There are so many if-only's in this tragic tale about choosing the wrong man.

If only Jennifer (Annabeth Gish) hadn't recognized hunky Fotis Dulos (Warren Christie) from college in a bar one fateful night! But, once she had, if only she'd taken seriously her seeming hunch that Fotis was out for her money. Though this better-than-average Lifetime film reveals that Jen had wealth, Wikipedia points out that she had blood ties to the Liz Claiborne fashion line.

Bad signs abound for Jen, but it seems she doesn't take them seriously till too late. After sex upon their unexpected reunion, Fotis doesn't call! Still, Jen subsequently marries him -- despite apparent reservations by her parents and best friend, Audrey (Laura Harris). Could Jen be "settling" for the pro water skier because she's 35 years old? The wedding arrives quickly, and, while literary Jen gets the kids she craves, she also gives up a lot, telling Audrey, "I'm writing whenever I can."

Fotis "couldn't quit his job fast enough after they got married," Audrey tells Det. Perez (Kendra Westwood) after Jen's disappeared. It's through Audrey's police report that we learn about big problems in the Dulos mansion. Once Jen files for divorce, and Fotis's behavior brings sanctions from the court, we observe an inexorable spiraling toward disaster. (What I can't grasp is why Jen didn't hire bodyguards and security. What's a 70-mile buffer zone with an adversary like Fotis?)

This film is a wakeup call for any woman wary of the biological clock. Let it tick, and proceed with caution.

Based on a true story, Jennifer Dulos, an Ivy League-educated mother of five and an aspiring writer living in a gated mansion in tony New Canaan, Connecticut, seemed to lead a charmed existence. Her enviable lifestyle was cushioned by a substantial trust fund. Behind that comfortable life, she was far from happy.

Jennifer vanishes after dropping her kids off at school. It didn't take long for all suspicions to point to her charming, if mercurial, ex-husband, real estate developer Fotis Dulos, with whom she had been in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battle. But shortly after being charged with her murder in January 2020, Dulos committed suicide. Jennifer still hasn't been found.

This is all depicted well in a fairly gripping thriller that doesn't have the campiness and farfetchedness usually prevelant in a Lifetime production. It's well-acted by all. A bit slow and flat in places, but it's intriguing enough to make those points not too much of a viewing hindrance.