an option.

At first, Alejandro resisted. He begged, said it was a mistake, that we could fix things. But my mind was made up. A broken heart doesn’t just heal. Then he said:
— Fine. Let’s get divorced. But the kids stay with me.

I didn’t understand. He argued seriously that he could offer them a stable future, while I could barely support myself.

His words knocked the air out of me. Once I calmed down, I reflected: what if he was right? He had inherited an apartment in Madrid from his mother, had a good salary at a company in Valencia, and a car. I, after years of raising the kids, had only been working for six months in a precarious job, renting a small studio in Getafe, and struggling with overdue utility bills. I couldn’t support two kids on my own. I didn’t want to drag them into poverty. With him, they would have food, shelter, clothing, stability.

I didn’t give up — I chose for them. We went to court. The divorce was quick, drama-free. He gave up child support, said he could manage on his own. I promised to help however I could. Our son, Adrián, cried for many nights. Little Lucía, at first, would ask why mommy didn’t sleep at home anymore. On weekends, I’d bring them to my place, give them hugs, play with them, pour all my love into those short visits.

At first, Alejandro called me twenty times a day:
— How do I make baby food?
— They won’t sleep.
— I’m exhausted.

Then the calls started to slow down. Three months later, they almost stopped. Meanwhile, I was promoted at my office job in Alcobendas and started saving for a bigger apartment.

Two months later, he said he had “changed his mind”:
— The kids are making my new life difficult. I’m worn out. Take them.
— I didn’t sign up for this.

I listened to his words in disbelief. The same man who swore he would take responsibility, who promised to give them everything — was now returning them like old furniture? And on top of that, he accused me of “abandoning” them, of being a bad mother.

But I’m not. I simply refused to follow the path of so many women who destroy their health trying to live up to other people’s expectations.

He was the one who cheated. He was the one who broke the family. So why should I be the one to carry it all? I’m not a heroine. I’m just a normal woman. And my kids have a father. Let him take responsibility too.

I love my children with all my heart. But I made a cold, calculated decision. Maybe some people will judge me. I don’t regret it. I didn’t abandon them. I gave them stability.

Time will tell who was right.