I had an affair at work – now I might be the dad of an unborn child

DEAR DEIDRE: FOLLOWING a brief fling with a woman at work, she told me I might be the father of her unborn baby.

However, she has a boyfriend and she also says it could be his.

I’m 29, she is 34 and we slept with each other a few times in the summer.

Stupidly, we didn’t always use a condom because we got caught up in the moment.

She was upfront about the fact she had a live-in boyfriend, but wasn’t happy with him. She said they hardly ever had sex.

I really liked her. But when I realised she wasn’t going to leave him and I would get hurt, I ended it.

I’ve since got a new job, so I’ve had no contact with her.

Last week, she contacted me out of the blue to say she’s four months pregnant.

She asked me if I could remember if we used a condom on one particular night when we were very drunk. I can’t.

I told her that if the baby is mine, I’d be happy to stand by her and help raise it.

But she insists she’s going to raise the baby with her boyfriend. I’m sure he doesn’t know about me.

I’m so confused.

DEIDRE SAYS: It was unfair of this woman to suggest you might be her baby’s father, then tell you another man would be bringing up the child regardless.

If you want, you can ask for a DNA test after the baby is born.

Were the baby proven to be yours, you could have your name as father on the birth certificate, and you’d have parental responsibility to support your child.

It would be a good idea to talk this through with Families Need Fathers (fnf.org.uk, 0300 0300 363).