An adopted man's entire world has been turned upside down after discovering the woman he has been dating is actually his biological sister. The 30-year-old shared how he spent much of his childhood in the foster care system before being adopted by his foster father.
He doesn't know much about his biological parents - and describes his mum as a "druggy" and his dad as an "alcoholic". Despite everything, the man maintained healthy relationships with his friends, and in his late 20s, he met a woman who was "wife material".
He said on Reddit: "Me and the woman, 24, met over two years ago via mutual friends and we hit it off great, after a year we entered a relationship, and just two months ago we moved in together. We have our differences and our little fights like everyone but really, everything has been wonderful, to the point where we were discussing marriage.
"Both of us were raised in the foster system, I was removed from my household when I was 10, she was around seven so we've always had this in common and been able to confide in one another about this." Recently, he came to learn his biological father had died and he was invited to the funeral. But unexpectedly, his girlfriend also received her own invite.
He added: "My biological father passed away which meant little to nothing to me since my foster father adopted me and has been absolutely great. However, the woman I am with also received an invitation to the funeral because it's her dad also.
Baby name expert shares rare vintage names she expects to make a comeback soon"She's already packed up her things and is staying with her best friend. This situation is so screwed up I honestly didn't believe things like this could happen. I'm torn. I really am, I felt like I loved this woman, I thought about our future together and now I don't know what the hell to do. We have crossed the line physically and when we tried to talk about it she broke down and started crying, she won't speak to me anymore.
"We have spoken about our pasts before, yes we have spoken about our parents but it has always been 'My mother was a druggie and my dad a drunk'. We have separate last names and to be honest I just never considered it a possibility that we could be related. What the hell do I do? I honestly felt like I was in love and in one day everything has fallen apart."
After coming to terms with this new information, he shared how he still wants his girlfriend in his life - whether that's romantically or not. He said: "We did not grow up together or were ever in the same household. I lived with my biological father until foster care and she lived with her mother.
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"I am going to give her some space but I hope in the next month to pursue some kind of relationship with her, whether that's us being together or me being a friend or brother. I really just don't want to lose this woman from my life."
Commenting on his post, one user said: "I think you need to give her her space and allow her to back out of this relationship. It's unfortunate you didn't find out sooner, but understandable she wouldn't want to continue a relationship with her half or whole brother. Best of luck to you."
Another user added: "What you do now is up to the two of you. I hope you're both able to overcome this... really weird and unfortunate situation and don't forsake the relationship (as two individuals who share a bond and enjoy each other, not the specifically romantic aspects.)" A third user said: "You guys should get a genetic test done. A couple of grand will prove you are actually blood-related or not. If you are, move on, it's just better that way."