My “Golden Child” Brother Slept With My Wife And Fathered My Son. My Dad Just Rewrote His Will To Leave Him Exactly $1 While I Get $2 Million. Was I Too Harsh To Laugh In His Face When He Begged For Help?

Growing Apart

For the first time in a long time, I felt we were equals, even though he could not physically hurt me. He would try to verbally say nasty things to me when he knew our parents would not be around. It definitely got worse as he got older. It felt like each year he became angrier and had a shorter fuse.

If I approached him to ask something, he would simply ignore me to my face and walk away out of the room, calling me a “nerd” or a “loser” under his breath. If he wanted to say something to me, he would only go through our mother who would relay the message.

I would question my mother as to why Caleb could not just talk to me if he wanted something, and she would implore me to be more understanding. I had no clue if this was just him going through puberty and I had to wait it out, or if he actually truly hated me.

I used to be able to deal with the things he would say over the years, but it got to a point where I just wanted to move out of home to get away from him. I would go to my mother countless times asking if she could mediate a sit-down conversation for all of us to talk it out. But she always refused, saying she didn’t want to get involved. I even asked for her opinion on why he treated me that way, but she would just brush off the question.

Eventually, I went away to my dream university since I was a Grade A student and was even qualified for a scholarship. My dad threw a party for me and my mom seemed proud of me also. However, Caleb remained aloof and distant, barely acknowledging my achievements.

The day I left for university was a mix of excitement for the future and relief to escape the toxic environment at home. The first few months at university were liberating. I made new friends, enjoyed my classes, and started to build a life separate from the oppressive atmosphere I had experienced growing up. The constant fear of Caleb’s verbal attacks lifted and I felt a newfound sense of peace.

Building a Family

I began dating my wife Karen when we were both in the second year of our university. My friend introduced us at a frat party and we clicked right away. Coming from a religious family, having kids without being married was a big no.

However, we found out she was pregnant when we were in the last year of our university, which prompted us to get married as soon as we graduated. Our wedding was a small but peaceful ceremony. Our parents were happy for us and we had a good time at our wedding. At that moment I believe she was the love of my life.

I always held the mindset that I wanted monogamy in life; one woman to come home to and be with for the long haul. Despite women trying to engage with me over the years, I never pursued anything because I was genuinely content in my marriage. Karen was my dream girl and I never wanted to hurt her.

However, over the years there were two occasions when I discovered she was being unfaithful in our marriage. One was an off-and-on affair that lasted a few years with her married coworker, and the other was a fling with an ex she had dated in high school when she went to visit her family states away.

I’m sure there will be people who might call me foolish, and looking back I can’t really deny it myself. After a period of separation in both situations, I made the decision to forgive my wife. I never wanted to raise my child in a broken home and I genuinely believed we could overcome these challenges.

We were quite young when the situation with her coworker occurred, so I chalked it up to youthful mistakes and not thinking things through. For a while, things seemed okay with us. I could never fully trust her, but I tried my best to push aside my doubts because I knew that if I chose to forgive her, I had to work towards moving past and starting with a clean slate.

It’s been four years since the second time she was unfaithful and I felt like I made the right decision by giving her a chance to show that she still wanted to be in our marriage. For years Karen seemed to have changed and we were genuinely happy with plans set in motion for the future of our family.

The Ultimate Betrayal

However, three months ago my reality was once again shattered by yet another incident which, in my mind, was far worse than the others. She revealed that she had been sleeping with someone for quite some time and suggested that our son might not even be mine. Hearing her words, I felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me.

A mix of shock, betrayal, and disbelief overwhelmed me. I struggled to comprehend the enormity of what she had just disclosed. In the days that followed, I managed to ask her why she had kept such a significant secret and how she could have done something so devastating.

Her reaction was a cold and indifferent demeanor. She seemed detached, almost unbothered by the pain she had inflicted. Her responses were vague, leaving me with more questions than answers. It was a surreal and painful moment confronting the shattered trust and the uncertainties about my own family.

I continued to ask Karen to tell me the truth because I felt like I deserved to know who the father of the child was since I had been literally raising our son since the beginning. In the end, she admitted that it was Caleb.

My eyes widened in shock as I asked her what exactly she meant by that. This is when Karen told me how she and Caleb had become friends back when I had introduced Karen to my family and she had stayed with us for Thanksgiving up until the New Year’s. I remember Caleb, who was usually cold to me, was quite polite and warm towards her.

I was glad since I did not want to make Karen feel unwelcome. She wanted to be accepted into my family, so she would spend significant time hanging out with my mom whenever she could. She noticed that Caleb and I were not that close and questioned me about it.

I finally opened up to her about my childhood equation with Caleb and told her how we might never be able to repair our relationship since he never could move past his feelings. Karen understood. However, she started to include Caleb whenever we would go out, perhaps hoping that both of us would warm up to each other.

If we were going to watch a movie, she would invite Caleb and then we would have to watch whatever movie Caleb wanted to watch. I guess during this time Caleb and I did talk a few words here and there, which was a significant improvement compared to how he had been giving me the silent treatment for years. I do remember Karen and Caleb would hang out and play video games together, but I never thought much about it.