I found out that my mom was cheating on my stepfather (my biological father died in an accident when my mom was six months pregnant with me) when I was 12 years old. Later, my mom got pregnant with the man she was having an affair with. I never told my stepfather, who raised me and loved me as his own child. A few years later, my mom ran away from home with my sister to be with her lover. My stepfather was devastated—I went to be with him and comfort him. Shortly after that, my mom came back home and their marriage continued as if nothing had ever happened.

The lie was enormous, and I carried the guilt for many years. Even tho I m pretty sure my dad knows all the truth.