A Successful Business Man And Father Of Three
Richard was a 55-year-old successful businessman living in the U.K. One of his most successful ventures was co-founding MoneySupermarket.com, a popular website that a lot of people used to compare prices while shopping.
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Richard met his wife, Karen, while the two of them were working at a bank. They were soon married with three boys. Richard was living out a dream: devoted husband, doting father. Little did he know it would soon come crashing down.
The Couple Divorced As The Kids Left The House
Richard and Kate’s sons were Will, and twins Ed and Joel. When Will was 23 and the twins were 19, Richard and Kate decided to separate.
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The marriage was over, but Richard and Kate remained committed to parenting their three children. In 2008, the couple’s divorce was finalized.
Kate Pushed For More Money In The Divorce
Though the couple mutually decided to get divorced, once the proceedings started, Karen continued to push Richard for more money. In the financial settlement, Kate was to receive a $5 million lump sum.
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The money Richard would pay included money for private school for the boys and Richard couldn’t grasp why Karen wanted more money. According to Richard, Karen “hounded” him for years trying to get him to pay more.
Eight Years Later, The Truth Is Revealed
Though the couple’s divorce was finalized in 2008, it wasn’t until eight years later in 2016 that Richard found out about his wife’s major secret. It would ultimately leave him speechless.
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Perhaps the worst part is that Karen never admitted her wrongdoings to Richard, instead he found out about Karen’s massive secret at a routine checkup at the doctor’s office. He would have never known if it wasn’t for the doctors visits
Richard Was Diagnosed With Cystic Fibrosis
At age 55, Richard was at the doctor for a routine health checkup. Richard figured he’d be in and out in no time. But, the doctor thought it would be a good idea to run some additional tests. When the doctor told Richard that he had cystic fibrosis, he was shocked.
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He was just expecting a routine health checkup, and this news was hard to bear. The cystic fibrosis diagnosis was a scary realization for Richard.
The Disease Is Genetic
His sister also had CF and he’d known there was a chance he would have it too. Cystic fibrosis leads to frequent lung infections, which causes damaged lungs and decreased lung capacity, which makes it hard to breathe.
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Since CF is genetic, Richard immediately thought about his three young sons when he learned of his diagnosis. Richard grew extremely worried that one of his boys would have to face the same diagnosis.
The Doctor Said That His Sons Wouldn't Have It
So, Richard did what any father would do, he asked his doctor about his sons. Then, the doctor delivered the most shocking blow of all.
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The discussion turned to fertility and the doctor told Richard that he and his second wife, Emma, would have a hard time conceiving because Richard, as a man with CF, was infertile.
The Diagnosis Must Be Wrong
At this point, Richard was thinking he likely received an incorrect diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. He did have three healthy sons, after all. Richard told the doctor what he was thinking and said that clearly more tests needed to be done, right?
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The doctor opened his eyes super wide and stared at Richard.
The Diagnosis Was Correct. His Ex-Wife Had Been Lying.
Boom! It hit Richard like a brick wall. The doctor’s cystic fibrosis diagnosis was right. It was Richard’s ex who was lying. So now, not only did Richard receive awful news about his health, he also found out on the very same day the worst news of all.
He found out that his three sons were not biologically his. For all of this time, Karen was lying to Richard. Now, he knew the truth.
He Began Putting Things Together
As his world crashed around him, Richard started having flashbacks. Family memories, memories with Karen were all now just opportunities that Karen may have been lying to Richard and sneaking around with another man.
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Before that fateful day in the doctor’s office, Richard had never thought that his ex wife would have had an affair and gotten pregnant three times. Now, looking back, Richard realized it was totally possible that all of this was taking place right under his nose.
Had He Ignored The Red Flags?
Richard was a hardworking businessman. He was successful. He was busy. He worked many late nights. So, he thought nothing of it when Karen had to excuse herself for a “work-related matter.” Like those times when Karen stayed out of town for a night extra here and there during “work trips.”
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What about all of those “cancelled flights?”
People Didn't Think The Twins Looked Like Him
Richard’s mind was spinning. Before that day, Richard would have never in a million years even considered the the boys weren’t his.
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He was starting to remember how much people would comment that the twins look like his ex-wife, but not Richard.
Out Of Nowhere, Kate Wanted The Kids To Be Jewish
When she was pregnant with their first baby, Karen had made a rather odd suggestion, Richard remembered. Before becoming pregnant with their firstborn, Kate had never mentioned wanting to teach their future family Judaism.
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But, out of nowhere when finding out she was pregnant, Kate wanted the kids to be raised jewish. Instead of going to church and baptizing the children, like Karen and Richard were, Karen taught the kids Judaism and the couple even gave all three boys Jewish middle names.
He Began Thinking Of Who The Boys Looked Like
His mind still racing, Richard started thinking about who his sons looked like, other than his ex-wife. He went round and round trying to come up with possible men that could be the boys’ real father.
After some time reflecting and processing, Richard narrowed it down to who he believed his ex had an affair with while they were married.
He Suspected Who It Was
The first clue came when he thought back to her business trips. Did she cheat with someone at work? It made the most sense.
Unsplash/Craig Whitehead
Richard began to think about a male coworker of Karen’s, whom he thought the kids looked like. Then, the brick wall hit Richard again when he remembered that man was Jewish
Richard Sent An Email To Kate, Pressing Her To Confess
Richard knew what he had to do next: talk to Karen. So, he sent her an email telling her about his diagnosis and infertility and asked her to come clean. Karen never replied.
Richard sent another. This time, Richard’s email was packed with a punch: a threat that if she doesn’t come clean, Richard will have to tell the boys himself. This time, she responded.
She Denied It
Karen replied, denying that she ever had an affair and saying there was no way the boys were not biologically Richard’s. She blamed him for his distrust and stuck with her story.
Unsplash/Aryan Dhiman
After reading that reply, Richard decided to get some testing done and tell his sons. He felt like he had no choice but to be honest and know the truth.
Richard Called His Eldest Son
Richard called his oldest son first, Will. Richard was nearly certain that it was impossible he was Will’s biological father. But, he needed a DNA test to be sure.
So, Richard told Will about his CF diagnosis and the fact that it was very unlikely that somebody with cystic fibrosis could father a child. Richard told Will that he’d always be his dad, whether biologically or not. The pain from the deception and lies mixed with the cystic fibrosis diagnosis was almost too much for Richard to bear.
Will Confronted His Mom
After hearing the news from his dad, Will confronted his mom, Karen. He asked her if she thought Richard was in fact, his father. Though she lied to Richard, Karen was honest with Will. Yes, she said, she had an affair.
Karen said the affair started during her marriage with Richard. It was likely, she said, that Will’s biological father was someone other than who he thought was his father. Richard’s suspicions were true.
So, who was the father?
Admitting To The Affair
A man that Karen met the same exact way she met Richard, working at a bank. She hid the affair for more than two decades.
Even though Karen admitted to the affair, she still insisted that the boys were Richard’s. Richard did not believe her and decided to go through with testing.
On A Mission
On a mission to get everything sorted, Richard had to undergo a series of tests. First, Richard took tests to check his fertility levels. The results confirmed that he could not father children.
Now, he was on to DNA testing. He collected DNA samples from the twins first. Once again, Richard’s suspicions were confirmed: he was not the twin’s father. Richard was devastated and heartbroken.
Will Refused To Take The Test
When Will heard the results of the twins tests, he refused to give his DNA sample. He did not want to have science prove what they already knew.
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Will said, “As far as I’m concerned, he’s my Dad and that’s that.”
Will Told Richard Not To Sue Their Mom
Richard knew that his case would be much stronger and would be able to take legal action against Kate if he had Will’s DNA sample. There was another issue…
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Richard recalled his conversation with Will: “My eldest son told me, ‘Dad, if you sue Mum, I will never speak to you again.” Richard in the end decided to go through with the lawsuit against Kate. Will stayed true to his word, and hasn’t spoken to him since.
The Twins Still Support Their Dad
Even though Richard’s oldest son is angry about the lawsuit against his mom, the twins Ed and Joel are on good terms with their Dad.
Unsplash/Sabine van Straaten
One of the tins wrote “Of course I’ll stay in touch, that will never change… I’m always here for you too and you will always be Dad. Love you.”
Richard Won The Paternal Fraud Case
When it was all over, Richard ended up willing the paternal fraud lawsuit against Kate. The court ordered her to pay over $300,000 to Richard. The main part of the agreement from Kate that was settled in court was that the true father of the boys shall not be revealed to anyone.
Richard truly believed deep down that the boys have a right to know who their biological father was. He decided to reluctantly agree to the terms. He’s currently undergoing treatment for his cystic fibrosis and has reported that his health is improving.