Melinda Gates haunted by ‘nightmares’ before divorce from Bill Gates, admits it wasn’t his cheating but ‘abhorrent’ association with Jeffrey Epstein

Melinda French Gates’ much-awaited memoir, The Next Day, shares a very personal story of her divorce from Bill Gates, detailing the complicated mix of events and emotions that led to the end of their 27-year marriage. While cheating was certainly part of the problem, the book shows that their relationship was ultimately broken by the strain of Bill Gates’ ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

As reported by People and Glamour, this connection deeply upset Melinda and played a major role in their marriage falling apart. The end of their marriage didn’t happen suddenly; instead, it was a slow process that led to a painful decision. In the years before they separated, Melinda had repeated nightmares that seemed to predict the coming divorce.

These unsettling dreams showed a beautiful house falling apart, symbolizing the collapse of their once-strong relationship. Over time, these dreams grew worse, turning into visions of the family standing on the edge of a cliff, with Melinda falling into the darkness below, reflecting her growing fear and sense that separation was inevitable.

Melinda Gates opens up about Bill divorce

While Melinda acknowledges Bill Gates’ infidelity, including an affair with an employee years earlier, she makes it clear that this wasn’t the only reason for the divorce. Instead, she points to a buildup of events and broken trust that made her believe the marriage could not be saved.

She had hoped to move past the cheating, thinking they had resolved those issues, but other incidents kept chipping away at her trust. She explained that it wasn’t just one thing that ended the marriage, but many events created a sense of instability and made her lose faith in their partnership.

The biggest turning point seems to have been the growing awareness and public discussion of Bill Gates’ meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. Melinda expressed deep disgust toward Epstein, calling him “horrible” and “pure evil.” Learning about these meetings caused her great distress and put even more strain on their already shaky marriage. These feelings weren’t temporary; Melinda said she suffered from nightmares because of her husband’s connection to Epstein.

The impact of this relationship became a huge emotional obstacle that Melinda couldn’t overcome. Her description of the actual separation is just as revealing. After trying to reconcile during a trip to New Mexico, where the couple pretended things were normal but ended with Melinda saying she wanted to live apart, the official announcement of their separation was a long and emotional process.

Their joint statement, released in May 2021, came after months of private discussions, a time Melinda describes as “exhausting” and filled with anxiety. Their attempts to work through their problems and the separation itself caused her a great deal of emotional pain. Finalizing the divorce was a relief, even though it didn’t take away the sadness of ending the marriage.