Tempting Fate

Tempting Fate is a 2019 American made-for-television drama film directed by Kim Raver in her directorial debut and Manu Boyer, starring Alyssa Milano as a married housewife who becomes pregnant with another man's baby. The movie is based on author Jane Green's 2014 New York Times best-selling novel of the same name. Tempting Fate is the first of three Lifetime movies based on novels by Jane Green. The other movie adaptations aired shortly after are To Have and to Hold (2019) and Family Pictures (2019). Plot 42-year-old Gabby (Alyssa Milano) has a seemingly perfect life: married with two teenage daughters, she lives in a typical Connecticut neighborhood and leads a typical life. She restores furniture as a hobby, while her husband Elliott (Steve Kazee) works as a doctor to provide for the family. Unbeknownst to many, her marriage is currently going through a rough patch: Gabby desperately wants to have a third kid, but Elliott is unwilling and underwent a vasectomy without consulting his wife. In order to reduce tensions inside the house, Elliott takes the kids on a weekend trip to Vermont while she stays at home. Her good friend Claire (Jessica Harmon) convinces Gabby to accompany her to a party, where soon Gabby meets 33-year-old Matt Shaw (Zane Holtz), a successful web developer. Even though Gabby upfront tells him about her marriage, they hit it off, and Matt invites her to join a business meeting the next day. Coming from a humble background, Matt has used his power for projects such as building non-profit schools. He is currently building a school in the neighborhood and hires Gabby as a designer. Initially wary of getting close to Matt, Gabby soon develops a crush on him, and their correspondence grows more and more flirtatious. Meanwhile, Gabby gets more estranged from her husband, especially when he reveals that he is not willing to undergo a reverse vasectomy. As Elliot devotes more time to his work, Gabby spends more time with Matt. One night while having dinner together, Gabby asks him to respect her marriage and boundaries. Nevertheless, before long their relationship becomes physical.