Woman learns from her ex-husband’s WEDDING announcement that he cheated

A New York woman who was stumped as to why her marriage ended so abruptly finally got an explanation this month — when her ex-husband’s wedding announcement ran in the New York Times and revealed that he’d begun dating his new wife while he was still married to his first one.

The Times published the wedding announcement for Robert Palmer, 30, and Lauren Maillian, 35, on August 9, detailing how they met at the New York Sports Club in Harlem in January of 2017. But Nikyta Moreno was still married to Palmer — happily, she thought — in January of 2017, and was shocked when he asked for a divorce in March. 

Speaking to the New York Post, she explained that it wasn’t until his wedding announcement was published several weeks ago that she learned what went wrong, and was stunned that Palmer was pretending he’d never even been married before.

The Times’ wedding announcement reads as any romantic wedding story would, detailing how Palmer and Maillian met while exercising over three and a half years ago. 

‘I had seen Lauren around. She’s one of the few women who lifted weights and she was stunning,’ Palmer said.

They got to chatting, and quickly met up outside the gym. On their second date, they stayed up talking into the early hours.

By May, they were moving in together, and Palmer soon bonded with Maillian’s kids from a previous marriage — the only previous marriage between the two of them mentioned in the article.

On December 29, 2018, nearly two years after they got together, Palmer proposed, and on August 2 of this year, they married in a small ceremony with 25 guests. 

The only thing that the Times’ sweet story left out is that Palmer was still married when he and Maillian started dating.

During that time, his now-ex-wife, Moreno, thought that their relationship was strong. They’d met the summer of 2013 — also at a gym, with Palmer making eyes at Moreno through the window and beckoning her inside.

They, too, had moved in with one another within months, and they married in a civil ceremony on December 23, 2015.

They’d been planing a big wedding part for August 12, 2017 but never made it to the event.

They had already put down a deposit on the venue, bought Moreno’s gown, and finalized the menu. Moreno’s family had booked flights from other countries, and they were in the process of nailing down the final details.

Then, she said, ‘things abruptly changed’. 

‘We went to Texas for his friend’s wedding and to finalize our own wedding details. I could sense something was wrong. When we returned, he said he needed space. Worried that he was stressed about wedding planning or work, I said I would leave for a week to stay with a friend,’ Moreno recalled.

‘When I came back, he said he wanted a divorce. It was like a light switch turned off. He stopped communicating with me and refused to go to therapy. I wondered if he had a medical ­issue that had changed his personality.’

Not only was she incredibly hurt, but she was out all the money she and her family has spent on the wedding.

What’s more, she didn’t even understand what went wrong.

‘He told [my mother] that, at the time, he didn’t know he felt the way he did,’ she said. ‘Now, thanks to his wedding announcement, I understand what changed in that small window. He had met another woman.’

Moreno said that even her ex-husband family was ‘gobsmacked’ by the breakup.

Even worse, Moreno said that she learned that she was pregnant the same month he asked for a divorce. She miscarried in May and blames it on the stress.

She said Palmer didn’t come to the hospital when she called. 

In January of 2018, their divorce was official, and Moreno was working on getting past what happened. 

‘I went to a lot of therapy and worked hard to heal. But when the story came out, it opened old wounds,’ she said.

She didn’t actually see or read the Times story herself. She’d received several messages from friends who saw it and summarized what it said.  

Those friends also contacted the Times, which issued a correction.

Now, at the bottom of the story, it reads: ‘An earlier version of this article misstated the previous marital status of the groom, Robert Palmer. Mr. Palmer had previously been married.’  

For his part, Palmer told the Post that he and Moreno were ‘separated and both consented to a mutual and amicable divorce.’ He called her claims ‘surprising’ and insisted he was ‘unaware that there was ever an issue.’ 

Moreno wishes her ex-husband and his new wife well. She has also met someone else, whom she describes as ‘a wonderful person who ticks all the boxes.’

‘I believe everyone deserves a love story — one built on the truth,’ she said.