I’m divorcing my cheating wife. Should I cater to her child?

Photo by Deon Black on Unsplash

I’m in a bit of a dilemma and I need some wisdom to handle it. My wife and I have been married for about seven years and she already had a child when we got together. Of course, I didn’t mind that she had a child and I grew to love the little girl like my own.

The problem is my wife. She has had so many affairs and I’ve forgiven her every single time. She cheats, I end up finding out about it, I confront her and she promises to change. After a few months, she goes back to it again and there are times she’s even lied to me about it and with a straight face. I’m tired of this nonsense and I’m divorcing her. I’ve already moved out of our home.

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We don’t have any children together but she now wants me to pay child support for her daughter. Biologically speaking, this child isn’t mine. Paying child support feels like I’ll have to stay connected to my soon-to-be-ex-wife longer than necessary. I just want to be rid of her so I can have some peace of mind. I’ve tolerated her enough over the years and I’m done.

I’m okay with paying alimony but that’s about as far as I’m willing to go. Can this be termed as selfishness? Does she have any legal grounds to claim child support? I didn’t legally adopt the girl. Help me figure out how to approach this.

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