A man’s heartbreaking ordeal has impacted thousands online after he shared the details of his wife’s infidelity.
In a post to Reddit by u/StretchAway3415, the man wrote about his journey to discover his wife’s infidelity; the impact of finding out that her most-recent baby wasn’t his; and why he decided to reveal it publicly. Since his post was written, it has received more than 14,000 upvotes and nearly 2,000 comments from Reddit users.
Newsweek spoke to licensed clinical social worker and founder at Magnolia Psychotherapy, Milissa Aronson, about how the original poster can move forward under such circumstances of betrayal, while keeping his and his children’s well-being as the priority.
In the post, the man said that couple, married for 18 years and parents to four children, had agreed not to have any more kids. Despite their agreement, however, his wife became pregnant. He wrote that she claimed her birth-control pills had failed, but he became suspicious when he found that his condoms had been tampered with. This discovery set off a chain of events that led to the poster’s eventual action to air his wife’s affairs.
A man appears upset as he reads a letter on his sofa. A post on Reddit has gone viral after a husband discovered his wife’s baby was not his own.
Liubomyr Vorona/Getty Images
After going through her phone, the poster said he found evidence of multiple infidelities—leading him to take a paternity test for their most-recent child. When it came back that the baby wasn’t his, the man decided to move out and file for divorce. In pain, he refused to be present during the birth, which resulted in a stillbirth.
As news of the stillbirth spread, people began to question why he wasn’t by his wife’s side during such a traumatic event. The poster wrote that his wife seemed to encourage this narrative, prompting several people to reach out to him with criticism and judgment. He decided to take to social media to set the record straight, posting that the baby was not his biological child.
“She calls it a mistake, but to me, she bred via infidelity and created an entire human being, and I will never forget that,” the poster wrote.
His decision to go public with the truth, despite pressures from his wife’s family to take the post down, was met with overwhelming support on Reddit. Commenters expressed empathy for his situation and backed his decision to reveal the truth.
“So long as she is spinning a false narrative, you should feel free to defend your own reputation,” u/Foolish-Pleasure99 wrote.
“Your wife’s infidelity and deceit justify your anger and lack of compassion. Your social media post was a valid response to unfair judgment,” u/ferin_xx commented.
An Expert Opinion
Despite the widespread support of the public declaration, the situation is not without its complexities, said Milissa Aronson, LCSW. She offered a perspective that emphasized the importance of understanding long-term consequences in such a charged situation.
Aronson said that the poster’s wife’s actions were not only a betrayal of her husband but also of their children and the life they had built together. She also highlighted the risks his wife took, including endangering the family’s financial stability by having an affair with a co-worker.
Despite this, Aronson addressed the man’s decision to go public with his story with more nuance than many commenters—saying that, while it might be tempting to clear his name in a way that levels the scales of shame, it may not be in his, or his children’s, best interest.
“Children are perceptive and curious. They sense when things aren’t right in their family and may seek out answers, including looking up records or finding out through social media,” Aronson said. “It’s important to think about how these actions might affect them down the road.”
In the post, the man wrote that he was having trouble managing the emotional toll of this experience. He added that he sometimes breaks down crying while driving, and he is having trouble finding peace after such a horrible revelation: “My mind is still foggy,” he wrote.
Ultimately, Aronson advised the man to seek support through therapy and a strong network of trusted friends and family.
“This man acknowledged that his mind is foggy, and it’s great that he recognizes this,” she said. “Having several people whom he trusts available to help him deal his feelings and evaluate his decisions before he acts can help him get through the difficult road ahead.
“Once things are settled, he can begin to work through residual trust and anger issues he may have…I wish this man peace and growth as he moves through this painful process.”
Newsweek reached out to u/StretchAway3415 for comment via Reddit and could not confirm details of the case.
