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Keeping it in the family

She didn't have a bloke, but now my sister was mysteriously pregnant. So who was the daddy?


Published by: Paul Carter and Siofra Brennan
Published on: 21 March 2013

Swaggering into the kitchen, he flashed us a cheeky smile and planted a kiss on my cheek, before doing the same to the girl beside me.
‘You must be Angie,' he said.
As my new fella Craig, 19, chattered away, my sister just stood there, gawping. ‘Well, I'm glad Selina's found someone nice,' she smiled, finally finding her voice. ‘You make sure you treat her right.'
Later, Angie pulled me to one side. ‘He's lovely,' she whispered.
‘Hey, back off,' I giggled.
I'd met Craig on a night out and I was instantly smitten. Although
I was just 16, I was certain I'd found the man for me. Craig always had a smile on his face. He could cheer me up when I was in a bad mood and make me laugh. My family loved him, too, especially Angie.
She was just a year older than me and we'd always been close. I didn't want that to change just because I had a boyfriend. So I'd invite her out with us and soon her and Craig were like brother and sister.
Then came a shock. Me and Craig hadn't been together for long when I discovered I was pregnant. Although I worried I was too young, it felt right. And Craig was so excited. We found a place together and when baby Jon arrived, I'd never felt happier. But while I was content and settled, Angie was still on her own. She'd been out with a couple of boys since I met Craig, but none of them lasted much longer than a few weeks.
While she waited for Mr Right, she'd still tag along on nights out with me and Craig. And she didn't suffer from being single, because Craig was always happy to pop round and do odd jobs for her.
When Jon was two, I had another son, Danny. There I was with two kids and Angie still hadn't found a fella. But, I thought that had changed when she came round one day with some unexpected news. 
‘I'm... pregnant,' she mumbled, looking worried. ‘Oh my god,' 

I gasped. ‘Who's the father?'
I was shocked because she hadn't had a boyfriend for years. ‘Dunno,' she shrugged.
‘What do you mean?' I frowned. ‘It was a one-night stand. I don't know who he is,' she replied. She was normally very sensible and I'd never known her to sleep with a bloke she'd just met. ‘We need to find out who the father is,' I said, firmly. In the end, she got annoyed with me.
I was still reeling when Craig came home that evening.
‘You'll never believe it, Angie's pregnant...' I began. ‘I know,' Craig interrupted. ‘She told me yesterday when I was round there fixing her loo.'
‘Oh,' I said, upset she'd told him first. But I didn't make an issue of it - she had enough to worry about.
One night, the three of us went to the pub. When I came out again, I saw something that sent a shockwave running through me.
Craig's hand was firmly planted on Angie's thigh. ‘You two look cosy,' I snapped. ‘Angie was upset,' Craig replied, pulling his hand away. ‘I was just being supportive.'
My heart told me this wasn't normal behaviour. But my head told me I was being ridiculous.
Soon after, Angie gave birth to a baby boy, Alfie. As I was setting off for the hospital to see him, Craig came home. ‘Are you coming to meet Angie's new arrival?' I said. ‘Oh, I've already been in my lunch hour,' he breezed. Why would he be so keen to see the baby?
On the way to the hospital, a terrible thought started to form in my head. And when I got there, I couldn't take my eyes off my new nephew - for all the wrong reasons. I was desperately searching his features for any resemblance to Craig.
Then, a few days later, I dropped round to Angie's and through the front window I saw a man, cradling baby Alfie. It was Craig. I stormed into the house in tears. ‘What's going on?' I demanded.
‘I was just in the area so I popped in,' he shrugged. But that night,
I couldn't hold my suspicions in any longer. ‘Is Alfie your baby?' I asked Craig. ‘No, of course not,' he snorted. ‘Don't be ridiculous.'
I didn't know what to believe anymore. We started arguing constantly and our sex life ground to a halt. As for Angie, I stopped phoning her, too.
Finally, unable to take it anymore, I asked her to come round and the three of us sat down together. ‘I know Craig is Alfie's father,' I said. ‘And I want a DNA test to prove it.'
‘You're being ridiculous,' Craig snapped. Turning to Angie, I questioned her over and over.
‘Is Craig the father?' I said.
‘No,' she whispered.
But I could see she was cracking. She started shaking and her eyes filled with tears. Eventually, she nodded her head.
It was no surprise, but it still felt like a knife through my heart.
‘You had a family, me and the kids,' I raged to Craig. ‘And now you've lost us.'
He put his head in his hands. But it was too late for crocodile tears. I made Craig pack his things and leave on the spot.
Then I got everything out of Angie. ‘We've been seeing each other for eight years,' she admitted. ‘I'm really sorry it's come to this.' It meant she'd hooked up with Craig four years into our relationship. ‘Can you please forgive me?' she pleaded. ‘Leave me alone and never speak to me again,' I said, coldly.
I was in shock for months afterwards. Craig came to see the boys, but I could hardly bear to speak to him. When Angie called in tears, I'd slam the phone down.
Eighteen months went by like this. But as time passed, I found myself missing her. Me and Craig had started doing things together with the kids again and it seemed stupid for me to be civil to him but not to my own sister. So, I agreed to meet Angie in the pub for a chat.
She apologised over and over.
‘I can't forget what you did, but I'll try to forgive,' I said.
Three months on, our rift is healing. We phone each other and we've been out for a drink a few times. She still cries if I mention the affair and I know she's genuinely sorry.
Craig visits the kids once a week and we're friendly for their sake. He also still sees Angie and Alfie.
I know there's nothing going on, but I'll never have him back. When I do meet someone new, I'll have no problem introducing him to Angie. I know she learnt her lesson from what happened. And I'd be very unlucky to meet another bloke with the same idea of family bonding as Craig!

• Angie Sturch, 32, says: ‘I'm so sorry for what I did, and when I look back on it, I can't believe I actually did it. I'll never do anything like that to Selina again.
I would never want to hurt her.'

• Craig Dissington, 34, says: ‘I may have lost two women, but I've got two lovely children by Selina out of it and one by Angie. I tried to have a relationship with Angie after the split, but all she wanted to do was patch things up with her sister.'


Selina Sturch, 31, Oldham, Greater Manchester