Woman takes DNA test at age 43 and discovers man she believed to be her father wasn’t biological dad

A woman was left stunned when she took a DNA test at age 43 after spending decades feeling like she ‘didn’t fit in’ with her family – and discovered her mother had a secret affair and that the man she believed to be her father wasn’t actually her biological dad.

Miki O’Brien, a substitute teacher from Missouri who is now 45, said she had a ‘gut feeling’ that her dad wasn’t biologically related to her from a young age because of her contrasting personality and differing looks to the rest of her family.

In 2021, three years after her dad passed away, she decided to use an ancestry test to find out the truth about her parentage once and for all – and was shocked to learn that her biological father was not the man who had raised her.

It turns out, her mother had a one-night stand with a family friend during her marriage and he was her real father – a revelation that turned Miki’s world upside down and left her struggling with an ‘identity crisis.’ 

Miki O’Brien, a substitute teacher from Missouri who is now 45, said she had a ‘gut feeling’ that her dad wasn’t biologically related to her from a young age since she looked so different

‘My whole life, I had a gut feeling that one of my parents wasn’t biologically my parent, but I was never brave enough to ask them,’ she wrote in an essay for Newsweek recently.

‘I felt I didn’t fit in the picture. I didn’t look anything like my dad, and he was probably six inches shorter than me.

In 2021, three years after her dad passed away, she decided to use an ancestry test to find out the truth about her parentage once and for all – and was shocked to learn that her biological father was not the man who had raised her

‘He also had a widow’s peak which I didn’t inherit – but my sister did. My political views were completely opposed to those of my father and sister.

‘I always felt like a black sheep in my family – not that they didn’t love me, but that I didn’t quite fit in.

‘I was the weirdo. The weird kid. They all dressed preppy and I dyed my hair blue. I always thought that something was up, but I loved my parents too much to find out what.’ 

Miki explained that she avoided ‘taking a DNA test’ because she feared that the results would ‘destroy’ her father if her suspicious were correct.

But after he died in 2018, she decided she needed to know and went through with it. When it came back, she noticed her dad’s name was nowhere to be found, and instead she saw ‘loads of relatives that she didn’t recognize.’

She then brought the results to her mother who admitted she had a brief fling with a family friend during a separation between her and her husband.

She said her mother ‘didn’t know’ that the other man was her father because the doctor gave her the wrong ‘timeframe’ of when she conceived.

It turns out, her mother had a one-night stand with a family friend during her marriage, and he was her real father – a revelation that left her struggling with an ‘identity crisis’ 

Miki explained that she avoided ‘taking a DNA test’ for a while because she feared that the results would destroy’ her father, if her suspicious were correct. She is seen as a teen

It turns out, the man who was actually Miki’s father was someone she knew well as a child.

He had daughters that she was close to, so she would ‘play at their house’ and have sleepovers there ‘all the time.’

Miki said she had not seen her biological dad’s daughters since she was seven and unfortunately he had died before she discovered the truth about her parentage. 

But she does recall ‘he was really nice and loving.’ 

While Miki said she felt ‘relieved’ over the news – after spending ‘so many years’ feeling like ‘something was off’ but thinking she was ‘crazy’ – she added that she was also ‘afraid’ of how it might change things.

She said she started to feel like she ‘didn’t know who she was,’ and admitted that the news ‘drove a wedge between her and some family members who thought she shouldn’t have taken the test.’

But after he died in 2018, she decided she needed to know and went through with it

She then brought the results to her mother, who admitted she had a one-night fling with a family friend during a brief separation between her and her husband

Miki eventually came to terms with the shocking revelation, and she decided to reach out to her half-sisters over Facebook, who ‘responded with nothing but positivity and excitement.’ They now message regularly and are planning to meet up soon.

At first, she said she suffered from an ‘identity crisis,’ but she’s now ‘glad’ she did it and that she finally knows the truth

‘[We are] surprised at how similar we are: we’re both sarcastic, with dark humor but loving hearts,’ she revealed.

Further tests helped her get in contact with other relatives that she never knew she had – including cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles – whom she has also been in contact with.

Miki said she was ‘glad’ she found out the truth while her mother was still around to share the story and her children ‘didn’t have to try and piece things together down the road.’

The substitute teacher said her children, aged 13 and 16, were pretty unfazed by the news they had family members they didn’t know about. 

She said this revelation didn’t change that her kids were ‘grandpa’s boys,’ adding her dad had been their ‘main babysitter’ and helped bring them up.

Miki said she had no regrets finding out about her biological father when she did as it would have changed her relationship with her dad who she was ‘lucky’ to have.