An unbelievable and upsetting chain of events led to a now-divorced couple in Tennessee living together with their new spouses and children, both of their own children as well as new children who arrived as a result of the new loves of their lives.
The relationship between Katie Blackmer and Stephen Shepard, who had previously been her husband, began to deteriorate as the first stage in the process.
They joined the group of couples whose marriages ended in divorce, which comprises around half of all marriages in the United States and Canada.
In the months that followed, it was a trying period for them, but they persevered through it and are now in a better place. Although they had separated in January 2016, they continued to collaborate in order to co-parent their three children, who were then aged 5, 10, and 11 years old respectively.
However, incident happened 16 months later when Stephen and his brother were engaged in a terrible vehicle accident.
The accident took the life of Stephen’s brother and left him with injuries so severe that he needed care around the clock for many months. Katie raced to Stephen’s rescue despite the fact that they were no longer married.
She also took care of their children before she and Ben Blackmer, her new husband, welcomed him into their 2,500-square-foot house in Christiana, which is located 45 miles southeast of Nashville.
When that, even for he had fully healed and was able to look after himself, he did not leave.
Because of the high cost of real estate in the region, as well as the fact that Katie had informed him that their house was now his home, everything about the scenario made perfect sense to him.
Stephen, however, did not let this deter him from chasing a new love in his life.
Soon after, he met Brandy; and all of a sudden, this crazy narrative had settled into a divorced couple living in the same house with their new beaus.
To the surprise of many looking in from the outside, this scenario has not been quite as unpleasant as one would imagine it to be, nor has it been particularly uncomfortable.
Katie shared that despite the unusual circumstances, everyone in the extended family gets along well. “We like to refer to ourselves as the ‘Blended 10’!” Katie said, reiterating her assurance. “We’ve had success with this!”
Katie said that she has encountered people who disapprove of her living circumstances, but she is convinced that she would never want to switch places with another person.