This was not how Tom Cruise expected his life to be.
The 50-year-old megastar, who was blindsided when his wife of five years, Katie Holmes, filed for divorce on June 28, "was thinking, 'What did I not see?' " a source who knows the former couple tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story.
Especially tough: His month-long separation from 6-year-old daughter Suri, which finally ended when the pair reunited on July 17 in New York City.
What took so long?
"He's wanted to see her as fast as possible since this started," a source, who cites Cruise's obligation to his sci-fi thriller Oblivion as the main obstacle. "He couldn't shut down production, cost people their jobs. People count on him."
In agreeing to a divorce settlement in a mere 11 days, "Tom tried his best to do what's right for Suri," according to his longtime friend and lawyer Bert Fields, who says the star is "sad" but not "bitter" about the situation.
Cruise has been leaning on his older children, Connor, 17, and Isabella, 19, his three sisters and his mother – all of whom share his Scientology religion. Several members of his family joined him for support as he filmed his final scenes for Oblivion.
"Tom is not ashamed of his beliefs," says the source, who knows the former couple, "and won’t hide them from his daughter."
In the wake of Katie Holmes' split from hubby Tom Cruise, speculation is building as to who will be the next Mrs. Tom Cruise, and it just might be Yolanda Pecoraro.
Experts predict the 27-year-old Latin beauty will be the perfect match for the Mission: Impossible star because she's a devout Scientologist — and the two dated in the past!
"Tom's next marriage will be inside the church," Scientology expert Margery Wakefield told the National Enquirer.
A former member of the church told the Enquirer that Yolanda is a "Scientology princess, perfect for Tom," both her parents were members and that she's been taking Scientology courses since she was just 13 years old.
Yolanda lives in a modest Silver Lake, Calif. apartment and told the Enquirer, "Yes, I knew and still know Tom Cruise. And no, I'm not married or engaged."
Andrew Morton's unauthorized Tom tell-all, Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography claims that Yolanda and Tom met at the opening of a new Scientology center opening in Spain in 2004 and that he fell head over heels for her.
In fact, there's even a photo of Scientology head David Miscavige, David and Victoria Beckham, and Tom and Yolanda all together at a Madrid soccer game just one month later.
One source goes so far as to tell the Enquirer that Tom has paid for Yolanda to attend expensive Scientology courses at the Celebrity Centre in Hollywood!
And even though Yolanda lives with a boyfriend, also a Scientologist, an insider claims the church will do whatever it takes to provide damage control to the very public divorce between Tom and Katie.
"With the embarrassment his divorce has caused the church, they want to stabilize the situation quickly," the source said.
"They also want to show that Tom has rebounded fast and that his new wife is beautiful and steeped in Scientology. If the church decides to make Yolanda Tom's next wife, they'd certainly want her to have a child soon. So she could quickly be going from her modest apartment to a mansion in Beverly Hills with a baby on the way. And there's little doubt she'd do what's best for the church."
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