Husband may have child from affair

Dear Annie: My husband has been dead for years. He was strong, handsome and successful, but not faithful. Women shamelessly threw themselves at him and he took advantage. He once had to send me to a doctor to be tested for STDs, and I was so angry and embarrassed that I decided the only way to keep the marriage intact for the children’s sake would be to forget about romance and approach it like a business.

The problem is, one of his affairs may have produced a child. The woman was married at the time and still is. Her husband is considered the legal father, and for all I know, he may be the biological father. My husband and I never spoke about this baby boy, but everyone else did because we lived in a small town. I always told myself I would speak to the woman if I ran into her, but I have not, mainly to protect my children’s inheritance.

But I worry that someday this information may have to be dealt with. Should I put a letter in with our family records to be discovered after my death? Or is this something I should take to my grave? – The Wife

Dear Wife: If there is a likelihood that your husband fathered a child by someone else, you should keep medical information available in case the child decides to search for his father. But it is unlikely that he would be entitled to an inheritance, especially if many years have passed and the money is gone.