Hello, I have a deep secret that has been eating me up for many years now. I am a 33-year-old man, older than my only brother by 14 years (he is 19). My father is on his sickbed, and it’s so sad to say, but he does not have long to live. I have always known my younger brother is not my father’s. I knew this secret since I was 16, when I saw a series of texts and all the confirmation I needed because I once caught my mother with this man (she didn’t know). I even saw my brother’s real name, given to him by his real father. The name is a Yoruba name; we are Igbo. My father is a great man who built a wonderful empire for us. He traveled a lot when he was building the family business. He gave me and my younger brother the best life and education. We never lacked for one day, and we are good children to him, rewarding his efforts by having distinctions all through school. My little brother is on course to do the same— even better grades than me. I am happily married and have taken over the family business, and everything is going great.
I am also taking care of my younger brother and my mother now. Seeing my dad fall deep into his illness gives me this feeling of guilt that he will go to his grave without knowing the truth. I have kept this secret for so long, but then I wanted to be 100% certain and had a secret DNA test to confirm. Guess what? I and my brother are actually not my dad’s. I love this man dearly, and he doesn’t deserve this. My mother doesn’t know I know all this. I don’t even know how to confront her either. I am so mad she brought this upon us. You can never know my mother has such a secret because she is the most upright and sincere person I have ever seen. This secret and guilt are eating me up— even worse since after the DNA result. What do I do?
Also read: Uncertainty Of The Future