Everyone has secrets, but they usually come out eventually, especially in families. Sometimes, parents have to give their children up for adoption due to difficult circumstances or mistakes. This story is different. A husband felt deeply betrayed when he found out the truth about his wife’s daughter.

“A few years ago, my wife and I got a letter from a woman claiming to be my wife’s daughter, Laurel, who wanted to meet her. My wife had told me that she gave up a child for adoption when she was young, so I thought this might happen.

What I didn’t expect was that there was never any adoption. She just left the baby with the father and left.”

“The worst part is that when Laurel was 12, she wrote to my wife begging for help. My wife replied with a nasty letter blaming Laurel for her problems and telling her not to contact her again and ‘ruin her family.’

I couldn’t believe it. Not only did she lie about giving her up for adoption, but she also abandoned her a second time while we were married. This has been an emotional mess.

We’ve been in contact and building a relationship with Laurel for the last few years. We’ve gone through a lot of therapy. So far, we’ve kept this from our kids. Now, there’s interest in having everyone meet.

The problem is, my wife and Laurel agreed to tell the kids that Laurel is just a family friend. I refuse to lie anymore. I don’t want to lie to my kids about who their family is. It’s important they know the truth.

I only want them to meet if we can tell them the truth. Now, I’m arguing with my wife, Laurel, and my parents (the only others who know). They say I should go along with it for Laurel’s sake. I understand why she wants that, but I don’t think I care anymore. The kids need to know.”