You think your life is crazy? Mine is a whole Disaster

You think your life is crazy? Lmao… I used to think mine was normal too. Until my mother sat me down and told me my father isn’t my father. I clocked 25 last week. I even did small “soft life” for myself, bought a big girl wig, went to a fine diner, took cute pictures and posted them on my birthday. I don’t usually post myself like that, but this year I said why not? And I won’t lie… it felt nice. Money came in. Gifts too. Love from everywhere. Except for my boyfriend. Did I just say boyfriend? Scratch that, I meant one boy like that. I don’t even know how I managed to stay with him for that long. All he knows is “come over” and form “Alpha male.” Thank God my eyes have cleared sha. I’ve told myself never again. I will never be that understanding girlfriend again in my life. Anyways, my name is Cynthia. Fresh graduate. I just finished uni. Now I’m stuck between going for NYSC or just enjoying my life small before going to suffer again. That afternoon, I was on my phone, scrolling through t****k, when my mom walked into my room. “Cynthia,” she called. The tone alone made me pause. I looked up, already preparing myself for her usual questions “Do you have a boyfriend?” “Are men approaching you?” Honestly, I used to think she was just being nosy. But these days… it’s getting a bit too much. “Cynthia,” she called again. I didn’t even realize I had zoned out. She sat down beside me, her voice dropping to almost a whisper. Which was funny… because it was just the two of us in the house. Immediately, my chest tightened. Something wasn’t right. “I have something important to tell you,” she said. “You must not judge me… and you must not tell anyone.” At that point, I dropped my phone completely. “All these serious intro… what is it?” I asked. Then she said it. Just like that. “Your father is not your father.” I actually laughed. I thought she was joking. “What do you mean, Mom?” But she didn’t laugh. Her face was too serious. Too calm. That was when something inside me shifted. She started explaining. After she gave birth to my older sister, my father or the man I thought was my father started acting up. Cheating. Being promiscuous. Then another man came into her life. At first, she said she didn’t plan anything with him. But “things happened.” And she got pregnant. With me. For a second, everything around me went quiet. Like the world just… paused. I used to look up to my mother so much. In my head, she was this strong, faithful woman. If anybody had asked me to swear on her loyalty, I would have done it without thinking twice. Now look at this. I started thinking about my siblings. All four of them. Their faces. Then I started noticing things I had never noticed before. The differences. The distance. So all those things they say in Yoruba movies… About the “bastard child” being the troublesome one. Is it actually true? I remembered how I used to defend my mother. How I used to fight my father, sorry step-father anytime he treated my mom badly. While my siblings would just keep quiet like they didn’t see anything. I thought I was being brave. Now I don’t even know what I was. Is this how 25 is supposed to start? Because I thought I had already seen my own share of madness in this life. Apparently, I was wrong. But do you know the craziest part? I smiled. I actually smiled. And told her it was okay. That things like this happen in many families. That it wasn’t a big deal. I even asked her, “Is that all?” And she said yes. And we both just… smiled at each other. But inside? Everything was breaking. Because the truth is… You never really know people. You only know what they choose to show you. And even that… might just be an act. I thought I knew my mother. But right now? I feel like I’m looking at a complete stranger. Do I even have anything of my own? Man I don’t have. Father too is not mine. And my siblings… The people I thought were my own my safe place I just found out I might not even belong with them. What happens when they find out? Because they will. One day, they will. Will they still see me as their sister? Or just… someone their mother had? Maybe they’ve just been tolerating me all this while because of blood. Now that blood is not even sure… What happens next? I always thought it was us against the world. Now I’m not even sure I’m part of the “us.” They said life gets better with time. Nobody told me it could also get worse. Much worse.