Bride, 40, whose exes suddenly died, finally marries ‘annoyingly healthy’ husband
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After more than a decade marked by heartache, betrayal and unimaginable sadness, Kaitlin Palmieri finally got her happy ending.
The 40-year-old school psychologist from Long Island brought the knot this spring with her high school introduction to Soulmate, Sean-with a joyful chapter that once seemed impossible.
But her journey to ‘I do’ was not just complicated. It was almost cursed because she calls herself ‘happiest girl in the world’.
Palmieri was about to become 30 when her friend Mike, whom she described as ‘a literal saint’, died in a freak accident at her birthday party.
He was found with face down in the swimming pool and placed on lifestination. Doctors later discovered that he had broken his neck.
“It was by far the worst thing that happened to me until that moment,” she said. “We don’t know exactly what happened. It was probably a diving accident, but nobody really saw it. He was completely healthy. It was just tragic. ‘
After years of healing and therapy, Palmieri found love again with a man named Eric. The two moved together, were engaged in December 2019 and were planning to get married in a small summer wedding. But on August 22, 2020 – their wedding day – Eric died of a heart attack.
“They (doctors) told me he had a bad heart. Such as a black widow type state. No symptoms, no signs. He was completely healthy. It was just suddenly, “she said.
After more than a decade of heartache and loss, Kaitlin Palmieri, a 40-year-old school psychologist from Long Island, finally found happiness with her new husband, Sean
The two reconnected at the beginning of 2024 via a dating app, who knew each other in high school, and quietly married in a Ceremony courthouse this spring
“The doctors said he had signs of heart attacks from the past. But there was no way to know unless he had an open heart surgery. I didn’t even know that something like that could happen. ‘
That loss could have breaked her. But what came after, everything changed.
In November 2023, on what Eric’s birthday would have been, Palmieri made a hair -raising discovery.
She came across an Instagram message from a woman who had previously sent her about a mourning blog she wrote.
The woman placed Yellow Heart Emojis in a tribute to Eric – a detail that hit Palmieri hard.
‘Yellow was my favorite color. That was my thing with him. It has rejected me more than anything, “she said.
She sent the woman a message for clarification. The reaction she received turned her world upside down.
“She told me she had seen him since the beginning. Since April 2019. That was before we were even engaged. She said they slept together when he was in Arizona for work, “said Palmieri.
Kaitlin Palmieri, 38, from Long Island mourn for the loss of her deceased fiancé Eric, who died at the age of 33 after a heart attack on the day he would marry her
The two loved ones depicted before Eric’s death, because of getting married in 2020, fell together with his affair with another woman he met on a dating app
Even destroying: the woman provided proof.
“The last messages he sent her were two weeks before our wedding,” she said. “They were disgusting. Sexual. I was outside of myself. I couldn’t believe it. ‘
When she started to become public with her story, more women emerged.
“I met some of his exes. One of them is now married to children. She told me he also cheated on her. Another said they slept together until January 2020 and she traveled to see him while we lived together. ‘
The betrayal is cut as deeply as the sadness.
“I mourned someone I thought I knew. But that person never existed. It was a total mindf ** k, “said Palmieri.
“It questioned me everything. Was he two people? Was we even really? ‘
They swore for a while. ‘I went on as one date a year for three years. I was firmly single, “she said.
Their relationship flourished quickly but deliberately, and Palmieri says Sean has been a pillar of support due to her continuous healing
Eric had suggested in an extensive public display, so Palmieri chose to keep everything low -key with Sean – prefer authenticity above spectacle
She admits that the wedding was emotionally difficult and that she struggled with PTSD, fear and trust problems, but credits therapy, medication and support groups with helping her by
But now, after years of unthinkable sadness and trauma, Palmieri has finally found her happy ending.
She married her husband, Sean, in a quiet courthouse ceremony this spring. A month later they organized a backyard party with friends and family. It was restrained, sincere and just right.
She loved to endors a photo that she shared to Instagram from their parties, “the happiest unhappy girl in the world.”
“I didn’t feel like doing the entire wedding. And thank goodness that he didn’t, “Palmieri told DailyMail.com. “I didn’t know how I would feel. I didn’t know if I was going to get a mental breakdown. So I had to split it into two events. But it became perfect. ‘
Palmieri again made contact with Sean via a dating app in January 2024. They had gone to high school together, but had not kept in touch.
“It was Platonic first. Just like: “Oh hey, I’ll remember you!” But we had mutual friends, and once we started to hang, it was just like … when you know, you know, “she said.
By June they were talking about marriage. By Christmas they were planning a spring cage.
“It was very transactional,” she laughed. “I said, I have a spring break. Do you want to do it then? It was mature, it was mature. And it was exactly where we were. ‘
Sean, she says, is emotionally well -founded and detached by her past and offers her space to mourn without judgment
Despite persistent fears and the difficulty in planning the future, Palmieri now feels a sense of hope that she thought she had lost forever
They used rings from her family. The night before the ceremony, Sean surprised her with an engagement ring.
“It was really sweet,” she said. “I didn’t want any of the big proposal. Eric had presented with our families there in Central Park. It was these big tasks. His family flew in from all over the country. Every friend I had ever met was then at the bar. It was like a show-stop proposal. ‘
She explained: ‘That’s why I wanted nothing to do with Sean.
‘After what happened to Eric, I didn’t want the spectacle. I wanted something real, quiet and grounded. And thank goodness Sean felt the same. ‘
Sean, she says, has been a pillar.
“He is annoyingly healthy,” she joked. “He gives me room to mourn, to be angry. He was the first person I called when I discovered the second woman. And he said, “Of course you can call me.” No jealousy, no ego. ‘
“He just treats it better than I would probably do. I think if you are so safe in yourself, you don’t feel threatened by someone’s past, “she added. “He’s just a good man.”
Although she is still struggling with fear and PTSD, Palmieri says she feels safe with him. ‘You don’t have to be cured to be happy. That’s what I learn. ‘
She shares her story to remind others that healing is not linear, and that happiness can exist alongside grief
“I never thought I would be here. I thought I was ready. But somehow, here I am, “Palmieri said the Daily Mail
“The wedding was difficult. To be honest, I was a disaster, “she admitted. “I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to plan it. I bought my dress the week before. I couldn’t go shopping with people. I had to protect myself. ‘
She credits therapy, medication and her support group to help her by navigating the emotions.
“There were days when I felt good. And others where I felt paralyzed, “she said. “I am constantly in therapy. I try a ketamine treatment for PTSD this summer. ‘
Regarding the future?
“I try to take it every day. I am terrified of making planning. Excitement is difficult for me. But I feel really lucky, “she said. “I never thought I would be here. I thought I was ready. But somehow I am here. ‘
For everyone struggling with sorrow, she has one message: ‘The best feeling was not when I was’ over’. It was when I was no longer alone. There is help. There are people. It can get better. ‘
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