'My wife of 15 years told me our three sons are not mine'

"Dear Olokunbola Blessing,

My name is Osondu and I am from the eastern part of the country. As I write this, my heart is very heavy and I do not know what steps to take.

I have been married to Chika for the past 15 years and I thought we had a lovely family with three sons, aged 13, 10 and 8 years respectively.

But something happened six months ago that is threatening to tear me apart and if care is not taken, could lead to my death.

Chika began attending a new pentecostal church and I guess one of their requirements on being a dedicated Christian is to confess all transgressions to your partner, or something like that, because she woke me up one morning and told me she had a confession to make.

Then she dropped the bomb: the three boys are actually not mine. She told me she had been maintaining a relationship with her first boyfriend even after we got married and that the boys belong to him.

At first I would not believe her until she confessed before our two families.

My family want us to do a DNA test on the children but what if they turn out not to be mine, what would I do? I have loved and nurtured these kids all my life and I cannot afford to lose them to someone else. And my mind would not be at rest seeing their faces everyday knowing they may not be mine.

What steps should I take to resolve this troubling issue?

Osondu,

Lagos."