Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice — and the divorce papers will come flying.
Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce from her NBA husband of 10 and a half years, Kobe, last Friday — but according to RadarOnline.com, it wasn’t the first time the former video vixen has thought about splitting.
“Vanessa almost threw in the towel four years ago,” a source told RadarOnline.com. “Kobe has always had a slew of girlfriends, and the cheating was almost blatant.”
At the time, however, Vanessa opted not to go through with the divorce papers after Kobe vowed to stop cheating and the couple went to marriage counseling together.
Vanessa, 29, even stood by her man in 2003 when he was accused of raping a 19-year-old hotel employee Katelyn Faber.
Now, however, amid rumors of Kobe’s wandering eye — he’s been linked to Kim Kardashian‘s pal Carla DiBello — Vanessa has had enough.
“Vanessa wanted to stay together for the children,” a source told RadarOnline.com of Vanessa’s decision to call it quits. “Vanessa stood by Kobe during his darkest hour, and she believed him when he said there would be no more women.
“Vanessa began to get suspicious again about 16 months ago about Kobe cheating on her, he knew that if he wasn’t faithful, she would leave him. Vanessa had no other choice.”
One person who isn’t buying into the basketball wife’s victim story, however, is ex-stepfather Stephen Laine.
Laine, an inventory manager for a food company who divorced Vanessa’s mother in 2003, told TMZ that Vanessa’s divorce filing is simply strategic.
“In California … it’s considered a long-term marriage and then she gets paid for life or until she remarries … just like her mother is doing to me,” he said, referring to the fact that Vanessa is asking for the divorce after more than 10 years of marriage.
“Her mother taught her well to wait for the 10-year mark.”
Kobe, meanwhile, is trying to push forward and look ahead amid the cheating allegations.
“Kobe’s sole focus right now is the Los Angeles Lakers, and his two daughters,” a team insider told RadarOnline.com. “Kobe is excited for the season to finally begin, and he is very excited about the upcoming season.
“Kobe is driven, and committed to his team, and anything that is going on in his personal life won’t affect him on the court.”
jchen@nydailynews.com
