A woman discovered her partner's infidelity with their next door neighbor 16 years his junior, which led to an affair child—and the internet has rallied in support.
Reddit user Fale_pompathy29 shared the shocking scenario in the subreddit "TrueOffMyChest," where it garnered 8,100 upvotes.
She revealed that the woman lived next door with her grandma, struggling to make ends meet, while the OP and her partner are well-off.
"I knew granddaughter had a crush on my husband, but I talked to him about my concerns, and he said it's nothing, that he ignores it, and if she crosses the line, he will tell her. We do well financially speaking," she said.
"She fell pregnant. We never asked who the father is, but we both agreed to help her with money. They eventually moved and sold the flat. They moved 3 years ago. I get a phone call last week from the grandma who was crying when heard my voice and told me the little girl is actually my husband's daughter," she wrote.
The family decided to move away because the husband occasionally visited and acted like a father, leading them to fear the girl would start calling him "daddy."
"The old woman told me her granddaughter is feeling extremely guilty because I helped her the most but couldn't call me because she is afraid of me. I went to her workplace, and when she saw me, she ran away in the back (she works in a restaurant)," the OP explained.
The husband had also been secretly paying €1,500 (around $1,600) monthly for the 4-year-old child.
"I confronted my husband about it yesterday after he returned from his daily jogging, and he didn't deny it," the OP said. "He said they had an affair and the child is his. He did the paternity test. He apologised.
"I feel so lost, hurt, betrayed. I always compared myself to that young woman. She was and is extremely beautiful. And my husband is also lean and tall, and I gained weight. I feel like I want to dig a hole and jump in. I feel like a clown."
Expert Weighs In
Rachel Marmor, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor at the PARIS Foundation, shared insights on the emotional challenges of such a situation with Newsweek.
"This is an incredibly painful situation, and it's completely understandable that you feel lost and hurt right now," she said in comments directed to the OP.
"Discovering that your husband not only had an affair but also fathered a child with someone you helped is a deep betrayal. You're dealing with so many emotions—grief, anger, shame, and confusion—and it's OK to feel all of them.
"The most important thing you can do right now is take care of yourself and not rush into any big decisions."
Reddit Reacts
Redditors were quick to share their opinions on the situation.
"I doubt he's sorry about that. That's four years he has lived a double life without consequences," said one user.
"To quote Rihanna, don't tell me you're sorry when you're not. Babe, 'cause you're only sorry you got caught," said Julie.
"He is a horrible person!" said another user.
Newsweek reached out to u/Fale_pompathy29 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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