Gerald requested a paternity test because of persistent doubts about the appearance of his middle child. He was unaware that this would turn his life upside down. His 12-year marriage suffered irreparable harm as a result of the DNA test results.
I was looking at my seven-year-old son’s school photo on a typical day, trying to find any trace of myself in his features.
I was struck by the stark contrast in appearance between Aidan and his brothers as he turned to look at me.
As doubts crept into my mind, that familiar stomach knot tightened.
The contrast made me feel as though it were shining a spotlight on my worst fears each time I looked at family photos.
I had no idea that these worries would one day ruin my life.
I had what most people would call the American dream, which consisted of living in a suburban house with my amazing wife Julia and three beautiful boys.
We were content and Julia and I still had that spark after twelve years of marriage because of my job as an IT project manager. She was the kind of partner who would make fun of my terrible dad jokes and leave love notes in my lunchbox.
We had met at a friend’s barbecue, and I immediately recognized her special qualities from our first conversation. I thought I couldn’t possibly love her more when we got married two years later.
I’ll never forget the day Liam was born.
Julia had been in labor for twenty-three hours, and when they finally placed him in my arms, my whole world shifted.
“He’s got your eyes,” the nurse said, and she was right.
He had the same deep-set brown eyes and the same slightly crooked smile.
Even Julia’s mom couldn’t stop gushing about how much he looked like me.
“He’s definitely your son,” she’d say, laughing. “Poor Julia didn’t get a look in!”
Watching Julia with our newborn son made me fall in love with her all over again. The way she handled those sleepless nights amazed me.
I was honestly speechless looking at how she went through so much to bring our little one into this world.
It made me respect my mother on a whole new level.
When Julia got pregnant with Aidan two years later, we were over the moon. I couldn’t wait to hold my second boy in my arms.
However, things didn’t feel the same when Aidan was born and I looked at him for the first time.
While Liam had been my mini-me, Aidan seemed to come from nowhere. He had pearl blonde hair while we were all dark-haired.
His eye shape and color were totally different, and his smile wasn’t like mine at all.
“Babies change as they grow,” Julia had said when I mentioned it casually. “Remember how Liam looked completely different at three months?”
I nodded and pushed the thoughts away. But they never really left.
Looking back, I tried to ignore it.
Aidan was such a happy baby.
He was always giggling and reaching for me when I came home from work. He grew into an energetic toddler who loved dinosaurs and could spend hours building elaborate block towers.
I threw myself into being his dad, but that nagging feeling would creep in during quiet moments.
Then came Owen last year.
The moment I saw him, it was like seeing Liam all over again. The same eyes, the same nose, and even the same chin dimple.
That’s when the doubts about Aidan really took root.
I’d catch myself studying his features at dinner, then feel guilty when he’d notice and give me that innocent smile.
Last week, it all came to a head.
I woke up gasping, my T-shirt was drenched in sweat.
I had just woken up from a horrifying nightmare where Julia was in another man’s arms, and they were laughing about their secret.
“Honey?” Julia’s sleepy voice came through the darkness. “You okay?”
My stomach churned as I looked at her concerned face in the dim light.
“Yeah, just a bad dream,” I mumbled, but I wasn’t able to sleep again that night.
The next evening, I prepared myself to talk to Julia after we’d tucked the boys in.
She was curled up on our brown leather couch, scrolling through her phone. I felt my heart pound against my chest as I sat down beside her.
“Jules, can we talk?”
She put down her phone, smiling.
“Of course. Everything okay?”
“I need to ask you something, but please don’t get offended.”
She raised an eyebrow playfully. “Oh god, have you fallen in love with someone else?”
The joke hung in the air as I stayed silent.
“Gerald?” Her smile faded.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s about Aidan,” I started, my mouth dry. “Have you ever noticed how different he looks from Liam and Owen?”
“Different?” She sat up straighter. “Well, yeah, kids don’t always look alike.
Look at my sister’s twins. They’re nothing alike.”
“But Aidan looks… really different. Like he’s not…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
Julia’s face changed as she realized what I was talking about.
“Like he’s not what, Gerald?” she asked.
“Not yours? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“I just… I think we should do a paternity test.” The words tumbled out. “Just to be sure.”
That’s when she stood up and started yelling at me.
“A paternity test?” she looked at me with wide eyes.
“Are you actually accusing me of cheating on you?”
“No, I just—”
“After twelve years of marriage? After everything we’ve been through together?” Her voice rose with each word. “How dare you!”
“If there’s nothing to worry about, then why not just do the test?” I pleaded.
“It’s the only way I’ll stop wondering. Please, Jules? For me?”
“Do whatever the hell you want,” she spat as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“But don’t expect me to ever forget this. I can’t believe you just…”
She broke into tears before finishing the sentence. I tried to hold her hand, but she just stormed out of the room.
I shouldn’t have done this, I thought.
But why did she react like that? She should’ve stayed calm if she’s not at fault.
Part of me regretted sharing my doubts with Julia, but part of me said I had the right to do the paternity test. I had the right to clear my doubts.
Getting the test done was awkward.
I ordered a home testing kit online, and when it arrived, I had to figure out how to explain it to Aidan.
He was super curious about the cheek swab.
“It’s just a special test to learn more about our family,” I explained. “Like how we both love chocolate ice cream… Maybe that’s in our genes!”
“Will it hurt?” he asked, clutching his favorite dinosaur toy.
“Not at all, buddy. It’s just like brushing your teeth.”
He sat still while I swabbed his cheek.
Then, he ran off to play with his brothers, already forgetting about it. I wished I could forget too.
The next two weeks were the longest of my life.
Julia barely spoke to me and slept in the guest room. She only talked to me about the kids’ schedules.
Nothing else.
At dinner, she’d serve my plate without looking at me, and I noticed she’d stopped wearing her wedding ring.
When the envelope finally arrived, my hands shook as I opened it. The results were clear.
99.99% probability of paternity.
Aidan was mine. The relief that flooded through me was immediately replaced by shame.
I showed Julia the results that evening, hoping it would fix things.
Instead, she burst into tears.
“You think this makes it better?” she asked. “You broke us, Gerald. You broke our trust.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“I was wrong. So wrong.”
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