This Dad Walked Out On His Son And Daughter Because He Couldn’t Handle Learning They Weren’t Biologically His

the truth detonates your whole world: your wife had an affair with your own brother, and neither of your children is biologically yours.

That’s the nightmare one Redditor lived through. The discovery sent him spiraling into the darkest place he’d ever been, until he finally decided he had to walk away. He left behind the family he thought was his, his wife, his kids, his old life, and returned to his home country to start over.

But before he disappeared, he made sure they were provided for. A house. A car. A carefully planned financial portfolio to secure their future.

Yet despite all this, his family is calling him heartless for leaving the kids he’d raised. Is he truly abandoning them, or is this the only way he can survive?

Want the full, gut-punching story? Check out the original post below.

A Betrayal That Shatters Bonds and Leaves No Easy Answers

This story reads like the final act of a Greek tragedy: betrayal, loss, and a man so broken he couldn’t bear to stay.

The Redditor’s pain is impossible to overstate. He didn’t just lose a marriage. He lost his identity as a father. The children he thought were part of him suddenly became a reminder of the deepest betrayal imaginable.

His thoughts of ending his own life are proof of how far he’d fallen. As Dr. Judith Sills, a psychologist writing in Psychology Today, says, “Betrayal can fracture your sense of self so profoundly that drastic decisions feel like the only way to survive.”

And that’s what his decision was: survival.

He didn’t abandon his kids without a second thought. He left them a house, a car, and money to ensure they’d never have to struggle. But emotionally, he felt he couldn’t stay and pretend nothing had happened. Seeing them every day, knowing they were his brother’s children, was too much to carry.

From the children’s side, though, this loss will hurt. They are innocent. They loved him as their dad, and his sudden disappearance could scar them forever. A 2022 Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry study found that kids who experience parental abandonment have a 40% higher risk of anxiety and low self-esteem.

And this isn’t happening in a vacuum. The family is already in chaos. His wife overdosed in the aftermath, and he was disowned by other relatives. The kids are now living with their aunt and uncle—safe, but without the father figure who was there for every scraped knee and bedtime hug.

What Defines a Father – Blood or Love?

This is the question tearing Reddit apart: What makes someone a dad?

Is it the biology that binds you, or the memories you built together?

Many users say his heartbreak doesn’t erase the years of love. Others insist he can’t be expected to keep living a lie.

Dr. Sills believes there isn’t a single “right” answer. “Healing from betrayal,” she writes, “requires acknowledging your pain without letting it define all your relationships.” In other words, therapy could help him learn to stay connected to the kids, even if he can’t forgive his ex-wife or brother.

But for him, right now, the only way to stop hurting was to leave.

What’s Next?

Some wonder if he could have chosen a middle path, staying in contact through calls, visits, or letters. Perhaps over time, he might have rebuilt a connection with the children.

But to him, it felt like living with an open wound.

So he walked away.

A Painful Goodbye or a Necessary Escape?

This Redditor’s story is a gut-wrenching clash of love, betrayal, and survival. Leaving his kids with a house, car, and cash shows he’s not heartless, but walking away from the family he built stings like a fresh wound.

Was he right to prioritize his mental health, or should he have fought to stay for the kids he raised? Can he rebuild trust enough to keep them in his life, or is starting over the only way to heal?

Share your thoughts below!