When the father of her child suddenly reappears in her life, she must finally face the past she kept hidden from her family. Now she has to choose how much truth to reveal without destroying everything.

Here’s how she tells it:

Back in college, I (24F) had a committed relationship with a guy I’ll call Luke (26M). We had been together for a little over a year, and things were serious. When I found out I was pregnant, it wasn’t planned, but I decided I wanted to keep the baby. Luke originally said he would be there for me. We agreed we’d talk to our families and figure things out.

But the next day, he was gone. No calls, no replies. A few days later, a package showed up with some cash inside and a short message that basically said, “For the abortion.” That was the end of it. I never heard from him again.

I felt humiliated, furious, and completely lost. I moved home and raised my son alone. I never told my family who his father was — just said the relationship fell apart and that I didn’t want to discuss it. They respected that and never pushed for details.

Now my son is two, and life has been moving forward. A few weeks ago, my sister (28F) announced she was bringing her new boyfriend to her birthday dinner. That boyfriend turned out to be Luke. We recognized each other right away but kept silent in front of everyone. I left early, too shocked to even think straight.

Later that night, he showed up and asked if we could talk. He explained his parents had found out about the pregnancy back then and forced him to leave school and cut all contact with me. He said they were the ones who sent the money and note. He assumed I’d ended the pregnancy and that everything was done. We talked for a while, and then he asked if I planned on telling my sister.

That conversation was weeks ago. I still haven’t said anything to my sister, and Luke hasn’t reached out again. I hate lying to her, but if they break up soon, is there any point in causing chaos? On the other hand, if they stay together… hiding this feels even worse.

I’ve been distancing myself from them. I think she can tell something’s off. She doesn’t suspect the truth — but I know I can’t avoid this forever.

All commentators united in one opinion—in this situation, honesty is the key.

• This isn’t the type of secret you keep from your family if you care about them. Your sister needed to know the first night what type of person she was with. You need to fix this now before this all gets deeper. © Safe-Damage-409 / Reddit
• It will be awkward, but I think it’s going to be even more awkward when your son gets older and your sister realizes who he looks like. You should tell her so there’s no weird surprises. © Unknown author / Reddit

Some people didn’t believe the guy and claimed he hasn’t changed at all:

• I understand not wanting to tell her, but you have to. Given the fact that he’s hiding this from your sister is a clue enough that he’s still a selfish person who hasn’t changed. He definitely knew he was just using his parents as a scapegoat. You can tell by the fact that he STILL doesn’t wanna be involved with his son. The beginning of the relationship is the best time to tell her. Don’t let her fall in love with him and then pull the rug out from under her. Be honest & she can make her own decisions from there. She will feel so betrayed if you don’t. © Thick_Secretary3701 / Reddit
• So now Luke suddenly knows he is a father. Has he done anything about his son? Has he offered money, wanted contact, or anything? Say his story is true, his parents put down the boot and forced him away, he was scared and young. OK. It’s three years later, and now he knows. He doesn’t see his responsibility now?
  Because I would want my sister to know this. Also, pretend they stay together and it’s serious. IT WILL COME OUT AT SOME POINT. And suddenly, you’re going to be the one who lied about it. © jello-kittu / Reddit

And with today’s DNA kits, the truth will finally come out:

• Ask yourself if the tables were turned, how you would feel. Could this ruin your relationship if it comes out later?
  Also, causing a little drama now might be worth preventing a family split later. What if your sister gets pregnant? Do you really want her suffering the way you did? How will she feel when she realizes you kept this from her? How will this make your child feel, seeing their dad be the dad for their cousin, but not you? Let’s be honest, with today’s DNA kits, it will come out eventually.
  Maybe let your sister know that you are okay with her choice to stay with him, or not, and that by telling her, you are not trying to influence her relationship. Let her know you just want her to know everything because you love her and don’t want to keep secrets from her, and you felt like keeping this would cause her more pain, and take away her voice in how she feels about this very random and unlikely situation. © Crafting_with_Kyky / Reddit
• If it’s 18 years down the road and the kid gets a DNA test and potentially finds out that the cousins are also half-siblings. That will be a nuke in the family. Better to let it out now before it gets worse. © Safe-Damage-409 / Reddit
• It’s a confusing situation all around, but if you don’t tell her…
  If you don’t tell her and they stay together, what happens when your son grows up and does a DNA test and learns he is the father? Then it’s this huge secret you kept for years from your sister…. If I were the sister, and that was the way it worked out, I don’t know if I would want you in my life anymore.
  It’s going to be a hard conversation and might even have a bad outcome, but I think you should tell her now. © lenorenny / Reddit

Source: brightside.me