My Brother Made My Life Miserable, Then Knocked Up My Wife. Now He…

I don’t know what came over me but I punched him in the face. He was stunned fell backward and I retrieved my money from his pocket before throwing him back down.

David started crying loudly which was quite comical. However my mother rushed out to help him and find out what happened.

When she learned I had fought him she was surprised and reprimanded me saying “I should be a better role model for David”

David seemed to enjoy seeing me scolded. My mother also complained to my dad about my behavior saying “I needed to be controlled”

My dad grimly asked both of us to explain ourselves. I told him how David had stolen the money I had worked hard for and saved.

David tried to justify it by saying “he needed the money for a date and that as his brother I should help him”

However dad told David “he was lucky I only punched him for stealing because anyone else would have called the police”

He continued to tell David that “he had no right to take others things without their consent”

David didn’t like that and threw a tantrum likely hoping our mother would side with him but Dad remained firm. When David realized he wasn’t going to be punished for being hit he screamed “how much he hated me” and ran back to his room locking himself in.

Following that incident David began to distance himself from me. He had finally understood that he couldn’t bully me anymore and that even dad had stopped supporting his antics.

For the first time in a long while I felt like we were equals. Though he could no longer physically harm me he resorted to verbal insults when our parents weren’t around.

His behavior worsened with age becoming angrier and more short-tempered each year. When I approached him with a question he would ignore me and walk away muttering insults like “nerd or loser” under his breath.

If he needed to communicate something he would relay it through our mother instead of speaking to me directly. When I questioned her about why David couldn’t just talk to me she would urge me to be more understanding.

I couldn’t tell if it was just puberty or genuine hatred. Over time dealing with his comments became unbearable and I longed to move out and get away from him.

I repeatedly asked my mother to mediate a sit down conversation for us to resolve our issues but she always refused saying “she didn’t want to get involved”

When I asked her opinion on why David treated me this way she would brush off the question. Eventually I left for my dream university having earned a scholarship as a top student.

My dad threw a party for me and even my mom seemed proud. However David remained aloof and distant barely acknowledging my achievements.

The day I left for university was a mix of excitement for the future and relief to escape the toxic home environment. The first few months at university were liberating.

I made new friends, enjoyed my classes, and started to build a life separate from the oppressive atmosphere of my childhood. The constant fear of David’s verbal attacks lifted giving me a newfound sense of peace.

During my second year I met my wife Karen at a frat party through a friend and we immediately clicked. Coming from a religious background having kids outside of marriage was frowned upon.

However when we discovered she was pregnant in our final year we decided to marry right after graduation. Our wedding was a small but joyful ceremony.

Our parents were happy for us and we enjoyed the celebration. At that moment I believed Karen was the love of my life.

I had always envisioned a monogamous relationship one woman to come home to and share my life with. Despite other women showing interest over the years I never pursued anything because I was genuinely content in my marriage.

Karen was my dream girl and I never wanted to hurt her. However I later uncovered two incidents of infidelity in our marriage.

One was an intermittent affair with her married co-worker that spanned several years and the other was a brief fling with an ex-boyfriend during a visit to her family. Some might think I was naive and looking back I can’t completely disagree.

Each time we separated for a while I chose to forgive my wife. I didn’t want to raise our child in a broken home and believed we could overcome these obstacles.

The affair with her coworker happened when we were young and I attributed it to youthful mistakes and poor judgment. For a period things seemed to get better although I could never fully trust her again.

I did my best to set aside my doubts knowing that if I chose to forgive I had to genuinely work toward a fresh start. It’s been 4 years since her second betrayal and I felt confident in my decision to give her another chance.

Karen seemed to have changed and we were genuinely happy planning our family’s future.

However 3 months ago my world was shattered once more when she revealed that she had been having a long-term affair and suggested that our son might not be mine. Her words struck me like a ton of bricks.

A mix of shock, betrayal, and disbelief overwhelmed me. I struggled to comprehend the enormity of her confession.

In a daze I managed to ask why she had kept such a significant secret and how she could have done something so devastating. Her reaction was cold and indifferent as if she were detached from the pain she caused.

Her vague responses left me with more questions than answers. It was a surreal and painful moment confronting the shattered trust and uncertainty about my own family.

I continued to press Karen for the truth because I felt I deserved to know the father of the child I had been raising since birth. Ultimately she admitted “it was David”

My eyes widened in shock as I asked Karen what she meant. She explained that she and David had become friends when I introduced her to my family and she stayed with us from Thanksgiving until New Year’s.

David usually cold to me was warm and polite towards her which made me glad because I didn’t want Karen to feel unwelcome. Karen wanted to be accepted into my family so she spent significant time with my mom whenever possible.

She noticed the rift between David and me and questioned me about it. I opened up about our strained relationship and explained that we might never repair it due to his unresolved feelings.

Karen understood but started including David in our outings hoping it would help us bond. Whenever we planned to watch a movie she invited David and we watched whatever he chose.

During this time David and I exchanged a few words which was an improvement compared to his usual silent treatment. I remember Karen and David hanging out and playing video games together but I never thought much of it.

Karen told me that one day David opened up to her about his struggles in a recent breakup. Feeling vulnerable he struck up a friendship with her.

She mentioned that he would harmlessly flirt with her when I wasn’t around and eventually things escalated beyond her control. The vision of my wife and brother sleeping together made me feel sick.

Karen confessed that she felt guilty afterward and left him which matched her abrupt decision to go home instead of spending New Years with me. Although I tried to convince her to stay she was adamant about leaving.

When we met back at college after the holidays she was her usual cheerful self so I didn’t question anything. Two weeks later we found out she was pregnant.