 This guy was expecting quintuplets, but then he learned his girlfriend's terrible secret. It is fair to say that Barbara Bienvenu brought about a massive change to Paul Servet's world when she landed in his life in 2013. The Montreal couple had met each other online, but things moved fast in real life. Just two weeks into their relationship, Bienvenu had some big news for her new beau, she was pregnant. In fact, Serbats would find out that she was expecting a bumper load of five babies. The mom and dad-to-be were immensely excited, but this would turn out to be no ordinary pregnancy. Bienvenu was hiding something huge, which would lead to a massive disappointment. However, before the hugely devastating truth about her pregnancy was revealed, the then-37-year-old Bienvenu and her 35-year-old boyfriend, Servet, had reveled in pre-baby bliss. In fact, considering the duo had only been dating for eight weeks, they were still in the first flush of their romance in September, 2013, when Bienvenu announced she was expecting. But, originally, the mom-to-be was only expecting the one baby. Servet spoke to the Toronto Sun newspaper in March, 2014, about their delight at the welcome news. He recalled, we were so happy. But he added that their joy had a ripple effect, revealing, even my parents, were so looking forward to having grandchildren. And this elation and anticipation was no doubt amplified and multiplied when Bienvenu discovered she was expecting a multiple birth. Indeed, this story was growing as the weeks progressed. First, she broke the news that she was actually having twins. But soon Servet learned that there were three on the way. This turned into months and the baby count then rose to four. Finally, Bienvenu said that an ultrasound scan shortly before her due date had revealed that she was carrying quintuplets. The couple turned to social media to spread the news of their multiple blessings with others. In fact, Bienvenu and Servet set up a Facebook group to update people about the mom-to-be's burgeoning bump. But not only did their page track Bienvenu's growing belly, but also the many generous gifts the expectant couple began to receive. A friend of Bienvenu's even reached out to local businesses for sponsorship support for the ever-growing family. Let's face it, the couple would need all the help they could get to raise five babies. Items of furniture, baby clothes, diapers and the like began to mount up. But not everyone was so generous in their attitude, and neither did they share in Servet and Bienvenu's glee. In fact, Genevieve Laflam, a female friend with newborn triplets at the time, began to have a few misgivings. Something about the mom-to-be's story did not seem right to Laflam. She was especially surprised that an ultrasound had revealed that Bienvenu was expecting quintuplets so late in her pregnancy. In addition, it seemed odd to the mom of three that Bienvenu had not spent enough time resting in bed before the birth of her babies. In fact, to the experienced Laflam, Bienvenu was spending far too much time being far too active for a woman in her condition. Laflam knew that mothers of multiples are advised to go easy in the months and weeks leading up to their due date. This is in order to alleviate the immense strain their bodies are under. She also knew that plenty of bed rest is a vital part of this, as well as an effective strategy to prevent premature labor. Still, Bienvenu was displaying all the outward telltale signs of a multiple pregnancy. For starters, her belly was massive and had steadily grown throughout, and she had experienced bad morning sickness. She had even started lactating in anticipation of the quintuplets' arrival. And in March 2014, as her due date fast approached, Bienvenu's waters broke. At the onset of labor, the mom and dad to be raced to hospital, no doubt in a state of great nervous excitement. Cervat must have been on a natural high, but the events of Wednesday, March 19, 2014, would bring him very low. First of all, the hospital could find no record of Bienvenu's pregnancy on file. Next, a nurse conducted a blood test, and it would lay bare the shocking truth about Bienvenu's condition. As Cervat later recalled to the Toronto Sun, the doctors told me it was a phantom pregnancy. With this medical phenomenon, an affected woman experiences all the conventional symptoms of having a baby in utero, but they are not actually pregnant at all. Instead, the sufferer becomes so convinced in their mind that they are expecting that their body begins generating the hormones which create the outward signs of pregnancy. Susie Levesque is a Canadian psychiatrist with the Centre Hospitalier de L'Université Laval in Quebec City, and she also spoke to the Toronto Sun she told the newspaper that phantom pregnancies happen very rarely, but tend to occur in women who crave validation. The lady seems to be seeking benefits, but unconsciously, Levesque said. She's drawing attention to herself. Doctors detained Bienvenu and placed the troubled woman under psychiatric observation. Alas, there is no medication to assuage the symptoms of a phantom pregnancy. In most cases, the only way to help an unfortunate female through this kind of ordeal is therapy with mental health specialists. Nevertheless, not everyone was convinced that Bienvenu was an unwitting victim in all this. Some skeptics who knew her of old were mistrustful that the patient had genuinely believed that she was pregnant at all. In fact, a member of her family told the Toronto Sun that Bienvenu had pulled similar stunts in the past. Indeed, an anonymous male relative told the Canadian Daily, this isn't the first time she's done it. But honestly, we never would have thought she was sick enough to do it again. The source was unwilling to reveal his identity in the press to protect himself from any type of retaliation. He went on to reveal that Bienvenu had not told any of her family members that she was expecting, let alone carrying quintuplets. And according to the informant, nor did she ever seem pregnant. The relative continued, she cut ties with us in recent months. She didn't want us to know about her game. Another man from Bienvenu's past also stepped forward. He too was reluctant to reveal his identity in print, fearing reprisals. And the ex-boyfriend had a very familiar tale to tell the Toronto Sunday. He said that his former girlfriend had told him that she was expecting twins. And he alleged that Bienvenu went on to use this story to raise funds for the babies. The man eventually learned that the twins did not exist. Furthermore, the male relative of Bienvenu claimed that, in addition to this faux pregnancy, there had also been invented terminal illnesses in the past. Apparently, Bienvenu had once told her family that she had been struck down by cancer. She had also said that she was suffering from heart problems, along with several other serious ailments. Nevertheless, the family members said they were pleased that Bienvenu was now in the best possible place, a psychiatric ward. He hoped that she would receive the mental health care she appeared to need. He warned the Toronto Sun, doctors need to take care of her, or else she'll do it again and again. And the relative added that Bienvenu's boyfriend did not deserve to live with this. Cervats seemed to be in full agreement with this sentiment. A female friend who spoke to him in the immediate aftermath of the phantom pregnancy being exposed told the newspaper, he was crying on the phone. He was devastated, he didn't understand. Indeed, Cervat, who had even named the five babies, must have felt utterly betrayed and bereft. Nevertheless, he did retain his sense of right and wrong and pledged to make things right after his dream of fatherhood was so abruptly denied. He spoke to the Toronto Sun about all the generous gifts he still had at his South Montreal home. He promised, I'll return all these things to the people who sent them, or give them away. Let's hope that Cervat has since been given something else precious in return, some peace of mind.