1. By
Angela Chukwuelue
For two decades, Cristina Carta Villa, 59, believed she was living a fairy-tale marriage with Gabriel Villa, 90, a charming lawyer and travel agent. Together, they raised a son, traveled between homes in New York, Massachusetts, and France, and built a life filled with love and adventure.
But
in November 2015, Cristina’s world shattered when she discovered a shocking
secret: Gabriel had secretly divorced her just four months after their 1994
wedding, allegedly to protect his assets.
Now,
Cristina fought to nullify the divorce she never knew about and stop Gabriel
from selling their Manhattan apartment. The couple met at a friend’s house and
married in a New York ceremony, with Cristina left her job as an Italian
literature professor at Boston College to be with him. “He was absolutely
charming, and despite our age difference, it was love at first sight,” she
recalls.
Unbeknownst
to Cristina, Gabriel filed for divorce in the Dominican Republic in 1994,
citing “incompatibility of temperaments.” Cristina claims she never consented
to or even knew about the divorce, which was never registered in New York.
“It’s a fraud,” she says.
Despite the secret divorce, the couple continued their life together, buying a one-bedroom condo on West 55th Street and raising their son, Lorenzo. Cristina described their relationship as “a great love,” adding, “Gabriel is a very charismatic man, strong, intelligent, and very charming. I think we could say I was a loving and caring wife and mother.”
The
truth came to light when Cristina noticed her name was missing from a tax bill
for their Manhattan home. After hiring a lawyer, she discovered Gabriel had
used the Dominican divorce to remove her name from the deed. Cristina alleged
the divorce was invalid because neither spouse appeared in court, and the
proceedings were never published in a newspaper, as required by Dominican law.
Cristina
believed Gabriel’s actions were driven by greed, accusing him of trying to sell
the apartment to his adult daughter, Marina Villa, who lived in Rome. Condos in
their building sell for around $1.4 million.
“I
realize now that during all these years of joy and happiness, and of difficult
moments we shared together, my husband lied to me and had the Dominican divorce
on the back of his mind. It’s what is hurting me the most,” Cristina said.
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