Man Leaves Wife At 8 Months Pregnant, Lawyer Sends Him Bill For 15 Years Of Housework
Not So Helpless
For the first few days after her divorce, Laura Devons felt helpless. But when she spoke to her little brother, all that changed.
Being a divorce lawyer himself, Josh knew all the loopholes, and he knew his sister was entitled to her share of the fortune.
If he played his cards right, she’d never have to work again.
A Woman With A Plan
Laura thought she didn’t have a foot to stand on, but after Josh told her what he knew, all that changed.
It was an unconventional approach, that was for sure. But it would help her establish a life for herself.
And since Laura was so close to giving birth, she could use any help she could get.
Fifteen Long Years
For fifteen years, Laura gave her life to that man. That was a third of her existence. And he threw it away like it meant absolutely nothing.
She was shocked when he told her he wanted a divorce.
It was something that she didn’t see coming, and she was still trying to figure out if she had heard it right.
Devoted
The moment Nathan proposed to her, Laura decided that she would devote her life to the man she loved.
She was sure their relationship would last forever, and she wanted to be a wife he could rely on.
But sadly, all her devotion went to the wrong person. And she ended up paying the price for it.
Caring
Laura was such a caring wife. When Nathan was sick, she stood by his side and did whatever she could to help him recover.
When he had to work late, she made sure his dinner was warm when he got home.
And when he went on international business trips, she always planned something special for them to do together when he got home.
Meticulous
But that wasn’t all she did. During their fifteen years together, Laura turned their home into her sanctuary.
She spent every day scrubbing and cleaning to make sure the house always looked its best.
To say the place was spotless would be an understatement, as Laura took one day a month to move all the massive things and clean beneath them.
One Problem
The only thing Laura couldn’t do on her own was to provide her husband with a child – an heir to the empire he had built.
But the fault wasn’t lying with her.
They had tried for years, and after seeing countless doctors, the true problem was revealed. Nathan was unable to produce a child of his own.
Only One Alternative
That left the couple with only one alternative, IVF. Nathan agreed with the plan, and Laura immediately started the procedure.
She had no idea that this would be their downfall.
After months of hormone therapy, Laura finally received the injection that would make her a mom. But it came with more problems than she expected.
The Day Finally Came
A few weeks later, Laura did the test and discovered that it worked. She was pregnant, and she couldn’t be happier about it. But Nathan didn’t feel the same way.
He started mentioning his displeasure with the situation, as the child wasn’t biologically his.
The cells had come from a donor since he couldn’t provide any usable samples.
Going Down
This led to a lot of fights between the couple. Laura was trying to put her husband’s mind at ease by saying that it was still their baby.
But Nathan wasn’t convinced. He felt that it was the DNA that made the heir, not the last name.
And he was blaming Laura for the measures that they ultimately took.
It Was So Sudden
Then one night, things reached their boiling point. Nathan said he wanted a divorce and that he wanted nothing to do with the child as it wasn’t technically his.
Laura was stunned into silence. She never expected her husband to go so far over something he had fully supported in the beginning.
But there she was, with tears pouring down her cheeks as she packed her bags.
No Other Choice
Laura wanted to stay. She hoped that Nathan would see things clearly when he calmed down. But he kicked her out of the house that very night.
She tried to talk him down, but the man was determined. He wanted nothing to do with his wife or the child she claimed was his.
So she had no choice but to leave.
Up And Out
Laura packed her bags, called a cab, and went to her sister Kayla’s house. Kayla gladly took her sister in once she heard what happened, and she tried her best to calm Laura down.
But she knew how much trouble the mom-to-be was in.
With no money to her name and a baby on the way, things were about to get incredibly difficult.
Less Than A Month Left
Laura was already eight months along, so she had less than a month until she went into labor. If she couldn’t get on her feet by then, she would get into an unpayable debt.
Plus, she couldn’t rely on her sister forever. Kayla had a family of her own, and her kids had to share a room to make space for Laura.
They couldn’t live like that forever.
Trying To Find A Job
So Laura tried everything. She applied for every job she could find and went for countless interviews. But she faced one major problem.
Nobody wanted to hire a woman that was eight months pregnant and didn’t have a day’s worth of work experience.
It was too much of a hassle for them because she would just be finished with the training when she needed to take maternity leave.
Nearly Impossible
In her condition, it was practically impossible for Laura to find a job, and she knew it. But she couldn’t stop trying.
She needed to get back on her feet before her baby was born.
She needed a way to take care of her child without having to rely on her relatives every step of the way.
Turning To Her Brother
After yet another unsuccessful interview, Laura turned to her younger brother, Josh.
She needed a shoulder to cry on, and at the time, he was the only person she wanted to turn to.
Josh allowed his sister to cry to her heart’s content, and when she was feeling a bit better, he told her something she wished she had known before.
He Had A Plan
Josh knew exactly how Laura could get her life back on track, and it had nothing to do with getting a job.
She had been taken advantage of during her divorce, and Josh was going to rectify the situation.
He had two alleys to go down, and both of them would yield results. When he was done, his sister would be set for life.
Divorce Lawyer
The wonderful thing about Josh was that he was a divorce lawyer, and he was one of the best in the field. He knew every loophole, and he knew how to use them to his favor.
Josh knew that Nathan had hired some excellent lawyers for the divorce.
And those lawyers would do anything to cover his tracks if the price was right. But they all made one mistake.
It Was Going To Hurt
What happened during that case could be used against them, and Josh was going to do just that.
He would show them how much it would hurt to go up against his family.
His plan was a simple one. All it involved was a simple letter. And after that, things would begin to fall into place.
Sending The Bill
While at his office the next day, Josh typed out an official letter stating that Nathan had to reimburse Laura for the housework she had done during the fifteen years they were married.
He prided himself on the document that he had written.
Now he just had to let Nathan take the bait.
A Knowing His Reaction
The document was definitely going to stir up a reaction in her ex-husband. But it was exactly what he had wanted.
Josh knew exactly how his ex-brother-in-law was going to react.
But Nathan had no idea that his actions would be used against him.
Refusing To Pay
As expected, Josh received a letter from Nathan stating that he wasn’t going to give Laura anything.
That would turn out to be his biggest mistake. He had done exactly what Josh had expected him to do.
He reviewed the opposing letter and smiled slyly. This was just what he wanted him to do.
Evidence
Josh filed the letter along with some other evidence he had gotten his hands on and went on with his day.
This game would be a slow one, but the results would be tremendous.
He needed to keep this game up if he wanted to get enough evidence for it to matter. That’s why he decided that he wouldn’t stop with just one letter. We decided to send another.
A Second Bill
Two weeks later, Josh sent another letter. This time it was a reminder for Nathan to pay what he owed his ex-wife. Of course, Josh knew what the response would be.
He knew the man couldn’t help himself and in his stubbornness, he would do the most predictable thing possible.
But Josh knew that he was running out of time.
Rushing To The Hospital
Josh had no idea how little time they actually had left. It seemed that nature was going to intervene and cut their time in half.
Laura called Josh and told him the best news of her life. She was having her baby now.
Josh rushed his sister to the hospital and, after being admitted, worried about things of his own. This meant that she needed to get child support from her husband now.
The Next Day
Josh left the hospital to continue with his work on getting Nathan back for what he had done.
He stuck his nose into his work while she was delivering her baby. He knew he had no time left.
He’d have to think of something ingenious to make sure that Nathan would regret everything he had done to her sister and that Laura was financially stable.
No Time To Lose
But he no longer had any time to lose. He got a call in the morning from his sister with amazing news.
Laura had given birth to her son the night before, and she needed funds as soon as possible.
But things were about to look up. Nathan was about to reply to the second document that Josh had sent him.
Another Refusal
Later that day, Josh received Nathan’s refusal. With the second refusal in hand, Josh approached a public prosecutor and opened a case against Nathan.
The case had two parts. In the first part, Josh claimed that Laura deserved to be reimbursed for the work she had put into the household.
And the second part revolved around the baby.
Heading To Court
A couple of weeks later, the pair were in court. Nathan hired exactly the same lawyers as he used for the divorce. And Laura had her brother by her side.
Now it was up to the judge to decide who was right and who was wrong.
But Josh had so much evidence against Nathan that there was no way Laura would be walking away empty-handed.
Making Their Case
When Josh’s turn came, he explained Laura’s situation to the judge.
He showed how the house looked while she was there and explained that she had dedicated her life to serving her husband.
He only showed the judge what was the truth. He never liked lawyers that manipulated the truth to get what they wanted.
Never Worked Before
He also mentioned that Laura couldn’t find a job, as she had never worked before.
And that she was a single mother because Nathan didn’t want the baby, even though he agreed to and paid for the procedure.
At the time, Laura thought that she would have the support from her husband. But that wasn’t the case at all. Why should she have to do it all on her own?
He Protests
Nathan objected to Josh’s statement, saying that he shouldn’t have to pay his wife for taking care of the household.
And he said that the child wasn’t his, so he shouldn’t have to take care of it.
Nathan leant back in his chair and smiled smugly. He thought that his defense was fullproof, but he was mistaken.
Not Technically The Father
Josh knew that Nathan wasn’t technically the father, but did that really mean he held no responsibility to his wife during her period of pregnancy?
He needed something solid to prove it.
After thinking for a second, Josh knew exactly what he would do. It would wipe the smug grin off of Nathan’s face as he laid out the facts before him.
DNA Test
Usually, a DNA test would be conducted, but since this case was a difficult one, that couldn’t be done.
Nathan had no idea what kind of secret weapon the opposing side had. He thought he was in the clear.
However, Josh did have the consent forms from the fertility clinic, and it was clear that Nathan signed them. But where did he get them?
Astounded
Nathan looked astounded. He clearly hadn’t expected the old clinic documents to come out.
He assumed they were private. But Josh was about to slap some knowledge across his face.
“You aren’t allowed to see those documents! How did you get them?” He shouted in bewilderment. Josh looked at him with a smile and explained everything to the man.
Dug Them Up
Josh explained that because Laura was actually the one who was having the procedure done, she had full right to get a copy of the documents from the clinic and also share them with her brother because he was her lawyer.
Nathan looked outraged.
It was the one thing that could prove that he had a responsibility to Laura and his wife.
Explaining The Law
With all the evidence in front of him, the judge decided to give Nathan and his lawyers a lesson in family law.
It was clear that Nathan was clueless and the supposed lawyers he had hired weren’t very good ones.
Josh’s approach of being completely honest while Nathan’s lawyers were clearly trying their best to bend the truth paid off big time. It seemed the judge wasn’t naive.
Taking Responsibility
Nathan couldn’t just abandon the child because it wasn’t his flesh and blood. When he signed the papers, he took responsibility for it.
And he couldn’t just expect his ex-wife to suffer because he felt that way.
The judge and everybody else in the room wasn’t going to stand by and let him get away with abandonment. He would pay his dues, but what was his defense?
He Had No Defense
Nathan’s lawyers didn’t know where to hide. They had purposefully excluded all of that information from the divorce case because they knew Nathan would have to pay if they didn’t.
No one expected them to be shown in the courtroom.
Clearly, when they heard that Laura’s brother would be her defence, they underestimated how competent he really was.
No Foot To Stand On
The man never had a foot to stand on. But he got his way because he paid for it. This time, he wouldn’t be that lucky.
He was hoping that the judge would see things his way, but he was sorely mistaken.
Money wasn’t going to be able to bail out Nathan this time and he was coming to terms with it. One way or another, he’d pay.
Court Order
After a short break, the judge made his decision. He ordered Nathan to pay Laura $215,000 for the housework she had done during their relationship.
The order was based on the average salary and the amount of time that had passed.
He had taken into consideration all of the time that Laura had to spend on her own without anyone helping her.
Spousal Maintenance
He also gave Laura alimony to cover her monthly expenses since she couldn’t find a job. And he ordered Nathan to pay child support for the baby.
Finally, the judge ordered Nathan to pay an additional fee for spousal maintenance since he had left her in a critical time in her life.
The neglect wouldn’t go unpunished. How did Nathan react?
The Dust Settled
Nathan and his lawyers tried to protest, but the judge’s word was final.
He was making the decisions in the courtroom, and he would just have to accept the repercussions before him.
His lawyers couldn’t help him, he was now alone in his mistake, and he would pay dearly for it. If only he had been a better husband, then none of this would have been happening to him.
Happy Life
From that moment on, Nathan had to be true to his word so that he wouldn’t face jail time. He begrudgingly paid the alimony and the $215,000 over a period of time.
Things for Laura were looking up. She had the support of her brother during this hard time as a single mother, but at least she was financially stable. She was glad that her child shared no genes with Nathan at the end of the day.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.