A DNA test was all it took to turn my world upside down. I remember staring at my computer screen, trying to make sense of the results. My mind said they were erroneous, but my heart… my heart instantly knew life wouldn’t be the same anymore.
I’m Billy, and up until a few days ago, I thought I was living the dream. I’m an only child, and my parents have always showered me with love and attention. They’ve given me everything I could ever want or need.
A boy standing in his house | Source: Midjourney
Just last week, my dad surprised me with the latest gaming console for no reason at all.
“What’s this for?” I asked, my eyes wide with excitement.
He just shrugged and smiled. “Do I need a reason to spoil my favorite son?”
“Your only son, you mean,” Mom grinned.
“All the more reason to spoil him!” Dad laughed, ruffling my hair.
That’s how it’s always been. Just the three of us living a perfect life. Perfect until I stumbled across a life-changing fact.
A young man sitting in his bedroom | Source: Midjourney
It all started the day I turned 18. I had decided to treat myself to one of those ancestry DNA tests. You know, the ones that tell you if you’re 2% Viking or whatever. I was just curious, nothing more. I never expected it to change my life.
I was literally jumping up and down the day the results came in. I kept refreshing my email every few minutes, waiting for that notification.
A person using a laptop | Source: Pexels
“Billy, honey, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep jumping like that,” Mom called from the kitchen.
“Sorry, Mom! I’m just really excited about my DNA results!”
Finally, the email arrived.
I could feel my heart pounding as I clicked on it. I was so excited, unaware that what I’d see next would change my life forever.
There, in black and white, was a notification of a close match. A brother. Daniel.
An upset young man looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and looked again. It had to be a mistake! Right? I’m an only child. I’ve always been an only child.
In a daze, I picked up my phone and dialed the company’s helpline. Maybe there was some mix-up.
“Hello, how can I assist you today?” a cheerful voice answered.
“Hi, um, I just got my results and, uh, I think there might be a mistake?” I said, unsure if I was doing the right thing.
A young man talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“I can assure you, sir, our tests are 100% accurate. We double-check all results before sending them out.”
“Oh, alright,” I said. “Th-thank you.”
I hung up and looked at the results again. This couldn’t be happening. How could I have a brother I didn’t know about?
I needed answers, and I knew just who to ask.
That night, I waited up for Dad to get home from work. I rushed downstairs immediately I heard his car pull into the driveway.
A car driving on a street | Source: Pexels
I allowed him to enter the living room before I followed him inside.
“Hey, Dad? Can we talk for a sec?”
He looked up with a smile on his face. “Sure, kiddo. What’s on your mind?”
“So, uh, remember that DNA test I took?” I said, fidgeting with my shirt.
He nodded.
“Well, I got the results today and…” I paused, not sure how to continue. “Dad, do you know someone named Daniel?”
A young man talking to his father | Source: Midjourney
That was the point I knew something was not right. The look on Dad’s face changed in an instant. His eyes widened, and all the color drained from his cheeks.
“Where did you hear that name?” he asked, looking around to ensure Mom wasn’t around.
I told him about the test results. As I spoke, I watched his expressions change. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then said something I wasn’t expecting.
A man sitting in his living room | Source: Midjourney
“Listen,” he said in a low voice, “don’t tell your mom about this, alright? She doesn’t know. I had an affair years ago. If she finds out, she’ll leave.”
I nodded, promising not to say anything. But as I returned to my room, something didn’t sit right.
Dad’s reaction seemed off. It was like there was more to the story than he was letting on.
I couldn’t sleep that night. I kept staring at the test results, wondering what to do next.
Should I… should I text him? I thought.
A young boy looking straight ahead, thinking | Source: Midjourney
Texting him meant I’d be going against my dad. But I couldn’t think of another way to find out the truth.
So, I immediately clicked on his profile and reached out to him.
To my surprise, he responded within half an hour.
Billy? Is it really you? I can’t believe it!
We exchanged a few messages, and before I knew it, we’d agreed to meet at a café the next day.
Was I doing the right thing by going behind my dad’s back?
A young man looking outside his window | Source: Midjourney
The next morning, I told Mom I was going out with my best friend and walked to the café. I didn’t have to do much to recognize Daniel. I immediately spotted him, and it felt like I was looking in a mirror.
He looked SO MUCH like me.
“Billy?” he asked, standing up.
I nodded, unable to speak. We sat down, and neither of us knew what to say.
Finally, Daniel broke the silence.
“You remember the lake by our old house?” he asked, smiling. “We’d swing on that old, rusty swing set and throw rocks into the water.”
A close-up shot of a young man | Source: Midjourney
“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I shook my head. “We never lived together.”
Daniel’s smile faded. “What do you mean? We lived together until we were five or six. Don’t you remember? And Scruffy, the dog, he’d follow us everywhere.”
I felt defensive. This guy was talking nonsense.
“My dad says you’re the affair child. I only found out about you days ago.”
“Wait… you think I’m the affair child?” He asked. “So, you don’t remember that day? The fire?”
“Fire?”
A close-up shot of a boy’s face | Source: Midjourney
He nodded. “Yeah, our house burned down when we were little. Our parents didn’t make it.”
“What?” I was shocked.
“Yeah, and I remember how you saved me. Afterward, you were adopted, and I was sent to some other family. The adoption process required me never reaching out.”
“That… that can’t be right,” I shook my head. “I’m not adopted. I would know if I was.”
“This is the truth, Billy,” he said. “I don’t know why your parents never told you anything.”
A young man looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
I felt confused and angry once our meeting ended.
How could Mom and Dad do this to me? I thought. How could they hide something so important?
When I got home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to know more.
So, I snuck into my dad’s office the next day while my parents were out. I felt guilty, but I had to know the truth.
After going through some old documents, I found something proving Daniel was right.
A person going through documents | Source: Pexels
It was a lawsuit about a fire at an apartment building. The same building Daniel told me about.
My hands shook as I read through the documents. The fire had started because of electrical issues in the building, and my adoptive parents were the owners. They ignored complaints about faulty wiring to avoid costly repairs.
Their negligence resulted in the fire that took my biological parents away from me.
What the… I thought. How is this even possible?
A young man standing in his house | Source: Midjourney
There were more documents, and they proved that I was indeed adopted. What hurt the most was that my adoptive parents hadn’t taken me in out of love or compassion. They’d done it to cover their tracks. To avoid a lawsuit.
At that point, I only wanted to do one thing. Confront my parents.
I waited until they got home that evening.
“I didn’t know you used to own this building,” I said, holding up the paper. “What happened with that fire?”
Dad’s eyebrows furrowed, but he tried his best to stay calm.
A man looking at his son | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, that?” he asked. “That was ages ago. It was a tragedy, really. But why are you looking into that? And why did you go into my office?”
I could see the fear in his eyes. I had never seen Dad so scared before.
“It’s just that I met someone who mentioned a fire,” I revealed. “They said we used to know each other before I was adopted.”
Dad’s eyes widened in shock.
A man standing in his living room | Source: Midjourney
He tried to stammer out an explanation. It was something about not wanting to dredge up painful memories.
But it was too late. I could see the truth written all over his face.
I rushed to my bedroom and packed my belongings. I was done. I couldn’t bear to be in that house anymore.
I called Daniel and asked if I could live with him for a few days, and he agreed.
I remember how Dad kept apologizing as I left the house, but I wasn’t ready to forgive him.
A man standing outside his house | Source: Midjourney
Daniel welcomed me into his house, and we had dinner together.
“They stole you from me,” he said as we ate. “From us.”
I didn’t know how to respond.
All I knew was that my whole life had been a lie, and the people I thought were my loving parents were actually the ones responsible for the death of my real parents.
But as I sat there, I realized this tragedy led me to a real connection. It made me meet my brother, who had been waiting for me all these years.
And I felt grateful for that.
A young man smiling | Source: Midjourney
If you enjoyed reading this story, here’s another one you might like: When David demanded a DNA test for their son, Amelia knew their marriage was on the edge. But what the results uncovered went far beyond paternity. It revealed a shocking twist that would forever alter David’s relationship with his mother.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
My MIL Left the House Every Thursday & Returned Smelling Terribly — I Went Pale When I Discovered Why
They say you never really know someone until you’ve lived with them. I thought I knew my mother-in-law, but everything changed when I decided to follow her. What I uncovered wasn’t just a secret; it was a ticking time bomb that threatened the peace of our home.
I used to think my life was predictable, with its comforting routine. I worked as a freelance graphic designer, which gave me the flexibility to be home most days while still bringing in a decent income.
A woman working on her laptop from home | Source: Midjourney
Xander, my husband, worked long hours at his law firm, so I often had the house to myself. It was peaceful until my mother-in-law, Cordelia, moved in three months ago.
After her husband passed away, she called us one night, her voice trembling.
“Olive, dear… I don’t know how to do this on my own,” she’d sobbed over the phone. “The house is so empty, so lonely… I just need to be around my family.”
An extremely sad senior woman talking on her phone | Source: Midjourney
I glanced at Xander, and he nodded, looking concerned. We agreed to let Cordelia move in; it felt like the right thing to do for a grieving woman who’d just lost her partner of 40 years. But from the start, something felt off.
Cordelia had always been a little strange, but now her behavior was unpredictable. Every Thursday, she would leave early in the morning and return late in the evening, her clothes carrying a terrible stench: something rotten and damp, like decay. It lingered, clinging to the air and making me question what she was really up to.
A woman looks thoughtful and curious while sitting at home | Source: Midjourney
“Mom, where were you today?” Xander asked her one Thursday evening as she shuffled into the kitchen, her eyes avoiding ours. I stood by the stove, pretending to stir a pot of soup, trying not to wrinkle my nose at the smell.
“Oh, just out with some old friends,” she said, waving a hand dismissively, her smile tight and unconvincing.
A senior woman forces a smile while looking at someone | Source: Midjourney
“Every Thursday?” I asked, keeping my tone casual. “That must be some social circle.”
She glanced at me, her eyes lingering a moment too long, then shrugged. “We like to meet regularly. It’s good for the soul, you know, catching up with old friends.”
But that smell — it was like she’d been crawling through a sewer. The scent lingered long after she’d passed, a pungent blend of garbage and something wet and decayed. I could feel my curiosity gnawing at me, the way you can’t help but poke at a sore tooth.
A curious woman standing in the kitchen and looking at someone | Source: Midjourney
One Wednesday night, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Xander,” I whispered, nudging him awake. “Are you seriously buying that story?”
He blinked sleepily. “What story?”
“Your mom’s ‘out with old friends’ story,” I replied. “Every Thursday? And that smell… it’s not normal.”
He sighed. “Maybe she’s just grieving in her own way, Olive. People cope differently.”
I felt my jaw tighten. “And what way is that? Dumpster diving?”
He chuckled softly, half-asleep, “Let it go, love. It’s probably nothing.”
A man chuckles softly while lying in bed at night | Source: Midjourney
But it didn’t feel like “nothing.” It felt like a secret, and I needed to know.
The next Thursday, I called in sick and decided to follow her. I waited by the window, peeking through the blinds like some kind of amateur detective. Cordelia left the house at her usual time, dressed in her oversized coat, clutching her handbag tightly.
I kept a safe distance as she walked down the street, turning left at the end and then another left into an alley I didn’t even know existed. My heart pounded in my chest as I tailed her.
A woman is out on the street, looking at someone | Source: Midjourney
She stopped at the corner and looked around like she was checking for someone or something.
“Where are you going, Cordelia?” I whispered, more curious than ever.
I was expecting something harmless, maybe even laughable, like an old ladies’ knitting club or maybe a bingo night in a creepy basement. But what I found inside was nothing like that.
Cordelia didn’t meet up with friends. Instead, she made her way through the shadiest part of town, slipping into an old, run-down building that looked like it could collapse at any moment.
A senior woman standing outside an old building | Source: Midjourney
I hesitated outside, the walls covered in graffiti and the windows boarded up, but I took a deep breath and followed her inside. The air was thick with smoke, the kind that sticks to your skin, and the room was filled with the low hum of murmurs and distant laughter.
That’s when I saw it: a hidden, illegal casino tucked away in the back, reeking of stale smoke and the sour smell of desperation. The dimly lit room was filled with flashing lights and the sounds of poker chips clinking filled the air.
Stacks of poker chips on a table | Source: Pexels
And there, in the middle of it all, was my mother-in-law. Not just “hanging out with friends,” but gambling away every penny she could get her hands on, her eyes fixed on the cards in front of her, her hands trembling with each bet she placed.
I stayed in the shadows, barely breathing, watching her play hand after hand. She looked different, haggard, almost like she was wearing the weight of every decision she’d ever made. Her lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying over the noise.
A grayscale photo of a senior woman sitting in a casino with gambling chips lying on her table | Source: Midjourney
I saw her lose money, win a little, then lose it all again. She seemed almost possessed, her fingers shaking as she reached for the chips, her face lined with a mixture of desperation and obsession.
I wanted to pull her out of there, to grab her by the arm and drag her home, but I couldn’t move. I felt frozen, glued to the spot. I needed to see how far she would go. She didn’t leave until late in the evening, and when she finally did, she looked exhausted.
A senior woman looks exhausted while sitting in a casino | Source: Midjourney
Her eyes were glazed over, and her shoulders slumped like she was carrying the weight of her losses on her back.
I waited until she turned the corner before I followed, keeping my distance. As we walked back, I felt a wave of anger and pity twisting in my stomach. What had she gotten herself into? And why hadn’t she told us?
The next morning, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. At breakfast, I set my coffee cup down a little too hard. “Cordelia, where were you yesterday?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.
A woman looks serious while standing in the kitchen and looking at someone | Source: Midjourney
She barely looked up from her cereal. “With friends, like I told you.”
“Stop lying, Cordelia,” I snapped. “I followed you. I know where you were.”
Her spoon clattered against the bowl, and she went pale. “You… you followed me?”
Xander looked between us, confused. “What’s going on?”
“She wasn’t with friends, Xander,” I said, my gaze fixed on her. “She was at an illegal casino, gambling. And from the looks of it, she’s been doing it for a while.”
A senior woman gambling in a casino | Source: Midjourney
Cordelia’s face crumpled, and she broke down. “I… I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I’ve lost everything… everything. I had nowhere else to go. That’s why I begged you to let me stay. I was ashamed, and I didn’t know how to tell you…”
Xander’s face turned a deep shade of red. “You mean to tell me you’ve been lying to us this whole time? Using us?”
“I didn’t mean to!” she cried. “I didn’t know how to stop. I thought maybe… maybe I could win it all back.”
A grayscale photo of a senior woman looking sad and desperate | Source: Midjourney
I felt a pang of guilt, but it was overshadowed by the anger boiling inside me. “You’ve been draining us, Cordelia. We took you in because we cared, not so you could feed your addiction.”
She looked at me, her face streaked with tears. “I know, I’m so sorry. I promise I’ll change. Just… don’t throw me out. Please.”
That night, Xander and I lay in bed, unable to sleep. “We have to do something,” I whispered. “We can’t just let her keep doing this.”
Xander sighed deeply. “What do you suggest, Olive? Tough love?”
A man looking at his wife while sitting in bed at night | Source: Midjourney
I nodded. “Exactly. If she’s not going to stop on her own, then we’ll have to make her stop.”
The following Thursday, I handed her a large sum of cash, more than she had seen in one place since she’d moved in with us. Her eyes widened, and for a moment, I saw that familiar spark of greed.
“Go ahead,” I said, forcing a smile. “Take this and do whatever you want with it.”
A woman forcing a smile while looking at someone | Source: Midjourney
She hesitated for just a second before snatching the money and stuffing it into her purse.
“Thank you, Olive,” she murmured, her voice shaking, but she didn’t meet my eyes. And then she was gone, practically running out the door.
Xander stood behind me, his arms crossed. “Are you sure about this?”
“Trust me,” I replied. “She won’t get far.”
Earlier that day, I had made a few calls, and by the time Cordelia reached the casino, the place was swarming with undercover cops. The raid went down right as she was about to hand over the cash.
Two cops standing in a casino | Source: Midjourney
I wasn’t there to see it, but I could imagine the look on her face: shock, maybe a little betrayal, as they caught her red-handed, along with the owners of the illegal casino.
That evening, the phone rang. It was the police. “Mrs. Fields?” the officer said. “We have your mother-in-law in custody.”
“We know,” I replied calmly. “And we’re not bailing her out. You should know she’s been struggling with a gambling addiction. We want her to get help.”
A woman talking on her phone | Source: Midjourney
The officer seemed taken aback but eventually agreed to include our statement in the report. The judge showed no mercy; Cordelia was sentenced to mandatory rehabilitation and a hefty fine.
Months later, when she was released from rehab, Cordelia looked different. She seemed smaller, more fragile. She stood in our doorway, wringing her hands.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her voice raw. “I know I hurt you both, and I’m ready to make it right. I want to rebuild my life.”
A senior woman looks sad and ashamed | Source: Midjourney
Xander and I exchanged a look. He stepped forward, his expression soft but firm.
“We’re willing to give you another chance, Mom,” he said, “but on our terms. We’ve found you a modest apartment nearby. We’ll cover the rent, but only if you keep your word and attend your support group meetings.”
Cordelia nodded eagerly, tears in her eyes. “I will. I swear. Thank you… thank you for giving me a chance.”
As we watched her walk away to her new home, I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope mixed with the fear of another betrayal.
A woman looks hopeful and a bit fearful while standing outside her house and looking at something | Source: Midjourney
We’d done all we could, and the rest was up to her. The ball was in her court, and only time would tell if she could truly change.
But when Natasha starts to see a change in Marlene’s behavior, she begins to get worried about the old woman. Eventually, when the truth is revealed, Natasha doesn’t know what to do.
Two women cooking together | Source: Pexels
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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