Story 6:
At 23, I needed a birth certificate for a job. My mom couldn’t find it, so I ordered one myself. That’s how I found out I was adopted. The weird part?
My “brother” is actually my half-brother—he’s my birth mom’s first son. She was 17, gave me up, then got me back. Nobody ever told me. I confronted my parents, and they cried. They said they were waiting for “the right time.” That never came, apparently.
Story 7:
I found out that I was only born because my parents had another child who di:ed shortly after birth, and they still wanted a son. My sister and I got into an argument when I was around 14, and she was 16. Exchanged some harsh words until she brought up the “you were only born because the other kid di:ed” situation.
Story 8:
Story 9:
My wife was always typing late at night. She told me it was work—overtime, deadlines, nothing unusual.
One day, I opened the file by accident. It wasn’t work. It was detailed notes about our life: every fight, every vulnerable moment, everything I’d ever told her in confidence. Except in her writing, I was the villain.
When I confronted her, she said it was “just fiction” and that I was overreacting. I wasn’t. We’re divorced now.
Story 10:
A girl showed up at my door last year. She said, “You might be my dad.” I did the math. She was right. Her mom and I had a very brief fling in college. I never even knew she was pregnant.
Now I text her every day. I still don’t feel like a dad, but I’m trying.
