A man has been left devastated after uncovering a 17 year-old family secret.
The revelation came after the father bought DNA testing kits for his twins to take just for fun. However, things took a dark turn after getting the results which revealed that his son and daughter - both 17 - actually have a different biological father.
The husband would then learn that both were conceived by a random man his wife of 18 years slept with, after the couple ran into relationship problems. With things coming to light only days ago, he has since taken to an online discussion forum to share his story.
Writing on Reddit, he began: "My wife, Kelly, and I have known each other for over 20 years and have been married for 18 years. We have 17-year-old twins, and I found out that they aren't mine two days ago."
As the Mirror reports, he went on to explain how he met Kelly at work - and decided to start up a business with her because they're both "very ambitious" people.
"We fell in love, and a year after starting our business, we got married," he added. "A couple of months into marriage, we had a massive fight over the direction we wanted to take our business in, and I left our home.
"She came to me a couple of weeks later, and we compromised. We've been inseparable ever since. Kelly got pregnant around that time.
"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.
"I loved her so much. She was a part of me and I couldn't even imagine a life without her."
He says he trusted her with all his heart - until the DNA results came through making him question everything. He said: "Kelly has been crying and apologising constantly.
"She told me that during the time we had that fight at the start of our marriage, she got drunk one night and slept with a random guy, and that she has not cheated on me since. The betrayal has left me disoriented.
"I told Kelly I needed time to process this and I'm 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. I don't intend to abandon my kids – I might not be their father, but I’m still their dad and I love them dearly."
After moving into a hotel, the man deliberated over leaving his wife or to try make things work.
"Kelly has always been a great wife and an excellent business partner," he added.
"I don't know if I’ll be able to look at her the same again or if I'll be the same person again." He ultimately decided to move back into the family home to discuss the situation face-to-face - and to hear her side of the story.
He said: "My kids were thrilled to see me and we spent some time together. Kelly and I went up to our room after that. I didn't speak to her properly since we saw the results.
"I gave her time to talk. Kelly told me that it had never even occurred to her that the kids couldn't be mine.
"She told me that when we had the fight early in our marriage, she was angry at me leaving over a business dispute and after waiting for me to return, she went to a bar one day and got wasted. She picked up some guy and didn't remember much that happened that night.
"The guy was gone before she woke up the next day and she felt extremely guilty after that. She wanted to tell me but was afraid that I would leave her."
The couple have decided to give marriage counselling a chance - but he knows deep down "things will never be the same". He added:
"I made it clear that we might not succeed and I might leave, but I was willing to try. I assured my children that no matter what happened with my marriage, I would always love them and be their father."
In a recent update, the man told Reddit users: "We are still together. Our relationship has been mended - I wont say its like before because it never will be, but we are in a very good place. Getting to this place wasn't easy - there were days that I felt like I was wasting my time because I couldn't trust her anymore.
But Kelly was very patient with me. Therapy helped immensely. Whenever I felt like giving up, my children were my motivation to keep trying. It was a difficult journey, but I am incredibly lucky that I was able to mend my relationship."
Commenting on his post, one user said: "This is so rare. I hope he doesn't regret giving it another chance. I wish he gets all the happiness he deserves."
Another user added: "She absolutely considered the possibility of the kids weren't his at some point. She probably didn't think about it a few years after they were born, but those nine months were definitely filled with anxiety."
A third user said: "Very rare. Especially being realistic that it might not work and recognize the need for marriage counselling."
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