The fathers of my first two children walked away - Author shares painful journey

Entrepreneur and creative business owner Queen Richlove Osei Wieko has shared the painful story behind her journey to motherhood, revealing how she was abandoned by two partners during pregnancy before eventually finding love and rebuilding her life.

Speaking on Gee O'clock with host MzGee, Richlove recounted years of emotional pain, rejection and resilience, insisting that becoming a single mother was never a choice.

"Nobody wakes up wishing to become a single mother. Situations in life make one become a single mother," she said.

According to Richlove, her first heartbreak came after a five-year relationship with a man she described as her fiancé. The couple had been living together and planning marriage when he informed her, he had secured an opportunity to travel abroad.

A month after his departure, she discovered she was pregnant.

Believing the pregnancy would strengthen their plans to settle down, Richlove informed him, but he asked her to wait until he returned to Ghana so they could confirm it together at the hospital.

The pregnancy was eventually confirmed, but instead of preparing for fatherhood, the man gradually cut off communication.

Months later, Richlove received a devastating call from a mutual friend living abroad, who sent her photographs showing that the man had secretly married another woman.

"There was no closure," she recalled. "He never sat me down to explain anything."

Although the man's mother later advised her to keep the pregnancy, neither he nor his family offered financial support. Nearly a decade later, Richlove says he has still never contributed to their daughter's upbringing.

The emotional toll became overwhelming.

Friends encouraged her to terminate the pregnancy, and she attempted to do so. However, medical examinations revealed complications that made the procedure too dangerous.

Healthcare professionals instead advised her to continue with the pregnancy.

Determined to move forward, Richlove completed pharmacy training while pregnant and says her family became her greatest source of support throughout the difficult period.

After spending seven years without entering another relationship, Richlove believed she had finally found someone she could trust.

She met a man who embraced both her and her daughter, cared for the child, met her family and even performed traditional knocking rites, convincing her that marriage was only a matter of time.

But history repeated itself.

When she became pregnant again, Richlove said the man insisted she terminate the pregnancy so they could "do the right thing" before getting married. She refused.

He subsequently ended the relationship and later denied paternity, according to Richlove.

"My second child will be four this year, and he has never come back," she revealed.

Despite encouragement from some people to seek legal action, Richlove said her family chose not to pursue the matter in court.

Having shouldered the full responsibility of raising her children alone, she later made the decision to change both children's surnames.

"They are not seeing any man as their father," she explained. "I'm the one taking care of them."

The repeated disappointments left lasting emotional scars.

Richlove disclosed that during one of her darkest moments after the birth of her first child, she contemplated ending her life.

"I asked myself why I shouldn't end it all," she said, recalling how she entered a bathroom with acid but stopped herself after thinking about her daughter.

"Something told me, 'What are you doing?' I dropped it."

She credited her mother for helping her through those difficult years by caring for her children while she worked to rebuild her life and establish her businesses.

Today, Richlove is the founder of Rich Pencil Art Gallery and other creative ventures, achievements she says were inspired by her determination to create a better future for her children.

Her story, however, did not end in heartbreak.

Nearly three years ago, she met the man who is now her husband. Unlike her previous relationships, she said he accepted her children from the beginning, supported her throughout another pregnancy and ultimately married her in a civil ceremony three weeks before the interview.

"He has been the best man ever," she said. "He loves my children, my children love him, and I don't remember my pain anymore."

Although initially afraid history might repeat itself, Richlove said his maturity, consistency and actions gradually restored her faith in love.

Reflecting on her journey, she urged society to stop judging single mothers, noting that many find themselves raising children alone because of circumstances beyond their control.

Richlove revealed she is writing a book documenting her experiences in the hope of encouraging women going through similar struggles.

"My scar has become my testimony," she said.