My Sister-in-Law Deceived Me and Secretly DNA Tested My Child

Family is meant to support each other through every high and low, yet occasionally, a toxic member threatens that unity. This was exactly the case for one Reddit user, who shared how his sister-in-law attempted to uncover what she thought was a buried family secret. Instead of stirring up chaos as she intended, her actions backfired, uniting the family even more.

A recent Reddit post tells the story of a man, 30, who adopted his six-year-old daughter, Lily, after her parents—his lifelong friend and her husband—passed away. With no other family to care for Lily, he stepped in as her adoptive father, despite not being biologically related. “Even though I had been iffy about the idea of kids, I didn’t want their daughter to grow up in foster care or around people who didn’t have a connection to her bio parents, so I stepped in,” he wrote. He explained that he’s always been transparent about Lily’s adoption, and while many assume she’s his biological daughter, he’s chosen not to correct every assumption.

The situation took an unexpected turn, when his brother’s fiancée, after finding an old photo of him with Lily’s biological mother, “jumped to the worst conclusions,” according to him. Seeing the photo, she secretly took it upon herself to test his daughter’s DNA, suspecting she could “prove” he was raising a child from an affair. When the results showed no relation, she confronted him with them—directly in front of Lily, claiming he was raising “a dead woman’s affair baby.”

When his sister-in-law presented the results, expecting shock, he couldn’t help but laugh at her assumption and replied, “This thing called adoption exists.” Despite his reaction, his brother defended his fiancée, saying she believed she was doing “the right thing.”

Reflecting on the incident, he expressed confusion over her goal in confronting him: “Did she want me to break down and abandon my daughter?” Seeking support and validation, he turned to Reddit to share his story and ask if he was in the wrong, given that his reaction embarrassed his sister-in-law.

Other Reddit users chimed in with their opinions on the matter, leaving comments such as:

• If she wanted to protect you she would have approached you privately with her concerns. She got publicly embarrassed in front of multiple people because she pulled a big crazy reveal in front of multiple people. © Mysterious_Book874 / Reddit
  

• Laws need to catch up with this type of thing. No one should ever be able to test another person’s DNA without their consent, especially not a child without parental knowledge and consent. She took something very personal from your daughter that she has no right to.
  I also have a hard time believing that in two years the fact that your daughter was adopted never came up in conversation between brother and SIL. If my husband had a sibling who was a single parent I’d be curious and ask what had happened to the other parent, allowing him to explain the situation. © peakeasy12345 / Reddit

• She tried to embarrass you with the shocking news your daughter isn’t your daughter, and it backfired spectacularly. Even if you hadn’t adopted your daughter it’s not her place to do any sort of testing on your daughter. She made herself look like the village idiot. © pigandpom / Reddit

• What if Lily hadn’t known she was adopted? What if Lily had been conceived with a sperm donor? There are so many reasons that this was none of that woman’s business, and she stuck her nose into it in the worst way possible by waving the results around in front of people.
  She could have talked to her fiancé first but must not have because you say your parents and siblings know she’s adopted. Instead of your brother being mad at you, he should be pissed at his fiancée. This would also ruin all credibility that woman has with me for anything. Anytime she brings something up, I would from now forward think she’s just making up stories. © Spinnerofyarn / Reddit

• This incident should open your brother’s eyes and break it off with her. Instead he is siding with her. Your future SIL created a very unnecessary situation. Even if you were married to Lily’s mother she had no business running the DNA test. A sane person would not go to that extent, especially not without a reason. She judged wanted to create drama and play hero. © yeoniesong / Reddit

• What was the game plan here? What did she want you to do? Abandon the child you raised? And if so, to whom? It’s not like there is some kind of place where you can return illegitimate children if you don’t want them anymore. Keep raising the child but feel terrible about it? There is no way this would help anyone in this situation. It’s just pure terrible. © Square-Singer / Reddit

• She didn’t even think to just ask your brother about the situation. One question, and he’d have explained the kid is adopted. Doesn’t your brother realize that this shows her character?
  She’s spiteful and believes the worst in people easily, and doesn’t trust him or respect him. She doesn’t respect his family. She doesn’t treat children kindly. She’s self-absorbed and doesn’t think about the consequences of her actions.
  You could sue her for it. Stealing someone else’s chair for a DNA test seems like something protected by law. © believehype1616 / Reddit

• I need to add this. She did this in front of your daughter to maximize the damage she thought she was “exposing”. That is straight evil. © kitkat935 / Reddit

• Op is underreacting. I would be pressing charges. You don’t steal my kids dna. And she would never be allowed around my kid alone, between the stolen dna and the whole she brought this up in front of the child! You do that to hurt. She meant to hurt op, and his daughter. © rexendra / Reddit

In this case, no DNA test was necessary, as everyone in the family—except the curious sister-in-law—was already aware of the little girl’s background. However, in other instances, a DNA test can unearth deeply hidden family secrets, bringing unexpected revelations to light. Read more.