A woman has shared her shock after discovering her husband hid his 12-year-old daughter from her for their entire relationship – with her only discovering the truth when the poor girl’s mum passed away
A woman has been left feeling “completely numb” after learning her husband has a secret 12-year-old daughter to another woman. The 38-year-old has been married to her husband, 42, for 10 years and has two children with him – aged eight and five.
She thought she was living a “normal, happy life” but this all came crashing down when her husband returned from work one day “visibly shaking”. She said on Reddit: “He sat me down and confessed that he had a child from a one-night stand right before we met. She’s 12 now, and her mother passed away recently. The kicker? He knew about the child the entire time but kept it a secret because ‘he didn’t want to lose me’.”
He showed her emails he’d sent to his daughter’s mother over the years – asking for photos, sending money, and generally checking in on them. She added: “I was devastated but also completely numb. He’d never met the girl in person until her mother passed away.
“Now, here’s where it gets even messier: the girl has no other family, and he wants to bring her to live with us permanently. He said he feels it’s the “right thing to do.” I didn’t know how to respond. One part of me feels like I should be furious, but the other part of me feels like this poor child has lost her mom and needs stability.
“We had a huge fight. I screamed, cried, threw things. He just kept apologising, saying he thought he was doing what was best. But I can’t get past the fact that he hid something so big from me for an entire decade.” Knowing the girl was innocent in all of this, the woman welcomed her into their home.
Seeking advice on how to accept her as her own, she added: “She’s sweet, quiet, and totally innocent in all of this, but I feel like I’m living someone else’s life. I see her every day, and all I can think is: my husband lied to me. She has his eyes, his smile, and it’s like a constant reminder of his betrayal.
“My kids are adjusting, though they’re confused about why their new ‘sister’ appeared out of nowhere. I haven’t told anyone else – not my family, not my friends. I feel so ashamed and trapped. I don’t know if I can stay with him after this, but at the same time, I feel responsible for this girl who had no choice in any of this. I’m drowning, and I don’t know what to do.”
Commenting on her post, one user said: “I’d never stay married to someone who lied and hid a child for 10 years. I mean if he can lie about something this huge then what else is he lying about?” Another user added: “I wonder what else he’s been lying about.” A third user said: “Get couples counselling before making any decisions but it’s understandable to want to divorce after being lied to your whole relationship.”
