I’m a 38yr old male dating a 21yr old female

I’ve been dating a female for a couple months and I really like her. When we met I thought she was around 24 or 25 years old based on her maturity level so I got her number we hung out and she later told me she was 21. I’m 38 yrs old, I usually date women who are closer to my age so when she asked me my age I lied and told her I was 29yrs old. At this point I still haven’t told her my real age, I had no idea we would have such a strong connection based on our age gap. Now I’m afraid of revealing my real age to her because she would be hurt and upset I lied. Ultimately she wouldn’t want to date me any longer. What is the best way to break the news to her? Any advice would help. Please don’t judge, I know it was wrong to lie to her but I felt that she wouldnt want to date me if I told her my true age, and it was such a strong connection when we met. I had no idea she we tell me she was 21. I thought she was 24 or 25 and when I told her that , she mentioned that she gets that a lot. If she was that age, I wouldn’t have lied about my age.