I am 28 years old now and an only daughter.
I had been working away from home before.
My dad, who is 52, owns a company and wanted me to take over, so I quit my job and joined my dad’s company last month, which led me to move back home. He gave me 30% of the company shares, and currently, the company is co-owned by both of us.
He indeed treats me as his successor. After joining the company, I noticed that he has an unusually close relationship with a female executive.
After observing for a month, I’m 99% sure they are having an affair.
My mom is a housewife who used to work in the company as well, but she quit to take care of me and is now 53 years old.
On the surface, he seems like a person who has sacrificed a lot for the family, and the money he earns is mostly handled by my mom.
I’m not sure if my mom knows about his affair. Meanwhile, today an accident allowed me to see his phone, and I found out he’s been visiting prostitutes.
Lately, behind my mom’s back, he often tells me that he no longer loves my mom and that their relationship has turned into familial love.
All of this makes me feel disgusted. In my nearly 30 years of life, I always thought my parents loved each other, but now suddenly realizing all this, I find it hard to accept.
I want to confront him and ask what he is thinking.
These days, watching my mom take care of him so meticulously, and knowing he’s cheating at the company and visiting prostitutes, makes me feel disgusted.
The most painful part is that I still love him.
Right now, the company’s business is declining and it’s tough.
He truly needs someone to help keep the company running.
On one hand, I want to tell everything to my mom right away and suggest that we both leave him; on the other, I feel like waiting until my own business segment is successful before revealing the truth. What should I do?
Updates:
Thank you all for your comments.
I originally posted because I was in a lot of pain and had no one to talk to.
I’ve received various comments and messages, and I believe that you all genuinely want to help. The two main concerns in the comments were about my mother’s financial situation and whether she has enough money to live independently.
For the financial part, my mom currently has a significant amount of cash savings, commercial insurance, health insurance, and a stable monthly income of several thousand dollars from commercial insurance.
She also owns a house, so financially, she wouldn’t have difficulties living on her own after leaving my father.
The other concern is her health.
Unfortunately, she tested positive for several high-risk HPV indicators two years ago during a PAP test (could lead to cervical cancer).
She underwent treatment for a year and is still in ongoing check-ups and treatment.
I had a suspicion back then because if partners are loyal to each other, it’s unlikely for a woman to contract that.
But this means his cheating was earlier and more persistent than I thought.
