DNA or paternity tests can be requested for various reasons. However, the following five stories show how it can end marriages and damage relationships.
Being able to take DNA tests has changed how people handle pregnancies. In the following stories, five Reddit users share how taking DNA tests affected their lives in a significant way.
A worried couple looking at a document | Source: Shutterstock
Both Parents Discover Their Child Isn’t Biologically Theirs
A 29-year-old woman revealed on Reddit that she started dating her husband, 31, in college and loved him immensely. The couple shared a daughter, five, and things in their relationship were going well until her husband decided to get a DNA test.
The test was negative, and the woman’s husband started changing toward her. The original poster (OP) was shocked by the results because she’d never cheated on him. She said no one else could be their daughter’s father as she and her husband were already married when they tried to conceive, with her insisting:
“I never cheated; I never would cheat.”
A woman crying while holding a piece of paper in her hand with a man sitting beside her | Source: Shutterstock
Before dating her spouse, OP had only slept with two other men. In retaliation to the results, OP’s husband began spending more time at work and wasn’t talking to his wife like before. He told her he’d taken the test because he’d always been suspicious of the little girl having brown eyes while they both had blue.
At one point, he wanted OP to leave their home, but when he finally calmed down, he agreed to discuss the issue further. They settled on doing a couple of tests to get to the truth. The husband vowed to lose his mind if the tests didn’t prove his wife’s innocence.
An upset couple talking to a woman while the man gestures with some documents | Source: Shutterstock
One of the tests they took was a blood paternity test that shockingly proved the couple were both not the little girl’s biological parents! The family’s lives were turned upside down, and the authorities were involved with a police officer coming over to take their statements.
OP and her husband presented a united front when suing the hospital where she gave birth. The thought of her birth daughter terrified her as she contemplated where the child could be. However, what frightened her the most was the thought of what would happen after the little girl was found.
An emotional woman holding a child while standing behind a depressed man who is drinking | Source: Shutterstock
As much as she was curious about her birth daughter, she was still a protective mother to her five-year-old and didn’t want the child to know they weren’t her birth parents because it would ruin her childhood. She also worried about the child telling her friends and school, leading people to gossip about her.
OP returned to Reddit a few weeks later to reveal that they’d found their biological daughter, and she was in foster care. The child’s fake parents took her straight from the hospital, but the police placed her in foster care after discovering she wasn’t their biological child.
A couple playing with two girls | Source: Shutterstock
OP and her husband applied to adopt their biological child from her foster parents. From their court filing about the hospital’s negligence, they got around $2 million as settlement money. The couple explained to the daughter they’d lived with all those years that she had a sister coming to stay with them.
OP and her husband told the little girl they still loved her despite all that was happening. She and her spouse now planned on relocating to another town for a fresh start with their children. Luckily, that story had a great ending, but how did this one about a father taking a test because of his child’s darker skin end?
A happy interracial couple embracing in their home | Source: Shutterstock
Man Secretly Takes a Paternity Test to Appease His Family
In 2022, a female Brazilian/American Reddit user, 30, reached out to the “Relationship Advice” subreddit seeking assistance with her situation. She revealed that she and her Serbian husband, 29, had a three-year-old daughter who looked different from them.
Her husband’s family had fair skin, while hers looked more light brown with mixed ethnicity. The Redditor and her husband were close to their extended families and often visited them to give the child a rich cultural experience.
A black woman with two kids | Source: Shutterstock
When the couple’s daughter was born, she had smooth hair and fair skin, but she started turning darker brown as she got older. Even her hair has become curlier, leading the rest of the family to show interest in the child’s changing features.
The Redditor’s husband’s family was consistently involved in their lives and curious about their daughter. A year before writing her post, her husband’s family had started joking about “the milkman” and that she’d gotten too much sunshine while pregnant.
A black woman facing up while having trouble falling asleep | Source: Shutterstock
The jokes continued and were passive-aggressive, but the child’s mother ignored them until they stopped. Days before putting up her Reddit post, she scrolled through her husband’s phone’s gallery, looking for a specific picture while they sorted out a fencing issue.
Thinking she’d found what she was looking for, she clicked on the screenshot of the document only to realize it was a paternity test result! The test confirmed her husband as their daughter’s father. She confronted him about it, and he confessed that he had taken it a year before because of his family’s constant questioning about the child’s darker skin.
A biracial couple having a tense moment while enjoying while and grapes | Source: Pexels
He revealed that his family demanded he get the test, insinuating that his wife might’ve cheated on him. Every time he visited his family, the topic of his child’s paternity came up, and she now recalled how unusually irritable and stressed he’d be when he returned home.
He usually excused his behavior by blaming it on work or family issues. The Reddit user became angry and asked why he even considered the idea and how disrespectful it was to her and their daughter. The man claimed he’d never entertained the matter seriously and only took the test to appease his family.
A man sharing a tender moment with his mother | Source: Shutterstock
He tried defending himself by showing her older messages where he supported her and tried to shut down his family’s suspicions. However, his effort to seem innocent didn’t dispel his wife’s anger, especially since he’d chosen to keep the test a secret.
She realized that the memories of whenever they spent time with his family were now tainted by their false outlook on her and her daughter. Her husband said he didn’t tell her because he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
A bi-racial couple arguing | Source: Shutterstock
The Redditor’s guilty husband apologized sincerely, but she couldn’t find comfort in being around his family anymore. She felt distressed, but simultaneously, she struggled to let the issue go for her daughter’s sake.
The child’s mother questioned if her husband trusted her, and the incident left her shaken. The couple was no longer intimate, open, and vibrant like before, as the breach of trust overshadowed everything. The incident was their first significant disagreement, and she was unsure how to proceed. Her story concluded without a comfortable ending, but this next one won’t leave you hanging.
A shocked woman looking at the man in front of her | Source: Shutterstock
A DNA Test Exposed One Woman’s Twin Brothers as Her Husband’s Children
Another Reddit user, female and 40, took to the platform to share her own DNA story. She revealed how she was 15 when she fell in love with her future husband. Two years into their relationship, she fell pregnant and chose to have a future with him.
The pair moved into her parents’ house, and when she was 18, they got married. Soon afterward, the newlyweds relocated next door to her grandparents’ empty house, which was her inheritance. The couple later welcomed more children together.
A large family preparing a meal together in the kitchen | Source: Pexels
By age 40, she was seven months pregnant with their last child when she went on a girls’ trip with her friends. The woman decided to return from the trip a day early to sleep comfortably in her bed, but she was in for a shock.
Upon entry into her bedroom, she found her mother having sex with her husband! Her mother screamed at her, asking her to leave “their bedroom,” leaving her flabbergasted. The parent left covered in a bedsheet, leaving the Reddit user to confront her husband.
A man and woman caught in bed by another woman | Source: Shutterstock
He quickly told the truth, revealing how his mother-in-law seduced him at age 18 when they were still living with her parents. The man said since then, they were intimate monthly and ensured they were never caught. The truth broke his pregnant wife’s heart.
To make matters even worse, it dawned on her that her youngest sibling and twin brothers could be her husband’s children! She called her father and filled him in on everything, and in his devastation, he immediately confronted her mother.
A devastated man with his hand covering his face | Source: Getty Images
The Redditor wanted their family to know the truth and hosted a party where she exposed her husband and mother’s affair. To her surprise, some family members, including her husband’s whole family, felt she was wrong for telling the truth.
Sadly, her mother’s friend and church leader also got wind of the truth, leading them to call to try to confirm the matter. The Redditor’s mother was intimately removed from being the children’s pastor. However, instead of taking accountability, her mother blamed her with the poster stating:
“She claims I’ve essentially ruined her reputation and life.”
An upset older woman screaming while looking down with her hands in her hair | Source: Pexels
The woman’s father kicked his wife out, and she moved in with her 38-year-old daughter. The hurt husband also insisted on having a DNA test done for the three youngest boys. The tests shockingly revealed that the Redditor’s husband was the biological father of the twin boys!
She responded to the news by kicking him out and divorcing him. The poster and her father leaned on each other for support, with him talking to her about selling the grandparents’ house that had terrible memories. He planned on giving her money from the sale so she could buy herself a new home.
An older man embracing a younger woman who’s seated on a couch with her phone | Source: Pexels
The Reddit user’s husband and mother would get nothing from the sale. Her ex-husband was now a father of seven children. She took half of his business, seeing as she’d helped set it up and had been the office manager while taking a break from her career.
The heartbreaking thing for her was losing contact with some family members. Her minor children don’t know why she divorced, but her 14-year-old daughter knew and chose to cut contact with her father. The man’s ex-husband eventually confessed that he started the affair with his mother-in-law after the poster once made him angry.
An upset woman looking at her phone | Source: Getty Images
He reached out to his mother-in-law for comfort, and that’s how they started an intimate relationship. The Redditor’s ex admitted that he would’ve divorced her, but it was more beneficial for him to remain in their relationship.
A woman holding a newborn baby girl | Source: Pexels
Paternity Test Vindicates Woman Shunned by Husband’s Family
A 24-year-old Reddit user contacted other users with a story about her family. The OP revealed that she had three sons who looked exactly like their father, but when their daughter was born, she looked nothing like him.
She arrived with pale skin and platinum blonde hair; her eye color was green and different from the rest. During her pregnancy with their daughter, OP had built a close relationship with an older male co-worker. The colleague was extra friendly to her and another female co-worker.
An older man talking to a younger woman while standing in front of a coffee machine | Source: Pexels
Her co-worker would bring her and the other woman coffee in the mornings, and sometimes, he left flowers on their desks. She didn’t think much about his behavior because he was happily married and always spoke fondly about his family, plus he never made any advances.
Despite the true nature of their relationship, OP’s husband was uncomfortable with it and wanted her to cut ties with him, but she refused. The couple fought about it, but it eventually seemed to fade away. However, when their daughter was born, the husband’s anger reappeared.
An angry man gesturing with his hand | Source: Pexels
The little girl was born sporting the same eye color and skin tone as her mother’s older male co-worker. The woman’s husband couldn’t bear to hold the little girl when she was born. He demanded a paternity test, which his wife refused to do because she thought it was humiliating and unnecessary.
She tried to convince him that their child looked exactly like her great-grandparents, but he wasn’t having it and was more focused on finding out if she’d cheated on him. Not only did she have to deal with him, but his family made things worse with their involvement.
A mother caring for her crying child | Source: Pexels
Her parents-in-law even turned their backs on her, and her husband refused to assist in taking care of their daughter. OP was hurt by him not being the same way he was when they welcomed their sons. When her son had his birthday, everyone avoided talking to her, and that’s when she decided to get the test.
During the event, her mother-in-law excluded the little girl from a photo of her grandchildren. However, OP had the last laugh when the DNA test came out, proving her husband was their daughter’s father. Everyone in the family felt terrible and apologized for how they treated her.
A man trying to make amends with an upset woman | Source: Pexels
OP’s husband finally carried his daughter for the first time and cried in the moment. He also apologized profusely to his wife and always cried whenever he held his baby girl. She forgave him because she felt he was being genuine in his remorse.
However, she wanted nothing to do with his family and eventually gave her husband an ultimatum about them either relocating to her home country or divorcing. When OP told him she was talking to divorce lawyers, he realized how serious she was and agreed to do anything she wanted to earn her forgiveness.
A man holding a newborn baby | Source: Pexels
Sadly, she didn’t want any contact with her husband’s family ever again because she didn’t want her children to receive the same treatment she had to endure. On top of that, she and her husband went to individual and couples therapy.
OP shared how things were going well between her and her husband and said she hoped they remained that way. The Reddit user isn’t the only woman whose husband demanded a paternity test due to resemblance issues; the following social media user also shared her story.
A pregnant woman sits with her legs on her man | Source: Pexels
Woman Threatens Divorce after Mother-in-Law Insists on DNA Test for Grandson
In late 2023, a woman took to Reddit to share that she and her husband had been together for five years, with three of them being in marriage. Her husband’s mother was quite overbearing and caused them tension. She often gave unsolicited opinions and behaved unduly, leaving his wife bothered, but she tried never to show it.
OP believed being angry with him for actions out of his control was unjust. The actions she referred to were how his mother spoke and the hurtful things she did. However, she didn’t like that he failed to stand up to his mother when his wife felt uncomfortable or upset with her intrusions.
A family enjoying a meal together | Source: Pexels
At one point, OP’s mother-in-law started questioning the paternity of her child. The parent had commented about the boy not looking like her son when he was a toddler. The upset OP felt the woman was accusing her of sleeping around.
The Reddit user vehemently denied the claims while being emotionally distressed by the situation, but her husband remained passive. He didn’t protect her from his mother’s accusations, and that lack of support created a gap in their relationship.
A couple arguing in the living room | Source: Shutterstock
OP emotionally distanced herself from her husband as her frustration continued and her sense of being disrespected grew. One day, he casually announced that he was going to get a DNA test for their son to try and appease his mother, and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
His wife felt like his words were a slap to her face and an insult to her integrity, and that’s when she decided to stop enduring the toxicity. OP got legal counsel and started looking for a new place to avoid the chaos.
A woman arguing with her mother-in-law | Source: Shutterstock
She was unshaken in her decisions and planned to present her divorce papers when the DNA test arrived in a few days. OP knew divorcing her husband wasn’t about her, but it was primarily an effort to shield her son. The poster knew how hard things could be for her boy, seeing as she’d come from a childhood broken by the battles between her parents.
She didn’t want him to endure the same life she had to. Luckily, OP also had a secure job that afforded her independence and stability. It was a place where she found solace amidst her stormy life. Her job helped her to remain self-sufficient, leaving her thankful that she’d retained it after getting the option to leave after getting married.
Husband and wife holding a divorce contract | Source: Shutterstock
In an update, the Redditor revealed that she took matters into her own hands on the day the test was due by calling her father-in-law. She invited him and her mother-in-law to their home that evening. Her husband was at home when he got the results that proved he was the boy’s father.
He also vowed to confront his mother after acknowledging how she’d interfered in their marriage.
He then sent the results to her and promised to confront his mother to resolve things. However, during the phone call, she informed him about consulting an attorney and initiating divorce proceedings. The call disintegrated into a heated argument, with him defending his actions.
A man shouts while angrily gesturing during a phone call | Source: Pexels
He revealed he hadn’t expected her to act as she did, but she explained how his indifference to her feelings damaged their relationship. OP gave him the divorce papers despite refusing to sign them and left that night.
Although she’d left, her husband was still torn between being loyal to his parents or attending to his marriage that was falling apart. He asked his mother to apologize, but she refused and accused her son’s wife of tearing their family apart.
A woman removing her wedding ring | Source: Shutterstock
Ultimately, OP and her husband were able to talk, and he asked if they could do couples counseling to try to save their relationship. He also asked if they could continue co-parenting. The Reddit user revealed how her husband was determined not to lose his son, even if they divorced.
He also vowed to confront his mother after acknowledging how she’d interfered in their marriage. OP was staying put for the time being and hoped counseling would help teach her husband how to prioritize their union.
A husband trying to calm down his crying wife | Source: Shutterstock
The Reddit user’s mother-in-law isn’t the only one found meddling in marriages they have nothing to do with. Click here to read the story of how this mother-in-law worried about her son’s daughter looking nothing like him, that she secretly got a DNA test done for them.
