Ryan’s senior year took an unexpected turn when his girlfriend of only three weeks, Shelly, told him she was pregnant. Concerned, I urged him to get a DNA test. The results — arranged by Shelly’s father — claimed he was the father, so Ryan, being the kind-hearted soul he is, decided to marry her. But Shelly never forgave me for suggesting the test, and soon began painting me as the villain, twisting my words and poisoning others against me.

When wedding plans were underway, Ryan gave me an impossible choice: apologize for things I hadn’t done or skip the wedding. I refused, and my own son uninvited me. Heartbroken and isolated, I thought I’d lost him for good — until Shelly’s mother, Jen, called me two weeks before the wedding, insisting we cancel it. She revealed the shocking truth: the paternity test was fake.

Shelly had been seeing multiple men at the time of her pregnancy and wasn’t sure who the father was. She targeted Ryan because he was kind, dependable, and came from a stable family. With her father’s help, she tricked Ryan into believing he was the dad. When the truth surfaced, the wedding was canceled, leaving Ryan devastated but free from a life built on lies.

Though it broke his heart, Ryan slowly rebuilt his life with support from me and, surprisingly, Jen, who became an ally through the ordeal. The betrayal was painful, but it taught Ryan the value of honesty and helped our family grow stronger together. Shelly was gone, but in her absence, Ryan found the chance to heal and start over.