My knees nearly gave way. Had their whole marriage been only half a truth?

Before I could process it, my mother broke down in tears and revealed something even heavier:

“Your father’s first wife… is your sister-in-law’s biological mother. And all these years, she’s never left us in peace, always trying to pull us into her web…”

My head spun. Every argument, every rift in the family—it all traced back to this cursed connection. My father hadn’t betrayed my mother. He had lived his life torn between guilt and his desire to protect us, burying the bitter truth.

But that secret was now exposed—in that dark motel room.

I stood frozen, drained of all strength. My mother wept beside me, while my father bowed his head, the deep wrinkles on his forehead carved by years of burden.