Kaitlin, 38, had lost her previous boyfriend Mike in a freak accident on her 30th birthday.
And she was left reeling when she discovered that Eric had been living a double life, deceiving her with another woman.
But now she says she finally feels ready to date again.
Kaitlin from Long Island, USA, struggled to come to terms with the tragedy, and felt totally alone.
Now she wants to move on.
“It was like I was trapped in a movie, one with a hideous plot twist,” she said.
“The relationship I thought I’d had, the man I’d grieved for, the whole thing was a lie.
“I was desperate for everyone to share my outrage, but many people didn’t want to know.
“When someone dies, people don’t want to hear the bad things they did.
“He loved you, I heard over and over.
“But that wasn’t love.
“I’d been heart broken by a love rat.
“Now I’m working on accepting that I will never know how Eric felt about me.”
“I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety, and I’m in therapy.
“But I want to speak about what I’ve been through.
“I’m glad I know the truth as I can now date without being haunted by the shadow of my perfect man.
“In that sense I’m now free.”
Kaitlin and Eric had been together for two years, but she uncovered his secret affair when she started sharing her grief online.
She came across an Instagram tribute to someone who had the same name and birthday as her late partner.
Horrified, Kaitlin reached out to the woman who had made the post and discovered that they had both been dating Eric at the same time.
The unnamed woman had met Eric on a dating app in 2019 and shared screenshots of their flirty conversations with Kaitlin.
Eric had sent sexual messages to the other woman just days before their wedding day in August 2020.
Five years earlier her previous boyfriend Mike also died in a freak accident.
He fell unconscious after slipping into water whilst they were celebrating her 30th birthday and died six days later.
Kaitlin said Eric was very supportive in helping her come to terms with the pain of Mike’s sudden death.
She has been treated for PTSD and depression, and said: “I was heartbroken all over again.
“I’d been grieving for a man I loved – but it turned out I didn’t know him at all.
“Now I know the truth I’m angry, and I will not spend one more minute missing him.”
You may need to handle some tough personal and legal decisions:
But you may be entitled to some benefits including:
Phone the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Bereavement Service 0800 151 2012 to check if:
Need professional help with grief?
Check out these books, podcasts and apps that all expertly navigate grief…
