A long-running marital dispute took a dramatic turn after a nine-year marriage was rocked by a single sentence uttered in anger.

According to accounts from family sources, the husband had repeatedly told his wife during arguments that he remained in the marriage only because of their children, insisting he would have left otherwise. During one such confrontation, the wife responded sharply, asking him how certain he was that the children were his.

The remark immediately escalated tensions. The husband reportedly convened a family meeting, where the wife admitted making the statement but insisted it was said out of hurt and retaliation, not truth. She maintained that the children were indeed his.

Although relatives intervened and the couple reconciled publicly, doubts lingered. Unable to afford DNA tests for all three children, the man allegedly sold the only plot of land he owned — located in a prime area — to raise the funds.

The tests were conducted in secret. When the results returned, all three children were confirmed to be biologically his.

Sources say the man is now struggling with deep regret, having lost his only property despite his wife’s innocence. When the wife later discovered what had happened, the husband apologised, and the marriage has since continued.

The case has sparked widespread debate about trust, communication and emotional retaliation in marriages. Critics argue the situation escalated unnecessarily, noting that a costly decision was triggered by words spoken in anger during a long-standing pattern of verbal conflict.