A man who says he and wife have been through "thick and thin" together says he now doesn't know how to move forward after learning their twin children aren't biologically his.
The devastated father has been with his wife, Kelly, for 20 years, and married for 18, and he says he can't imagine life without her. The couple met and fell in love as ambitious colleagues shortly after graduating from university, and soon decided to set up a business together.
A year after starting up their company, they got married, but a "massive fight" two months into the marriage over the direction their business was taking saw him briefly walk out and leave their home.
Two weeks after their row, Kelly reached out to him, and they were able to come to a compromise and ultimately reconcile. It was also around this time that she became pregnant with twins.
The couple has been "inseparable" ever since this early marital blip, and have since weathered a number of difficulties in their business together, always making sure to be there for one another and to trust each other completely.
Sadly, everything came crashing down when ancestry DNA tests showed that his twins had a different biological father, leading to his wife finally opening up about what happened during those two weeks apart.
Taking to Reddit, the heartbroken dad wrote: "Kelly has been crying and apologising constantly. She told me that during the time we had that fight at the start of our marriage, she got drunk one night and slept with a random guy, and that she has not cheated on me since.
"The betrayal has left me disoriented. I told Kelly I needed time to process this and I'm currently staying at a hotel. I don't know what I'm even doing anymore – the last two days have been a blur.
"I feel like a zombie, completely unable to feel or process anything. I don't intend to abandon my kids – I might not be their father, but I'm still their dad and I love them dearly."
Reaching out to fellow Reddit users for their thoughts on how to proceed, he continued: "Right now, I'm sitting on my hotel bed and I have not eaten anything today.
"My thoughts are a mess, so I'm writing this down to help me process. Kelly has always been a great wife and an excellent business partner. I don't know if I'll be able to look at her the same again or if I'll be the same person again. I don't know how to move forward."
One person advised: "First things first - you gotta take care of yourself. Get something to eat. Relax and watch TV. Just unwind a little. You've had a rough bit of news and that is world-shattering for anyone to have to deal with.
"You need to focus on yourself right now. Just give yourself what you need and you will figure this out when you have time. It's already been 17 years - another year won't hurt.
"When you're ready, you can tell your wife what you are going to do. If she only cheated the one time then that's up to you if it's too much or not. That's not my business to say. But you could have a family here if you work at it and if you want to keep it together."
Another commented: "Make your decision, the biggest of your life, in a frame of mind where you're at least physically okay (eating/sleeping, etc.) I'm sorry this happened to you but those are still your kids and life is not always black and white."
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