I have been married for a few years now with two children. My marriage was doing fairly well until I met this gorgeous lady. I had no intention of getting involved with her. All I wanted was to be her friend. Thankfully, she wanted to be my friend too. I didn’t hide the fact that I was married from her. And we established healthy boundaries so we wouldn’t cross any lines.

As time went on we grew very close. Our bond was so strong that my wife noticed it. “What’s going on between you and this Abena person?” She asked. I told her the truth, “Nothing is going on between us. We are just friends.” She didn’t say anything but I could tell she wasn’t convinced.

Another time we were having a conversation when she casually asked, “Are you in love with Abena?” I almost choked on my own spit because of how direct the question was. I didn’t want to lie to her even though I knew the truth wouldn’t be pleasant to her. I took a minute to gather my thoughts before saying, “I want you to know that I love you very much. And I won’t do anything to hurt our marriage Abena and I are just friends.”

She frowned, “You haven’t said anything to answer my question. Tell me the truth, are you in love with her?” As much as I hated to admit it, I had to face the ugly truth. “Yes, I am in love with Abena. I didn’t mean for it to happen. Just know that it doesn’t mean I love you any less, and I don’t have any intention of cheating on you.” Just because you asked for the truth doesn’t mean you want to know the truth. This statement defines my wife’s reaction to my answer.

She started throwing tantrums and packing her bags. I tried to calm her down but she was too upset to listen. All she said repeatedly was, “I am leaving the marriage with my children so that you and Abena can do whatever you want.” “Please don’t leave,” I begged her. “We can talk about this. I will cut her off. She won’t be in my life anymore.” Nothing I said got to her. When she finished packing her bags, she tried to pack the children’s bags. It was then I realized she wouldn’t change her mind.

I did the only thing I had the power to do. I stopped her from taking our kids along. I thought if she left without them, she would soon realize she belongs with us, and then come home. But I was wrong, seeing as my wife refused to return home.

I went after her several times but she wouldn’t give me a listening ear. What broke my heart in all this is that she was pregnant at the time she left. Could you believe she terminated the pregnancy because of the answer I gave her? “How can I have another child with a man who is in love with someone else?” That’s what she said. What I don’t understand is why she took her anger with me out on an innocent baby.

I felt a double loss when she left. Her absence and the loss of our unborn child. However, I couldn’t put my life on hold because of grief. My kids needed me so I comforted myself and moved on. I settled into the role of a single father and took care of our kids for two years.

Honestly, in the second year, I stopped trying to bring her back. I found someone and I am in love with that person. I am doing the best I can to balance having a relationship and raising the kids. It’s not easy but I am trying.

Just recently, I was at home with the kids when she showed up. Her presence didn’t shock me as much as what she brought with her. She is pregnant with a child that is certainly not mine. I have not had any sexual relations with her since she left. So she couldn’t have even pinned it on me.

She explained that the pregnancy was a result of a one-night stand she had with one of her colleagues at work. She tried to get rid of it but they told her that it’s not medically safe to do that. So her only choice is to keep it. I wish I could say that I was hurt to see her carrying another man’s child but that would be a lie. The coldness with which she abandoned our family has killed my affections for her. If I was still in love with her, it would have crushed me to know that she got rid of our baby but kept another man’s child. But I wasn’t so I was unfazed.

I Lost My Virginity When I Was Seventeen

My problem right now is, she wants me to claim the child as mine. “Please, give the baby your name and allow me to move back home. I should never have left in the first place. I am so sorry that I did.” She claims the man who impregnated her doesn’t know that her pregnancy is a result of their affair. She said she would like to keep it that way.

I have spent days thinking about her request but I am not making any headway. I don’t know if I can do what she wants. Even if I do it, how long are we going to keep the paternity of the child a secret from our families? Or what if the baby comes out looking like the other man? This is a difficult situation she wants to put me in. Marriage is for better for worse. So is this my version of worse? I am confused. Please, tell me how to handle this.

—Alex 

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