[FULL STORY] My Son Asked One Question That Destroyed My Marriage | Readiator

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It started off as any old day. We were
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having dinner with my in-laws, chopping
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it up, cooking steak on the grill. It
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was essentially the white picket fence
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dream I'd always wanted. My beautiful
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wife Sarah, our amazing son Mikey, and
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me. Later that evening after dinner,
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Mikey and I were alone in the living
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room, toasting marshmallows over a
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little tabletop s'mores maker. We were
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just talking about, well, whatever it is
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7-year-olds talk about, dinosaurs,
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superheroes, the usual. And then out of
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nowhere, he hit me with a question that
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stopped me cold.
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Daddy, he asked, his eyes wide and
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innocent. What's a donor? I was
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completely taken aback. A donor? Where
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would he have heard a word like that? I
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asked if he'd learned it in school. He
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shook his head. No, he said. Aunt Ashley
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said it to mommy. Ashley was Sarah's
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sister, and she'd always been a bit
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eccentric. Mikey explained that when he
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asked what it meant, Ashley had told him
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he'd learn when he's older. An answer
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that never ever satiated my curious son.
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Well, I had a pretty strict no- lying
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policy with Mikey. I believe in honesty,
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even if it's a watered down version for
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a seven-year-old, so I told him the
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truth, explaining it in simple terms.
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"Oh," he shouted, nodding his head
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violently. A sudden spark of
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understanding in his eyes. I smiled at
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his childish curiosity, thinking nothing
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more of it. But that's when he told me
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something that would ruin my marriage
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and change my life forever. "Daddy, are
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you mad at me?" Mommy told me I'm not
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allowed to ask you questions anymore. He
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said it in such a shy, timid voice. It
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absolutely broke my heart. Not allowed
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to ask me questions. That was completely
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out of character for Sarah. Whenever I
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was around, my wife always encouraged
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our son to ask questions. We had decided
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a long time ago not to cut our son's
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childhood short like ours was, where
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curiosity was often stifled. None of the
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puzzle pieces were clicking. Just before
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I could ask why he thought that, his mom
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came in. She kissed me. A soft, familiar
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touch that melted me in the way it
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always does. And in that moment, the
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warmth of her presence, the comfort of
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our routine, I completely forgot what we
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were talking about with Mikey. My son
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ran outside to play and my beautiful
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wife told me how grateful she was to be
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with me. She reminded me that this was
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the life we always said we wanted ever
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since we started dating in college. I
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smiled and we reminisced about our first
2:09
date together. How hard I tried to
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impress her. How I pretended to like
2:12
every song she played, even the ones
2:14
that made my ears bleed. And how she
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added them to a playlist that she played
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24/7 until I finally confessed 3 years
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later that I hated them. We laughed, we
2:23
kissed, and it still felt as electric to
2:26
me as the first day we met. We went
2:28
outside and played with our son, a
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perfect family tableau, before going
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home and heading to bed. But while I lay
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there with my arms around her, I
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couldn't shake this nagging feeling in
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my chest. Not allowed to ask me
2:38
questions anymore. The words echoed in
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my mind. Why would Sarah say that? Why
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would she suddenly discourage Mikey's
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curiosity, especially about something he
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heard from her sister? It just didn't
2:49
add up. I knew my only option was to
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confront my son directly. So, the next
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day, while my wife was at her Pilates
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class, that's exactly what I did. I sat
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Mikey down and after a lot of ums and I
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don't knows, Mikey finally spit it out.
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Well, kind of. He told me that Ashley
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and my wife were joking about how good
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of a donor Robert was. My heart dropped
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to the pit of my stomach. Robert? That
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Robert? You see, Rob was my wife's first
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boyfriend in high school. He was the
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only guy before me, and he lived in
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Australia while we lived in California.
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My mind raced. Rob, a donor? Why would
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they be joking about that? Why would he
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be a donor? A cold dread began to spread
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through me. I plastered on a huge fake
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smile and told him that was just
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something adults say around their
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friends. And when he's older, he can say
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it, too. I could feel the beads of sweat
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rolling down my forehead. But he just
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shrugged his shoulders and went back to
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playing with his cars, oblivious to the
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earthquake he'd just unleashed in my
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world. I panicked. I immediately ordered
3:43
a paternity test. The days waiting for
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the lab results were hell. Things just
3:47
weren't adding up. By that point, Rob
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had been out of the picture for over a
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decade. Like, there's just no way,
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right? And second, our son looked just
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like me. He literally had my exact eye
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color, hazel green, and nose bridge. Or
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so I thought, because after 2 weeks, the
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results arrived. He wasn't mine. My
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world tilted on its axis. But then, when
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my wife gave me her explanation, I
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wasn't even mad. In fact, I was even
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happier getting to keep our family
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together and raise Mikey. When Sarah got
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home that night, I was sitting at the
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kitchen table with the test results
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printed out. She took one look at my
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face and knew something was seriously
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wrong. "We need to talk," I said, my
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voice sounding strange even to myself.
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Her eyes went to the papers, then back
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to me. What's that? Mikey isn't mine, I
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managed to say. Is he Roberts? The color
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drained from her face. She sat down hard
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in the chair across from me. For a long
4:35
moment, she didn't say anything. Then
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she nodded. I need you to explain, I
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said. And don't lie to me. She took a
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deep breath. It's not what you think.
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Robert wasn't back in the picture when I
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got pregnant. I never cheated on you. I
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just stared at her, waiting.
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Remember when we first started trying
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for a baby and nothing was happening?
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She reached for my hand, but I pulled
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away. We went to that fertility doctor,
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Dr. Quinn. I nodded stiffly. We tried
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for almost 2 years before Mikey came
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along. They ran all those tests on both
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of us, she continued. And they found
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issues with your sperm count. Remember?
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They said our chances were very low. I
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did remember. I'd been devastated. What
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you don't know is that I went back
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alone. I asked about other options. Dr.
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Quinn mentioned sperm donors. My head
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was spinning. You used a donor without
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telling me? She was crying now. I was
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desperate for a baby. For our baby. I
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knew how much you wanted to be a father.
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And I thought I thought if I use someone
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who looked like you. So you picked your
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ex-boyfriend. My voice rose despite
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myself. No. God, no. It was completely
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anonymous. I never knew who the donor
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was. I pointed to the papers, then
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explained what Mikey overheard about
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Robert being a good donor. Sarah wiped
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her eyes. That was about Robert Miller,
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Ashley's coworker. He donated bone
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marrow to his niece. We were talking
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about how brave he was.
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The explanation hit me like a truck. It
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made perfect sense. Ashley worked at a
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pediatric hospital. They'd been having a
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normal conversation, and my paranoid
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brain had jumped to the worst
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conclusion. The relief was immense, a
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wave washing over me. But Mikey said
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Ashley told him not to ask me questions,
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I said, still needing to understand this
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one piece. Sarah looked confused. I
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would never tell him that. Never. That
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doesn't make any sense. You know how
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important open communication is to both
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of us. We talked for hours that night.
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We cried. We fought, but in the end, I
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realized something important. Mikey was
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my son. Biology be damned. I'd raised
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him. I loved him. Nothing could change
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that. Sarah and I still had a lot to
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work through. The lie had damaged our
6:32
trust. But when I looked at our family,
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the one we built together, I knew it was
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worth fighting for. The decision to
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forgive Sarah was the hardest I'd ever
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made. But seeing Mikey's face light up
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when I came home from work that evening,
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yelling, "Daddy," and launching himself
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into my arms, how could I walk away from
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that? I told Sarah we'd work through
6:49
this together, but we needed complete
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honesty moving forward. For a few weeks,
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things seemed okay. We went to a
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marriage counselor, Dr. Jennifer, who
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specialized in family secrets and
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rebuilding trust. She had a warm office
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with comfortable chairs and gentle
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lighting that somehow made difficult
7:01
conversations feel less threatening.
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Sarah patiently answered all my
7:04
questions about the donor process. I
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learned she'd chosen someone with my
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physical characteristics, height, eye
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color, even my damn blood type. She'd
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thought of everything except telling me
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the truth. I just wanted us to have our
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family, she kept saying, tears streaming
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down her face. I was afraid you'd leave
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if I told you we needed a donor.
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Honestly, that hurt worse than the lie
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itself. Did she really think I was that
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shallow? But Dr. Jennifer helped me
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understand. Sarah's fear came from her
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own father abandoning her mother when
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things got tough. Old wounds sometimes
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make us do crazy things. One night,
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after a particularly intense therapy
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session, we came home exhausted, but
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feeling closer. The session had focused
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on vulnerability and how fear of
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rejection often leads to destructive
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behaviors. Dr. Jennifer had guided us
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through some difficult conversations
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with remarkable skill. Sarah fell asleep
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on my chest while watching TV. I gently
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moved her hair from her face, thinking
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maybe we'd actually make it through
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this. Then her phone buzzed on the
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coffee table. I shouldn't have looked.
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We were trying to rebuild trust. And
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here I was immediately breaking it. But
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after everything, my curiosity got the
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better of me. The notification showed a
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text from Ashley. Did he believe the
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Robert Miller story? My blood ran cold.
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I carefully slid out from under Sarah,
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grabbed her phone, and took it to the
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bathroom. I hesitated for a full minute
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before opening the message. The passcode
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was Mikey's birthday. Same as always.
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Inside was a whole conversation that
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confirmed my worst fears. Ashley, did he
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believe the Robert Miller story? Sarah,
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hook, line, and sinker. He's such a good
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guy. Ashley, thank God Rob would freak
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if he knew someone was asking questions.
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Sarah, I know, but we're good now.
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Crisis averted. I scrolled up to see
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more, but the conversation had been
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deleted before that point. I put the
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phone back exactly where it was and went
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to our guest bedroom. I couldn't sleep
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next to her that night. The ceiling fans
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spun lazily above me as I stared upward,
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my mind racing with questions that had
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no answers. The next morning, I called
8:56
in sick to work and waited for Sarah to
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leave for her dental appointment.
8:59
Through the kitchen window, I watched
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her car pull out of the driveway and
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disappear down the street. Then, I did
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something I'm not proud of. I started
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searching through everything. Her email,
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her dresser drawers, even the storage
9:10
boxes in our attic. I didn't know what I
9:12
was looking for until I found it. Hidden
9:15
inside an old college textbook was a
9:16
stack of letters. Actual handwritten
9:18
letters, all from Robert. They weren't
9:21
dated recently. Most were from around
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the time Sarah got pregnant with Mikey.
9:25
But they made it crystal clear. Robert
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hadn't just been a sperm donor. He had
9:29
been very much in the picture. I miss
9:31
your body pressed against mine. One
9:32
letter read. Sydney is beautiful but
9:34
empty without you. I can't wait for you
9:36
to visit again. Another mentioned, "Our
9:38
weekend in San Diego was perfect. I keep
9:41
thinking about starting a life
9:42
together." The worst one, I know it's
9:44
complicated with him, but this baby
9:46
changes everything. We need to talk
9:47
about our future. I felt like I'd been
9:50
punched in the gut. San Diego. When had
9:53
she gone to San Diego? Then it clicked.
9:55
Her girls weekend with Ashley about 8
9:57
years ago, right around the time she
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would have gotten pregnant with Mikey. I
10:00
took pictures of all the letters with my
10:01
phone, then put everything back. exactly
10:03
as I'd found it. When Sarah came home
10:05
that night, I acted normal, or as normal
10:07
as possible when your entire life feels
10:08
like it's crumbling beneath your feet.
10:10
That night, I texted Ashley from my
10:12
phone. We need to talk alone. It's
10:14
important. She responded immediately.
10:17
Everything okay? Sarah's phone died and
10:19
she's in the bath. Just brother-in-law
10:21
stuff. Meet for coffee tomorrow. That
10:22
place near your work at 10:0. Sure
10:24
thing.
10:26
The next morning, I sat waiting at the
10:28
coffee shop, rehearsing what I'd say.
10:30
The cafe was bustling with the morning
10:32
crowd, the air filled with the rich
10:33
aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and
10:35
the gentle hum of conversation. Ashley
10:38
walked in looking completely relaxed,
10:40
ordered her usual complicated latte,
10:41
then slid into the booth across from me.
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"So, what's up?" she asked stirring her
10:46
coffee. "You're being mysterious." I
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placed my phone on the table, screen up,
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showing one of Robert's letters. "I know
10:53
about Robert, the real Robert." The
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color drained from her face. "Where did
10:58
you get that? Doesn't matter. What
11:00
matters is you and Sarah have been lying
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to me for years. Ashley's eyes darted
11:04
around the cafe like she was looking for
11:05
an escape route. Finally, she sighed.
11:09
It's not what you think. Then explain it
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to me because right now I'm thinking my
11:13
wife cheated on me with her ex, got
11:15
pregnant, and passed his kid off his
11:16
mind for 7 years. Ashley leaned forward.
11:18
You weren't supposed to find out this
11:19
way. I wasn't supposed to find out at
11:22
all. I said, my voice harder than I
11:24
intended. Look, Sarah loves you. She's
11:26
always loved you. The thing with Robert,
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it was a mistake. One weekend of
11:30
stupidity. I laughed bitterly. A weekend
11:34
that resulted in my son. Your son,
11:37
Ashley emphasized. You're his dad.
11:40
You've always been his dad. Stop with
11:43
the sentimental and tell me what
11:44
happened. Ashley took a deep breath. We
11:47
went to San Diego for that weekend,
11:48
remember? Sarah was devastated about the
11:50
fertility issues. You guys had been
11:52
trying for so long. She was in a really
11:54
bad place. So, she called up her
11:56
ex-boyfriend. I couldn't keep the
11:58
bitterness from my voice. "No, it was
12:00
coincidence. We ran into him at this
12:02
bar. He was in California for work. One
12:04
thing led to another." She trailed off,
12:06
clearly uncomfortable, and Sarah slept
12:08
with him. I finished flatly. Ashley
12:11
nodded. She was drunk and emotional. She
12:14
regretted it immediately. Then, when she
12:16
found out she was pregnant, she
12:17
panicked, so she made up the whole sperm
12:19
donor story. "Why not just tell me the
12:21
truth?" Ashley looked at me like I was
12:24
stupid.
12:25
because she knew it would destroy your
12:26
marriage. She made a terrible mistake,
12:28
but she loves you. She wanted your
12:30
family together. Our family built on
12:33
lies. I stood up, tossing some cash on
12:35
the table. Tell Sarah I know everything
12:38
and tell her not to be home when I get
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back from work. I need time to think.
12:41
Ashley grabbed my arm. Please don't
12:43
throw away seven years over one mistake.
12:46
I yanked my arm away. The mistake wasn't
12:48
the problem. The seven years of lies
12:50
were. I drove around for hours after
12:52
that. The world outside my car window
12:54
seemed distant and unreal, like I was
12:56
watching someone else's life unfold.
12:59
Eventually, I ended up at my buddy
13:00
Joseph's place. He let me crash on his
13:03
couch without asking too many questions.
13:05
When morning came, I had 37 missed calls
13:07
and texts from Sarah. I finally texted
13:09
back. I know about San Diego. I know
13:12
Robert is Mikey's biological father. I
13:14
need space. Her response was immediate.
13:17
Please come home. Let me explain. Don't
13:20
throw away our family.
13:22
That word family hit me hard because
13:24
despite everything, we were still a
13:26
family and there was Mikey to consider.
13:29
I couldn't just disappear from his life
13:30
because of Sarah's betrayal. I went home
13:32
that evening to find Sarah sitting on
13:33
our porch steps. Her eyes were red and
13:35
puffy from crying. She stood when my car
13:37
pulled in but didn't approach. "Where's
13:39
Mikey?" I asked, keeping my distance.
13:42
With my parents, I thought we needed to
13:44
talk privately. I nodded and followed
13:46
her inside. Our house felt strange, like
13:49
I was visiting someone else's life.
13:51
Family photos mocked me from every wall.
13:54
Was anything real? We sat on opposite
13:56
ends of the couch. Sarah pulled out a
13:58
folder and placed it on the coffee table
14:00
between us. "Before you say anything, I
14:02
need you to see these," she said.
14:04
"Inside were medical documents from 8
14:06
years ago, fertility test results,
14:08
doctor notes, and a signed agreement
14:09
from a sperm bank. I didn't lie about
14:12
using a donor," she said quietly. "I did
14:14
go to the clinic. I did choose someone
14:16
with your characteristics. I did get
14:17
inseminated there. I stared at the
14:19
papers, confused. But Robert happened 2
14:22
weeks before the procedure. Her voice
14:23
cracked. It was one terrible night, not
14:26
a weekend. Ashley lied to protect me. I
14:28
was at rock bottom about our fertility
14:29
issues. I ran into Robert by chance at a
14:31
bar when I was alone in San Diego. I got
14:33
drunk. I made the worst mistake of my
14:35
life. I struggled to process this new
14:37
information. Then why all the letters?
14:40
Why was he talking about the baby? Sarah
14:42
looked confused. What letters? I showed
14:45
her the pictures on my phone. her eyes
14:47
widened, then narrowed. "These aren't
14:49
real," she said firmly. "I haven't
14:51
received letters from Robert ever, and
14:53
he definitely never knew about the
14:55
pregnancy." "They were in your college
14:57
textbook in the attic," she shook her
14:59
head. "I donated all my college books
15:01
years ago. This doesn't make sense. Now
15:04
I was thoroughly confused. If the
15:06
letters are fake, who put them there and
15:08
why?" Sarah's face suddenly changed as
15:10
realization dawn. "Ashley, check the
15:13
postmarks." I zoomed in on the photos.
15:15
There were no postmarks on the
15:17
envelopes, no stamps either. Why would
15:19
Ashley do this? I asked. Sarah looked
15:21
sick. I think I think she wanted us to
15:24
break up. That's ridiculous. She's your
15:27
sister. Who's been in love with you
15:29
since college? Sarah whispered. I nearly
15:31
choked. What? No way. She told me once,
15:33
drunk at her bachelorette party. Said
15:35
she'd met you first at that frat party,
15:37
but you only had eyes for me. I thought
15:38
she was over it, especially after she
15:40
married William. Things started clicking
15:42
into place. Ashley's divorce last year,
15:45
her suddenly spending more time at our
15:47
house, the looks I dismissed as friendly
15:49
affection. I need to know the truth,
15:50
Sarah. The absolute truth. Is there any
15:53
chance Robert is Mikey's father? Sarah
15:55
took my hands. I had the procedure 2
15:58
weeks after the incident. Dr. Quinn said
16:00
the timing made it virtually impossible
16:01
for Robert to be the father. But if you
16:03
want DNA confirmation, I understand. I
16:06
thought about the paternity test I'd
16:07
already done. It proved I wasn't Mikey's
16:10
biological father, but it didn't prove
16:12
Robert was. Given what I now knew about
16:14
Ashley's manipulation, it seemed likely
16:16
that Mikey was the donor's child, not
16:18
Robert's. The test had only confirmed
16:20
what Sarah had already admitted, that I
16:22
wasn't the biological father. "Why did
16:25
Ashley tell Mikey not to ask me
16:26
questions?" I asked, still needing to
16:28
understand everything. "She's been
16:30
trying to drive us apart," Sarah said,
16:31
her voice breaking. "My own sister. We
16:34
spent the night talking through
16:35
everything." Sarah showed me messages
16:37
between her and the actual Robert from
16:39
years ago. Nothing romantic, just
16:40
occasional friendly check-ins that
16:42
stopped entirely after she got pregnant.
16:44
She even offered to reach out to him for
16:46
a paternity test. I decided that wasn't
16:48
necessary. Whether the donor was Robert
16:50
or anonymous donor number 4578, the
16:52
result was the same. Mikey wasn't
16:54
biologically mine, but he was still my
16:56
son. The next day, we invited Ashley
16:58
over. She came bouncing in like nothing
16:59
was wrong, gave me a lingering hug that
17:01
now felt creepy, and sat down expecting
17:03
our usual family dinner. "Where's my
17:05
favorite nephew?" she asked, looking
17:07
around. still at my parents, Sarah said
17:10
cooly. We wanted to talk to you alone.
17:12
Ashley's smile faltered. About what? I
17:15
placed the letters on the table. About
17:17
these about why you planted fake letters
17:19
in our attic. About why you told Mikey
17:21
not to ask me questions. Her face went
17:23
through a series of expressions. Shock,
17:25
denial, anger, and finally defeat. You
17:28
don't deserve her. Ashley whispered,
17:30
glaring at me. You never did. Sarah
17:33
stood up. Ashley, what did you do?
17:35
Ashley laughed bitterly. What did I do?
17:37
I tried to open your eyes. He's not even
17:39
Mikey's real father. I know, I said
17:42
calmly. I've known for weeks. That threw
17:45
her. You know, Sarah told me everything
17:48
about the fertility issues, about the
17:49
donor, everything. Ashley's eyes darted
17:52
between us. But the letters are obvious
17:54
fakes, Sarah finished. Robert didn't
17:56
even know I was pregnant, and I
17:58
certainly wasn't visiting him in Sydney
17:59
while carrying another man's child.
18:01
Ashley's face crumpled. I just wanted
18:05
me, I asked, disgusted. Were you really
18:07
willing to destroy your sister's
18:09
marriage, your nephew's family? Tears
18:11
streamed down Ashley's face. You don't
18:14
understand. I've loved you since that
18:15
first night at the Kappa house, but you
18:17
never even saw me. It was always Sarah.
18:20
Sarah moved to sit beside me, taking my
18:21
hand. Ashley, you need help.
18:24
Professional help. This is not normal
18:26
behavior. What's not normal is
18:28
pretending to be one big happy family
18:29
when everything is built on lies? Ashley
18:31
shouted. I'd had enough. The only person
18:34
lying here is you. You manipulated my
18:36
son. You tried to destroy my marriage.
18:38
You need to leave now. Ashley stood
18:41
suddenly calm. This isn't over. He
18:44
deserves to know the truth. Sarah
18:45
stiffened beside me. What are you
18:47
talking about, Mikey? He deserves to
18:50
know his real daddy isn't his daddy at
18:51
all. I felt Sarah trembling beside me. I
18:54
squeezed her hand reassuringly. If you
18:56
go anywhere near my son with this, I
18:58
will get a restraining order, I said
18:59
evenly. And I will make sure everyone in
19:02
the family knows exactly what you tried
19:03
to do. Ashley stared at us for a long
19:06
moment, then grabbed her purse. You'll
19:08
regret this, both of you. After she
19:11
left, Sarah collapsed against me,
19:12
sobbing. I can't believe she would do
19:14
this, my own sister. The next few days
19:16
were tense. We picked up Mikey from his
19:19
grandparents house, trying to act normal
19:20
while constantly checking our phones for
19:22
messages from Ashley. We'd agreed not to
19:24
tell the rest of the family yet, hoping
19:25
Ashley would get help on her own. Then
19:28
came the text from Nancy, Sarah's mom.
19:30
Is it true? Ashley says you've been
19:32
lying about Mikey's father. Sarah called
19:35
her mom immediately. Mom. Ashley is
19:38
having some issues. Whatever she told
19:39
you isn't true. I could hear NY's voice
19:42
through the phone, high-pitched and
19:44
upset. She showed us letters, Sarah.
19:46
Letters from Robert talking about being
19:48
the baby's father. Those letters are
19:50
fake, Mom. Ashley wrote them. Nancy went
19:53
quiet for a moment. That doesn't make
19:55
sense. Why would she do that? Sarah
19:58
looked at me, then at the ground.
20:00
because she's in love with my husband
20:01
and wants to break us up." There was a
20:03
long silence on the other end. "Your
20:06
father and I are coming over now." An
20:07
hour later, we were sitting in our
20:08
living room with Dave and Nancy,
20:10
explaining everything. The fertility
20:11
issues, the donor, Ashley's deception. I
20:14
left out the part about Sarah's one
20:15
night mistake, some things parents don't
20:17
need to know. Dave looked grim. I've
20:20
noticed Ashley acting off since her
20:21
divorce, but this is beyond concerning.
20:24
Nancy was crying quietly. We should have
20:26
seen it. She's always been so
20:28
competitive with you, Sarah. What should
20:30
we do? Sarah asked. I'm worried about
20:32
what she might tell Mikey. Dave
20:34
straightened up. Your mother and I will
20:36
handle Ashley. You two focus on
20:38
protecting Mikey. The next day, Dave
20:40
called to tell us Ashley had agreed to
20:42
see a therapist. Apparently, she'd
20:43
broken down when confronted by both
20:45
parents, admitting everything, the fake
20:47
letters, manipulating Mikey, her
20:49
obsession with me. I thought that would
20:51
be the end of it. We could start
20:52
healing, rebuild our family. Then I
20:54
picked up Mikey from school. As soon as
20:56
he got in the car, I knew something was
20:58
wrong. His usual chatter was missing. He
21:01
stared out the window silently.
21:03
"Everything okay, buddy?" I asked. He
21:05
looked at me with those big hazel green
21:07
eyes. Aunt Ashley came to see me at
21:09
recess. My heart stopped. "What did she
21:12
say?" His bottom lip trembled. She said,
21:15
"You're not my real dad. That my real
21:17
dad lives in Australia. Is that true?" I
21:20
pulled the car over, my hands shaking
21:22
too much to drive. I turned to face him,
21:24
trying to find the right words. Mikey, I
21:27
am your real dad. I've been your dad
21:29
since the day you were born. I tried to
21:31
keep my voice neutral. But there's
21:33
something called biology, which is about
21:35
how babies are made. And in that way,
21:37
someone else helped make you. His
21:39
forehead wrinkled in concentration. Like
21:41
a donor, the man juice thing. Despite
21:44
everything, I had to smile. Yeah, buddy.
21:46
Like that. Mom and I wanted you so
21:48
badly, but my man juice couldn't make
21:50
babies, so we got help from a doctor and
21:51
a donor. The Australia man? No, the
21:54
Australia man is just someone mom knew a
21:56
long time ago. Aunt Ashley is confused
21:58
about some things right now. Mikey
22:00
thought for a moment. So, you're still
22:03
my dad, just not my bio, dad. I'm your
22:06
dad in all the ways that matter. I love
22:08
you more than anything in the world. He
22:10
unbuckled his seat belt and launched
22:12
himself across the center console to hug
22:13
me. I love you, too, Dad. That night,
22:15
after Mikey was asleep, Sarah and I made
22:17
a decision. We filed for a temporary
22:19
restraining order against Ashley. We met
22:21
with a lawyer about formal adoption
22:22
proceedings so I could legally adopt
22:24
Mikey even though I was already on his
22:25
birth certificate. We even talked about
22:27
moving maybe to Northern California to
22:29
get some distance. But most importantly,
22:31
we decided our family was worth fighting
22:32
for. The foundation might have been
22:34
built on a complicated truth, but the
22:36
love was real. Mikey was my son, Sarah
22:39
was my wife, and nothing, not Ashley's
22:41
schemes, not biology, not even the
22:43
challenges still ahead, could change
22:45
that. As we move forward, I know there
22:46
will be difficult days. The restraining
22:48
order against Ashley turned out to be
22:50
more complicated than we expected. The
22:51
cops were sympathetic, but explained we
22:53
needed more evidence since she hadn't
22:54
made explicit threats. They basically
22:55
told us to document everything and come
22:57
back if she escalated. Super
22:59
frustrating, but at least we had it on
23:00
record. Sarah's parents were absolutely
23:02
devastated by all of this. Nancy called
23:04
Sarah crying almost daily, blaming
23:06
herself for not seeing the signs of
23:07
Ashley's obsession. Dave stopped golfing
23:09
and barely left the house. He'd been
23:11
really close with Ashley, always taking
23:12
her fishing and teaching her about his
23:14
tools, so this hit him especially hard.
23:16
I felt terrible for them, but our
23:17
priority had to be protecting Mikey.
23:19
Speaking of Mikey, that kid is seriously
23:21
resilient. After our car talk about
23:23
donors and biods, he seemed mostly fine.
23:26
He asked a few follow-up questions over
23:28
dinner that night. Do I have the
23:29
Australia man's eyes? And can I still
23:31
like dinosaurs if you don't? But then he
23:33
moved on to talking about his friend,
23:34
Jacob's new puppy. Sarah and I exchanged
23:37
looks of relief over his head. Kids are
23:39
amazing that way. They can process huge
23:41
revelations and then immediately switch
23:42
to what really matters, like puppies. We
23:45
decided to get Mikey into therapy, too,
23:47
just to make sure he had a safe space to
23:48
process everything. Dr. Jennifer
23:51
recommended her colleague, Dr. Richard,
23:52
who specialized in children. Mikey
23:54
actually loved going because Dr. Richard
23:55
had this massive collection of Legos in
23:57
his office. I wish I could say things
23:58
immediately got better after that, but
24:00
that's not how real life works. About a
24:03
week after we filed the restraining
24:04
order, I got a weird email from a
24:05
profile I didn't recognize. The subject
24:07
line was just Mikey's real father, and
24:09
my heart sank. I almost deleted it
24:12
without opening, thinking it was Ashley
24:13
using a fake account, but curiosity got
24:15
the better of me. It was from Robert. I
24:18
don't know if this is appropriate, but
24:19
Ashley contacted me last week with some
24:21
very disturbing claims. I wanted to
24:23
reach out directly rather than assume
24:24
anything she said was true. If you're
24:26
willing to talk, I'd appreciate clearing
24:28
this up. I showed Sarah immediately. She
24:30
went pale and sat down hard on the
24:32
couch. She actually contacted him. This
24:34
is insane. Should I respond? I asked.
24:38
Sarah nodded. We need to know what she
24:40
told him. So, I wrote back, keeping it
24:42
brief. I told him Ashley was having some
24:44
mental health issues and had been making
24:46
false claims about our family. I
24:48
mentioned we had a restraining order
24:49
pending against her, stretching the
24:50
truth a bit, and asked what exactly
24:52
she'd said. His response came the next
24:54
morning. Apparently, Ashley had messaged
24:56
him on Facebook, claiming that Sarah had
24:58
secretly used him as a sperm donor
24:59
without his knowledge, that I had just
25:01
found out, and that Mikey wanted to meet
25:02
his real dad. She'd even sent him
25:04
pictures of Mikey from her phone. I want
25:07
to be clear, Robert wrote, "I never
25:08
donated sperm to Sarah or anyone else. I
25:10
haven't seen Sarah since that random
25:12
runin in San Diego years ago." Ashley's
25:14
story made no sense, but she seemed so
25:16
convinced I thought I should check. I
25:18
showed Sarah and she immediately started
25:20
typing a reply from my account. She
25:22
explained the whole situation, her
25:23
fertility issues, using an anonymous
25:25
donor, Ashley's obsession with me, and
25:27
her attempts to break up our family. She
25:29
apologized for dragging him into our
25:30
drama and assured him he had absolutely
25:33
no connection to Mikey. Robert responded
25:35
with obvious relief. He was married with
25:37
twins in Sydney and had zero interest in
25:39
any paternity drama. He also mentioned
25:40
that Ashley had been messaging him
25:42
increasingly bizarre things over the
25:43
past few days and he'd already blocked
25:45
her. He wished us well and that was
25:48
that. One crisis averted, but Ashley
25:51
wasn't done yet. The next weekend, we
25:54
took Mikey to the park to give Sarah's
25:55
parents a break from their Ashley
25:56
stress. We were watching Mikey on the
25:58
monkey bars when Sarah suddenly grabbed
26:00
my arm. "She's here," she whispered. I
26:03
looked around and spotted Ashley sitting
26:05
on a bench about 50 ft away, just
26:06
watching us. Not approaching, not
26:08
calling out, just staring. "I'm calling
26:11
the cops," I said, pulling out my phone.
26:14
"Wait," Sarah said. "Let me try talking
26:16
to her first. Maybe seeing her in person
26:18
will help me understand what's
26:19
happening." I didn't like it, but I
26:21
nodded. I'll stay with Mikey. First sign
26:24
of trouble, I'm calling. Sarah walked
26:25
over to Ashley and I positioned myself
26:27
between them and Mikey, keeping him
26:29
distracted with promises of ice cream
26:31
while still able to see the sisters. I
26:33
couldn't hear what they were saying, but
26:35
their body language told the story.
26:37
Sarah talking calmly, hands open, Ashley
26:39
defensive, then animated, then crying.
26:42
Sarah put a hand on Ashley's shoulder,
26:44
and Ashley didn't push it away. After
26:46
about 20 minutes, Sarah came back
26:48
looking drained, but somewhat relieved.
26:50
"She's agreed to check herself into a
26:52
treatment center," Sarah said quietly.
26:54
She's been having episodes since her
26:56
divorce, not taking her medication. The
26:58
obsession with you apparently started
27:00
back in college, but got much worse
27:01
recently. "Do you believe her?" I asked
27:04
skeptically. "I don't know, but she
27:07
showed me the intake paperwork for a
27:08
mental health facility. She's going
27:10
tomorrow. Mom and dad are taking her." I
27:12
just nodded, still keeping an eye on
27:14
Ashley, who remained on the bench
27:16
looking at her phone. She also admitted
27:17
she's been off her meds for bipolar
27:19
disorder for months, Sarah continued. No
27:21
one knew. She'd been diagnosed 2 years
27:23
ago, not even mom and dad. That explains
27:25
some things, but I wasn't ready to
27:27
forgive and forget. We still need
27:29
boundaries. Clear, firm boundaries.
27:32
Absolutely, Sarah agreed. But if she's
27:35
getting help, maybe there's hope for
27:36
some kind of relationship down the road
27:38
for Mikey's sake. I wasn't convinced,
27:41
but I nodded anyway. Family is
27:43
complicated. The next few months were
27:45
actually pretty calm. Ashley checked
27:47
into the treatment facility as promised
27:48
and stayed for 6 weeks. Sarah's parents
27:51
kept us updated on her progress.
27:53
Apparently, she was responding well to
27:54
therapy and new medication. The doctors
27:57
had diagnosed her with bipolar eye with
27:58
some borderline personality traits,
28:00
which explained the intensity of her
28:01
fixation on me and her extreme methods.
28:04
We kept our distance, though. Sarah met
28:06
with Ashley a few times, always in
28:08
public places without me or Mikey.
28:10
According to Sarah, Ashley seemed
28:12
genuinely remorseful and more stable.
28:14
She'd admitted to everything, the fake
28:16
letters, manipulating Mikey, contacting
28:17
Robert. She'd even shown Sarah journals
28:20
where she'd documented her obsession
28:21
with me for years, including detailed
28:23
fantasies about us being together.
28:25
Creepy as hell, but at least she was
28:26
getting help. Meanwhile, our family was
28:28
healing, too. I officially adopted
28:30
Mikey, which involved a lot of paperwork
28:32
and a brief court appearance where the
28:34
judge mostly just smiled at Mikey and
28:35
asked if he was happy to have me as his
28:37
dad. Mikey's enthusiastic. He's the best
28:40
dad ever. Made my heart feel like it
28:42
might burst. We also found a new
28:44
therapist for all three of us, Dr.
28:45
Casey, who specialized in family
28:47
systems. She helped us figure out how to
28:49
talk to Mikey about his origin story in
28:51
age appropriate ways. We practiced using
28:53
terms like donor and biological origins
28:56
instead of real dad or not your real
28:58
dad. We roleplayed conversations Mikey
29:00
might have with friends or teachers
29:01
about his family. The best advice Dr.
29:04
Casey gave us was to make Mikey's story
29:05
something special rather than shameful.
29:08
He was wanted so much that you went to
29:09
extraordinary lengths to bring him into
29:11
your family. She told us that's
29:13
something to celebrate, not hide. So, we
29:16
started a new family tradition of origin
29:18
day, the anniversary of when we found
29:19
out Sarah was pregnant. We told Mikey it
29:22
was the day we knew our family was
29:23
beginning. We had cake and looked at
29:25
baby pictures and told him stories about
29:27
how excited we were to meet him. It
29:29
became his second favorite day after his
29:31
birthday. About 6 months after the whole
29:33
blowup, Sarah's parents invited us all
29:34
for Sunday dinner, including Ashley.
29:37
They asked us first, of course, and we
29:38
had a long talk about whether it was the
29:40
right time. Eventually, we decided to
29:42
go, but with clear boundaries, no time
29:44
alone with Mikey, no bringing up the
29:46
past, unless in a therapeutic context,
29:48
and we would leave at the first sign of
29:50
trouble. That dinner.

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