Henry is tired of being caught in the middle of the ongoing feud between his wife and her parents. After a fifteen-year wait, he finally confronts the situation and discovers the shocking truth behind the rift.

I understand that family dynamics can be complicated. When Candace, my wife, decided to cut ties with her family, I stood by her side and supported her choice. But after all these years, she still refuses to explain why she made that decision.

Our son, Lucas, once told me, “Mom said I can’t go to Grandma’s house. Grandpa helps me with my homework.” Despite this, Lucas always longed to spend time with his grandparents, who adored him.

“I’ll handle it,” I assured him. “I understand.”

After dropping Lucas off at his grandparents’, I returned home to find Candace making waffles.

“I didn’t want you to take him,” she admitted.

“Candace, Lucas means so much to your parents. I don’t see why he shouldn’t spend time with them. Just because you have issues with them doesn’t mean he should miss out,” I reasoned.

Candace looked at me with her big blue eyes and slowly blinked as we talked.

“They mean nothing to me,” she declared.

Confused and at a loss for words, I couldn’t comprehend what had gone wrong. During Candace’s pregnancy, her parents were always by our side. Her father was always there when she needed help, and her mother took care of everything she could think of. They even stayed with us for a week leading up to Lucas’s due date. They were inseparable.

But everything changed after Candace gave birth.

“Candace,” I spoke up, observing her as she devoured her waffle sandwiches. “Please, tell me what happened.”

She avoided eye contact and continued munching.

“If you don’t tell me, I might consider divorce. I can’t live a life based on lies,” I warned.

She stormed out of the kitchen, throwing her fork onto the counter. She turned to me and asked, “You want the truth, Henry? Here it is.”

She headed to our study and returned with a thick file hidden amongst old encyclopedias. It was the file her father had bought in response to her request.

She tossed the file at me and left the room.

I stood there, hunched over my desk, navigating through a maze of documents, including medical records and a handwritten letter. As I read it, I felt like the world had shifted beneath my feet.

To keep it brief, Candace’s parents were desperate for a grandson. They wanted to pass on their businesses and fortunes to a male heir. This was something they had denied Candace.

Given their influence, it was no surprise that they got what they wanted. Candace did give birth to a girl, but when her parents found out, they orchestrated a switch, giving us Lucas instead – our son in every sense except biologically.

I made my way to the kitchen, noticing Candace standing by the sink with her eyes closed.

“They fired the nurse,” she revealed. “The only evidence left is that handwritten note. Then, she vanished without a trace.”

I poured myself a drink, trying to process everything I had just learned.

“It’s not just a feud, Henry. It’s so much more. It’s about survival,” Candace confessed.

She then opened up to me about everything, explaining how she wanted to but couldn’t bear the possibility of me not accepting Lucas as our son. We sat in the living room, and she shared her story.

“We have a biological daughter out there,” she said, filled with regret.

“Is this why your mother insisted on not knowing the baby’s gender?” I asked. My sister had wanted to plan an elaborate gender reveal, but Candace’s mother opposed the idea.

We started DNA testing a few months ago, and the results confirmed that Lucas is not our biological son. We also threatened to sue the hospital if they didn’t disclose the identity of our daughter.

Together, Candace, Lucas, and I met the other family and our daughter, Darcy. Candace has my eyes and sandy brown hair. She’s a wonderful girl.

As for Candace’s parents, they’ve become ghosts of a past we’d rather forget. Legal battles continue, and I’ve made it clear to Candace that I intend to fight for what’s rightfully ours.

Despite everything, both families are focused on healing and moving forward. Candace believes that honesty is the only way to move forward, so we’ve shared the truth with our children.

The kids are doing well with the news, and we’ve had a few meetings with the other family. Lucas is grateful that we didn’t hide the truth from him and gave him the chance to learn about it. He and Darcy have a great relationship.

I’m seeing life through Candace’s eyes now, and I can’t fathom how she endured this secret for so long. But she firmly believes that Lucas was the bright light that helped her survive all these years.

If you were in our shoes, how would you deal with this situation?

Another story for you: Olivia, three months pregnant with her second child, finds out about her husband’s infidelity through a pottery party planned by her friend, Ava. Where do they go from here?

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