“Calmly? You want me to stay calm after learning my sons aren’t mine, but my father’s?”
Nancy broke down, her voice trembling. “It was one night. I didn’t know he was your father when I met him. It was in Vegas, before you and I… before I knew you.”
My mind reeled as Nancy recounted the events from 13 years ago. She had met Robert during a girls’ trip to Las Vegas. They’d had a one-night stand, and weeks later, Nancy discovered she was pregnant. Then fate played its cruel hand when she met me, unknowingly connecting her to the man she’d slept with.
“I was scared,” Nancy sobbed. “When I met you, I thought it was a sign, a way to give my babies a father. I didn’t know the truth until I met your parents. By then, it was too late.”
“You lied to me,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “You trapped me into raising my father’s children.”
Robert’s guilt was evident as he finally confessed. “I didn’t know, Harry. When I found out, Nancy swore the boys were yours. I should have told you, but…”
“You should have,” I interrupted, my voice sharp. “You both should have told me.”
The argument was interrupted by the sound of the front door creaking open. Standing in the doorway were Josh and Andrew, their young faces etched with confusion.
“Dad? Grandpa? What’s going on?” Josh asked hesitantly.
“Why were you yelling about us being Grandpa’s kids?” Andrew added, his eyes searching my face for answers.
My heart broke. I couldn’t find the words to shield them from the truth. “Boys, I…”
Nancy stepped forward, tears streaming down her face. “We’ll explain everything, but please, just know we love you more than anything.”
But the damage was done. The boys had overheard enough to understand. Josh’s voice trembled as he asked, “Does this mean you’re not really our dad?”
I knelt before them, my own tears falling freely. “I may not have been the one who gave you life, but I am your father. I’ve been there every step of the way, and nothing will ever change that.”
The boys hesitated, then threw their arms around me. “You’re still our dad,” Andrew whispered.
In the days that followed, my family was left to pick up the shattered pieces of our lives. The truth had come out, leaving scars that would take years to heal. My marriage with Nancy hung by a thread, while Robert’s betrayal drove a wedge between father and son.
But amidst the wreckage, one truth remained: the love between me and my boys. No DNA test could erase the bond we had built, and I vowed to protect that bond at all costs, no matter how much pain the past had caused.