'After 18 Years Of Marriage, I Just Found Out That My Children Aren't Mine'
"I don't know how to move forward."
MyDa Photo | Shutterstock After being married to his wife for 18 years, a man discovered something unexpected — his children were not his.
Posting to the subreddit 'TrueOffMyChest,' the man explained that he and his wife, Kelly, have known each other for over 20 years, and have been married for almost the same amount of time.
They have 17-year-old twins, one boy and one girl, and two days ago, he found out they weren't his biological children.
"My kids got those ancestry tests for the family and we found out that I am not their father," the man wrote in his Reddit post.
He explained that he had met Kelly while working at the same job after graduating from college. They were both extremely ambitious, and after working for a couple of years, they decided to start their own business.
"We fell in love, and a year after starting our business, we got married," he continued. A couple of months into their marriage, they got into a massive fight over the direction they wanted to take their business, and the man left their home.
A couple of weeks after the fight, Kelly had sought him out. The two of them talked it out and reached a compromise, and have been inseparable ever since.
Around that time was when he found out that his wife had gotten pregnant. Of course, there was no reason to think that the children weren't his, especially with how much he loved his wife.
"We’ve been through thick and thin; our business has been through several hardships but we weathered them together. We were always there for each other; we could always depend on each other," he said.
"I loved her so much. She was a part of me and I couldn’t even imagine a life without her."
His wife told him that during the time the two of them had been fighting at the start of their marriage, she had gotten drunk one night and slept with a random man.
She promised that she hasn't cheated on him since.
The betrayal left the man in absolute shock. He told his wife that he needed some time to process all of the new information, and is currently staying at a hotel.
"I don’t know what I’m even doing anymore – the last two days have been a blur. I feel like a zombie, completely unable to feel or process anything."
The man added that he doesn't want to abandon his children, and despite the fact that he might not be their biological father, he still loves them dearly.
"Right now, I’m sitting on my hotel bed and I have not eaten anything today. My thoughts are a mess, so I’m writing this down to help me process," the man writes at the end of his post.
He still thinks Kelly has been a great wife, and an excellent business partner, but he's not sure if he'll be able to look at her the same again, or if he'll be the same again.
"I don't know how to move forward," he concludes.
Many people under the man's Reddit post offered words of comfort as he navigates this difficult moment.
"First things first — you gotta take care of yourself. Get something to eat. Relax and watch tv. Just unwind a little. You've had a rough bit of news and that is world-shattering for anyone to have to deal with. You need to focus on yourself right now just give yourself what you need and you will figure this out when you have time," one user commented.
Another user commented, "Please please make sure to sit your kids down and tell them that you love them no matter what and that this isn't their fault."
"Even if legally they are considered adults they are still teenagers and will [blame] themselves for this unless you talk with them!"
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.