Sarah, 39, has always been proud of her nearly perfect marriage. The woman’s life took an even more spectacular turn when her husband landed a dream job and the family relocated to a better place to live in. However, a simple observation made by the couple’s young daughter flipped the entire family’s existence upside down. Sarah wrote us a message and asked our readers to share their honest thoughts on her condition.
Sarah and Alan had never had any serious problems and trust issues.
Sarah, 39, shared her fascinating story with us. Prior to reading her letter, we believed that incidents like Sarah’s could only occur in dramatic movies and books. However, her position appeared to be live proof that life can be a wacky playwright at times, and some people’s stories are enough to make any fictional writer jealous.
Sarah opened her letter and said, “Hello!” I’m writing to tell you my tale, and I still can’t believe what’s been happening to my family. My husband, Alan, and I have known each other since we were 13. We started dating at 18 and married at 19. I honestly felt I knew everything about my hubby. We’ve been married for 20 years, and we’ve always been more like husband and wife, soulmates for each other.”
“We’ve never had trust issues, and our family’s golden rule has always been to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. I honestly believed that my family had always been a model to follow. But I have huge doubts now.”
Sarah had a vague idea about Alan’s family.
Sarah continues with her story, saying, “Alan and I have an 8-year-old daughter named Lily. She has grown up in a loving and caring environment, but there has always been one flaw in our nearly perfect family image.”
“Lily has always asked me and her father about her grandmother and grandfather. She saw that practically all of her peers had two sets of grandparents and received a double quantity of love, whereas she only knew her grandparents from my side. She only met Alan’s parents, her paternal grandparents, once or twice when she was two years old, and her father has since avoided even mentioning them in her presence, let alone meeting them.”
Sarah writes, “I only met Alan’s parents a few times during our courting and subsequent marriage. I knew Alan had a difficult relationship with his mother and father, but he never discussed the reasons for this alienation, and I respected his privacy and never insisted on knowing anything about their complicated relationship.”
An observation from Lily lifted the veil of secrecy for Sarah.
Sarah continues her narrative, stating, “We recently moved to a new city due to my husband’s new work. Our eight-year-old daughter, Lily, was telling us about her first day at a new school. When I enquired about her new teacher, my child answered, ‘She’s really cool, and daddy has a photo of her in his wallet.’
Hearing that, my spouse choked on his tea and turned pale. ‘What? Which picture? he asked, breathing violently. Lily exclaimed, ‘My Math teacher, Ms Roberts, you keep her photo in your wallet, daddy, I saw it!'”
Sarah stated, “The scenario was unpleasant, and I got a strong sense that something was very, very wrong. But I tried to remain calm, and I asked, ‘Can you show it to us after dinner, darling?’
Dinner was a mess. I kept looking at my spouse, who was clearly nervous. Then we followed Lily to Alan’s study. My daughter grabbed Alan’s wallet out of his drawer. There was a photo in there of a woman with incredibly nice eyes and a very recognizable dimple.”
Alan’s dark and painful secret was finally revealed.
Sarah wrote: “I waited for Lily to depart for her music class before confronting Alan about the problem with the new teacher and the photo. After an hour of denial, my husband finally admitted the truth.
Alan’s parents were not his biological mother and father; he was adopted at the age of three. After being adopted, he lost his younger sister, Janett. Alan and Janett were separated. My husband was adopted and sent to Chicago; he never saw his sister Janet again.”
“Alan met Janett three years ago and told her about who he was and that she was actually his sister. They had an extremely deep bond from the moment they met, and Alan worked hard to gain a promotion at work and relocate closer to where Janett lived and worked, just to ensure they remained close enough to each other.”
Sarah stated, “I know I should be happy for my spouse, but instead I feel empty and betrayed.” Alan never told me anything about his family, so I had no idea he was adopted or had a sister. I feel like I am stealing his joy by being offended about his secrecy, but I just can’t overcome that disgusting feeling of being humiliated and deceived.
I feel like I’m not special enough for Alan, because he’d been keeping this secret from me for 20 years of our marriage. What should I do about this situation and my feelings because of it?”
