Wealthy Father Gets Unfortunate News, Then Gets Some More
It was bad enough that Richard Mason, a millionaire father of three, got the news that he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Later, he learned something even worse. Getting this diagnosis led to Richard discovering some harrowing details about his family.
His ex-wife had not told him the truth about his three sons, so he had to do some deep digging. Keep reading to discover what Richard's ex-wife had been hiding from him all these years.
Who Is Richard Mason?
Richard Mason seemed to have it all. A British man in his late 50's, Richard worked hard and it paid off, as he is incredibly wealthy. Ex-wife Kate and Richard started a family a little over three decades ago with three sons.
Their oldest son is named Will (born 1995) and they have two more twin sons named Ed and Joel who were born four years later. Those who are wondering how Richard got his wealth should know he made a bundle after co-founding a British price comparison website called MoneySupermarket.com.
The Perfect Family Couldn't Last
According to the Daily Telegraph, Kate met her ex-husband in the 1980s while the two worked at the same bank. The couple started their family shortly afterward but weren't able to stay together for too long.
By 2007, the marriage didn't look like it was going to last. A year later, the couple filed for divorce. The children were all over the age of 18, so Richard and Kate weren't filled with as much regret as they thought they would be.
His Wife Wanted Financial Support
Since all of their sons were over the age of 18, Richard thought he would be able to move on from his ex-wife. That wasn't the case. Kate demanded that she get the financial support she deserved.
She asked Richard for a five million dollar lump sum in order to pay for the hefty private school fees of all three sons. After she was given the money, she continued to ask for more as years passed, even hiring private investigators to track him down.
Post Divorce Wasn't Happily Ever After For Richard
The stress of the divorce and the financial support for Kate seemed like enough for Richard to handle, but there was a lot more coming. In 2016, he arranged to have a routine check-up at the doctor.
The doctor would be performing some tests to make sure Richard was healthy and to check for any preexisting conditions. The results of his tests would not only put his health on the line but change who he was as a person forever.
Richard Gets A Somber Diagnosis
A routine appointment at the doctor usually doesn't bring too much alarm to a seemingly healthy person. Suddenly, the doctor decided to run some other tests just to be sure there was nothing wrong with him.
After gathering the results, the doctors concluded that Richard had cystic fibrosis. This unfortunate news was something that Richard knew he had to tackle immediately, but he wanted to be sure that everything was going to be okay for both him and his family.
He Needed To Warn His Family
Getting diagnosed with cystic fibrosis is not something that should be taken lightly. His sister had recently passed from the disease, so he knew it was genetic. He needed to let his family know of the news, but also warn his sons about their likelihood of getting it.
Medical News Today shared that cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease that harms the lungs and digestive system. It creates a thick mucus that can clog the lungs and pancreas, which can be life-threatening.
Could He Pass Cystic Fibrosis To His Sons?
One of the most critical things Richard was thinking about after his diagnosis was if he would genetically pass it on to his three adult sons. The news of his own diagnosis was hard enough, but he didn't know how he'd feel if his sons ended up with it.
After getting all the facts about his diagnosis from his doctor, Richard got ready to ask if the doctor thought his sons would inherit cystic fibrosis.
A Temporary Sigh Of Relief
Richard waited for the doctor to tell him the fate of his three sons. While the disease is genetic, the doctor assured him that there was no possible way for him to have given his sons cystic fibrosis.
That was something Richard could be happy about, but then he wondered how it was possible that the doctor was so certain that his sons would never inherit it from him. Richard's joy quickly shifted to alarm as the doctor explained further.
It's Almost Impossible For Men With Cystic Fibrosis To Do This
According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 97 to 98 percent of males with cystic fibrosis are infertile. There is almost no possible way that they can have children due to the "congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD)."
This news made no sense to Richard because he had three sons of his own. Now, he thought his diagnosis couldn't be right and maybe needed a second opinion from another doctor. Richard shared his disbelief with the doctor, but the doctor told him he was wrong.
He Realized What Was Really Going On
The medical tests were final, so it was time for Richard to come to the biggest realization in his life. Richard's diagnosis was completely true, but there was someone who had been lying to him for decades.
Knowing that he was infertile, Richard's thoughts switched to a much larger issue. His ex-wife Kate was lying about how his children came to be. Richard knew there was probably no way they could biologically be his own.
Past Red Flags
It now started to sink in that Richard's three sons weren't biologically his, so he started to think about his marriage to Kate. The divorce didn't come out of nowhere.
As he sat in the doctor's office, he began to retrospectively analyze the shady aspects of what Kate did in their marriage. This set off some red flags in his head that were now adding up. He thought his wife would have been honest during their time together, but realized his huge mistake.
Richard's Intense Flashback
Richard thought back to an early memory he had of him and Kate. They decided to go to an Indian restaurant and a worker recognized Kate. Richard was confused because it was the couple's first time at that particular restaurant.
Kate told Richard that the worker must have mistaken her for someone else because she hadn't been there before. In fact, she had been there, but she didn't go with Richard. She was with another man.
What Was Kate Really Doing?
Richard was now aware that Kate had not been faithful during their marriage. It never would have occurred to him that she was doing this all those years ago if it weren't for his cystic fibrosis diagnosis.
There were late nights at the office, phone calls about flight delays, and so much more. He also worked late nights, so he didn't think too much of it. New details started to emerge about what Kate was really doing.
He Took A Closer Look At His Sons
When babies are born, friends and family will often tell the parents how much their children look like them. While Kate heard that quite a lot with her sons, Richard wasn't told this once.
Thinking back about the time he spent with his sons when they were growing up, there was never a time when they even remotely looked like him. Richard couldn't fathom that he hadn't realized this until now, but was ready to get down to the bottom of his ex-wife's unfaithfulness.
His Ex-Wife's Request Came Out Of Left Field
Both Richard and Kate were raised in the faith of Christianity, so it came as an enormous surprise when she told him that she didn't want to raise their sons in that religion.
Before their kids were born, she decided that she wanted them to be Jewish. She started talking to Rabbis, gave her sons middle names relating to Judaism, and refused to let them be Christened. All of this seemed to come out of nowhere at the time for Richard.
Richard Thought His Sons Looked Like Someone He Knew
It was clear that Richard didn't look anything like his three sons, but the more he thought about it, he realized they did look familiar. One by one, the clues to who the biological father was started to stack up.
Kate was most certainly having an affair around the time of the births of their sons, so Richard needed to think of who was hanging around his ex-wife at the time. He also needed to get Kate to confess.
Who Is The Father?
One thing that Richard remembered about Kate was that her excuses for being late were usually work-related. She was either working late, going on a business trip, or something else of that nature.
Richard strongly felt he could narrow down the boys' biological father to someone that worked with Kate around the time their sons were born. He remembered that there was a particular man who did look similar to the boys and was Jewish.
Thinking It Over
Richard had come to the conclusion that he was not the father of his sons, his ex-wife had cheated on him, and that they were most likely the biological sons of Kate's co-worker.
Since he wasn't married to Kate anymore, he wasn't able to get in touch with her in person. Instead, he wrote her an email explaining his findings and demanded an explanation. "I was hoping that you could relieve me of [the] further indignity [of more tests] by letting me know now if I am the father," said Richard.
The Emails Continue
It was bad enough that Richard had to find out about his infertility after getting a cystic fibrosis diagnosis. When he reached out to Kate for further comment, she didn't reply.
He continued his plea in another email to get to the bottom of this predicament. "They went on to say that it is 98 percent certain that I am not the father of any children...I am happy to go along with your advice as to how best tell the boys," said Richard.
Kate Finally Replied
Kate finally decided to reply after Richard's second email and completely denied his claims that he wasn't the father. She wasn't ready to admit what had really happened.
"Of course the boys are yours, no matter what the science might suggest," she replied. He knew she was lying to him, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. Kate wasn't giving him the correct information and he was ready to do some genetic testing done with his boys.
Sharing The News With His First-Born Son
Since Kate wasn't giving him the answers he deserved, he decided it was time for him to start talking to other members of the family. First, was his oldest son Will.
Richard started off by telling Will about his cystic fibrosis diagnosis and everything else his doctors had shared with him so far. He remembered that Will took the news surprisingly well and stayed calm throughout the conversation. Richard needed to let Will know what that diagnosis meant in regards to his paternity.
Will Understood What Was Going On
As Richard got deeper into the conversation with Will, he knew he needed to tell him why his cystic fibrosis diagnosis was so important. Richard said, "...Yes, but one of the things that I've just been told is that it is extremely unlikely that someone with cystic fibrosis could father a child."
Will now understood exactly why Richard reached out to him. Will said, "I'm already ahead of you, Dad. You're saying you're probably not my father?"
It Was All Too Much For Richard And Will
Will was in college at the time, so hearing that the person who he thought was his father all his life wasn't actually his biological dad was a lot to take in. Richard was utterly heartbroken.
Will reassured Richard that he would always be his dad, no matter what. "It was very emotional, but I was also very angry," Richard said. His sons didn't deserve this kind of displeasing news at their age. Richard wondered how Kate could keep this hidden all these years.
He Came To A Depressing Realization
All his life Richard thought he was the father of three outstanding sons. The cystic fibrosis diagnosis caused his whole life to come crashing down. He realized he was childless.
There would be no one to carry on Richard's genetics long after he's gone. His legacy disappeared instantly. Now, he had to go on living life with the major burdens of not having biological sons and succumbing to cystic fibrosis. It's a serious disease, so he had no idea how it would change his life.
Kate Comes Forward About The Affair
While Richard was the one begging Kate to give him a straight answer about his paternity, it was actually Will who got the truth out of her. After he received the news about Richard's cystic fibrosis, he went to talk to his mother.
She told him all about the affair she had while married to Richard and that there was almost no chance that Richard was his father. This immediately confirmed Richard's theories about the whole ordeal.
Richard And "The Other Man" Had Something In Common
Kate was ready to let everything be out in the open after her son reached out to her about his real father. Her affair wasn't just a little fling.
The two had been seeing each other off and on for about two decades after meeting at the bank where they worked together. Similarly, Richard and Kate met while they worked at the same bank. Kate admitted that no one had caught on to her affair with her co-worker the whole time they were together.
Time To Get Tested
Even though Kate admitted to Will that she thought Richard probably wasn't the boys' biological father, she was still telling Richard he was the biological father. Richard knew for a fact that she was lying.
In order to set things straight, Richard decided that he and his sons should go through with several tests including a paternity test. He knew he needed to do this to catch Kate in her web of lies and possibly find out the true father of his sons.
The Testing Process
It was finally time for Richard and his sons to take the tests to determine if they were actually related. He sought advice from a paternity fraud expert to ensure that everything would be completely accurate.
First, he took a fertility test that proved there was no way he could father any child. Next, he submitted a DNA test, so doctors could match his DNA with his three sons. The hardest part about the DNA test was actually getting his sons to comply.
The Twins Agree To A DNA Test
Richard had already told his oldest son Will the truth about his diagnosis, so that meant it was time to share the news with the two youngest. Twin sons Ed and Joel heard what Richard had to say and agreed to take a DNA test.
The results came back that Richard was indeed not their father or related to them in any way. Richard was heartbroken over the news, which just made Kate's affair even more real.
Will Wouldn't Comply
It seemed as though Richard had enough proof of Kate's affair after getting the DNA results back from the twins, but he wanted to be sure with his oldest son Will.
Will was well aware that Richard wasn't his biological father and didn't want to go through the hassle of taking a DNA test. Will said, "...as far as I'm concerned, he's my dad and that's that." While that may be enough for Will, Richard wasn't letting this go.
Richard Took Things To The Next Level
Richard had enough of all the lies and deceit that came from his ex-wife and was ready to take legal action. He wanted to make sure that she got what she deserved.
In order for him to have a better case against Kate, he pleaded with Will to give him a DNA sample. Will still refused and told him that if he sued Kate that he would never speak to him again. Richard went ahead with the case and Will hasn't spoken to him since.
Mixed Emotions From The Twins
Will and Joel were adamantly against Richard suing Kate. Ed thought it was the right thing to do. He knew now that Richard isn't their biological father, but that never mattered to him.
One of the twins wrote their dad a loving message about how he feels, "Dad, as I explained from the beginning you would never not be dad to me regardless of all this. Of course I'll stay in touch, that will never change...I'm always here for you too and you will always be Dad. Love you x."
One Of The Twins Was Okay With The Affair
It's highly unlikely that children would be okay and understanding if their parents entered an extramarital affair, especially one that lasted 20 years. Joel understood where his mom was coming from.
Kate and Richard often described their marriage as "cold and joyless," so it didn't come as a complete shock when Joel learned about what his mother had done in her past. "She was trapped in an unhappy marriage for years and she wanted kids," he explained.
Joel Noticed Something Off About Richard
Before Richard shared the news about his cystic fibrosis, Joel admitted that he hadn't heard from his dad in about three years. "He's a very manipulative man, not the kind of person you want to be with," said Joel.
Joel noticed his father's unusual behavior when he was around 15-years-old. He also mentioned that Richard refused to do the DNA tests in front of his sons. When Joel found out Richard wasn't technically related to him, he felt nothing. "It didn't hurt me because he hadn't been my dad for a few years," he shared.
A Big Win For Richard
It was a major victory for Richard after he won the paternity fraud lawsuit against Kate. She was ordered to pay him over $300,000 after demanding roughly $5.8 million.
A huge part of the settlement included that the boys' birth father had to stay anonymous. Richard doesn't mind if his sons learn the identity of their biological father or if he approached them directly. Richard is glad he and his sons know most of the truth.
Engagement News
Richard had been feeling sad that two of his three sons never contacted him again after the court case. "I still see what the boys are doing on Facebook and it's heart-wrenching. It's all been taken away from me," said Richard.
Luckily, he has a new lady in his life. Richard's life after his diagnosis and the court battle hasn't been all bad. He got down on one knee and proposed to his then girlfriend, Emma Louise Jones. She said yes.
What Is Kate Doing Now
Similar to Richard, Kate has a new partner and is living with him in a $1.31 million seven-bedroom home in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. The last time Richard was there he noticed four luxury cars in the driveway.
She had collected nearly $3,935 each month from Richard from the child support payments. Richard explained that now that the case is public, he hasn't heard anything about the biological father having to pay Kate for child support.
Sad News In The Family
One of Richard's sisters had passed from cystic fibrosis and another is still suffering from the disease. Richard is still going through treatment and his grandmother has Alzheimer's disease.
Richard said that his grandmother will constantly ask about her grandsons and it pains him to tell her the story every time. Sometimes he'll try to change the subject, but it will keep coming up. "My family too have lost the boys, and I feel their loss too."
Life Without His Sons Is Too Much To Handle
Richard has to miss birthdays, graduations, and more life events than he ever thought he would. Living without contact with his sons has been practically unbearable.
"I'm not their father - I'm not even a friend of the family. I'm just a guy who was there when they were being brought up," said Richard. Although his cystic fibrosis treatment seems to be working, he doesn't feel as optimistic about the future as he would like.
Emma's Health Struggles
Richard's cystic fibrosis treatment has stabilized after getting the appropriate medication, but his lung capacity did drop from 84 percent to 72 percent. His doctors estimated that he has about 10 years to live.
Unfortunately, his second wife Emma inherited the "killer" gene from her grandmother, which usually leads to breast cancer. Richard shared that she has been cancer-free for a little while after getting one breast removed and will have a second mastectomy and hysterectomy soon.
Emma And Richard Wanted Children
Emma learned she had breast cancer only a few weeks after Richard learned about his cystic fibrosis. One of the reasons why Richard went to the doctor was to find out if he and Emma could have children. The cystic fibrosis made him infertile, and Emma's fate was just as well.
The chemotherapy from her breast cancer treatments caused her to start premature menopause. Both Richard and Emma were devastated with the news and are striving to overcome their illnesses.
Hoping For A Reconciliation
With only about a decade left of life and no way to have biological children, Richard hopes that he can be his boys' dad again. "If I could wave a magic want, I would want to be in all their lives," said Richard.
It's clear that the cystic fibrosis is still controlling his life with a daily reminder of a persistent cough. Richard appeared on television and pleaded for his sons to see him. He wanted things to be as they were before and to give them each a big hug.
Was It All For Attention?
The boys are now 25 and 21-years-old and have been practically estranged from Richard since the DNA testing. The family learned Richard would be sharing the whole story with the media only days before it dropped.
Richard's sons weren't happy with the decision and Joel thought his dad did it for the attention. He went on to say that the whole family knew about the cystic fibrosis and affair for two years, but Richard waited until he thought he would get a lot of attention to go public about it.
