Me [35 M] with my wife [29F] of five years, wants a divorce after I requested a paternity test.
I met my wife through a mutual friend. We were friends for a year or so before we both became single and decided we were compatible enough to date. We were together 2 years before we got married.
I do not know what got into me. My wife is loyal, faithful, but I had been reading statistics about how many men are raising children that aren't their own and had absolutely no idea around the time she found out she was pregnant. We both wanted children, we weren't actively preventing it.
About 3 months in, I couldn't take it anymore and told her I wanted a paternity test. She asked me if I was accusing her of cheating. I said yes. She asked me why... and I couldn't answer her. Neither of us has ever cheated or been cheated on. She works very hard, long hours at her job, but has always let me know where she is/who she will be with. If she was going somewhere with friends, I was always welcomed. I do not know why I did this, and it's tearing me up.
She told me she'd gladly give me my paternity test, but that she was moving back to her mother's until that time because she didn't know if she wanted to continue the marriage.
She got an amniocentesis test at about 20 weeks. I'm the father, and when she told me, I was so happy. But she wasn't. She told me that she felt like she fell out of love with me the minute I asked her and that she had no desire to reconcile.
Our daughter was born July 10th. My wife has gone through a lawyer and has started through the motions of divorce and issues of custody. She has since gotten her own apartment.
She said she wants to keep this "as amicable" as possible for the sake of our daughter... but I just want to be a family. She doesn't want support or alimony because she makes more than enough to cover herself and our daughter's needs and live a comfortable life.
It's taken since February to even get her to soften her stance and even think about counseling. She said she loves me, but she isn't sure she can get over this.
Now I'm trying to think of how to fix this, and I'm just such a broken mess. I want to prepare a list to talk about on Monday at counseling, but I just can't think of anything but apologizing and that hasn't made a difference in the past months, I don't think it would now.
tl;dr: Didn't suspect wife of infidelity, but paranoia made me ask for a paternity test. After months of separation, she's agreed to counseling. What can I do to fix this?
*edited to fix timeline error
Posted Sep 19, 2015, 5:07 AM UTC · edited · locked