LAI Isaroon, 27, met her partner Jeron George, 24, through mutual friends and they welcomed their twins – now two – after two years together.
But in 2023 their relationship became a “rocky” and Lai said Jeron, a professional chef, became “distant” despite finding out they were pregnant again in May.
When Jeron returned from a trip to Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, Lai found texts and FaceTime calls with other women on his phone and confronted him.
Jeron refused to take accountability, she says, but the pair attempted to remain civil for their children – and while Lai worked out what to do.
But after Lai found a second phone belonging to Jeron with more messages the pair argued and he left the next day, she says.
Lai had expected him to return to take the kids out to the park but presumed he had left for good when he didn’t return.
But she discovered Jeron had been shot and had passed away from his injuries on May 23, 2023.
Atlanta Police arrested Jaron Jaheim Peters and he was arrested and charged with the murder of Jeron George.
Lai welcomed her daughter, now seven months old, on January 17, 2024.
The sales operator, from Atlanta, Georgia, said: “Even though the relationship was toxic it’s very bittersweet.
“If he was still alive it would be very bad for both of us. My kids – they were just little babies.
Lai knew she wanted a better life for her kids from the moment she found out she was expecting, so decided to work on herself for their sake.
Lai and Jeron and had been together for four years when their relationship started to break down in early 2023.
Lai said: “The relationship was a bit rocky. It was very toxic.
“He was very distant. He stayed out for long periods of time.”
Jeron took a business trip back home to Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands in May 2023.
That’s when she noticed he “was acting very weird” and not “communicating very well.”
“I was withdrawing. He blocked me on the trip – it was very childish,” she said.
Jeron then stayed on the trip for two weeks – longer than he should have done.
Lai said: “I thought something was fishy here.
“We were trying to be cool but I had a feeling something was wrong.
“We had just found out I was four weeks pregnant.”
Suspicious Lai decided to look through Jeron’s phone and was stunned to find out he was “FaceTiming with girls and texting with girls”, something she admitted she couldn’t deal with.
When Lai confronted Jeron over things took a turn.
“He was calling me stupid. He wasn’t taking accountability and didn’t apologise.
“We never had a conversation about it afterwards,” she said.
Lai said Jeron tried to act normal – buying her a card on Mother’s day and acting affectionately – but she was trying to find a way to end the relationship.
She said: “I was trying to break up with him two weeks prior to him passing.
“We were on the verge of a break-up but still living together.
“I didn’t have an income if we broke up.”
Despite trying to live normally together, Lai still wasn’t speaking to him and the relationship had come to an end as far as she was concerned.
But a few days later Jeron asked Lai to get something out of the car and she found his hidden second phone and locked herself in the car to go though it.
“He came rushing out trying to get me to open the door.
“I was trying to break up with him two weeks prior to him passing.”
“I came back inside and we started arguing,” she explained.
The next day Jeron left the house – but had promised to return to take the twins out.
Lai said: “I was expecting him to come back.
“He never came back but I wasn’t too worried. I thought he was probably not going to come back.”
But the following day Lai was told Jeron had passed away from a gunshot wound on May 23, 2024 – when he was found lying in the middle of street.
Atlanta Police opened a homicide investigation into his death which is still ongoing.
Despite Jeron’s infidelity, Lai still struggled to process the news.
She said: “It was extremely hard.
“I couldn’t really grieve.
“I didn’t want my baby to be hurt or come out angry.”
Following a check-up after Jeron passed – his inedibility was confirmed.
Lai said: “They did a STD check on me and I had two STD’s.
“He definitely cheated on me.
“That was the proof.
“It was devastating. l was filled with so much anger.”
But Lai put all her energy into her pregnancy and her newborn daughter – who she welcomed in January.
She said: “I had to shift my mind. It helped me to get stronger. She’s a very joyous baby.
“I was so concerned about being said but she was smiling.”
Lai is now having therapy to help her get through her trauma.
She said: “I’m much happier, at the end of the day it was probably a game for him.
“He was very charming and very sweet, he had all these great traits.”
Lai hasn’t given up on love and still hopes to meet someone new down the line, but her focus right now is on her kids.
“I believe my kids are going to grow up strong, we’ll have the life we envisioned even if it’s a bit different.
“I think it’s going to be wonderful from here on out,” she said.
Atlanta Police confirmed the shooting and arrest but did not provide more information into the incident.