Dad hides sister from daughter for decades but family finds out

Sarah Leibov was 24 years old when her mom called her with a surprising news — her dad had a secret daughter. Her mother wasn’t shaken by the truth because they divorced 20 years ago. Instead, she had a ‘strange, nervous excitement’ in her voice.

Her mother started the conversation by saying that Sarah’s dad has been keeping a secret from her. She then revealed that her dad had impregnated his girlfriend long before he met her and they chose to place the girl for adoption.

Sarah’s brother and mother had known about her sister for a few years but chose to not reveal it. Her brother was going through their dad’s briefcase when he chanced upon letters from their sister. Instead of confronting their father, her brother contacted their sister via mail. Their mother got to know about their sister after she saw the emails.

Sarah who had always felt her father was hiding something from her was even startled to know her mother and brother did the same. She was mostly confused because she thought ‘she knew her place’ in the family till she realized she wasn’t her father’s first child anymore.

But she didn’t want to meet her newfound sister behind her dad’s back. So after she coerced her brother, they spoke to their father and let him know that they knew about his other daughter. During the meeting, Sarah learned that her father had contacted and met her sister several times over the years.

Initially, Sarah was intimidated by her new sister who her father claimed ‘looked’ just like her. But her friend, who is also an only child, changed her views and motivated her to meet her ‘new sister’.

After the meeting, Sarah described her sister as ‘lovely, kind and unassuming’. She ended up liking her a lot and admired her political activism and ideals.