Reddit Stories - AITA Confessions That Shocked Everyone Relaxing ( Over 9 Hour Compilation ) - Episode #48

Episode Date: December 6, 2025

Summary: In Episode 48, viewers are treated to a compilation of shocking AITA confessions that leave everyone stunned. The stories reveal unexpected twists and moral dilemmas, prompting discussions about right and wrong. This relaxing compilation offers a unique perspective on human behavior and the complexities of interpersonal relationships. Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, confessions, shocking, stories, compilation, relaxing, moral dilemmas, interpersonal relationships, human behavior, unexpected twists, drama, storytelling, community, discussions, entertainment, insights

I hope you enjoy this story. The dreadful wicked stepmother destroyed all of my deceased mother's possessions while I was in the medical facility. When I was enraged, she claimed to have a better understanding of your father than you do. He'll be happy I did this for us. I, 23F, have been in and out of the hospital a lot over the years because of a chronic illness I've had since I was a kid. My dad, 48M, has always been super supportive and tries to be there for me whenever I have to go through treatments or surgery. I recently had to undergo a major surgery, and my recovery was no joke. It was really hard, and I was in the hospital for about two weeks.

Dad stayed with me for most of that time, but a couple of days before I was discharged, he had to leave for a work trip. He's a business consultant, so his job is him traveling all over the place, and sometimes he just can't get out of it. He was super apologetic about not being there to pick me up from the hospital, the hospital, but I totally understood. Besides, my stepmom, 45F, was supposed to handle things while he was gone. For a little background, my stepmom and I have never really gotten along. She married my dad when I was 16, and things have always been tense between us. I try to be

civil but I know she doesn't really like me. She's always done and said things to make me feel like I was in the way of her relationship with my dad. She also thinks I look too much like my mom, who passed away when I was 10, by the way. My stepmom hates that I look like my mom because she thinks it's a reminder for my dad about his ex. Yeah, I know. She sounds insane. But at the end of the day, my dad loved her and I respected that which was why I tolerated a lot of her behavior. Anyway, after I was discharged from the hospital, I finally came home. I was exhausted but relieved to be out of the hospital. I walked into my room and at first, everything seemed normal.

I laid on my bed to relax and ended up taking a nap. When I woke up, I decided to spruce up my room a little bit and that's when I noticed something was off. I guess I was too exhausted to notice how empty my room looked because I quickly realized that a lot of things were missing. Like, seriously, a lot of things. I started freaking out. I thought that maybe there was a break-in or something. I started running from room to room and searching for anything that might still be there. I mean, I was barely able to stand up because I was still so weak from my surgery, but I was desperate.

But it became clear pretty quickly that everything that was missing was things that belonged to my mom. I had this old jewelry box of hers, some framed photos, a bunch of letters she had written to me when I was younger, and a few other sentimental things. They usually stayed on my dresser or my nightstand. But that day, they were all gone. I checked the storage closet where we kept some of my mom's old stuff like her clothes, and a few antique pieces from her family, and it was all gone. Literally, everything. I couldn't believe it.

I immediately confronted my stepmom. I did my best to stay calm with her. I asked her if she had moved anything from my room. She looked at me with this smug smile. She then casually told me that she had taken care of some of my things and that I didn't need to worry about any of those things anymore. I felt my heart dropped to my stomach. I knew that my stepmom had always had a thing against my mother,

but I prayed over and over again that the most she'd done was put my mom's things in a storage unit somewhere further from where we lived. I continued to ask my stepmom what she'd done with my things, but she just continued to give me this smug smile. Eventually, I lost my head and started screaming at her to tell me what she'd done. That's when she laughed and told me that she had burned everything that belonged to my mom. That shut me up so fast because of how shocked I was. I couldn't even process it.

When I finally managed to ask her why she would do something like that, she just said that my dad and she had been wanting to move on with their lives and this was the best way apparently. She said that my dad didn't need reminders of his old life. I tried to argue with her and tell her that she made the worst mistake of her life and that my dad would not be happy with what she did. She just laughed at me and told me that she knew him better than I did and that he'd be happy that she burned my mom's stuff for their relationship. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

I was so angry and upset that I could barely speak. I was shaking and trying not to cry, but the tears just came. It was like I was grieving my mom all over again. I couldn't believe that someone could be so cruel. I just kept thinking about all the things I'd lost. Everything I had left of my mom was gone. I became too weak at that point. I was too overwhelmed.

I left my stepmom standing there and walked to my room. I cried for a good while before deciding to call my dad. Unfortunately for me, he was in the middle of a meeting. When he finally answered, he sounded super distracted and busy. I tried explaining to him what had happened, but I could tell he wasn't really paying attention. He said something about dealing with it when he got back home before hurriedly hanging up. I felt so helpless. The next few days were the longest of my life.

I was heartbroken, angry, and alone in that house with my stepmom, who acted like she hadn't done anything wrong. She made sure to keep bringing up the fact that she had done my dad. a huge favor. She constantly also told me that it was time for me to move on and grow up from my childish obsession with my mom. She made sure to taunt me every chance she could. I don't even know how I got through those days, but I somehow managed to wait it out until my dad came back. When my dad finally came home from his trip, I was waiting for him. I told him everything again, and this time, he actually listened. At first, he didn't believe me. He thought that

there was some kind of misunderstanding, or that my stepmom was simply pulling some mean prank. But I took him into my room, and then to our storage space and he grew pale when he saw all of it empty. My mom was the love of his life. They had met when they were 10. A lot of things that my stepmom burned had been my dad's and mom's childhood. Even though my dad had moved on and married my stepmom, those belongings were a huge part of his memories with my mom. They were priceless to him, and to see it all gone hit him hard. He confronted my stepmom, and she tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal. When she saw how agitated my dad was getting,

she even said I had brainwashed him into thinking it was important when really, she was just helping him move on. My dad lost it. I'd never seen him that angry before, and if there's one thing you should know about my dad, it's that he's a really chill guy. It takes a lot to get him angry. My stepmom clearly did not think that her actions would leave,

to him getting angry and she was terrified. My dad told her right then and there that he wanted a divorce. He told her that he wanted her to pack her things and leave. My stepmom tried to argue that it was her house too and that my dad couldn't kick her out. But my dad told her that the house was his way before he met her and that if she didn't leave in 24 hours, he would call his lawyer and make sure she left his house. My stepmom left the house in a huff and my dad and I grieved the loss of my mom's stuff together. My dad was furious and he decided to make my stepmom's life a nightmare. After talking to his lawyer, my dad decided to file a lawsuit against my stepmom for property destruction and emotional distress. My dad really wanted her to pay for what she had done

emotionally. He was devastated and he wanted her to feel the consequences of her actions. My stepmom, of course, flipped out. She couldn't believe that my dad was actually siding with with me. She kept trying to blame me. She said that I had manipulated him and turned him against her. But my dad wasn't having any of it. He was furious that she had destroyed the last reminders of his first marriage and of the woman he truly loved. He couldn't even look at my stepmom. Now, the divorce is happening, and the lawsuit is in full swing. My stepmom is fighting it, but her chances of winning are slim. She's been trying to act like the victim and has told any who will listen that I'm the one who ruined everything by holding on to the past.

A few of my stepmom's relatives have reached out to me and have told me that I was immature for interfering in my dad and stepmom's relationship. But like, I didn't do anything much. My dad would have found out that my mom's things were missing eventually, and my stepmom would have faced the same consequences. My stepmom's relatives have been texting me about how much my stepmom has been struggling and they keep blaming it on me. I know I did nothing wrong, but I guess the grief that I'm feeling is messing with my head.

I just need somebody who's not part of my situation to tell me that I did nothing wrong. So, Ida for telling my dad that my stepmom burned all of my late mother's things? Update 1, hey everyone, I wanted to give you all an update on the situation because things have escalated big time. When I first posted, I was still in shock from what my stepmom did. But let me tell you that this lawsuit is. becoming an absolute nightmare for her, and honestly, I have zero sympathy. My dad is not holding back. He's determined to make her pay, and it's going worse for her than she ever imagined.

The legal process has been moving fast, and it turns out that my stepmom had no idea what she was walking into. Some of the things she burned weren't just sentimental trinkets. They were incredibly valuable. Most of the things she burned were antique mementos passed down from my mom's side of the family. They were part of a collection that had been in the family for generations. A couple of pieces, like an old watch and a set of vintage jewelry, were worth thousands. While that itself is unfortunate for my stepmom, it gets worse because it turns out that those antiques were insured. My mom's family took great care of them, so they had insurance policies tied to their value. When my dad realized this, it gave him even more leverage in the lawsuit. Now, my stepmom is

just facing emotional distress claims. She's also looking at a major property destruction case with hard evidence of financial loss. The fact that these items were destroyed makes her responsible for paying back their full value, and let's just say, she does not have that kind of money. The insurance company is also coming after her now. Since my dad filed a claim, they've started their own investigation and they're siding with him completely. My stepmom can't wiggle out of this one. If she thought she could just destroy these things and walk away, she was dead wrong. My dad's lawyers have been on top of every detail, and have made sure that she's backed into a corner. It's honestly brutal to watch, but after everything she's done, she deserves every bit of it.

The divorce is moving quickly, too, and thank God my dad was smart enough to make her sign a pre-nup before they got married. That's been a huge help because it means that she's not walking away with much. She tried to contest it at first, but her lawyer straight up told her that she did not have a case. The pre-nup is airtight, so all the assets my dad had before and after they got married are staying with him. That means no fancy house, no luxury car, and no access to any of my dad's money for my stepmom. She's panicking, and I know all about it because she's been blowing up my phone every single day. Every time I block her, she finds a way to text me again. She sends me these long texts were just rants about how I ruined her life.

It's almost funny how she keeps trying to make herself look like the victim. According to her, I brainwashed my dad into divorcing her, and now she's paying the price for something that wasn't her fault. She keeps saying she was just trying to help by burning my mom's things, and now everything is falling apart because I couldn't let it go. She's also been telling me all about how her life is crumbling, and honestly, I can't bring myself to be sympathetic or to even care. Apparently, people in her social circle are starting to distance themselves from her. She always cared a lot about appearances, so losing her

reputation has been a huge blow. She's gone from hosting fancy dinners and brunches to being completely ghosted by her so-called friends. From what I've heard, a lot of people are siding with my dad, especially since they know how much my mom's belongings meant to him. No one's buying her sob story about doing it for the family. The financial hit is already starting to hurt her, too. With the lawsuit dragging on and the pre-nup blocking her from getting any of my dad's assets, she's losing her grip on the lifestyle she was so proud of. Even her fancy car was leased through my dad's company, and he canceled at the moment the divorce papers were filed. So she's been ranting to me about how she looks like a pathetic loser because she has to take public transport

everywhere, and it's all my fault that she's in that position. From what she's been telling me, because she just won't stop texting me, she's desperate. She's trying to find a new place to live but doesn't have the money for anything close to the lifestyle she's used to. She could obviously settle for something cheaper, but she refuses to live, and I quote, below what she deserves. She even tried to guilt-trip my dad into letting her stay in our house until she gets back on her but he wasn't having it. She's furious about the pre-nup, the lawsuit, the house, and everything. And every single time something went wrong for her, I got a text about how it was all my fault. She's really losing it. I've heard from a mutual acquaintance that she's been calling in favors

and trying to get people to take her side, but no one's biting. Most people know what she did now, and they don't want anything to do with her. Honestly, it's kind of satisfying to watch her fall apart after everything she put me through. She thought she could just waltz in, burn my mom's things, and act like she did us a favor. Now, she's losing everything. Meanwhile, my dad is holding up pretty well through all of this. I think he's still heartbroken over what happened. He loved my mom so much, and the things she left behind were really special to him. Not to mention, he lost my stepmom, who was the new love of his life, all in one go. Granted, my stepmom is still around, but he's still very upset and hurt that

things turned out this way. But he's channeling all that anger and hurt into making sure stepmom pays for what she did. His lawyers are doing an amazing job, and every day, it feels like we're one step closer to getting some kind of closure. I don't know how long the lawsuit will drag on, but it's already clear that it's going to ruin her financially. Between the property destruction claims, the insurance company coming after her, and the divorce moving forward, she's going to be left with nothing. I'll keep you guys updated as more happens, but for now, things are definitely moving in the right direction. It feels good to know that justice is being served. Update two, hey everyone. Time for another update, and things just keep getting crazier.

I didn't think it was possible for my stepmom to dig herself a deeper hole, but here we are. So, the lawsuit was already going pretty badly for her with the whole destruction of property and emotional distress claims. But now, it's escalated even more again. During the discovery phase of the lawsuit, which is basically where all the evidence gets collected, my dad's lawyers found something huge. Turns out, my stepmom has been slowly but surely taking money from my dad's business for years. Apparently, she had access to some of the business accounts.

When she withdrew money from them, she claimed that it was for household needs or expenses, and my dad trusted her enough to not question it. But when the lawyers started looking through the financials for the divorce, they found all these weird transfers. We're not talking about small amounts either. She was quietly pulling out thousands here and there. She used this money to fund her expensive lifestyle. My dad was never tipped off to how much exactly she had been spending on her luxury because he

never knew how much luxury items cost. He figured that my stepmom would be rational about her spending, but that was very wrong. When my dad found out, he was furious. He already felt betrayed by her for burning my mom's belongings, but finding out she'd been stealing from him? That was the final straw. What she did wasn't just sneaky. It was straight-up fraud. She had no right to that money, and she'd been draining his accounts for personal use to keep up her lavish lifestyle. Now, on top of the property destruction case, she's facing a full-on fraud case. My dad is pressing charges for embezzlement, and things are getting real serious. Her lawyer is scrambling and trying to negotiate some kind of settlement, but my dad isn't having it. He doesn't want to settle.

He wants her to face the full consequences of everything she's done. Honestly, I don't blame him, and I'm actually kind of proud of him. She's gotten away with so much for so long, and now it's all finally catching up to her. At this point, the lawsuit is about more than just the emotional damage and property she destroyed. It's about all the money she stole, too. My dad's lawyers are absolutely killing it,

and the case against her just keeps getting stronger. Every time I hear more updates on this case, I'm flabbergasted. I mean, I never would have guessed she was doing this. To be fair, I always knew she was selfish and manipulative, but I didn't think she was this shady. She was really good at keeping up appearances and acting like the perfect wife while secretly taking money behind my dad's back. It's disgusting to think about. And now, she's facing the possibility of jail time. Embezzling money is a serious crime, and if my dad's case goes the way

it's looking, she could end up behind bars. It's so crazy to think that just a few months ago, she was acting like she was untouchable, and now she's in a full-blown legal disaster. My dad's legal team is pushing for the fraud charges to stick, and since the money she took is well documented, there's no way she can talk her way out of this. Every bit of evidence they find just makes things worse for her. She's trying to make deals left and right, but no one's giving her an easy way out. Of course, she's still blowing up my phone and blaming me for all of it. She keeps saying that if I hadn't turned my dad against her, none of this would have happened. It's honestly pathetic at this point.

She's refusing to take any responsibility and acting like she's the victim when she's the one who stole from him and ruined the things that were dear to him. Every day, it's another rant from her about how I ruined her life, and honestly, I don't even look at her texts anymore. But let me tell you, I feel a sense of relief that justice is finally being served. After everything she did to me, to my dad, and to my mom's memory, seeing her face the consequences feels like the closure I didn't know I needed. Watching her crumble and knowing that she's losing everything makes me feel both satisfied and like I'm living in an alternate universe. The divorce is still moving forward, too, and it's basically a done deal at this point. The pre-nup has made it so much easier to get things sorted out, and my dad's going to keep all of his

assets. My stepmom is still fighting tooth and nail to get anything she can, but with the fraud charges hanging over her, she doesn't have much leverage. I'm not sure how long the fraud case will take to go through the courts, but from what the lawyers are saying, it's not looking good for her. The property destruction lawsuit is still ongoing as well, but this new fraud case has totally shifted the focus. Now, instead of just losing money, she could actually lose her freedom. In the meantime, I've been trying to stay focused on my own healing, I'm still recovering from surgery, but it's hard not to get caught up in everything that's happening. This whole situation has been emotionally exhausting, but seeing her finally get what she deserves is helping

me get through it. Anyway, that's where we're at now. My stepmom is in major legal trouble, the divorce is almost finalized, and my dad is making sure she doesn't get a single cent more than she deserves. I'll keep you guys updated as things progress, but for now, it feels like we're finally getting closer to some real justice. Thanks for all the support it means the world. Update 3. Hey everyone. It's been a while since my last update. I think it's been close to seven months, but I'm back with the final chapter and this whole nightmare. I'm just going to spoil it right out of the gate and tell you that all the legal stuff is finally over. And now, let me tell you about the details. First off, let me get straight to the good part. The court ruled in favor

of me and my dad on all counts. Every single claim we made stuck, and the judge wasn't playing around. My stepmom has been ordered to pay back every penny she took from my dad's business. On top of that, the court hit her with major damages for destroying my mom's belongings. In total, the damages came out to an eye-watering amount. It's enough to leave her completely broke for a long, long time. Her fancy lifestyle is gone. No more designer bags, luxury vacations, or expensive cars. She's officially hit rock bottom.

The divorce wrapped up around the same time as the lawsuit, and it was just as brutal. During the divorce proceedings, my stepmom tried to pull one final dirty move. She accused my dad of emotionally abusing her throughout their marriage, saying that's why she had no choice but to steal from him. She painted herself as this poor, mistreated wife who only took the money to survive. The audacity was unreal. Thankfully, my dad was prepared. Lawyers completely dismantled her claims. They had all kinds of evidence showing that my stepmom was living the high life on his dime the entire time they were married.

There were so many receipts showing that she spent most of the money she took on vacations, designer clothes, and expensive spa treatments not exactly what you'd call survival needs. The judge didn't buy a word of her sob story. In fact, it backfired spectacularly. Instead of winning any sympathy, the court saw it as just another attempt to manipulate the system. Her credibility took a nosedive, and it only made her fraud case look worse. As for the fraud? Yeah, she's facing serious consequences.

She tried to negotiate a lighter sentence or something. sort of settlement, but the prosecutors were having none of it. She was charged with embezzlement, and while she managed to avoid jail time through a plea she now has to pay restitution on top of the damages from the civil suit. She's also on probation for a few years, which means she'll be under the court's thumb for a while. The best part was that the fraud case also made headlines in our local news, which was probably the final nail in her coffin. All of her dirty laundry got aired out for everyone to see. She had this image of being a polished, wealthy socialite, and now she's been exposed as a fraud and a thief. I have to say it felt really satisfying

to see her get taken down so publicly. She spent years looking down on me and acting like I was beneath her, and now everyone knows the truth about who she really is. Since the court rulings, she's been trying to rebuild her life, but from what I can tell, it's not going well. Initially, she scrambled to find work, but no one in our area would touch her with a 10-foot pole. I think she tried moving to a new district area to get a fresh start, but things aren't going well for her there either. She's living in a tiny apartment now and working a minimum wage job she clearly hates. At least that's what I gathered from the occasional messages she sends me. Yeah, she's still texting me. Even after everything, she sends me bitter messages every few weeks

and blames me for ruining her life. It's almost funny at this point. Like, lady, you burned my mom's things, stole from my dad, and now you're the victim? Sure, okay. I mostly ignore her, but sometimes it's hard not to laugh at how delusional she sounds. As for me, I'm doing better. It's been a long road, but I'm healing both physically and mentally. My recovery is almost entirely completed. Mentally, I feel lighter. There were moments during this whole ordeal when I felt so overwhelmed, but now that it's over, it feels like I can finally breathe again. I still have tough days, especially when I think about how my mom's belongings can never

be replaced and I can never see them again, but knowing that my stepmom faced real consequences for her actions brings me some peace. Thank you to everyone who's followed along and supported me through this. Your kind words and advice really kept me going during some. some of the darkest times. I can't tell you how much it means to know that people had my back when everything felt like it was falling apart. That's it for now. Hopefully, this is the last update I'll ever have to write about her. I'm closing this chapter of my life for good. Take care, everyone. I hope you enjoy this story. Terrible wicked stepmother destroyed all of

my deceased mother's possessions while I was hospitalized. When I was enraged, she claimed to understand your father more than you do and he will. Be happy I did this for us. I, 23F, have been in and out of the hospital a lot over the years because of a chronic illness I've had since I was a kid. My dad, 48M, has always been super supportive and tries to be there for me whenever I have to go through treatments or surgeries. I recently had to undergo a major surgery, and my recovery was no joke.

It was really hard, and I was in the hospital for about two weeks. Dad stayed with me for most of that time, but a couple of days before I was discharged, he had to leave for a work trip. He's a business consultant, so his job is him traveling all over the place, and sometimes he just can't get out of it. He was super apologetic about not being there to pick me up from the hospital, but I totally understood. Besides, my stepmom, 45F, was supposed to handle things while he was gone.

For a little background, my stepmom and I have never really gotten along. She married my dad when I was 16, and things have always been tense between us. I try to be civil, but I know she doesn't really like me. She's always done and said things to make me feel like I was in the way of her relationship with my dad. She also thinks I look too much like my mom, who passed away when I was 10, by the way. My stepmom hates that I look like my mom because she thinks it's a reminder for my dad about his ex.

Yeah, I know. She sounds insane. But, at the end of the day, my dad loved her and I respected that which was why I tolerated a lot of her behavior. Anyway, after I was discharged from the hospital, I finally came home. I was exhausted but relieved to be out of the hospital. I walked into my room, and at first, everything seemed normal. I laid on my bed to relax and ended up taking a nap.

I woke up, I decided to spruce up my room a little bit and that's when I noticed something was off. I guess I was too exhausted to notice how empty my room looked because I quickly realized that a lot of things were missing. Like, seriously, a lot of things. I started freaking out. I thought that maybe there was a break-in or something. I started running from room to room and searching for anything that might still be there. I mean, I was barely able to stand up because I was still so weak from my surgery, but I was desperate. But it became clear pretty quickly that everything that was missing was things that belonged to my mom. I had this old jewelry box of hers, some framed photos, a bunch of letters she had written to me when I was younger,

and a few other sentimental things. They usually stayed on my dresser or my nightstand. But that day, they were all gone. I checked the storage closet where we kept some of my mom's old stuff like her clothes, and a few antique pieces from her family, and it was all gone. Literally, everything. I couldn't believe it. I immediately confronted my stepmom. I did my best to stay calm with her. I asked her if she had moved anything from my room. She looked at me with this smug smile. She then casually told me that she had taken care of some of my things and that I didn't need to worry about any of those things anymore.

I felt my heart dropped to my stomach. I knew that my stepmom had always had a thing against my mother, but I prayed over and over again that the most she'd done was put my mom's things in a storage unit somewhere further from where we lived. I continued to ask my stepmom what she'd done with my things, but she just continued to give me this smug smile. Eventually, I lost my head and started screaming at her to tell me what she'd done. That's when she laughed and told me that she had burned everything that belonged to my mom.

That shut me up so fast because of how shocked I was. I couldn't even process it. When I finally managed to ask her why she would do something like that, she just said that my dad and she had been wanting to move on with their lives and this was the best way apparently. She said that my dad didn't need reminders of his old life. I tried to argue with her and tell her that she made the worst mistake of her life and that my dad would not be happy with what she did.

She just laughed at me and told me that she knew him better than I did, and that he'd be happy that she burned my mom's stuff for their relationship. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was so angry and upset that I could barely speak. I was shaking and trying not to cry, but the tears just came. It was like I was grieving my mom all over again. I couldn't believe that someone could be so cruel. I just kept thinking about all the things I'd lost.

Everything I had left of my mom was gone. I became too weak at that point. I was too overwhelmed. I left my stepmom standing there and walked to my room. I cried for a good while before deciding to call my dad. Unfortunately for me, he was in the middle of a meeting. When he finally answered, he sounded super distracted and busy. I tried explaining to him what had happened, but I could tell he wasn't really paying attention.

He said something about dealing with it when he got back home before hurriedly hanging up. I felt so helpless. The next few days were the longest of my life. I was heartbroken, angry, and alone in that house with my stepmom, who acted like she hadn't done anything wrong. She made sure to keep bringing up the fact that she had done my dad a huge favor. She constantly also told me that it was time for me to move on and grow up from my childish obsession with my mom.

She made sure to taunt me every chance she could. I don't even know how I got through those days, but I somehow managed to wait it out until my dad came back. When my dad finally came home from his trip, I was waiting for him. I told him everything again, and this time, he actually listened. At first, he didn't believe me. He thought there was some kind of misunderstanding, or that my stepmom was simply pulling some mean prank. But I took him into my room, and then to our storage space, and he grew pale when he saw all of it empty. My mom was the love of his life. They had met when they were ten. A lot of things that my stepmom burned had been my dad's and mom's childhood. Even though my dad had moved on and

married my stepmom, those belongings were a huge part of his memories with my mom. They were priceless to him, and to see it all gone hit him hard. He confronted my stepmom, and she tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal. When she saw how agitated my dad was getting she even said I had brainwashed him into thinking it was important when really, she was just helping him move on. My dad lost it. I'd never seen him that angry before and if there's one thing you should know about my dad, it's that he's a really chill guy. It takes a lot to get him angry. My stepmom clearly did not think that her actions would lead to him getting angry and she was terrified. My dad told her right then and there that he wanted a divorce. He told her that he

wanted her to pack her things and leave. My stepmom tried to argue that it was her house too and that my dad couldn't kick her out. But my dad told her that the house was his way before he met her and that if she didn't leave in 24 hours, he would call his lawyer and make sure she left his house. My stepmom left the house in a huff and my dad and I grieved the loss of my mom's stuff together. My dad was furious and he decided to make my stepmom's life a nightmare. After talking to his lawyer, my dad decided to file a lawsuit against my stepmom for property destruction and emotional distress. My dad really wanted her to pay for what she had done emotionally. He was devastated, and he wanted her to feel the consequences of her actions. My stepmom,

of course, flipped out. She couldn't believe that my dad was actually siding with me. She kept trying to blame me. She said that I had manipulated him and turned him against her. But my dad wasn't having any of it. He was furious that she had destroyed the last reminders of his first marriage and of the woman he truly loved. He couldn't even look at my stepmom. Now, the divorce is happening, and the lawsuit is in full swing. My stepmom is fighting it, but her chances of winning are slim. She's been trying to act like the victim and has told anyone who will listen that I'm the one who ruined everything by holding on to the past. A few of my stepmom's relatives have reached out to me and have told me that I was immature for interfering in my dad and stepmom's relationship.

But like, I didn't do anything much. My dad would have found out that my mom's things were missing eventually, and my stepmom would have faced the same consequences. My stepmom's relatives have been texting me about how much my stepmom has been struggling and they keep blaming it on me. I know I did nothing wrong, but I guess the grief that I'm feeling is messing with my head. I just need somebody who's not part of my situation to tell me, that I did nothing wrong. So, Ida for telling my dad that my stepmom burned all of my late

mother's things? Update 1, hey everyone, I wanted to give you all an update on the situation because things have escalated big time. When I first posted, I was still in shock from what my stepmom did. But let me tell you that this lawsuit is becoming an absolute nightmare for her, and honestly, I have zero sympathy. My dad is not holding back. He's determined to make her pay. He's determined to make her pay, and it's going worse for her than she ever imagined. The legal process has been moving fast, and it turns out that my stepmom had no idea what she was walking into. Some of the things she burned weren't just sentimental trinkets. They were incredibly valuable. Most of the things she burned were antique mementos passed

down from my mom's side of the family. They were part of a collection that had been in the family for generations. A couple of pieces, like an old watch and a set of vintage jewelry were worth thousands. While that itself is unfortunate for my stepmom, it gets worse because it turns out that those antiques were insured. My mom's family took great care of them, so they had insurance policies tied to their value. When my dad realized this, it gave him even more leverage in the lawsuit. Now, my stepmom isn't just facing emotional distress claims. She's also looking at a major property destruction case with hard evidence of financial loss. The fact that these items were destroyed makes her responsible for paying back their full value,

and let's just say, she does not have that kind of money. The insurance company is also coming after her now. Since my dad filed a claim, they've started their own investigation, and they're siding with him completely. My stepmom can't wiggle out of this one. If she thought she could just destroy these things and walk away, she was dead wrong. My dad's lawyers have been on top of every detail, and have made sure that she's. that she's backed into a corner. It's honestly brutal to watch, but after everything she's done,

she deserves every bit of it. The divorce is moving quickly, too, and thank God my dad was smart enough to make her sign a pre-up before they got married. That's been a huge help because it means that she's not walking away with much. She tried to contest it at first, but her lawyer straight up told her that she did not have a case. The pre-up is airtight, so all the assets my dad had before and after they got married are staying with him. That means no fancy house, no luxury car, and no access to any of my dad's money for my stepmom. She's panicking, and I know all about it because she's been blowing up my phone every single day. Every time I block her, she finds a way to text me again. She sends me these long texts were just rants about how I ruined her life.

It's almost funny how she keeps trying to make herself look like the victim. According to her, washed my dad into divorcing her, and now she's paying the price for something that wasn't her fault. She keeps saying she was just trying to help by burning my mom's things, and now everything is falling apart because I couldn't let it go. She's also been telling me all about how her life is crumbling, and honestly, I can't bring myself to be sympathetic or to even care. Apparently, people in her social circle are starting to distance themselves from her. She always cared a lot about appearances, so losing her reputation has been a huge blow. She's gone from hosting fancy dinners and brunches to being completely ghosted by her so-called friends. From what I've

heard, a lot of people are siding with my dad, especially since they know how much my mom's belongings meant to him. No one's buying her sob story about doing it for the family. The financial hit is already starting to hurt her, too. With the lawsuit dragging on and the pre-nup blocking her from getting any of my dad's assets, she's losing her grip on the lifestyle she was so proud of. Even her fancy car was leased through my dad's company, and he canceled at the moment the divorce papers were filed. So she's been ranting to me about how she looks like a pathetic loser because she has to take public transport everywhere, and it's all my fault that she's in that position. From what she's been telling me, because she just won't stop texting me, she's

desperate. She's trying to find a new place to live but doesn't have the money for anything close to the lifestyle she's used to. She could obviously settle for something cheaper, but she refuses to live, and I quote, below what she deserves. She even tried to guilt-trip my dad into letting her stay in our house until she gets back on her feet, but he wasn't having it. She's furious about the pre-nup, the lawsuit, the house, and everything. And every single time something went wrong for her, I got a text about how it was all my fault. She's really losing it. I've heard from a mutual acquaintance that she's been calling in favors and trying to get people to take her side, but no one's biting. Most people know what she did now, and they don't want anything

to do with her. Honestly, it's kind of satisfying to watch her fall apart after everything she put me through. She thought she could just waltz in, burn my mom's things, and act like she did us a favor. Now, she's losing everything. Meanwhile, my dad is holding up pretty well through all of this. I think he's still heartbroken over what happened. He loved my mom so much, and the things she left behind were really special to him. Not to mention, he lost my stepmom, who was the new love of his life, all in one go. Granted, my stepmom is still around, but he's still very upset and hurt that things turned out this way. But he's channeling all that anger and hurt into making sure stepmom pays for what she did.

His lawyers are doing an amazing job, and every day, it feels like we're one step closer to getting some kind of closure. I don't know how long the lawsuit will drag on, but it's already clear that it's going to ruin her financially. Between the property destruction claims, the insurance company coming after her, and the divorce moving forward, she's going to be left with nothing.

I'll keep you guys updated as more happens, but for now, things are definitely moving in the right direction. It feels good to know that justice is being served. Update 2. Time for another update, and things just keep getting crazier. I didn't think it was possible for my stepmom to dig herself a deeper hole, but here we are. So, the lawsuit was already going pretty badly for her with the whole destruction of property and emotional distress claims.

But now, it's escalated even more again. During the discovery phase of the lawsuit, which is basically where all the evidence gets collected, my dad's lawyers found something huge. Turns out, my stepmom has been slowly but surely taking money from my dad's business for years. Apparently, she had access to some of the business accounts. When she withdrew money from them, she claimed that it was for household needs or expenses, and my dad trusted her enough to not question it. But when the lawyers started looking through the financials for the divorce,

they found all these weird transfers. We're not talking about small amounts either. She was quietly pulling out thousands. here and there. She used this money to fund her expensive lifestyle. My dad was never tipped off to how much exactly she had been spending on her luxury because he never knew how much luxury items cost. He figured that my stepmom would be rational about her spending, but that was very wrong. When my dad found out, he was furious. He already felt betrayed by her for burning my mom's belongings, but finding out she'd been stealing from him? That was the final

straw. What she did wasn't just sneaky. It was straight up fraud. She had no right to that money, and she'd been draining his accounts for personal use to keep up her lavish lifestyle. Now, on top of the property destruction case, she's facing a full-on fraud case. My dad is pressing charges for embezzlement, and things are getting real serious. Her lawyer is scrambling and trying to negotiate some kind of settlement, but my dad isn't having it. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to to settle. He wants her to face the full consequences of everything she's done. Honestly, I don't blame him and I'm actually kind of proud of him. She's gotten away with so much for so long, and now it's all finally catching up to her. At this point, the lawsuit is about more than just

the emotional damage and property she destroyed. It's about all the money she stole, too. My dad's lawyers are absolutely killing it, and the case against her just keeps getting stronger. Every time I hear more updates on this case, I'm flabbergasted. I mean, I never would have guessed she was doing this. To be fair, I always knew she was selfish and manipulative, but I didn't think she was this shady. She was really good at keeping up appearances and acting like the perfect wife while secretly taking money behind my dad's back. It's disgusting to think about. And now, she's facing the possibility of jail time.

Embezzling money is a serious crime. and if my dad's case goes the way it's looking, she could end up behind bars. It's so crazy to think that just a few months ago, she was acting like she was untouchable, and now she's in a full-blown legal disaster. My dad's legal team is pushing for the fraud charges to stick, and since the money she took is well-documented, there's no way she can talk her way out of this. Every bit of evidence they find just makes things worse for her. She's trying to make deals left and right, but no one's giving her an easy way out.

Of course, she's still blowing up my phone and blaming me for all of it. She keeps saying that if I hadn't turned my dad against her, none of this would have happened. It's honestly pathetic at this point. She's refusing to take any responsibility and acting like she's the victim when she's the one who stole from him and ruined the things that were dear to him. Every day, it's another rant from her about how I ruined her life, and honestly, I don't even look at her texts anymore. But let me tell you, I feel a sense of relief that justice is finally being served. After everything she did to me, to my dad, and to my mom's memory, seeing her face the consequences feels like the closure I didn't know I needed.

Watching her crumble and knowing that she's losing everything makes me feel both satisfied and like I'm living in an alternate universe. The divorce is still moving forward, too, and it's basically a done deal at this point. The pre-up has made it so much easier to get this. things sorted out, and my dad's going to keep all of his assets. My stepmom is still fighting tooth and nail to get anything she can, but with the fraud charges hanging over her, she doesn't have much leverage. I'm not sure how long the fraud case will take to go through the courts, but from what the lawyers are saying, it's not looking good for her. The property

destruction lawsuit is still ongoing as well, but this new fraud case has totally shifted the focus. Now, instead of just losing money, she could actually lose her freedom. In the meantime, I've been trying to stay focused on my own healing, I'm still recovering from surgery, but it's hard not to get caught up in everything that's happening. This whole situation has been emotionally exhausting, but seeing her finally get what she deserves is helping me get through it. Anyway, that's where we're at now. My stepmom is in major legal trouble, the divorce is almost finalized, and my dad is making sure she doesn't get a single cent more than she deserves. I'll keep you guys updated as things progress, but for now, it feels like we're finally getting

closer to some real justice. Thanks for all the support it means the world. Update 3, Hey Everyone. It's been a while since my last update. I think it's been close to seven months, but I'm back with the final chapter and this whole nightmare. I'm just going to spoil it right out of the gate and tell you that all the legal stuff is finally over. And now, let me tell you about the details. First off, let me get straight to the good part. The court ruled in favor of me and my dad on all counts. Every single claim we made stuck, and the judge wasn't playing around. My stepmom has been ordered to pay back every penny she took from my dad's business. On top of that, the court hit her with major damages for destroying my

mom's belongings. In total, the damages came out to an eye-watering amount. It's enough to leave her completely broke for a long, long time. Her fancy lifestyle is gone. No more designer bags, luxury vacations, or expensive cars. She's officially hit rock bottom. The divorce wrapped up around the same time as the lawsuit, and it was just as brutal. During the divorce proceedings, my stepmom tried to pull one final dirty move. She accused my dad of emotionally abusing her throughout their marriage, saying that's why she had no choice but to steal from him. She painted herself as this poor, mistreated wife who only took the money to survive.

The audacity was unreal. Thankfully, my dad was prepared. Lawyers completely dismantled her claims. They had all kinds of evidence showing that my stepmom was living the high life on his dime the entire time they were married. There were so many receipts showing that she spent most of the money she took on vacations, designer clothes, and expensive spa treatments not exactly what you'd call survival needs. The judge didn't buy a word of her sob story.

In fact, it backfired spectacularly. Instead of winning any sympathy, the court saw it as just another attempt to manipulate the system. Her credibility took a nosedive, and it only made her fraud case look worse. As for the fraud? Yeah, she's facing serious consequences. She tried to negotiate a lighter sentence or some sort of settlement, but the prosecutors were having none of it. She was charged with embezzlement, and while she managed to avoid jail time through a plea she now has to pay restitution on top of the damages from the civil suit. She's also on probation for a few years, which means she'll be under the court's thumb for a while. The best part was that the fraud case also made headlines

in our local news, which was probably the final nail in her coffin. All of her dirty laundry got aired out for everyone to see. She had this image of being a polished, wealthy socialite, and now she's been exposed as a fraud and a thief. I have to say it felt really satisfying to see her get taken down so publicly. She spent years looking down on me and acting like I was beneath her, and now everyone knows the truth about who she really is. Since the court rulings, she's been trying to rebuild her life, but from what I can tell, it's not going well.

Initially, she scrambled to find work, but no one in our area would touch her with a 10-foot pole. I think she tried moving to a new district area to get a fresh start, but things aren't going well for her there either. She's living in a tiny apartment now and working a minimum-wage job she clearly hates. At least that's what I gathered from the occasional messages she sends me. Yeah, she's still texting me. Even after everything, she sends me bitter messages every few weeks and blames me for ruining her life. It's almost funny at this point. Like, lady, you burned my mom's things, stole from my dad, and now you're the victim?

Sure, okay. I mostly ignore her, but sometimes it's hard not to laugh at how delusional she sounds. As for me, I'm doing better. It's been a long road, but I'm healing both things. physically and mentally. My recovery is almost entirely completed. Mentally, I feel lighter. There were moments during this whole ordeal when I felt so overwhelmed, but now that it's over, it feels like I can finally breathe again. I still have tough days, especially when I think about how my mom's belongings can never be replaced and I can never see them again, but knowing

that my stepmom faced real consequences for her actions brings me some peace. Thank you to everyone who's followed along and supported me through this. Your kind words and advice really kept me going during some of the darkest times. I can't tell you how much it means to know that people had my back when everything felt like it was falling apart. That's it for now. Hopefully, this is the last update I'll ever have to write about her. I'm closing this chapter of my life for good. Take care, everyone. I hope you enjoy this story. discovered that my folks covertly utilized my university savings on my siblings' vehicle during her trips, while advising me to pause college and enjoy a year off because they are unable to.

Fund my education. My younger sister, Vivi, recently graduated from high school. However, this hasn't been a straightforward journey for her by any means. In fact, she has failed high school twice before, and this was her third attempt. You see, Vivy has always struggled academically. From a young age, school was never her strong suit, and she found it extremely difficult to keep up with her peers. It wasn't just about bad grades she also had a hard time staying focused and motivated, which really affected her performance. At first, she would make up excuses, saying she was dyslexic.

However, after multiple tests, it was ruled out. After that, when she didn't have that as an excuse, anymore, she started to act out and get into trouble. There were countless times when she was caught smoking weed with older students at her high school. She would often skip classes to go off to parties, which would then make the teachers call up my parents and complain to them. My parents were constantly at their wits end. They tried talking to her, but that did not work. Then, they tried grounding her, however, Vivie would always find a way to sneak out, often in the middle of the night, to continue meeting up with her friends as usual or even sometimes with random boyfriends, she'd meet online.

During this time, my parents instead of holding Vivi accountable for her actions would often turn their frustration toward me. They would blame me for not being a good older sister and say it was my job to guide her and show her how to be a better person. It wasn't like I didn't care about her I did. I wanted to be a good sister. But the truth was, Vivi never really listened to me. Any time I tried to talk her out of doing something reckless, she'd get upset and defensive. After a while, I stopped trying to intervene. I hated the constant fighting, and I hated feeling like it was somehow my responsibility to change her behavior when nothing I did seemed to help.

So, I just let things go. It was easier to keep the peace that way, even though I knew deep down it wasn't helping Vivi make better decisions. One early morning, chaos broke out in our house. My mother, as was her routine, woke up and went to check on both me and Vivi, but when she entered Vivi's room, she found it empty. I was jolted awake by the sound of my mom screaming and yelling at me and my dad, demanding to know where Vivi was. Half asleep and confused, I rushed to Vivi's room, hoping maybe she had left a note or

some sign of where she'd gone, but there was nothing. We tried calling her, but her phone was switched off, which only escalated the panic. At that point, we were ready to call the police there was no trace of her, and we had no idea if she was safe or what might have happened. The whole situation was terrifying, and my parents were beside themselves with fear. Just as we were about to contact the authorities, one of our mutual friends reached out to me in private and confessed something shocking. Vivie had gone out again to meet a stranger someone she had met online for a date. I felt a wave of dread wash over me as I told my parents. That friend thankfully knew the guy's address as Vivi had

shared it with her. With this new information, we immediately drove to the guy's place. When we arrived, my mom didn't hesitate. She barged into the place, screaming Vivi's name. The look on Vivi's face when she saw us was a mixture of shock and embarrassment she couldn't believe we had found her. Thankfully, nothing dangerous had happened between her and the guy. just as surprised as we were. He had no idea that Vivy was underage apparently, she had lied to him about her age, pretending to be older. My dad, furious, threatened the guy before practically dragging Vivy out of there. The car ride home was filled with shouting and accusations. Vivy was defiant as usual, arguing with our parents at every turn, while my mom tried to make her

understand the gravity of what she had done. It was one of the most tense and exhausting car rides I can remember. Vivie was also furious at me for contacting our mutual friend and getting the guys addressed from her. She kept telling me how she could have just snuck back home later and that all I had to do was keep my mouth shut. My sister clearly did not recognize how serious her actions were and how worried we all were for her safety. When we finally got home, my mom grounded Vivie, and I thought maybe Vivie would change for the better. But that's not what happened. Instead, Instead, after this close call, my parents became almost overly protective of their youngest child. They were so terrified by the thought of losing her that they started giving in to her demands

to keep her safe and sound at home. Vivi also realized just how much leverage she had. She knew that as long as they were afraid of her running off or getting into trouble, they would give in to what she wanted, and she exploited that advantage. Even when Vivie failed high school for the first time, I expected some sort of consequence may be a serious talk or some discipline to set her back on track. But instead, my parents didn't even scold her. Rather than addressing the issue head on, they told her they understood how difficult encouraged her to try again,

almost as if failing was no big deal. They believed they were supporting her by being understanding and patient, but to me, it felt like they were turning a blind eye to the reality of the situation. While they thought they were doing right by her, their leniency was only reinforcing her belief that she didn't have, have to take responsibility for her actions. Every time she messed up, they would excuse it. It was like they were rewarding her bad behavior instead of teaching her any kind of accountability. When she repeated high school for the second time, things didn't get any better.

Vivie was caught cheating on one of her exams, and as a result, she was suspended from school. This was a serious offense, and I thought surely this would be at least a moment when my parents would finally step in and discipline her. But even then, they sympathized with her, as if the pressure of school was too much for her to handle and the cheating was just a result of that. However, this is when Vivi hit a low point and made the decision to drop out of high school entirely.

She felt frustrated and defeated to see how her friends had a future while she was still stuck in high school. Hence, she started working at a bar to make some money and get by. Our parents tried to convince her multiple times and even urged me to talk to encouraging her to give school another shot. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I also knew she couldn't live her entire life working at a bar. My parents had clearly spoiled her enough and I needed to push her to be better. In the end, after a lot of back and forth, Vivy decided to go back and try one last time.

My parents paid enough money to have Vivy enroll her into another high school despite her record so she could continue with her education. This time, I kept a close eye on her, and I have to say that she did work hard to pass her exams, unlike all the previous times. I was incredibly proud of her and in order to celebrate her achievement, I took her out to celebrate. Later, when I dropped her off at my parents' place, I decided to stay the night in my old room as I was completely exhausted. I didn't have the energy to drive back to my place near college, so crashing in my room made sense.

The next morning, I woke up to the deliciously familiar smell of cinnamon wafting through the house. My mom's cinnamon rolls were legendary in our family, so I knew right away that she must have made them for us. Feeling excited, I jumped out of bed and hurried down to the kitchen. As I got closer, I could hear my parents talking to each other in low voices. When I walked into the kitchen, they both looked up at me, their face is slightly tense. Sensing the awkwardness, I asked them what was going on. But instead of answering, they quickly brushed it off. My mom, trying to act casual, shook her head and said everything was fine. Then, she changed the subject, telling me that she really wanted me to stay for the whole day and join them for dinner later.

I had been planning to go back to college that afternoon, but she insisted that one more day wouldn't hurt. I agreed, not thinking much about it. That very evening, during dinner, my dad told Vivy and me how proud they were of the both of us, and my mom nodded along. Then my parents turned to Vivie and asked her if she had started thinking about college yet. She immediately lit up and excitedly began talking about her plans. She told them how she had applied to several Ivy League schools, as she wanted to join a prestigious college like mine. She was hopeful and optimistic, waiting to hear back from the schools she had applied to. It was heartwarming to see her so excited about the future, especially after the difficulties she had faced in high school.

My parents listened attentively, nodding as she spoke, but then they turned to me. There was a moment of silence, and the way they looked at me felt a little different like there was something serious they wanted to discuss with me. As soon as my dad spoke, I could hear some nervousness in his voice. He started by mentioning that since Vivie would soon be heading off to college, he and my mom had discussed things between them and came to a very difficult decision. He said that they could no longer afford to pay for my college fees moving forward. I just sat there, looking stunned, not fully understanding what they were saying.

My mom chimed in, trying to soften the blow, and explained how they had always wanted to remodel the house, but couldn't do it earlier because they were so busy supporting me financially. Now, with Vivie about to start college, they would be dipping into their savings even further which could lead to them not having enough retirement funds. She pointed out how it was only fair for me to start paying for my education on my own since I was an adult, and they couldn't fund both of our education. My mind was racing. How was I supposed to afford my own college fees? I barely had enough savings to get me through a couple of months, even though I had a part-time job. The thought of taking out loans to cover the rest of my education made my stomach drop. I had just two more years left until graduation, and now I was being told I'd be on my own. own financially. I glanced over at Vivi, and she looked just as shocked and concerned as I was.

It didn't seem fair. She had just graduated after failing so many times, and while I was genuinely happy for her, the idea that I would now have to fend for myself while my parents continued to support her financially felt like a punch in the gut. I asked my parents if they planned to cover only two years of Vivi's college education as well like they had with me, and if she would also be expected to pay her way after that. They avoided eye contact, and the silence that followed was enough to give me my answer. My mother started saying that Vivy was the youngest and needed more attention, which was why they would be paying for her entire college education otherwise she might drop off from college altogether. She and my dad couldn't see why I was so

upset. To them, it made sense Vivy needed their help, and I was old enough to take care of myself now. But to me, it felt like they were abandoning me halfway through something they had started. I tried to argue, to make them see how unfair this was. I wasn't asking them to completely fund my life I just wanted them to follow through with the commitment they had made to me, just as they were going to do for Vivie. But they cut me off, my dad's tone growing more frustrated. He told me that if I couldn't afford the fees, then I could quit college and take a year off. He pointed out how taking a year off from college was not a big deal anyway and that I could work double shifts to save up more money, and then returned to finish my degree later. The idea of taking a year off from college,

of delaying my graduation, felt like a nightmare. And while I understood that finances were tight, it hurt to see how easily they were willing to make that sacrifice for me but not for Vivi. Since that difficult dinner, I was at a complete loss about what to do next. Vivie was just as upset with our parents as I was. But I urged her not to argue with them further. I told her that if she pushed too hard, they might cut off her college funding as well, leaving her in the same position I was in having to figure out how to pay for everything on her own. The last thing I wanted was for both of us to be stuck in this situation.

A few days ago, Vivi, surprisingly, was the one who gave me the idea to reach out to our maternal grandparents for help. They're quite well off, and growing up, both Vivy and I had spent a lot of time with them. They lived in a different town, and though it had been a while since I visited, I decided to take the bus to see them in person. It felt like they were my last hope. When I arrived, my grandparents were pleasantly surprised to see me. They were thrilled that I had come down to visit, and their warm welcome made me feel a little more at ease, though the knot in my stomach didn't fully disappear. They had no idea why I was really there, and I felt guilty for not being able to just enjoy the visit without bringing up my financial troubles. After settling in, I finally

mustered the courage to open up to them. I told them everything about the conversation with my parents, how they had decided to stop paying for my college, and how I now had no way of covering the costs. I tried to keep it together, but it was hard not to feel emotional. I could see the concern on their faces as I spoke, but they listened patiently without interrupting. Then, with my heart racing, I asked them if they could loan me some money to help cover my college expenses. I made sure to emphasize that it would be a loan, and I promised I would pay it all back as soon as I could. I was serious about it I didn't want them to feel like I was just asking for a handout. I wanted them to know I was committed to repaying every penny. Still, asking for help from them

felt like I was crossing a line, and I couldn't shake the guilt, even as I sat there hoping they would say yes. However, my grandparents seemed taken aback by my request. They exchanged confused glances, and then my grandfather asked why I would need more money when I already had a college fund. I stared back at them, just as confused, and asked, what college fund? This is when my grandfather explained something that completely floored me. He told me that both he and my grandmother had set up two separate college funds years ago, one for me and one for Vivi. After I turned 18, they gave both the funds to my parents, trusting them to manage it and use it solely for our education. This is apparently how my parents had been paying for my college

fees until now. My grandparents were under the impression that me and Vivi were taken care of and said I simply needed to ask my parents for the money that had been set aside for me. I was speechless. I looked at my grandparents incredulously, trying to process us what they were telling me. My parents had never once mentioned anything about a college fund not to me, not to Vivi. For years, we had been under the impression that our parents were paying for our education out of their own savings. My mind was racing with questions. Why hadn't my parents told us about this? Where had the money gone? What were they using it for if not for our college expenses? I felt really angry and betrayed. All this time, they had let me

believe I would have to take out loans or drop out of school. While they had this fund that could easily cover everything, it didn't make any sense. Right there at my grandparents' house. I called my mother and put her on speakerphone so my grandparents could hear everything. I didn't want there to be any misunderstandings, and I wanted to get to the bottom of this once and for all. When she answered, I asked her directly about the college fund that my grandparents had supposedly given her for me. There was a pause on the other end, and I could tell right away that she was caught off guard. Her hesitation only fueled my suspicion. She was scrambling to figure out how to handle the situation and asked me who had put such wrong ideas in my head. That's when I told her

that it was my grandparents who had given me the information after I had come down to meet them to ask for money. At this point, I could hear her tense up. She got furious that I had gone to meet them without talking to her first and tried to explain, saying that the money her parents gave wasn't exactly a college fund specifically for me but rather money intended for the entire family. But before she could continue, my grandfather, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. He firmly pointed out that when he had given them the money, he had been very clear it was specifically for mine and Vivie's college education, not some general family fund. He asked her sternly where she was planning on using the money if not on my college expenses

for the remaining two years. My mother fell silent after hearing him say that as if she didn't know how to respond. She then said that she would need to talk to my dad and ask him more about it, as he was the one who handled their finances. The way she seemed so flustered and evasive only made me more suspicious. It was as though she had been caught in a lie, or at the very least, in something they had been trying to keep hidden from me. Later, she texted me, insisting that I had no right to meet up with my grandfather,

behind her back. She accused me of being a jerk for allowing her parents to overhear our conversation without her knowledge. Ida for trying to find out what happened to my college fund which my grandparents had saved up for me? Update 1, as many of you suggested, my grandparents and I did make the decision to confront my parents directly to uncover the truth. When we arrived at my parents' place, my grandfather didn't waste much time. He immediately launched into the reason we were there, demanding answers about the college fund. Without mincing words, he asked why they were suddenly refusing to pay for my college expenses when, in reality, the money set aside for my education had been a gift from him and my grandmother. My father attempted to explain something

about how the money just wasn't enough for my expenses. But my grandfather had come prepared with proof. He pulled out a stack of financial statements showing exactly how much money he had saved up over the years for my college education and given to my parents. Let me tell you, it was a lot and more than enough for the entire four years of my college expenses and then some. I couldn't hold back my frustration any longer. I confronted my parents directly, asking them why they had never once mentioned the existence of this college fund to me. I pointed out how stressed out I had been for the past couple of days trying to figure things out. How could they knowingly allow me to struggle like that without ever telling me the truth. That's when my mom

finally broke down and confessed. She admitted, with clear guilt in her voice, that over the years, they had slowly started dipping into my college fund. First, they had used up a significant portion toward taking care of Vivy. It turned out that all those times Vivy had failed her high school, and my parents had stepped in to pay for her private high school fees again and again or higher expensive tutors to help her out, they had been using my college fund to do it. I had always assumed they were dipping into their own savings or making sacrifices. But in reality, it was my future they were draining to prop her up. My mom also confessed that they had used the money sometimes to even fund several vacations

she and dad had taken over the years. My parents admitted that Vivi's new phone, her new car yes, the one she was currently driving around had all been bought with my college fund. As a result of all this, along with the fees that they had paid for me already these past two years in college, my college fund, which my grandparents had so carefully saved over the years was now completely exhausted. However, Vivi's college funds still remained completely untouched. I pointed out how it only seemed fair than if they paid my remaining semesters in college using her funds since they had used my money on her as well over the years. At this point, my dad chimed in, trying to dissuade me. He told me how I was his more mature kid, the unproblematic child who always managed to figure things out on her own. He urged me not to touch Vivy's college fund to pay for my college

expenses, saying that if I did, her college funds would get exhausted too and then she might have to struggle. He told me how Vivy had always needed more help than I did and that as her big sister I should not be asking for her money. It was as if he expected me to understand and even agree with their reasoning. The implication was clear. my parents clearly believed that my sacrifices were somehow justified because, in their eyes, I was strong enough to handle the consequences of their actions. While Vivi, who had always been more dependent on them, couldn't. Hearing their words was like a punch to the gut. My grandparents were absolutely furious as the full extent of my parents' actions came to light. My grandmother outright

stated that she would fully support me if I wanted to sue my parents for wrongfully misusing the college fund that had been intended for my future. There was no sympathy in her voice as she pointed out that what my parents had done wasn't just morally wrong, but it was legally questionable too. My parents, clearly panicking now, tried to argue and justify their behavior. They fumbled for excuses, saying they had done what they thought was best for the family, but by now, their words held no weight. My grandfather had heard enough and cut them off. He reminded my parents, in no uncertain terms, that years ago, generously gifted them the family house which they now lived in.

He had done this so that my mom and dad could focus on raising a family without the burden of ever worrying about buying a home. It was a gesture of love and support. He had never once asked them to pay rent or threaten to take the house away. But now, seeing how selfishly they had taken the money meant for my college education, using it not only on themselves but also on their other child on Vivi's high school fees, tutor expenses, her car, and her phones it was too much to bear and he could no longer trust them. My grandfather declared that they needed to be taught a lesson. He told them that he would meet with a lawyer and transfer the deed of the house from his name to mine. In doing so, I would become the rightful owner of the house. My grandfather added,

without hesitation, that if I wanted to, I could then just kick them out of the house entirely. Alternatively, if they wished to continue living there, they would have to start paying me rent. And with that rent, I could cover the college expenses they had forced me to shoulder on my own. My parents were speechless. I could barely contain the satisfaction that was bubbling up inside me. For the first time in this entire ordeal, my parents, who had secretly spent years making selfish decisions and prioritizing themselves and Vivi at my expense, were finally going to get a taste of their own medicine. Ever since then, my parents have been pleading with my grandfather to forgive them, and my dad has even offered to use his own savings and sell Vivi's car if necessary to cover my college expenses. However, my grandfather remains firm in his decision.

Update 2, sorry, for no updates for the last two weeks. For everyone wondering where my sister was during the intense confrontation between my I did not mention this in my previous update but my darling sister was off celebrating with her friends at a lake house. Apparently, she was footing the bill for this getaway, which was a gift from my parents for having finally managed to pass high school. When I confronted my parents about it, their response was almost laughable. They told me how Vivi needed to relax after all the stress of high school. Can you imagine the audacity? Here I was, practically begging and fighting tooth and nail just to get them to cover

my the ones that should have already been covered by my college fund while they had no issue at all paying for the youngest to go on a luxurious celebration. The double standards are infuriating, to say the least. Update 3, I come here bearing happy news. True to his word, my grandfather followed through, and the house deed has officially been transferred to me. I am now the rightful owner of our family home. The sense of empowerment I feel is unlike anything I've experienced before. For so long, I have felt powerless in the face of my parents' decisions, but now, the control is firmly in my own hands. Naturally, my parents are furious with me.

They had expected to remain in the house without consequence, but those days were over. Despite their anger, I stood my ground and made it clear that they had two options. Either they could vacate the house within a month, or they could stay but prepared to pay me rent starting next month. There was no room for negotiation. It's almost ironic after everything they've put me through. now they are the ones facing a tough choice. Of course, my sister Vivi has found out about everything by now.

Since a lot of you keep asking me in the comments, I want to be clear that she wasn't ever involved in what our parents did or even had any idea about our college funds. Despite the fact that so much of the money had been spent on her education and luxuries, she wasn't the one making the decisions. In fact, she's been incredibly supportive of me throughout this ordeal. When she learned about the full extent of our parents' actions, she was just as furious as I was. She's angry at them for how they mishandled the college fund and betrayed not just me, but the trust our grandparents had placed in them.

It's comforting to know that she's on my side. In the end, I am just so grateful to my grandparents for everything. I don't know what I would have done without them here. I owe them so much, more than words can express. I hope you enjoy this story. Discovered that my folks covertly dipped into my university savings to buy my sister's vehicle for her trips, all the while suggesting that I should drop out of college and take a break for a year due to financial constraints. Fund my education. My younger sister, Vivi, recently graduated from high school. However, this hasn't been a straightforward journey for her by any means.

In fact, she has failed high school twice before, and this was. was her third attempt. You see, Vivi has always struggled academically. From a young age, school was never her strong suit, and she found it extremely difficult to keep up with her peers. It wasn't just about bad grades she also had a hard time staying focused and motivated, which really affected her performance. At first, she would make up excuses, saying she was dyslexic. However, after multiple tests, it was ruled out. After that, when she didn't have that as an excuse anymore, she started to act out and get into trouble. There were countless times when she was caught smoking weed with older students at her high school. She would often

skip classes to go off to parties, which would then make the teachers call up my parents and complain to them. My parents were constantly at their wits end. They tried talking to her, but that did not work. Then, they tried grounding her, however, Vivie would always find a way to sneak out, often in the middle of the night, to continue meeting up with her friends as usual or even sometimes with random boyfriends, she'd meet online. During this time, my parents instead of holding Vivi accountable for her actions would often turn their frustration toward me. They would blame me for not being a good older sister and say it was my job to guide her and show her how to be a better person. It wasn't like I didn't care about her I did. I wanted to be a good sister. But the truth was,

Vivi never really listened to me. Anytime I tried to talk her out of doing something reckless, she'd get upset and defensive. After a while, I stopped trying to intervene. I hated the constant fighting, and I hated feeling like it was somehow my responsibility to change her behavior when nothing I did seemed to help. So, I just let things go. It was easier to keep the peace that way, even though I knew deep down it wasn't helping Vivi make better decisions.

One early morning, chaos broke out in our house. My mother, as was her routine, woke up and went to check on both me and Vivi, but when she entered Vivi's room, she found it empty. I was jolted awake by the sound of my mom screaming and yelling at me and my dad, demanding to know where Vivi was. Half asleep and confused, I rushed to Vivi's room, hoping maybe she had left a note or some sign of where she'd gone, but there was nothing. We tried calling her, but her phone was switched off, which only escalated the panic.

At that point, we were ready to call the police there was no trace of her, and we had no idea if she was safe or what might have happened. The whole situation was terrifying, and my parents were beside themselves with fear. Just as we were about to contact the authorities, one of our mutual friends reached out to me in private and confessed something shocking. Vivy had gone out again to meet a stranger someone she had met online for a date. I felt a wave of dread wash over me as I told my parents. That friend thankfully knew the guy's address as Vivy had shared it with her. With this new information, we immediately drove to the guy's place.

When we arrived, my mom didn't hesitate. She barged into the place, screaming Vivi's name. The look on Vivi's face when she saw us was a mixture of shock and embarrassment. she couldn't believe we had found her. Thankfully, nothing dangerous had happened between her and the guy. He seemed just as surprised as we were. He had no idea that Vivie was underage apparently, she had lied to him about her age, pretending to be older. My dad, furious, threatened the guy before practically dragging Vivie out of there. The car ride home was filled with shouting and accusations. Vivie was defiant as usual, arguing with our parents at every turn,

while my mom tried to make her understand the gravity of what she had done. It was one of the most tense and exhausting car rides I can remember. Vivi was also furious at me for contacting our mutual friend and getting the guy's address from her. She kept telling me how she could have just snuck back home later and that all I had to do was keep my mouth shut. My sister clearly did not recognize how serious her actions were and how worried we all were for her safety. When we finally got home, my mom grounded Vivie, and I thought maybe Vivie would change for the better. But that's not what happened. Instead, after this close call, my parents became almost overly protective of their

youngest child. They were so terrified by the thought of losing her that they started giving into her demands just to keep her safe and sound at home. Vivi also realized just how much leverage she had. She knew that as long as they were afraid of her running off or getting into trouble, they would give in to what she wanted, and she exploited that advantage. Even when Vivi failed high school for the first time, I expected some sort of consequence maybe a serious talk or some discipline to set her back on track. But instead, my parents didn't even scold her. Rather than addressing the issue head on,

they told her they understood how difficult encouraged her to try again, almost as if failing was no big deal. They believed they were supporting her by being understanding and patient, but to me, it felt like they were turning a blind eye to the reality of the situation. While they thought they were doing right by her, their leniency was only reinforcing her belief that she didn't have to take responsibility for her actions. Every time she messed up, they would excuse it. It was like they were rewarding her bad behavior instead of teaching her any kind of accountability.

When she repeated high school for the second time, things didn't get any better. Vivie was caught cheating on one of her exams, and as a very moment of her. result, she was suspended from school. This was a serious offense, and I thought surely this would be at least a moment when my parents would finally step in and discipline her. But even then, they sympathized with her, as if the pressure of school was too much for her to handle and the cheating was just a result of that. However, this is when Vivy hit a low point and made the decision to drop out of high school entirely. She felt frustrated and defeated to see how her friends had a future while she was still stuck in high school.

Hence, she started working at a bar to make some money and get by. Our parents tried to convince her multiple times and even urged me to talk to encouraging her to give school another shot. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I also knew she couldn't live her entire life working at a bar. My parents had clearly spoiled her enough and I needed to push her to be better. In the end, after a lot of back and forth, Vivi decided to go back and try one last time. My parents paid enough money to have Vivian roll her into another high school despite her record so she could continue with her education. This time, I kept a close eye on her, and I have to say that she did work hard to pass her exams, unlike all the previous times.

I was incredibly proud of her and in order to celebrate her achievement, I took her out to celebrate. Later, when I dropped her off at my parents' place, I decided to stay the night in my old room as I was completely exhausted. I didn't have the energy to drive back to my place near college, so crashing in my room made sense. The next morning, I woke up to the deliciously familiar smell of cinnamon wafting through the house. My mom's cinnamon rolls were legendary in our family, so I knew right away that she must have made them for us. Feeling excited, I jumped out of bed and hurried down to the kitchen. As I got closer, I could hear my parents talking to each other in low voices. When I walked into the kitchen, they both looked up at me, their faces slightly tense.

Sensing the awkwardness, I asked them what was going on. But instead of answering, they quickly brushed it off. My mom, trying to act casual, shook her head and said everything was fine. Then, she changed the subject, telling me that she really wanted me to stay for the whole day and join them for dinner later. I had been planning to go back to college that afternoon, but she insisted that one more day wouldn't hurt. I agreed, not thinking much about it. That very evening, during dinner, my dad told Vivy and me how proud they were of the both of us, and my mom nodded along.

Then my parents turned to Vivy and asked her if she had started thinking about college yet. She immediately lit up and excitedly began talking about her plans. She told them how she had applied to several Ivy League schools, as she wanted to join a prestigious college like mine. She was hopeful and optimistic, waiting to hear back from the schools she had applied to. It was heartwarming to see her so excited about the future, especially after the difficulties she had faced in high school. My parents listened attentively, nodding as she spoke, but then they turned to me. There was a moment of silence, and the way they looked at me felt a little different like there was something serious they wanted to discuss with me. As soon as my dad spoke, I could hear some

nervousness in his voice. He started by mentioning that since Vivi would soon be heading off to college, he and my mom had discussed things between them and came to a very difficult decision. He said that they could no longer afford to pay for my college fees moving forward. I just sat there, looking stunned, not fully understanding what they were saying. My mom chimed in, trying to soften the blow, and explained how they had always wanted to remodel the house, but couldn't do it earlier because they were so busy supporting me financially. Now, with Vivi about to start college, they would be dipping into their savings even further

which could lead to them not having enough retirement funds. She pointed out how it was only fair for me to start paying for my education on my own since I was an adult, and they couldn't fund both of our education. My mind was racing. How was I supposed to afford my own college fees? I barely had enough savings to get me through a couple of months, even though I had a part-time job. The thought of taking out loans to cover the rest of my education made my stomach drop.

I had just two more years left until graduation, and now I was being told I'd be on my own financially. I glanced over at Vivy, and she looked just as shocked and concerned as I was. It didn't seem fair. She had just graduated after failing so many times, and while I was genuinely happy for her, the idea that I would now have to fend for myself while my parents continued to support her financially felt like a punch in the gut. I asked my parents if they planned to cover only two years of Vivi's college education as well like they had with me, and if she would also be expected to pay her way after that. They avoided eye contact, and the silence that followed was enough to give me my answer.

My mother started saying that Vivie was the youngest and needed more attention, which was why they would be paying for her entire college education otherwise she might drop off from college altogether. She and my dad couldn't see why I was so upset. To them, it made sense Vivi needed their help, and I was old enough to take care of myself now. But to me, it felt like they were abandoning me halfway through something they had started. I tried to argue, to make them see how unfair this was. I wasn't asking them to completely fund my life I just wanted them to follow through with the commitment they had made to me, just as they were going to do for Vivi. But they cut me off, my dad's tone growing more frustrated.

He told me that if I couldn't afford the fees, then I could quit college and take a year off. He pointed out how taking a year off from college was not a big deal anyway and that I could work double shifts to save up more money, and then returned to finish my degree later. The idea of taking a year off from college, of delaying my graduation, felt like a nightmare. and while I understood that finances were tight, it hurt to see how easily they were willing to make that sacrifice for me but not for Vivi. Since that difficult dinner, I was at a complete loss about what to do next. Vivi was just as upset with our parents as I was. But I urged her not to argue with them further. I told her that if she pushed too hard, they might cut off her college

funding as well, leaving her in the same position I was in having to figure out how to pay for everything on her own. The last thing I wanted was for both of us to be stuck in this situation. A few days ago, Vivi, surprisingly, was the one who gave me the idea to reach out to our maternal grandparents for help. They're quite well off and growing up, both Vivy and I had spent a lot of time with them. They lived in a different town, and though it had been a while since I visited, I decided to take the bus to see them in person. It felt like they were my last hope. When I arrived, my grandparents were pleasantly surprised to see me. They were thrilled that I had come down to visit, and their warm welcome made me feel a little more at ease,

though the knot in my stomach didn't fully disappear. They had no idea why I was really there, and I felt guilty for not being able to just enjoy the visit without bringing up my financial troubles. After settling in, I finally mustered the courage to open up to them. I told them everything about the conversation with my parents, how they had decided. to stop paying for my college, and how I now had no way of covering the costs. I tried to keep it together, but it was hard not to feel emotional. I could see the concern on their faces as I spoke, but they listened patiently without interrupting. Then, with my heart racing, I asked them if they

could loan me some money to help cover my college expenses. I made sure to emphasize that it would be a loan, and I promised I would pay it all back as soon as I could. I was serious about it I didn't want them to feel like I was just asking for a handout. I wanted them to know I was committed to repaying every penny. Still, asking for help from them felt like I was crossing a line, and I couldn't shake the guilt, even as I sat there hoping they would say yes. However, my grandparents seemed taken aback by my request. They exchanged confused glances, and then my grandfather asked why I would need more money when I already had a college fund. I stared back at them, just as confused, and asked, What college fund? This is when my grandfather explained something that completely floored me.

He told me that both he and my grandmother had set up two separate college funds years ago, one for me and one for Vivi. After I turned 18, they gave both the funds to my parents, trusting them to manage it and use it solely for our education. This is apparently how my parents had been paying for my college fees until now. My grandparents were under the impression that me and Vivi were taken care of and said I simply needed to ask my parents for the money that had been set aside for me. I was speechless. I looked at my grandparents incredulously, trying to process what they were telling me. My parents had never once mentioned anything about a college fund not to me, not to Vivi. For years, we had been under the impression that our parents were paying for our

education out of their own savings. My mind was racing with questions. Why hadn't my parents told us about this. Where had the money gone? What were they using it for if not for our college expenses? I felt really angry and betrayed. All this time, they had let me believe I would have to take out loans or drop out of school. While they had this fund that could easily cover everything, it didn't make any sense. Right there at my grandparents' house. I called my mother and put her on speakerphone so my grandparents could hear everything. I didn't want there to to be any misunderstandings, and I wanted to get to the bottom of this once and for all. When she answered, I asked her directly about the college fund that my grandparents had

supposedly given her for me. There was a pause on the other end, and I could tell right away that she was caught off guard. Her hesitation only fueled my suspicion. She was scrambling to figure out how to handle the situation and asked me who had put such wrong ideas in my head. That's when I told her that it was my grandparents who had given me the information after I had come down to meet them to ask for money. At this point, I could hear her tense up.

She got furious that I had gone to meet them without talking to her first and tried to explain, saying that the money her parents gave wasn't exactly a college fund specifically for me but rather money intended for the entire family. But before she could continue, my grandfather, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. He firmly pointed out that when he had given them the money, he had been very clear it was specifically for mine and Vivie's college education, not some general family fund. He asked her sternly where she was planning on using the money if not on my college expenses for the remaining two years. My mother fell silent after hearing him say that as if she didn't

know how to respond. She then said that she would need to talk to my dad and ask him more about it, as he was the one who handled their finances. The way she seemed so flustered and evasive only made me more suspicious. It was as though she had been caught. in a lie, or at the very least, in something they had been trying to keep hidden from me. Later, she texted me, insisting that I had no right to meet up with my grandparents behind her back. She accused me of being a jerk for allowing her parents to overhear our conversation without her knowledge. Ida for trying to find out what happened to my college fund which my grandparents had saved up

for me. Update 1, as many of you suggested, my grandparents and I did make the decision to confront my parents directly to uncover the truth. When we arrived at my parents' place, my grandfather didn't waste much time. He immediately launched into the reason we were there, demanding answers about the college fund. Without mincing words, he asked why they were suddenly refusing to pay for my college expenses when, in reality, the money set aside for my education had been a gift from him and my grandmother. My father attempted to explain something about how the money just wasn't enough for my expenses.

But my grandfather had come prepared with proof. He pulled out a stack of financial statements showing exactly how much money he had saved up over the years for my college education and given to my parents. Let me tell you, it was a lot and more than enough for the entire four years of my college expenses and then some. I couldn't hold back my frustration any longer. I confronted my parents directly, asking them why they had never once mentioned the existence of this college fund to me. I pointed out how stressed out I had been for the past couple of days trying to figure things out. How could they knowingly allow me to struggle like that without ever telling me the truth? That's when my mom finally broke down and confessed.

She admitted, with clear guilt in her voice, that over the years, they had slowly started dipping into my college fund. First, they had used up a significant portion toward taking care of Vivi. It turned out that all those times Vivi had failed her high school, and my parents had stepped in to pay for her private high school fees again and again or higher expensive tutors to help her. out, they had been using my college fund to do it. I had always assumed they were dipping into their own savings or making sacrifices. But in reality, it was my future they were draining to prop her up. My mom also confessed that they had used the money sometimes to even fund several vacations she and dad had taken over the years. My parents admitted that Vivie's new phone, her new car yes, the one she was currently driving around had all been bought with my college fund.

as a result of all this, along with the fees that they had paid for me already these past two years in college, my college fund, which my grandparents had so carefully saved over the years was now completely exhausted. However, Vivi's college fund still remained completely untouched. I pointed out how it only seemed fair than if they paid my remaining semesters in college using her funds since they had used my money on her as well over the years. At this point, my dad chimed in, trying to dissuade me. He told me how I was his more mature kid, the unproblematic child who always managed to figure things out on her own. He urged me not to touch Vivi's college fund to pay for my college expenses, saying that if I did, her college funds would get exhausted too and then she might have to struggle. He told me how Vivy had always needed more help than I did and that as her big sister I should not be asking for her money. It was as if he expected me to understand and even agree with their reasoning. The implication was clear, my parents clearly believed that my sacrifices were somehow justified because, in their eyes, I was

strong enough to handle the consequences of their actions. While Vivi, who had always been more dependent on them, couldn't. Hearing their words was like a punch to the gut. My grandparents were absolutely furious as the full extent of my parents' actions came to light. My grandmother outright stated that she would fully support me if I wanted to sue my parents for wrongfully misusing the college fund that had been intended for my future. There was no sympathy in her voice as she pointed out that what my parents had done wasn't just morally wrong, but it was legally questionable too. My parents, clearly panicking now, tried to argue and justify their behavior. They fumbled for excuses, saying they had done what

they thought was best for the family, but by now, their words held no weight. My grandfather had heard enough and cut them off. He reminded my parents, in no uncertain terms, that years ago, gifted them the family house which they now lived in. He had done this so that my mom and dad could focus on raising a family without the burden of ever worrying about buying a home. It was a gesture of love and support. He had never once asked them to pay rent or threatened to take the house away. But now, seeing how selfishly they had taken the money meant for my college education, using it not only on themselves but also on their other child on Vivi's high school fees, tutor expenses, her car, and her phones it was too much to bear and he could no longer

trust them. My grandfather declared that they needed to be taught a lesson. He told them that he would meet with a lawyer and transfer the deed of the house from his name to mine. In doing so, I would become the rightful owner of the house. My grandfather added, without hesitation, that if I wanted to, I could then just kick them out of the house entirely. Alternatively, if they wished to continue living there, they would have to start paying me rent. And with that rent, I could cover the college expenses they had forced me to shoulder on my own. My parents were speechless. I could barely contain the satisfaction that was bubbling up inside me.

For the first time in this entire ordeal, my parents, who had secretly spent years making selfish decisions and prioritizing themselves and Vivi at my expense, were finally going to get a taste of their own medicine. Ever since then, my parents have been pleading with my grandfather to forgive them, and my dad has even offered to use his own savings and sell Vivi's car if necessary to cover my college expenses. However, my grandfather remains firm in his decision. Update 2. Sorry, for no updates for the last two weeks. For everyone wondering where my sister was during the intense confrontation between my I did not mention this in my previous update but my darling sister was off celebrating with her friends at a lake house. Apparently, she was footing the bill for this getaway

which was a gift from my parents for having finally managed to pass high school. When I confronted my parents about it, their response was almost laughable. They told me how Vivi needed to relax after all the stress of high school. Can you imagine the audacity? Here I was, practically begging and fighting tooth and nail just to get them to cover my the ones that should have already been covered by my college fund while they had no issue at all paying for the youngest to go on a luxurious celebration. The double standards are infuriating, to say the least. Update 3, I come here bearing happy news. True to his word, my grandfather followed through, and the House deed has officially been transferred to me. I am now the rightful owner of our family

home. The sense of empowerment I feel is unlike anything I've experienced before. For so long, I have felt powerless in the face of my parents' decisions, but now, the control is firmly in my own hands. Naturally, my parents are furious with me. They had expected to remain in the house without consequence, but those days were over. Despite their anger, I stood my ground and made it clear that they had two options. Either they could vacate the house within a month, or they could stay but prepared to pay me rent starting next month. There was no room for negotiation. It's almost ironic after everything they've put me through. Now they are the ones facing a tough choice. Of course, my sister Vivi has found out about everything by now. Since a lot of you keep asking me in the comments,

I want to be clear that she wasn't ever involved in what our parents did or even had any idea about our college funds. Despite the fact that so much of the money had been spent on her education and luxuries, she wasn't the one making the decisions. In fact, she's been incredibly supportive of me throughout this ordeal. When she learned about the full extent of our parents' actions, she was just as furious as I was. She's angry at them for how they mishandled the college fund and betrayed not just me, but the trust our grandparents had placed in them. It's comforting to know that she's on my side. In the end, I am just so grateful to my grandparents for everything.

I don't know what I would have done without them here. I owe them so much, more than words can express. I hope you enjoy this story. Spouse was unfaithful with several individuals while I was feeling down and cited my depression as the reason for ending the relationship. As a result, I ensured that the separation process was finalized. with nothing. I, 37M, have been married to my wife, 36F, for nine years now, but we've known each other since high school, so needless to say, she's one of the people on the planet

who knows the most about me and I can also say that I know a whole lot about her, having grown into adulthood together. For the sake of telling this story publicly, let me just say that her name is Daphne. It breaks my heart to even need to have to ask for advice on this matter, but I honestly don't know what to do and my mental state isn't helping at all. I might need to give you all a bit of background so you can understand things a lot better. I don't want to give too many details, but I had a very rough time growing up if that's not an understatement. I grew up with a mother addicted to drugs and a great father who met his end due to junkie friends of my mothers. I was the one who found him and had to call 911

and I don't know if I can ever fully appreciate the extent to which that scarred me. I will be honest and say that I grew up resenting my mother, and women in general, very strongly. I entered foster care with a very kind foster family and I was unnecessarily a jerk to many of the people in the house, but with time, their love softened me, though I was still holding onto a lot of pain quite naturally. I started seeing a therapist very early in my life because I've been dealing with a lot of mental health issues, but I always try to stay positive and fight through things. meeting Daphne in high school was also a major boost to my happiness and we were friends for several years before the notion of anything romantic even started between us. Again, I was extremely resentful towards women and I think having a healthy relationship with Daphne sort of helped me push out of that.

Anyway, we both graduated high school and went to the same college where we both graduated once again. Honestly, everyone could tell that we'd likely end up together but I guess trying to be the edgy young adult that I used to be, I would deny it and act oblivious to even the mere possibility of ending up with her. About two years after graduating from college, I officially asked her to be my girlfriend, I proposed to her a year later, and nine years ago, we got married. Daphne wasn't there through the absolute hardest times of my life, but she's always known about my mental health struggles and she has been there to witness some of my hardest battles. I've always

apologized for the way I might treat her in those moments or the way she needs to baby me, but she's always been so kind and she's always said that she doesn't mind. I even asked her at several points in our relationship whether she was sure about being burdened with me and my problems, but she always claimed that she was and that she'd go the entire way with me. I think that's enough background. You should be able to understand what I have to say with this much background, so let me try my best to tell it. The real problem started about four months ago when I was dealing with a pretty bad episode of depression. Honestly, as much as I've pushed forward in life, some of the things that happen way back in the past still have a pretty strong

hold on me and it's hard for me to completely let go of them. No matter how many therapy sessions I choose to attend. Though bad episodes have become fewer and farther apart the older that I've gotten, that episode lasted about five days, and usually, Daphne is with me as much as she can be, but it was very clear that something was very different this time around. She stuck around the first two days, but halfway through the third day, she seemed cold and she told me that she had something that she had to do. I wasn't in the headspace to really inquire about what it was she had to do, so she left and came back much later in the night. I'm not too sure what the time was, though. And the same thing happened.

in the next two days. It was the final day that I noticed that she came back around 1 a.m. I didn't have much to say about it, though, again, because of how I was feeling. It was only when I was fully out of the whole thing that I started to think about it with a clear head. I've known her for about two decades and that was very unusual behavior, so it stayed on my mind for quite some time. To be honest, cheating wasn't part of what jumped into my head because you think that you know people, right? I considered bringing it up, but for some reason, I decided to let the whole thing go, which was likely a dumb move. Now, it wasn't until about two months later, when I had a really bad day, that I realized that something seemed to be up. Just like

the other time, she basically disappeared halfway through the day and I knew that something was really wrong at this point. It made the day much worse because it seemed like Daphne was avoiding me, which was very unusual behavior from her. Fortunately, this was just a bad day and not a proper episode of depression, so I bounced back by the end of the day though she wasn't back by that point. As soon as she stepped back into the house, I paused the game that I was playing and I asked her where she had been. Not in an accusatory tone as far as I know, but she responded to me in an extremely defensive manner, asking why I was coming at her like that.

It came out of nowhere and I was really shocked because I was pretty sure that I hadn't spoken unkindly in any fashion. She seemed ready to explode at me, so I took a breath and asked her again as calmly as I could, and she just stared at me angry, for like a full ten seconds before she eventually said she had a date with her girls that she completely forgot about. Honestly, that answer sounded suspect to me, so I brought up the previous time that I had been depressed and the way that she had also gone out during those days but she clobes. that she had no idea what I was talking about. To be fair, it had been over two months at that

point so I didn't want to call her a liar. In my head, though, a pattern was starting to be established. Even after things started to seem fine between the two of us, it was still on my mind because I knew there was something being hidden. I just couldn't figure out what it was. It was when Daphne vanished on a third occasion, I wasn't even having a bad day, I was just really busy, but I knew something had to be up. It was so evident to me at that point. When she got back home that day, I didn't attempt to start any conversation about where she had been. I just conversed normally about mundane things and she didn't lash out or anything like she did the other time. I was hoping she might have volunteered where she was this time around,

but she didn't say anything to that effect. I think it was precisely at that point that I knew I was going to have to find out where she was going on my own. I have always been a relatively tech savvy person and I know my way around an Android phone pretty well. As soon as my wife went into the shower without her phone, I went straight to Google Maps to check her location history that night. She went to a bar and then to what seemed to be a residential address. I checked the previous time that she had disappeared like that and it was pretty similar. She went to the same bar, but she ended up in a different house. I was taking pictures of all of this with my phone especially because I planned to do more research on the address as she was heading to.

All I needed was for those addresses to truly belong to any of her girls and I would feel so much better. I was going to check the dates for the very first time that she disappeared, but I could hear her wrapping up in the bathroom so I stopped. But honestly, I felt like I was going to lose my mind from the uncertainty. I wasn't too sure how I was going to find the information that I needed based off those addresses only, but I knew it would be the only way that I could get any closure. I knew there were two possibilities. Either my wife was cheating on me or she was truly going out with her girls quite unceremoniously. Going out to bars and ending up at someone's home could align with what she had told me,

but it could also mean that she was going out to bars and going home with random men. She eventually came out of the bathroom, we did some small talk which I really had to struggle through, and she went to bed. She went to sleep with her phone in her hand and I carefully prided out, my heart was beating furiously, trust me. She didn't wake up though and after doing a little mental math, I checked for the first day that she disappeared suddenly. It was the same thing on all three days, though on two of those days, she went to the same address after the bar. I think it was at that point that I realized what I needed to do. I have considered hiring a private investigator to tell me who lived at the addresses that I had, but I realized

there was an easier way for me to do things. I just need to set her up. The next weekend, I did my best to fake being in a mood, which was a lot harder than I assumed it'd be considering all the practice that I've gotten through my years. Exactly as I wanted, around 6 p.m., Daphne went to the room, came out dressed, and slipped out of the house, thinking she was unnoticed. A few minutes later, I I went out too with the cartoonish disguise of a pair of shades, a jacket, and a baseball cap, and I headed straight to the same bar that I knew she was going to. I really hoped she wouldn't be able to identify me otherwise my plan might never work again.

I walked into the bar and it didn't take me long to spot her sitting at the bar. She was alone, but she had ordered a drink already. I remember hoping that her friends would eventually join her there. I found a corner to sit in that I hoped she wouldn't notice me in and I waited for a long time before I saw someone sit beside her. They sat there in silence for a bit before he said something to her and I guessed from the body language that they didn't know each other. If I had come in about ten minutes later though, I'd likely have reached a different conclusion with the way they were laughing and the way she kept touching him. I really felt that I had seen enough at that point but I used myself control to wait and see how things were going to play out. There was still a stupid part of me that was hoping that her girls would show up and the guy was just there to help kill some time.

Nope. I was there until about an hour and several drinks later when they both stood up and exited the bar together. I followed them as they went on foot about three blocks away. Then they went up into an apartment building and that was it. I felt like I was going to lose my mind and as someone who already acknowledges that they have a fragile psyche, this certainly didn't help. I felt like I was going to lose my mind from across the street from the apartment building. I decided to wait, though. I was going to wait until she came out, I would take a picture, and I would head back home.

That was my plan. It was my plan until I actually saw her come out with the guy. I took several pictures as they stood under the well-lit entrance to the building, but when they had a parting kiss right there, I had taken my last photo. I stormed across the street against what I knew was my better judgment, and to be honest, I know I was very uncomposed. You can't blame me, though. I can barely remember the things that I said, but I remember that I was shouting and yelling,

asking her how she could do that to me, saying that I knew she was up to no good, and so on and so on. I was almost about to slug the guy beside her, with the stupid baffled look on his face, before she told him to go back to his house and he obeyed right away. When it was just me and her, we just stood there staring at each other. I know I was shaking with rage and I was battling with a lot of very messed up thoughts in that moment. Do you know what it is like to realize that you can never really trust anyone? That anyone is capable of betraying you. I think it was when all these thoughts were pouring through my head that I asked her why.

I'm tired of dealing with your depression and your moods. It's exhausting. I needed happiness. She didn't think much before she let that loose on me, and honestly, I was left broken by those words. Even now, a few days after this thing happened, those words still sting. It was exactly what I was trying to avoid when I wanted her to be sure she wanted something serious with me because I have always known that I'll be forever burdened with depression, but she seemed to accept me for who I was and who I am.

I just started walking away at that point. It took me over an hour to get back home because I was wandering the streets aimlessly. It was dangerous but part of me wanted to get hurt honestly. Maybe the pain could end or something would happen to help me forget about everything. Looking back, that was a stupid thought but I get where it was coming from. By the time I got back to the house, Daphne was there, and I guess she had enough time to realize how stupid her words were. She started to beg as soon as she saw me, but I said,

said nothing. I went straight to our room and locked the door because seeing her was infuriating me. I wanted to tell her to get out of the house, but at the same time, I didn't want to spare a word on her. I barely slept, but the next morning, I didn't see her. I was glad I didn't need to interact with her and I didn't care where she was. I still don't know where she is or where she's been and I don't care. But at this point, I need to make her hurt. I've been living my life with hurt because I live through so many traumas. And to have the person I thought was my safe space add to it was one of the most painful things that I've been through.

I'll be reading every single comment that's dropped here because I have nothing better to do. But I want to know how I can make her hurt the way that she's made me hurt. I think that's the only thing that will help me feel some form of closure at this point because I have no interest in cheating back. Update, I want to thank absolutely everyone that helped me out with you. my previous post. Honestly, it was really hard to open up like that and expose all my weaknesses. But most of the comments were incredibly kind and supportive and I'm very grateful for that.

It's been quite a while since I made my last post but I'm glad to say that things are much better for me and I took a lot of the advice that you all gave to plot my next move as best as I could. The first thing that I did was call her over for us to talk. She had no idea but I had already spoken at length with a divorce attorney and I knew there was no fixing what we have. I admit that I might have been fool enough if she had merely cheated on me once, but after cheating on me with what I assumed were multiple people and also the horrible word she spoke to me, I knew there was no going back. I would never be able to love this woman again. As soon as she got to my house, I asked her to sit down and she did. I asked her how many people she had cheated on me with

and she initially said just the one, but I kept pressing, telling her that I knew more than she thought I did. She insisted over and over that it was just one person until I bluffed and told her I had hired a private investigator. I mentioned one address, and then another, and that's when she finally decided to let loose that she had slept with three people. I don't know if that was the absolute truth, but it was all I needed to hear. I handed her the divorce papers at that point and I told her that I couldn't do life with her anymore. She started begging and pleading, which wasn't unexpected, but I think she realized that it was pointless and she basically gave up after a bit. She walked out with the papers and I drank the rest of the day.

Eventually, we got to the whole divorce proceeding stage and I was glad that I had a bit of evidence pointing to the fact that she was unfaithful, which helped swing things in my favor. Unsurprisingly, my mental health got dragged into the whole matter, with a lot of talk about how it made it hard to live with me. Honestly, things got really dirty at that point and it was horrible hearing my struggles weaponized like that. Of course, I think most divorces are messy like that as far as movies have shown me. I don't want to bore you with how this side of things went but it dragged on for a pretty long time. In the end, her lawyer was able to make it seem like her dealing with me and my mental health had been a major struggle for her, which I can admit, it definitely isn't easy, but it wasn't permitted as justification for her infidelity. For the most part, things pushed in my favor. I managed to escape any alimony payments and I relinquished our apartment because there were going to be too many bad memories for me there.

I managed to get the car, though, which was certainly going to be more useful for me than the house would be. After the divorce, weeks later, once I had settled into my new place, I made sure to tell every single person who knew both of us that Daphne and I were splitting up. I went into detail, not telling a single lie, but exposing her for cheating on me because of my depressive episodes. I sent the same text to friends, family, co-workers I was familiar with, and even our former landlady. I needed to make sure that everyone knew that she was scumbag so that if they wanted to get involved with her in the future, they'd know what they were up against. She called me out an hour after and cursed me out for like ten minutes straight, but I just let her get it all out before hanging up the phone on her. I haven't spoken to

Daphne since she called me to yell every expletive in the book, but a co-worker replied to a message of mine saying that she's been having a hard time with gossip in the workplace, that maybe I'd consider recanting your statement to help her out. I left her on read. I don't think I'm going to do relationships anymore. There's too much fear in me now. as to the ways a woman can hurt me and I'm not excited to discover a new one. Maybe I'll have fun on dating apps because the body has needs, but I don't think I'm after anything serious anymore. I'm relatively old, I don't desire children, and maybe not having a woman in my life brings simplicity, which is fine by me. Anyway, I hope those of you who choose to will find women you can

trust and love forever because I know that they're out there, but I'm just not willing to take the risk can find any of them myself. Now on to the next story. Story 2. Discovered my wife had been cheating on me with her high school crush throughout our entire marriage, so I exposed their affair to everyone at her reunion and kicked her out. I was married to my ex-wife for almost four years, but unfortunately, we had to go our separate ways because she did the unthinkable.

My ex-wife and I met at a business seminar in town. We were there to listen to a renowned business. guest speaker, and coincidentally, we sat beside each other. Throughout the seminar, we occasionally talked about a couple of things, which mostly had to do with the things we learned, and after the seminar was over, we exchanged contacts. We started talking, and about a week later, we decided to go out for lunch. As we had lunch that day, I was puzzled at how intelligent she was and her passion for business, and after our first date, we saw each other more often. Eventually, we ended up dating because I fell in love with her, and eight months later, we married.

We were married for almost four years before I found out she had been making a fool out of me. I'd love to add that, while my ex-wife and I were married, there was nothing she wanted that I didn't give her. I was slash still am a businessman and earned decent money. My ex-wife didn't own a business like mine, she worked for a business consulting firm and was earning well too. We had no kids because she said she wasn't ready, and I was okay with that. All through the three years of our marriage, I did my best as a good husband and even helped at home. I wanted more than anything for us to be happily married for as long as possible, offered to help in the kitchen, took her on surprise vacations, and did pretty much what a man

would do to make the woman he loved happy. Even on my hectic and tired days, I made sure I went home early, never cancelled on her, and most times, I had to reschedule many things because I believed family was one of the most important aspects of life. Unlike other couples, my ex-wife and I barely fought. She was more of an extrovert, a very social butterfly, and the life of the party, while I was reserved to a level. So, whenever we had a reason to argue, she was always at fault, and each time we were so close to fighting or arguing, I would always apologize because I wanted us to be at peace at all times. I know you all might think I did that as a weak man, but that's not why. I grew up in a very toxic environment, my parents were always fighting, and I did not want

to replicate the same thing in my marriage. On our third anniversary, we did a renewal of wedding vows, and almost seven months after, I stumbled upon something that altered the rest of our marriage. That Saturday, I was cleaning the house, and I had every intention of cleaning our closet. My ex-wife and I shared a closet, she had been the only one cleaning it in the past. So, I decided to take things out of the closet that day and thoroughly clean up. I started by taking things out of the closet, and once I was done cleaning and dusting, I tried to arrange and organize them again. While organizing, I mistakenly kicked open one of my wife's shoe boxes as I tried to move

around, and many letters and pictures were scattered on the ground. At first, I was worried I kicked out. one of her expensive shoes because she left the very expensive ones in a box, but after I saw the letters, I was relieved. Initially, I thought the letters were old letters from an old teenage lover, or maybe there were letters she had never sent, and I was curious to find out how foolish in love she was at that time. But as I looked at them closely, I noticed recently added letters, which piqued my curiosity. As soon as I got down to the fourth line of one of the recently added letters, I felt my lower stomach churn, and my heartbeat increased, and as I got to

the end, my world shattered. I was right, there were letters from an old lover, and it was her high school crush. The letter I read detailed one of their recent escapades, they were even photos of them lying under the sheets together. It wasn't just one letter, there were more of them and one of them even talked about the night before our wedding, and how they enjoyed each other in bed. I wanted to be sure of what I read, so I went through all the letters and realized their relationship had been going on even while we were dating. Needless to ask if I was heartbroken because I was beyond heartbroken. I was devastated and hurt, and in my 37 years on earth, it was the second time a woman had

hurt me so much. The worst part was that I never saw it coming and would never believe my wife would cheat. I don't know how she did it because nothing was alarming about her. She still cared for me in the house and satisfied my bed needs, and I never suspected her or noticed anything fishy. I have watched a few videos on this channel where men say their wives change suddenly or dressed differently, but with my ex-wife, there was no sign. Everything remained the same, and our love for each other grew over the years too. That same afternoon, she returned home and acted like everything was cool, but how I saw her changed. I tried to hide it, but it was not as easy as I imagined.

It hurt so much that I loved her blindly, but she took my love for granted and cheated on me. The good thing was she was hosting her high school reunion, which was only a few days away. I had already scanned the letters and photos and intended to send them straight to her parents, but I got an idea from one of the stories I listened to hear. As a part of their high school reunion, she created a slideshow of all her memories in high school, and I saw that as a perfect way to carry out my revenge. A night before her dear reunion, I secretly planted the letter and photos I scanned in her slideshow, almost at the beginning, and I waited for her to humiliate herself publicly.

On D-Day, everyone gathered as planned, both from near and far, and they were all having a good time. At the venue, I saw her crush, and she exchanged a couple of smiles with him. Honestly, I almost lost it, but I didn't want to ruin my perfect plan. Eventually, the time for her slideshow came, and just as she was smiling at the screen and expecting to see another of her teenage hot girl pictures, the picture of her and her high school crush under the sheet popped up, and her mouth dropped. She was so shocked, but it wasn't just her. Her friends and classmates were shocked too.

And just as she was trying to wrap her head around what was happening, the last The last slideshow came with an instruction for me, which read, Don't Come Home Tonight. We are getting divorced. Immediately she read that, she turned in my direction and ran towards me, but I walked out of the venue. Before I left, I could see the disappointment on the faces of her friends and classmates, and it appeased me. That night, she did not come home as I had instructed, but she kept blowing my phone with calls,

text messages, and voicemails. One of her voicemails said she could explain, and it wasn't what I thought. The next day, I received a package I ordered. They were pillows in huge gift bags with a picture of her and her affair partner printed on them. And I sent them along with her stuff to her parents' house. I also dropped the letters and original pictures on their WhatsApp family group chat and exited the group. As expected, her parents tried to call, but I blocked there in my ex-wife's numbers too. When the divorce papers were ready, my lawyer reached out to her, and she signed them after delaying for a while.

Although it's so painful, I'm glad we are not together anymore. Now, I get why most people kick against the idea of getting married, and I think I might fall in love one day, but I'm done with getting married and repeating the cycle with unfaithful women. You. I hope you enjoy this story. Discovered my spouse and sibling in a compromising position on our soul. following his abandonment of our daughter in distress with a fractured limb, currently he is dispatching presence in an attempt to make amends as my sibling. Lives in her car.

I, 40F, and my husband, 42M, have been married since I was 22 and he was 24. Edit, sorry, he was actually 23. Up until recently, I thought our marriage was basically perfect. We have two kids together, a daughter, 12, and a son, 14. We have a nice house in the suburbs, decent jobs, and I really thought we were happy. We've had our ups and downs like any couple, but nothing major. We rarely fought and when we did, it was usually over stupid stuff like him leaving his dirty socks on the floor or me spending too much on groceries. Everything was fine until I started getting this weird feeling that my husband had feelings for my sister.

I can't exactly pinpoint when it started, but I think it was around my sister's divorce. To give some context about my sister, 43F, she's always had this weird hatred towards me even though she was our parents' favorite growing up. Like, she got a car for her 16th birthday while I got a used bike. She always found ways to take away things I loved or was good at. When I was younger, I really loved playing soccer and I was actually pretty good at it. My coach even said I had potential to play at college level someday. When my sister found out, she suddenly started playing.

playing soccer too. She was decent but honestly not better than me, not trying to brag or anything, just stating facts. One day she injured her ankles during practice and somehow convinced our parents it was my fault. She claimed I tripped her on purpose during a drill, which was complete bullshit. I was on the other side of the field when it happened. But being their favorite angel, they believed her without question and banned me from ever playing soccer again. They even made me quit the team I was on, which was humiliating because I had to tell

everyone I couldn't play anymore for no good reason. That wasn't even the worst of it. She also stole my first boyfriend in high school. His name was Alan and we'd been together for about six months, which is like forever when you're 15. One day he just broke up with me out of nowhere, and the next week he was dating my sister. She also bullied me relentlessly throughout high school, spreading rumors about me and making sure I didn't get invited to parties. I mostly kept to myself and never said anything to our parents because they always took her side anyway. After high school, I tried to distance myself from her as much as possible. I went to college in another state just to get away. I met my husband there during sophomore year.

He was sweet and attentive, everything my sister wasn't. We dated for about three years before getting married right after graduation. My sister actually seemed jealous at our wedding. She wore white, who does that at someone else's wedding? And tried to make the day about her. My husband thought it was funny at the time and said she was just being quirky. Fast forward to now. I started getting this feeling that something was off with my husband because whenever my sister called needing something, he would drop everything to help her without a second thought. Need help moving a couch. He's there. Car broke down at 2 a.m. He'll drive across town to pick her up. Computer problems. He'll spend hours fixing it. When she and her husband got divorced a while back, she immediately

called my husband and he rushed over to her place without even telling me first. That's just how it's always been. She needs him. He's there, no questions asked. I confronted him about it once or twice, but he always brushed it off saying she was family and he was just being nice. He made me feel like I was being paranoid or jealous, so I tried to ignore it. But the feeling in my gut wouldn't go away. About two months ago, our daughter broke her arm after falling off her bike or something. We both took her to the hospital while our son was at his friend's place. The doctor said it was a clean break, but she'd need to wear a cast for like six weeks. She was pretty upset because she'd miss her dance recital and the end-of-year pool party at school.

When we got home, our daughter asked if she could get McDonald's because she was hungry and hospital food sucks. She also wanted her dad to stay with her. She's always been a major daddy's girl. So I went out to get her some food while he stayed home with her. I remember it was raining that night and the drive-thru was packed, so it took longer than usual. When I came back maybe 30 minutes later, I found my husband on his way out the door with our daughter crying and literally begging him to stay. She was holding onto his leg with her good arm, sobbing that her arm hurt and she wanted him to watch a movie with her. I rushed over and asked what was happening, and he told me he was going to my sister's place because she wasn't feeling well. I asked him why

the hell he was going there when his own daughter had literally just broken her arm, and all he said was your sister needs me and then he just left. Like, he actually just walked out the door while our daughter was in tears. I was beyond pissed. After I got our daughter settled with her happy meal and put on her favorite Disney movie, I called my son and told him to come home. I packed bags for me and both kids and went to stay at my aunt's place. My aunt was the only one in my family who ever acknowledged that my sister was a spoiled brat, so I spent a lot of my childhood with her anyway. My husband called about a dozen times that night, but I didn't answer. I was too angry. He left voicemails saying my sister had some kind of emergency but wouldn't specify what kind.

He said he'd be home in the morning and we could talk then. I didn't care what his excuse was at that point. My aunt was super supportive when I told her what happened. She made up the guest rooms for us and even went out to buy my daughter's favorite cereal for breakfast. The kids were confused about why we were staying there, but I just told them Dad and I needed some space for a couple days. My son seemed to suspect there was more to it, but he didn't push. Two days later I realized I'd forgotten my work computer at home, which I needed for a meeting the next day. I went back to get it while the kids were at school, thinking my husband would be at work.

He works in IT for some company downtown and usually leaves early. I still had my key obviously, so I let myself in. When I walked in, I almost dropped my keys. My husband and my sister were on our family couch doing. Well, you know what they were doing. They were so into it they didn't even hear me come in at first. When they finally noticed me, they scrambled to get dressed. My sister grabbed her clothes and ran to the bathroom while my husband pulled on his pants

and ran over to me saying it wasn't what it looked like and that it was all a misunderstanding. Like, seriously? How is having sex with my sister on our family couch a misunderstanding? I just stood there for a minute, honestly too shocked to even process what I was seeing. Then I started yelling at him, asking how he could do this to me and if I meant nothing to him after almost 20 years together. I asked how long it had been going on. He tried to claim it was just this once, but I didn't believe him for a second. I told him I wanted a divorce and then I left. I didn't even bother getting my computer. I just needed to get out of there. When I got back to my

aunt's place. I went into the room I was staying in and completely broke down crying. I think I cried for like three hours straight. My aunt came in to check on me and found me just sitting on the floor staring at the wall. I told her what happened and she was absolutely furious. I've never seen her so angry. She called my sister some names I won't repeat here. She told our parents and most of our family members even though I asked her not to. But honestly, part of me, is glad she did because I don't think I would have had the courage to tell them myself. My mom called crying, saying she couldn't believe my sister would do something like this. My dad was oddly quiet, which is unusual for him. I think he was in shock. My husband and sister

have been blowing up my phone with texts and calls, but I've been ignoring them. My husband's messages started with him begging for forgiveness, saying it was a mistake and he still loves me. Then they turned angry when I wouldn't respond, saying I was overreacting and needed to come home to discuss this like adults. My sister's messages were even worse. She actually had the nerve to say that they were in love and had been fighting their feelings for years. Like that makes it better somehow. I just don't know how I'm going to tell my kids. What am I supposed to say? Your dad is fucking your aunt? Sorry for the language, but I'm just so angry and hurt right now. My son, is at that age where he's starting to notice things between men and women, and my daughter idolizes

her dad. This is going to crush them both. I called in sick to work for the rest of the week. I've just been laying in bed most of the time, trying to figure out what to do next. My aunt has been amazing, taking care of the kids and making sure they get to school. She told them I have the flu. I don't even know what I'm asking here. What would you do in my situation? I feel. I feel I feel like my whole life has been a lie and I don't know where to go from here. Update 1, wow, I can't believe how many comments this got. I had to turn off notifications because my phone was blowing up. Thank you all so much for the support and love you've shown me.

It makes me feel less alone knowing that even though I don't know any of you, you're all here for me. I've been reading through all your comments and advice. Some of you asked for more details that I didn't include in my original post, so I'll try to to address those. Someone in the comments asked if my sister and I have different body types, and yes we do. She's always hated that I was skinnier than her and made sure to comment on my weight every chance she got. Even after having two kids, I'm still smaller than her, which has always been a sore point. She would say things like must be nice to eat whatever you want and not gain weight or you should eat a burger, you look sick. Meanwhile, I've always

struggled with body image issues and had an eating disorder in college, which she knows about. Anyway, here's what's been happening. I've barely been sleeping or eating since I found out. My aunt has been practically forcing me to eat something every day. I told my kids that things weren't working well at work, and that was why I seemed sad. They believed me, which I was glad about because I still can't bring myself to tell them the truth about their father. My daughter keeps asking when we're going home, and it breaks my heart every time. One thing I didn't mention in my original post was that my sister and her ex-husband, let's call him Thomas, got divorced about a year ago.

Thomas is actually a really great guy, super hot and such a nice person, sorry but it's true. He works as a personal trainer or something like that. He's basically everything my sister doesn't deserve. They got divorced because she had been mentally abusing him throughout their whole relationship. She would constantly put him down, control where he went and who he talked to, check his phone, typical narcissist behavior. She had recently started physically abusing him too, and that's when he decided enough was enough and filed for divorce.

I remember he had a black guy at our family Christmas party last year, and she claimed he walked into a door. We all believed her at the time. Of course, being the person that she is, she spread lies about how he was the one doing the abuse. She told everyone who would listen that he was violent and controlling, and some people in our family actually believed her. My parents sent her money to help with lawyer fees, which makes me sick now knowing the truth. I contacted Thomas to talk with him, and asked if he wanted to help me get some revenge. He agreed right away, said he'd been waiting for my sister to get what was coming

to her. We made plans to meet up at this cafe downtown. I was nervous about seeing him because we never really talked much when he was married to my sister. She always kept him away from the rest of the family, especially me. We met and just talked for hours about how abusive she was to him and how he also suspected she had feelings for my husband. He said there were times when he'd come home and find them sitting way too close on the couch, or she'd be laughing too hard at my husband's jokes. Little things that didn't seem important at the time but make sense now. I told him what I saw, and we decided to start our revenge plan. First, we reported my sister to the police for the abuse she inflicted on Thomas. At first, the officer was skeptical, because, you know,

male victim and all that. But Thomas still had a bruise on his arm from where she had hit him with some kind of picture frame, and he had texts from her threatening him. The police told us they would start investigating and advised us to get a lawyer. I'm not sure if anything will come of it legally, but at least it's on record now. Then I took all the money from the shared account my husband and I had and put it in a new account and just my name. It was about $15,000, which isn't a ton but it's enough to help me get started on my own. I don't know if this is legal but frankly I don't care at this point. Since I own our house, it was inherited from my grandparents, I decided I was going to kick him out. My name is the only one on the deed. I got a lawyer and started the divorce

which I knew was going to be a long and difficult battle, but I was willing to do whatever it took to get away from him. My lawyer said I have a strong case for a favorable settlement given the circumstances, especially since I have proof of the affair. I took pictures with my phone before I left that day, which I forgot to mention in my last post. Later that week, I sat my kids down and told them everything. I know some of you advised waiting, but I couldn't keep lying to them. My son was furious, but my daughter didn't believe me at all and told me I was lying. She accused me of making it up because I was jealous of her relationship with her dad. That hurt, but I understand she's just trying to protect herself from a painful truth.

I told her that even though she might think I'm lying, I wasn't going to stop her from seeing her dad if she wanted to. That same day, I got home from work to find my aunt had gathered my parents, my husband's parents, my husband, and my sister all at her house. I had no idea she was planning this. Turns out my aunt finally had enough of my sister and told the whole family what I had seen. She also revealed that my sister had been in and out of jail multiple times for things like shoplifting and drunk driving, and my aunt was always the one bailing her out. This was news to me too.

My parents had kept all this from me, probably to protect me or some bullshit like that. My parents were furious and started yelling at my sister about what a disappointment she was. My mom actually slapped her and told her they never wanted to see her again. It was intense. My husband's parents told him they never thought he could stoop so low, especially since his mom raised him as a single parent before she met his stepdad, who he calls dad. They've always been good people and I know they're ashamed of him now.

My daughter stood up and yelled at her dad, telling him how much she hated him and never wanted to see him again. Then she ran upstairs to the room she was sharing with her brother at my aunt's house and slammed the door. My son just gave his dad this really disappointed look and followed his sister upstairs. It broke my heart to see them hurting like that,

but at least now they know the truth. My husband actually knelt in front of me and begged for forgiveness. He was crying and saying he made a huge mistake and would do anything to fix it. I told him he had two days to pack his shit and leave our house or I'd call the cops. He started sobbing and said he had nowhere to go since his parents told him he wasn't welcome

at their place anymore. I told him I didn't care and that I wanted a divorce. He could sleep in his car for all I cared. He eventually said okay and left with red, teary eyes. My sister just stood there through all of this, not saying a word. She didn't apologize or tried to defend herself. She just looked empty. almost like she was bored by the whole situation. I don't understand how someone can cause so much pain and not feel anything about it. Two days later, I went back home with my kids. They hadn't been to school since finding out and were having a really hard time,

especially my daughter. She would swing between crying and being angry, sometimes breaking things in her room. My son was quieter about it, but I could tell he was hurting too. He stopped playing video games, which is very unlawful. like him. I sat them both down and held them in my arms, telling them we were strong and we would get through this no matter what. I promised I'd always be there for them. They both broke down crying until they fell asleep. I woke them up to take them to their beds, then went downstairs and had my own breakdown. I can't let my kids see how hard this is on me. I have to be strong

for them. I heard the doorbell ring and thought it was my ex coming back, but it was Thomas. He came by to check on me because I hadn't been answering my phone, it was on silent. He sat with me while I cried, telling him I couldn't do this on my own. It felt good to just let it all out with someone who understood what my sister was capable of. He stayed the night on the couch, and when I woke up, he had made breakfast for me and the kids. Just eggs and toast, but it was nice not to have to do it myself for once. The kids seemed to enjoy having him there. He asked if they wanted to go somewhere special with him, like the arcade or the movies,

and they just shrugged. I was about to tell them it was okay, that they didn't have to go, but he somehow talked them into it, and they finally agreed, running to their rooms to get ready. I gave him a big hug and thanked him, and he hugged me back, telling me to take all the time I needed. For clarity, my kids have always been close with Thomas, he was married to my sister for like seven years and was always the one who would play with them at family gatherings while my sister ignored them. When they came back home later, I almost started crying again at what I saw. Thomas had ordered their favorite takeout, and they were sitting on the sofa eating while my daughter was cuddled up against his side, her eyes read from crying.

I quietly took off my shoes and jacket before joining them with a smile. My son ran up and gave me a big hug, and we all enjoyed our night together. It was the first time I'd seen them smile in days. I had a talk with my kids, and they agreed that we should all start seeing therapists. Thomas helped convince them because he was seeing one himself after everything with my sister. I found a family therapist who specializes in divorce trauma, and we have our first appointment next week. My husband keeps blowing up my phone with texts and calls, but I just blocked him. I've also cut off my parents, at least for now.

I'm still too angry about them hiding my sister's legal issues from me and always taking her side. I got tested for STDs, all clear, thank God. That's all for now. I'll update if anything else happens. Again, thank you all for the support. Update 2, hey everyone, it's been a while since my last update. I've been super busy with work, my kids, therapy, and just everything else. Things are starting to get better for me, and I'm beginning to feel good again, mostly, thanks to Thomas. A lot of you have been asking for an update, so here it is. Sorry it took so long. My daughter has been trying her best, but it's still really hard for her. Sometimes she'll come to me or Thomas crying about how much she hates her dad,

and other times she'll go crying to him because she wants his comfort. I don't blame her and never will. It breaks my heart to see her suffering so much. All she wants is for our family to be back together, and I wish I could give her that, but the damage has been done. My daughter and son had their first therapy session last week, and the therapist said this kind of back and forth is normal for kids their age. They don't know how to process these complicated feelings. One minute they are angry at their dad for what he did, and the next minute they miss him and the way things used to be. As for my ex, he broke things off completely with my sister and hasn't spoken to her since. I guess even he has standards. He got himself a good

paying job, he worked at his dad's company before all this and got fired, and is living in a really nice house because, for some reason, he had been saving up money just in case I caught him and my sister one day. I know all this because my daughter tells me everything. I don't press her for information, but she says she wants me to know what's going on in her dad's life. Apparently, he asks about me all the time, wants to know if I'm dating anyone or if I miss him. I told her she doesn't have to be our messenger, but she insists she wants to be involved. My son doesn't speak to his father at all and never visits. I'm not going to force him to. The divorce is moving along slowly. My ex is contesting pretty much everything, trying to drag it out as long as possible.

My lawyer says this is a common tactic. He's hoping I'll get tired of fighting and agree to less favorable terms. Not happening. My ex has been trying to get in touch with me and sends me flowers and gifts. I accept them because I hate throwing away perfectly good things. It's just not who I am. And if I'm being honest, part of me still loves him, it's not easy to let go of those feelings overnight. We were together for almost 20 years. That doesn't just disappear, even after what he did. From what I've heard, my sister is living in her car and working at a very low-paying job, some fast food place I think. Her life has pretty much fallen apart since all this came out. She lost her job, she was a receptionist at a dentist's

office, and most of our family won't speak to her. One thing I want to make clear is that if my sister becomes homeless, I'm going to help her because I just can't stand by and watch her live on the street, knowing how dangerous our town gets at night. I know a lot of you will think I'm crazy for even considering helping her after what she did, but she's still human, you know? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her when I could have helped. Thomas has been a great help for all of us. But like I said before I have no interest in him and neither does he have any interest in me. That's all for now. I'll update if anything else happens. Again, thank you all so much for the love and support. It means the world to me, and I love you all.

Mini update, Hey y'all, I posted an update not too long ago, and two things got a lot of attention in the comments. One, me accepting gifts from my ex, and two, helping my sister in the future. Let me start with the first one. The only reason I don't throw away the gifts from him is because I hate the idea of throwing away things that are in perfectly good condition. I was raised to never waste anything that could be useful to someone else. Thomas gave me a good idea about going to a women's shelter or orphanage and donating them. My ex usually gives me flowers, teddy bears, or jewelry, which I'm not going to use, so I'll be giving them away. The flowers I can't really donate, but the rest I can.

I've already taken a box of stuff to the local shelter and it felt good to at least get some positive use out of his guilt gifts. As for helping my sister, I don't mean inviting her into my house. God no, I'm not that stupid. I'm talking about giving her some money because in my town, it's extremely dangerous for a woman to be alone at night. There have been several assaults in the past few months, especially in the areas where homeless people tend to gather. That's only if my parents fail to help her, which they probably won't. They're still furious, but they've never been able to stay mad at her for long. I know what she did was terrible, but I can't stand by and watch her get assaulted. That might make me weak or a push over in some people's eyes, but I couldn't live

with that on my conscience. Some of you asked why I haven't just changed my number to stop getting messages from my ex. The thing is, with the divorce proceeding still ongoing, my lawyer advised me to keep the same number for now. Plus, I don't want to make things harder for my daughter who still sees him regularly. She needs to be able to reach me when she's with him. Edit, don't worry, let that demon of a person close to my kids or Thomas. She ruined her life, and the only thing I'll make sure of is that she keeps her car, nothing else, no contact. I would never cause the people around me more trauma than they already have. As for my ex, we have no future together, and I'm going to make sure he gets that through his thick skull. Someone in the comments said that

my daughter might be telling my ex about me. I hope she is. I want him to know how much better we're doing without him. And as for the money he saved up, I don't want it. I have a high-paying job, and my babies always get what they need when they need it. So we don't need his help or his filthy money. I hope you enjoy this story. Just a kind notification prior to the video starting, you will listen to two narratives in this video and both contain fresh developments. Moving on to the initial tale. I have a hunch that my boyfriend is trying to baby trap me. I've been dating my boyfriend for a year. I live with him.

My family life isn't great. My dad has been out of the picture for as long as I remember and my mom is very mentally unstable. She has been diagnosed BPD but isn't on treatment. She has always been a jealous person. She showers you with love and affection, but if you don't do the same for her, she will blow up. I've seen her do that to all of her partners and to me. She has been against me doing anything other than staying home with her for as long as I remember, against me having friends, studying for school, working out,

etc. Always putting me down for anything. She has had better and worse times in the last year has been one of her downs. She went absolutely mental when she found out I had a boyfriend, she tried to prohibit me seeing him, made scenes whenever I spent time with him saying I am changing her, etc. Went as far as trashing my room when I left for a whole day. One day I came home and she told me I either stay here with her and broke up with him or when I leave she will change the locks and never let me come back. I called my boyfriend crying and he offered for me to move in with him. I agreed, she has sent me picture of her burning everything I had in my room, that she never wants to see me again and that I am a terrible daughter, made posts on Facebook calling me a whore,

etc. Everything has been going okay until a week ago. I came back from school and told him we had vocational orientation, and that a nurse had came to tell us about her career. I told him I, though, what she did was really cool and I would love to be a nurse. He asked me if you had to study to be a nurse and I said you had. It was about three years, I think. He then asked me when would we get married and I laugh and said I, maybe after I, finished the career. He frowned and said that he wanted to have kids young. I told him we could, just not that young, we still had plenty of time and I, though it was best for both of us to have careers before having kids, there wasn't a rush. He said he was running late for work and the conversation was cut short.

He has since then done something really weird in which he starts talking semi-sarcastically about when I start studying and asking me things like if I'm going to go to parties or make more friends or if I'll still have time for him. When I ask him why is he talking like that he will deny using any tone, he has also started to try and convince me to have sex without a condom, saying that he will pull out. One time he even went as far as ignoring me asking him to put a condom on and trying to go in me and he stopped just because I screamed at him. Three days ago I saw him doing something with the drawer where we keep our stash of condoms open.

When he saw me he closed it quickly, I grew suspicious and went to look at them after he left. Some of them had little dots like they had been poked. There were just one quarter of them, so I feel like if I bring this up he will deny it and say some were just broken. The other day I asked him that if he wanted to have sex without a condom maybe I should should start doing hormonal birth control and he said those pills make you fat and he doesn't want me being fat. He also made fun of me saying I am being so dramatic about being scared of getting pregnant like it was a curse or something. I've though about talking it out with him and reassuring him that me wanting to go to college doesn't change anything on our relationship and we still have

plenty of time to form a family, but maybe I'm being naive, I really do love him and I don't want to end this relationship. Up until now he has been the biggest blessing. I don't know what else to do. I don't have access to my own money to get my own birth control without him, I live with him, I don't have anywhere else to go. Update 1, it isn't normal, isn't it? A couple of hours ago I asked for help in a couple of subs for a specific situation with many people gave me advice and made me feel like I wasn't crazy which I genuinely appreciate. But a lot of advice I was given, revolved around me leaving or taking action behind his back. I started thinking and I don't think the dynamics of our relationship are standard, it would be really hard for me to hide something from

him. He takes care of everything money involved, which makes sense because he makes the money but it is to the extent I don't remember him ever giving me cash, not even to buy the simplest cheapest items. Whenever we need something, he goes and buys it, from groceries to clothes to everything. He has made me wait in stores with the things we need for the house for him to come to where I am and pay. Even when he charges my public transport card, he asks me how many trips I need to make and charges exactly the money for them, not one cent more, I have access to absolutely zero money. I used to think it was just a quirk of his, but now I feel like it's deliberate. My phone doesn't have a plan. I just use Wi-Fi and have him as my emergency contact if I'm

outside the house. I don't have friends or really any type of relationships that he isn't also friends with, all my friends are people he knew first. If I do anything without him he insists on dropping me off and picking me up, he asks me for selfies of what I'm doing every hour of the day if we are apart. He convinced me to delete together all of our conventional social media, Insta, Twitter, TikTok, claiming it's better for our mental health, and then he didn't delete his because he realized he needed them for his job. He doesn't know English and he has started complaining whenever I consume any media and English claiming it makes him feel left to out and he wants to be able to engage in my hobbies. With people recommending me to search

for narcissist abuse and other comments I started to rethink most things I never really put much thought into or minded about. Maybe he has been controlling all along I just didn't oppose any of his requirements until now. I guess I'm just used to having no control. With my mom it was worst. At least he lets me enjoy myself. She would try to make me feel miserable every hour of the day. But at the same time it's so much worse, outside of empty threats there was very little she could do after I was 13 or 14. She is fat and old and I have little respect or love for her. She could trash my room or scream or not feed me all she wanted but she couldn't retain me physically. With him, outside from being way stronger than me, I love him so, so much,

I can't even picture myself ever finding the strength to leave. It really physically pains me to write this. I feel like I am delusional, and I want to be. I feel like such an empty shell of a human being, though I had control of my life for once and I am just in the same spot. Update 2. Hi guys, I have a smallish update. People told me to contact my father's family for help, I tried, and he smoothly told me he does not care. I have no close enough friends who aren't friends with him to reach out to, and there isn't a woman's shelter in my city. I am also very adamant about contacting the police because my country's child laws are very strong on putting blood bonds over almost every type of abuse that is not full-blown crude sexual or physical abuse. I do not

want to get back at my mom's house at any terms. I know there's a possibility this isn't going to work out and the way he was acting wasn't okay, but he has been so good to me since now, I feel like he deserves the benefit of the doubt. I spent the weekend trying to avoid having sex. I claimed I had a bruised cervix which did happen before so he understood and didn't push it further than just asking for oral a couple of times which I don't mind. He did make one weird joke on Saturday when I got out of the shower and he saw me and he said something along the lines of if you don't let me get what's mine I'll have to just get in myself. I guess he could see on my facial expression that I didn't find it funny and ensured me he was just joking. I genuinely

believe him it was a joke that came off the wrong way. I managed to talk to a school friend and ask for her help. Today we skipped the first period and went to a nearby Salida. I don't know how to describe it in English but a very small hospital for neighborhoods. I got a birth control shot. I hoped I would be able to get a three months one but they didn't have any so I have to go back every month to get it on the same day, I still think it's better than pills because that means I don't have to hide any item, and it was free, yay, thanks to the girl in Argentina that sent me the link to them. Later I started stressing about what would happen if the day of the month falls on the weekend and I do not have school to use as an excuse but I still have many months to go so that's

a future me problem. I will still try to stand my ground on him using condoms though. I know I need some type of backup plan if the situation goes south, so I applied for government aid that's supposed to be for high school students from public schools, and it's supposed to help you with money for uniforms or school supplies. It's not much, but I thought if I created a Mercado Pago account, PayPal for Argentina. That I can create from my home and put my money there in investing mode I can help it not all disappear from the inflation. I still don't know if I'm going to get accepted because it has a restriction on your parents' income and I am not sure how much they are making currently. If he still doesn't want me to study when I turn 18, I can apply for a program that helps you for

three months financially for people who are suffering domestic violence. The program seems too good to be true, though, so if someone in Argentina is reading this, can you tell me if it's as accessible as it seems? As per today was such a shitty weird day. When I got home from school and he got home from work I saw him and just started crying uncontrollably, he didn't ask me anything, he just held me and told me not to worry that everything was going to be okay, and that he was going to take care of me. I don't know if he had his own theory on why I was crying or if he didn't want to bother asking, but I ended up falling asleep while hugging him, it made me feel like a hypocrite. I feel like for the last months for the first time in my life I was just able to put my guard

down and not walk on eggshells, so it kind of sucks being back on analyzing everything someone says or does or makes me do. I woke up like two hours ago and he went back to work so now I am now writing this not knowing how to feel. Update 3. If I take a computer that my boyfriend bought me, can I get into legal trouble? My boyfriend has been having a lot of of violent activities and I need to get out of the relationship, but I'm kind of tied to him because I don't work and he supports me. I don't have any money that belongs to me and I don't have many people in my life to ask for help. Several months ago he bought a laptop for me to use primarily, but he uses it too. I thought about taking it and maybe selling it if I need the money. Can he

sue me and put me in a legal bardo? I am underage. He doesn't care so much about the legal implications as much as that by complaining about it he can get the police to find out where I am and have access to me back. I'm 17 if it makes a difference. Update 4. Last week I left my partner. I don't know if I should go to the police. This is a long post but please bear with me. I need advice in this situation and I am tired of feeling like I am burdening the very few people I have in my life with my hesitation. I use this account to ask for advice. A couple of times to know if my partner was being abusive or if I was being dramatic, you guys were right. From my first post things just went downhill, I feel like he could sense I wanted to leave and became more hostile

even. From slight controlling acts, it escalated to plain violence, physically and sexually. On top of that, I found him cheating and a lot of other worrying stuff on his phone but that alone would take me a whole post. I didn't know how to leave. I had no money or anywhere to go. At the perfect time, I remembered a very specific figure from my past that had almost left my mind between traumatic events, who had promised to help me if anything wrong happened to me, I'm sorry this is vague I do not want to give identifiable information. She agreed to help me, so without thinking about it too long, I left him a note explaining why I was leaving without saying where to when I left with like two t-shirts and my phone

charger. This was last week Monday. The person who has helped me escape has been nothing short of wonderful and the most loving human being, but that sadly hasn't made this past week any less horrifying. He tried contacting me on all platforms we have, and I answered all his first messages explaining I am okay, but I don't want to go back and block him afterward, except for email just in case. He started sending messages saying he couldn't live without me, asking me to come back, then they fluctuated to full walls of paragraphs saying how much he hated me and how much of a horrible human being I am and threatening physical violence. He then sent me a message with a folder with nude pictures he had of me saying he would

share them if I didn't agree to see him. The pictures are half pictures of myself I knew he had but they don't really show anything that would gain me a ban on Instagram. They are just suggestive. There are a whole other bunch of pictures that I sent him on limited time agreeing to his persistence for them and I had specifically asked to not screenshot, but oh well. In these pictures I specifically didn't show my face or any defining. feature that would tell it's me. The real issue comes with a couple of pictures he added

where I am fully naked and you can recognize it's me. I did not take or consent to be taken these pictures. He had taken them while I was asleep slash distracted. I don't think he would be dumb enough to share this because I am a miner and doing so would fuck up his life way more than it would mine. Still, it scares me very much. His actions don't end here. He then proceeded to say if I didn't answer he would find where I was and go key slash me. My mom and a school friend asked me where I was because he had gone by their houses demanding to see me and threatening them if they didn't let him in. I made the terrible mistake of telling my mom where I was and what was going on. She didn't have much of a response other than telling me that it was my fault and that I deserved it because she always told me he was bad news.

Well, turns out my ex-boyfriend's mom called mine crying and pleading with her to convince her that I returned home with him because she feared for his mental health and life if didn't. and the piece of shit I have the displeasure of calling my mom I have told her where and with who I am. She informed me this. Her excuse was that she knows how hard it is to be a mother and she empathizes with her because I am a horrible human being that keeps hurting people. Since this, he has just sent me one email saying he knows where I am and nothing else. I am incredibly terrified and haven't left the house. Who I am staying with has encouraged me to file a lawsuit against him, because then I can ask for state help and I do have some evidence. I don't know what is the value of the evidence. I have the emails, screenshots from his phone talking to his friends about me and low-key admitting

to sexually abusing me, pictures of marks he has left on me, and a video of him. Hitting the door I am hiding against screaming threatening to hurt me. I never till today thought of taking legal action. This whole experience has made me feel so weak I feel if one more person starts questioning me I will lose my sanity. I just want to move on with my life and leave everything that has to do with him. I am from a very small town and people love him and his family. I feel that even if I have all the evidence in the world, the average person will still be on his side.

I am an outsider with a mom known for losing her marbles. The only really weird thing that gave me a little bit of hope is that today one of the girls in his friend group contacted me and asked me if I was okay and to know my side of the story. She said she had created her suspicions one night when we went to hang out with his friends and he had gotten really drunk and really mad at me. She said she had seen him throwing and pushing me around. I hadn't even realized he was doing so. She said she believed me and she was proud of me for leaving me for leaving me over him or reaching out. It made me feel less crazy. I don't know

if legal action will bring me more safety or just more mess. I don't care about justice anymore. I just want to live. Now on to the next story, story two. I dramatically reduced my work hours to fully take on all household chores and child care duties for my so-am wife. My wife is usually an angel of a woman, but has recently gotten into a friendship with a woman whom I personally believe is a bad influence on her, not in a patronizing way, more of a laid down with dogs.

Get up with fleas type of situation. I never said anything about her childishness or her very radical misandry, because frankly it doesn't affect me. Until it did, a few months ago my wife began pressuring me to do more around the house. Before I get an instant udda, we already split chores and child care, admittedly, she had a bigger cut than I because she is esome, but I do most of the cooking, breakfasts and dinners, lunches her responsibility for her and the boys, I take out the garbage and I do laundry, and I deep clean the bathrooms once a week. I do also help with our boys' homework and such.

She insists that I am not doing enough and that I should be doing more around the house. I tried having discussions with her asking what she expected from me, namely all chores and child rearing should be my duty, it seems, and for months it seemed to be going nowhere. She used the D word more than once when speaking on this which felt manipulative. It boiled over when we were out with friends one night, and she began talking about how how I never helped out and how I use her as a house slave. Her words, I will admit I saw red. This next part is where I may be the asshole. I didn't say anything that night but the next day I asked my boss to be given reduced hours for the next little bit due to stress. And I took over

everything in the house. I cooked breakfast and made lunch for the boys before I drove them to school. I cleaned the house top to bottom. I did every dish we had twice and so on. My wife was blindingly happy, and bragged to her friend that she finally had me worn in. She didn't lift a finger for around a month, then she began asking why we never went on dates anymore and complaining that she wanted to get her nails done as they were growing in. I explained that I had to take that out of our budget so we could continue to afford everything else, but we could absolutely have a movie night in, and I could paint her nails for her. She was unhappy with that solution, so I asked her if she would want to get a part-time job to pay for either luxuries. You

would have thought I asked if she wanted to join a cult. She then asked if I could just pick up more shifts at work to cover her other expenses, and use the phrase be a man, which I found more than a little insulting. I then asked her if she would be willing to go back to splitting the chores and such, which is when she began to catch on that the two were related. She yelled at me that I was being a manipulative asshole for doing this and even claimed it was financial a word. I stood strong for a while, but now I am questioning my methods, because even I feel what I did was a bit underhanded, so Ida? Update 1, How do I, 38M, explained to slash help my sons to understand their mother, 30F, is going to rehab. I have never been in a situation like this.

I am a former addict myself, but I didn't have children then. See my last post for more clarification. But the gist of it is that my wife and I recently had a blowout argument where she admitted to using two substances for several months and has agreed to get checked into rehab, which we are currently setting up now, how the hell do I bring this up to them, without them being judgmental or hateful to their mother, or worse? Falling into the same mental space I am in, I don't want to lie to them, which is what my wife wants, but I am failing to see an alternative that won't destroy them or the respect they have for their mother. I am swimming blind here, and I have barely slept since this all came out. Any and all advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance, update two. I yelled at my

wife, see my profile for details, but I was driving my wife to the rehabilitation center we decided on, on the way she was screaming at me about how she can't believe I'm humiliating her like this, explaining what was happening to the boys. And making her message her dealer slash friend that they would not be hanging out or using together anymore about how she doesn't want to go, and that I am a controlling monster, and how threatening her with divorce and taking primary custody of the boys was too far and I was insane, and I just took it, and took it and took it. Until I just couldn't, and I screamed at her, I screamed that the woman I met would have rather died than had a pill-head junkie around her sons, and how she disgusted me, and that I don't

know if she knew how much I was considering leaving her not because of the addiction but the way she was fucking acting. Like she hadn't brought drugs into our home, around me, a former addict myself, and around our boys, that I am beginning to hate her for doing that, that she was becoming exactly what she always cried about her mother being, and that she was lucky I was here to see it before what happened to her happened to her goddamn sons. It makes me sick to say, but watching it sink in just how far she had spiral felt good, watching her realize that her actions have consequences was nice.

She yelled a few more times, that I was an abusive asshole, or whatever, but she was still crying so I felt her heart wasn't in it. I plan on speaking to a lawyer, don't want to divorce her, but I don't know how healthy our relationship could possibly be after this. I know yelling like that was wrong, but I don't feel bad, and that is the part that makes me think that maybe I shouldn't be married to her anymore, for her sake in my own. I don't know what else to do, and I'm so pissed that she detonated C-4 in every bit of our life. Update 3. She was cheating. Before you read, please know this is a vent post. I normally would

never be like this, but I am beyond okay and need to get this poison out of my head before I go anywhere else with it. She was fucking cheating. The drug-dealing friend sent me fucking videos of her dancing and grinding on this ugly hick-looking bastard. I am goddamn destroyed, the boys are staying with my mother for a few days, and I'm taking the next week off work. I am so done. I have never been so angry in my goddamn life. She was so goddamn smug sending it, in case you don't realize you're replaceable to her. While the free ride stops here, I hope she can get on Medicaid for her Suboxone LMFAO, I'm done. I saved the video immediately. and I'm going to see a lawyer ASAP.

I can't tell anyone yet because I want to do this shit right. Thankful as fuck my parents insisted on a pre-up with what I at the time thought was an inhumane cheating clause. Never been cheated on before and I feel like tearing my god-dammed hair out. I genuinely never thought she would turn out to be such a scummy piece of shit. I cannot handle this. I am not physically able to handle this. I haven't been able to keep food down and I drank for the

first time in over a decade last night. Then I woke up and had to pour the rest down the drain because I am about to spiral, and my boys don't need both mom and dad and rehab right now. I am so close to losing my goddamn mind. Also, believe what you want, but stop sending me private messages about how I should take down the posts or that posting about my personal relationship with my wife is wrong, please. Leave me be it will not work. This is the only place I can talk about this shit. Update 4, my soon-to-be ex-wife is in the hospital after a suicide attempt, and I feel like a monster. I have been working on filing for divorce, while she's in rehab, not just for the cheating, but because with that on top of everything else and myself nearly

sinking back into my own addiction due to the stress of the situation. I couldn't stand to even think of her anymore, and there's no healthy relationship that has room for that mindset. I honestly didn't want to be in a room with her again, to try mediation or counseling due to the fact that the last time I was alone with her I raised my voice, and at the time even felt she deserved it. I of course now know that me doing that was terrible and could be considered abuse, yet another reason I should not be in a relationship with this woman. I moved all of her belongings to our guest room, minus the pills I found hidden in her beside table, I took pictures of those in their hiding spot then flushed them. I also removed her for

from my bank account and credit cards. I spoke to my boys, explaining the situation without demonizing their mother to the best of my ability, and they seemed to understand I have no intention of abandoning them, and blood or not, they were my sons. Then she came home, the boys were, and still are away at camp, a birthday present paid for by my mother. She was quiet, eyes on the ground after the moment I picked her up at the facility all the way home. Once we got home, I led her to the guest room silently, and she didn't take it well, crying before she could even take the first step. Throughout the next couple weeks, I let her get settled, and though I stayed carefully neutral, I know she could tell something was coming, but I wanted to do be as fair as

possible, and try to let her get used to being out before I said anything, as that was one thing I myself hated about when I left rehab. Everything was flying at me so fast. I didn't have time to breathe. Finally, I asked her to sit on the couch and I began explaining to her that I do not believe I can continue being married to her and that I want a divorce. I should have known her reaction was all wrong. She didn't say anything at all. She only nodded and cried quietly as I spoke. I explained that I did not intend to hurt her, but I could not be married to her anymore, and that maybe both of us should focus on being the best parents we can be. I told her I had no intentions of kicking her out, and that because of our pre-nup the divorce should be cut and dry,

and she should be safe to begin looking for employment now, and once she has a job I will help her find an apartment. At this, she stood and walked to her room, I let her, because I thought she must have been overwhelmed, and this talk could wait. She didn't come out at dinner time, and I wait whether I should leave her alone or not. Eventually, I decided to knock on the door and ask if she was hungry. Long story short, she had smuggled pills into my house some or she had a stash I was unaware of, and had an overdose, and was dead for several minutes in the ambulance, and she's in a medically induced coma, because the doctors aren't sure exactly how much damage she's done to her brain, from what they've said. I feel like an absolute

monster, like I am the scum of the earth, like I should have just said nothing, like I should have just dealt with it, just, held it in, and stayed. I am responsible for this and it kills me, I may not have the same love for her as I did, but I do feel so very sorry for everything she's been through, it's killing me, I haven't told my sons yet, and I am debating waiting until they're back from camp, so they can have a little more time without this on their minds on top of everything else. I am sorry for the grammar and such, I don't have the energy to edit this, but wanted to get this off my chest. I hope you enjoy this story. Sibling requested that I become the designated caretaker of their infant, so I

insisted that their spouse undergo DNA testing before I would assume responsibility for their child. Consequently, their marital union was strained. Is ending. I, 28F, have an older brother, 30M, and around two weeks ago, he asked me to be the legal guardian of his son. His son is just six months old. My brother visited me two weeks ago and told me that he and his wife wanted me to be his legal guardian because his job required him to move to another city and his wife, 29F, spends most of her time in the hospital for her chemo treatments.

My brother can't reject this offer either to stay back here because it pays more than his current job and he desperately needs money to pay for his wife's treatments as she was diagnosed with stage 2 liver cancer last month. So he worked out an arrangement with his in-laws where they'll be the ones looking after his wife while he works out of state for five days and comes back on the weekends but they're also kind of aged and won't be able to handle taking care of both his wife and his son, so he wanted me to take over the duties of his son. We have no other family apart from each other, so I'm the only person he could turn to which is why it was really difficult for me to say

no at all. Both our parents passed away when we were in our early 20s and we've been on our own ever since. My brother works in marketing and I'm a high school teacher so it's not exactly like we're rich and I'm too busy and tired to take on any additional responsibilities, like looking after my nephew. I also couldn't just say no to my brother because we're all we have and it would break my heart if he got mad at me over this. There was also another reason that I was kind of skeptical to agree to this legal guardianship and that was because of all the rumors and gossip I'd heard about my sister-in-law. We live in a relatively small town and news travels fast. So a couple of years back, I think before my brother even got married, I heard from one of my

co-workers that one of her cousins had gotten into a lot of legal trouble over a paternity fraud that she'd pulled off and was now being sued by her husband whom she'd been fooling. And even though people weren't really sure of it, there was one name that kept popping up when they were gossiping about this and that was my present sister-in-law's name. I'm really not sure how exactly she was involved or to what extent, but I did know that she was involved somehow and she'd helped them cover it up for a few years after their child was born. Their son was almost two years old when that guy's wife, my sister-in-law's best friend, insisted that they get married so she could quit her job and live at home with her son.

His mother suspected that something was off because of how hard she was pushing her decision and that's how the paternity test finally happened. And we also learned that apparently, my now sister-in-law had played a huge role in this fraud by putting her best friend in touch with her cousin who worked at the hospital and would periodically take money from her best friend and her unsuspecting husband to make sure this was all kept under wraps. So essentially, she and her best friend were fooling the poor guy for money and while her best friend got into legal trouble for it, she walked away scot-free.

Almost two years ago, my brother told me that he'd met a woman and it happened to be the same woman whom I'd heard about in this paternity scam gossip. I told him about it back then and warned him but he was dead sure that she had nothing to do with it and he trusted her, not the rumors and gossip he heard about her. I didn't know what to say to him so I didn't interfere and so within a year, they got married and had a baby. I didn't say anything then because I didn't want to disturb their perfectly happy marriage and then, last month, she was diagnosed with stage two liver cancer which is why she's been

in and out of the hospital for some time now. I haven't said anything about what I heard from my friends back then, but when my brother said that they wanted me to be their son's legal guardian. I decided that I didn't want to get caught up in anything right now, and so I told him that I'd only agree to the legal guardianship because he didn't like the implications of what I was saying and said that I was needlessly doubting his wife even though they'd been together for so many years now. But I stuck by what I said and told him that I wasn't going to be his son's legal guardian if he didn't get the paternity test done first because I really didn't want any unnecessary trouble in case there really was something that she was hiding still. So after a lot of arguing, he finally gave in and told me that he'd get it done. Then, I didn't hear from him for two whole weeks, but all of a sudden, three days back, he called me and told me that I no longer needed to sign anything and that he was staying here. I was confused because he just cancelled the move out of the blue so I asked him what changed and he told me to mind my own business and then hung up on me.

That really threw me off because my brother was a generally nice and polite person so I had absolutely no idea what changed in these past few days. I couldn't even ask anyone else because the only person who was likely to know what was going on with him was his wife and I didn't want to speak to her so I waited for a day for my brother to come around on his own and tell me what was going on but he didn't. So I did what I had to and called up my sister-in-law instead for some answers. She answered as soon as I called and when she did, she didn't waste a second before she started screaming at me and accused me of ruining her marriage.

I don't know why she said any of that but one thing's for sure, something awful has happened and I'm afraid that it has to do with a paternity test. I'd only been hell-bent on my brother getting the test done because I wanted to buy myself some time to think about what I wanted to do about the guardianship and also I didn't want to invite trouble just in case he wasn't really the parent. But I'm guessing that there was something that his wife had been hiding and my insistence on the paternity test must have opened some kind of worms because otherwise, I couldn't think of a single reason why my brother would make such a decision. I feel awful because just for my own selfishness, I've potentially ruined my brother's

marriage and it doesn't help that his wife's suffering from cancer as well. I'd have for insisting that my brother get a paternity test done before I agree to be the legal guardian of his baby, update one thank you for all the kind messages and comments i'm glad to know that not everyone's judging me for wanting to put myself before anyone else i spoke to my brother today and he told me everything that had happened in the past two weeks after i asked him to get the paternity test done he told me that after he met with me he went straight home and told his wife what i'd asked for he'd assumed it would be a pretty straightforward conversation since he didn't think his wife would disagree but she would was very against it and it didn't make sense to him. She said that it was insulting that I wanted him to get a paternity test done because that just meant that I still believe she was a scammer and even worse, she'd been scamming her own husband. So she was against the whole idea of the paternity test and wanted him to look for alternatives. But her reaction to the suggestion of

getting a paternity test done was so overly emotional that even he began to suspect that something was off about her behavior and after a few days of wondering what to do, he finally gave in and decided to get the paternity test done without telling his wife about it. He didn't know what to expect but was secretly hoping that he wouldn't find out anything that he didn't want to. Unfortunately, I think everyone knows by now what he must have found out. My brother and his son weren't a match. He was so shocked by the results the first time that he got the test done a second time, just to make sure that there had been no mistakes, and even the second time around, the result remained the same. He was in shock about what he'd found out since

this meant that his marriage was a lie but he had no idea how to confront his wife. He'd never paid any heed to the rumors he'd heard about her, not even when I'd warned him but now, as it turns out, everyone else had been right and he'd been the one who was dead wrong about his wife. A few days after he got the results, he decided to finally confront his wife. At first, she tried to deny it, but there was no running away from the truth anymore when he knew for a fact that he's not the father of the son he'd been raising for so long. After a while, she finally confessed to him that a while ago, when they'd just got married, she'd had an affair with one of her friends when he happened to be out of town and that's how she got pregnant. She never came clean about it

either because she felt like that was going to ruin their marriage for good and once she got pregnant, she knew that she didn't want to be with anyone else apart from my brother. My sister-in-law also spilled the beans on the first paternity scam she pulled off by revealing that she'd been the one who put her best friend in touch with her cousin who used to work at the hospital back then and her friend's husband never would have found out either if he hadn't gotten another paternity test done independently from a different hospital so whatever people had been saying about her was true i can't believe that in spite of knowing the consequences of cheating and lying she still went through and put my brother through the same thing it's unbelievable and and disgusting, to say the least, and now, I'm really glad that I pressured my brother into getting a paternity test done or else he might not have been able to find out about any of this. She didn't have a job when she married my brother and after she got married, she decided that she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom so it had been my brother who'd been supporting her every step of the way. So it wasn't the fact that she was finally sure of him that made her stay with him

and pick her marriage over affairs but the fact that she literally didn't have anyone else to go to once she got pregnant. My brother thinks that that's the real reason he stayed and I agree with him. If she could cheat on him one year into their marriage, then she didn't really love him and the only thing that made her stay with my brother was the fact that he was willing to look past her history, trust her implicitly, and provide for her without questioning her. She only cared about herself and while my brother is still struggling to come to terms with that, I'm not. I'd always known that my sister-in-law wasn't the most trustworthy person, but had kept it all to myself since I didn't want to stir up any unnecessary trouble in my brother's life and he seemed to be

really in love with her. And the fact that they were pregnant within a year of their marriage. I couldn't say anything that could potentially mess up their marriage when they were about to have a child together and once my nephew was born. There was no way I was going to talk crap about my sister-in-law because that would inevitably end up with me and my brother never speaking again. So I stayed silent but the truth was bound to come out someday. I just regret that I wasn't the one to stop this from happening. My brother has filed for divorce and full custody of his son. His wife is devastated and insists that she really does love him now but there's no taking

back what she did. I, for one, am happy that he's made the decision to leave even if it is after so many years. The only thing I feel a little bad about is that she's a cancer patient and this is coming at a really bad time for her, but my brother deserves better and I'll stand by that. Update 2. I just found out from my brother that the friend that she cheated on him with and his son's real father had still been actively involved in their lives up until recently. He'd come over for a few drinks in the evening today and was venting to me when he told me about this spectacular bit of information. This man had been an old friend of his wife's and

he'd had feelings for her since forever, but then my sister-in-law had chosen to marry my brother, because she felt that this friend of hers wasn't stable financially, which just meant that he was well off enough for her. She'd told him about this friend of hers long back when they started dating initially but he'd never suspected a thing because that's how much he trusted her. When she told him the truth, she claimed that they'd been together only once after their marriage just because they were drunk and emotional but he didn't know if anything she said was true anymore. My brother said that he'd been an idiot to trust her in the first place and regret spending so many years of his life fighting against anyone who said a word against her because

eventually. It all turned out to be true and she was nothing more than someone who was after whatever little money he had and he was the only guy foolish enough to trust her despite her reputation. I felt like crap about myself after he left because if I just pushed him a little harder and forced him not to marry this woman, then maybe he wouldn't be in this awful situation at all, but here we are. It's disgusting that she even remained in touch with the man she cheated on her husband with. Listening to him talk about how his wife would often invite this guy and his wife over for dinner and they'd all sit and chat like old friends while he raised this other man's son was sickening. And I just had to listen to him, but this was his reality. I really can't

imagine what my brother must be going through right now and I just keep thinking. about how different things would have been if I tried to force him to see her reality before he got married to her. It sucks that he's having to go through all of this just because he chose to love someone who didn't deserve any of it. I don't even know Waddle become of his relationship with his son now because this is all bound to take a toll on him mentally. He's been living at home with his son and his wife has moved in with her parents, but she keeps visiting every day to ask for forgiveness and convince him not to leave her. It must be crazy difficult for him to say no, to a literal cancer patient after so many years of togetherness.

I know he still loves her despite what she did to him and all the lies she told him throughout their marriage and her pregnancy and I could hear it in the way he was reminiscing today about the good times he'd had with his wife. I wish I could do something to help my brother but I can't, my hands are tied. The most I can do for him is to offer to babysit my nephew because he's taking up more work and responsibilities in his workplace so that he earns more than whatever he's making now and can give his son the life he deserves. I don't think he'll get full custody of his son, given the circumstances.

I bet the court will want to let their kids spend as much time as he can with his mother if something unfortunate happens to her. It's unlikely that she'll be able to fight the cancer longer than she already has, and as far as I know, her condition has been steadily worsening for the past few months. To be honest, at this point, I don't even know what to feel about anyone involved in this situation, including myself. I tried my best to warn my brother back when he was dating my still, but he didn't listen so it's not like I'm in the wrong here either, but I also can't just shake off the guilt.

All I can say for sure is that every single adult involved here has failed my nephew and made a complete mess of things, including me. I just hope we're all able to come out of this as better people now. Update 3. It's been a week and a half since my brother last visited and he's been really caught up with work. He dropped by today and requested me to watch my nephew for a couple of hours as he had to go visit his lawyer urgently and I agreed because this was the least that I could do for him when he was in such a state. Once he came back, he told me that his wife had told her friend about who was the real father of her son and he's willing to fight for custody as well if my brother

doesn't agree to his wife's terms. He told me that she's still willing to patch things up with him and even tried to play the cancer card by saying that she wouldn't even be around for much longer probably so he should just let her spend the last few months of her life peacefully instead of being so selfish and disrupting it all with legal complications. She doesn't even understand that the custody battle isn't a way to get back at her but is just to ensure that even if she does pass away, her so-called friend isn't able to just swoop in and take his child away from him just because he's his biological father. Only a truly selfish human being would imagine that this is all about them. The only thing that my brother is doing to get back at her as she says is the divorce

and that's just because he respects himself too much to spend any more time with someone who has done nothing but use him for these past couple of years. They had a really bad argument about the same a couple of days ago when she dropped by to see her son and talk to him yet again so that she could persuade him to stop the legal proceedings. When he told her that he wasn't going to change his mind, she got mad and said those things and the situation just got worse. He believes that she got her friend involved just to retaliate and I agree with her. I don't even know what her friend's wife is going to say about all of this. They've only been married for four months according to what my brother told me and this is some insane crap that they're getting into.

I'm grateful that my nephew himself is blissfully unaware of any of this and even today, he seemed as happy as ever. I hope that he stays this way forever because the poor kid really shouldn't have to deal with so much from such a young age. Update 4. Hi, everyone. My sister-in-law visited me today to see my brother. He'd been here to drop the baby off for a while and he'd been avoiding her for a few days so she turned up at my house because she knew he was likely to come here. I tried to tell her to go away but she looked so sickly and weak that I was having a really hard time turning someone like that away. So my brother took over for me and instead of turning her away, he invited her into the house and told her to make it quick because he also had to leave for work soon.

I was in the room with them and the entire conversation happened right in front of me which made me feel like I was intruding on something really personal. My sister-in-law was pleading with my brother to let her have joint custody and she'd somehow managed to get rid of her friend since she didn't even want to involve him in the first place but her emotions got the better of her and she ended up telling him the truth, which is why he got involved. She said that she'd made her peace with the divorce and wasn't even going to contest it, but she desperately needed to see her baby because her cancer was just getting worse and it had already progressed to stage three, according to what her doctors told her this week so

she needed to spend as much time as she could with her son. I thought my brother was going to say no by how distraught he looked, but instead, he told her that the most he could do for her at this point was that he could let her have supervised visits. He told her very calmly that she'd lied to him for months and that he couldn't just accept it and move on just because she was sick. He was also suffering and just because his pain and scars didn't show, didn't make it any easier for him. He told her that he'd fought against everyone who called her a gold digger and a scammer, but eventually, that's what the truth was since she cheated on him in spite of how hard he'd been defending her. So now, for his own sake and the sake of his son, he wanted

to let her go and start afresh. My sister-in-law didn't seem too happy about what was being said, but my brother was quite firm that she could either agree to supervised visits once a week or she could go to court against him. After some silence, she said that she'd pick supervised visits which is what the court would have ordered anyway so now they only need to legally agree to that arrangement. The divorce is still going to happen, though. I don't know what the future has in store for my brother and my nephew, but I pray that it's only good things. Now on to the next story. Story 2.

Notice my wife coming home half-dressed, so I checked the security footage. What I discovered ended our marriage. I, 27M, was married to my ex-wife, 24F, for almost two years before I found out she wasn't as faithful as she claimed. My wife and I met at the beach on a summer afternoon, and we had a fantastic time together. She had come with a group of male and female college friends. They were all law students, but they decided to take a little break from school. I was also with a few friends, so some of us interacted with my wife and her friends, and we got along well. While other people's conversations ended the day after we left the beach to our different destinations,

my wife and I exchanged numbers and kept talking occasionally. Shortly after we met, we started dating and married two years later. Before my wife and I married, our relationship was not smooth. My wife came from a well-to-do background, and her parents gave us a very tough time. They were against my wife dating someone like me, and they told her she would be making a grave mistake if she ended up with me. They said so because I worked 12 hours a day, had two different jobs, and couldn't get a good paying job, no matter how hard I tried. Her parents were a pain in the ass, but because we loved each other. we vowed to get married, with or without her parents' approval.

After months of her parents trying to separate us, they stopped and accepted our relationship. With her parents out of our way, I expected we would not have any other issues, but I had no idea more was coming. Two months before we married, my wife cheated on me with one of her classmates and confessed to me. She said it happened by mistake, and the guilt had been eating her up. Meanwhile, I had noticed during the time she claimed it happened that she was always looking sad and somehow depressed, and each time I questioned her to find out what was bothering her, she would say she was okay. When she confessed that she had cheated on me with her classmate and couldn't explain how it happened,

I forgave her. Now that I share my story, I regret making such a mistake and wish I was smarter. I believed she wouldn't do it again because I felt if she came clean by herself and didn't wait for me to find out, then she was genuinely sorry. This was very hard on me, but because I was young, stupid, and in love, I forgave her, and she promised it would never happen again. We continued with our wedding and were married for almost two years. Though we never discussed or escapade with her classmate again, it never left my head. I remembered her confession every day, but I never mentioned it or talked about it. I tried my best to let it remain in the past because

she had moved on, and she was trying her best to be my perfect wife. She was extremely nice to me, pampered me, and treated me like the only man in the world. I don't know if it was her way of saying sorry for what she had done, but irrespective of everything she did, each time I looked at her, I wondered if she was still sleeping with him behind me. It got to the point where I began to feel bad because I thought I was still holding on to the past, and I wasn't enjoying our marriage like I should have. It took me a whole year after we married to forcefully put everything behind me and go with the flow. I knew I had not cared for her like I had initially planned from the beginning of our relationship. So, I started making little effort, like making breakfast

in bed for her and fixing dinner for us before she returned from work. My ultimate plan was to do something very special for us on our second anniversary, and I looked forward to it. Eventually, the The day of our second anniversary reached, and I made all the preparations to sweep her off her feet and at least make up for the times I didn't treat her right. I even got a costly gift, the dress she would wear, and accessories to go with it. I went home early that day from work and waited hours for her to return. When she didn't return home like I expected, I called her to ask why, and she said one of her professors fixed an impromptu class, and she couldn't miss it because attending the class

came with a score. I felt disappointed when I heard that, but didn't try to argue. I expected that since it was our wedding anniversary, she wouldn't want to miss a special occasion like that. I can't explain why, but that feeling of her doing something behind me crept up again, and I couldn't shake it off this time. To be at peace with myself, I decided to check her Snapchat location, and it was different from the location she schooled at. I didn't believe it at first, but after checking thrice, I realized my wife had been lying to me again. I went to the location without wasting time, and it rang a bell. It was the same apartment her classmate, whom she slept with before we married, lived in.

I'd lie if I said I could explain how we felt that evening. Being heartbroken or disappointed would not describe it enough. I wanted to storm into the apartment and attack her, but I had a better idea. I called her proud parents to come over to the apartment so we could surprise her for our anniversary. I knew they would come because they would do anything for their only child. Not long after I called, her parents arrived, and we went to the apartment to say, surprise. As soon as we knocked on the door, and her lover came to open, her parents saw her walking totally naked inside the house. Her father yelled her name, and her mother pushed her app aside and charged in.

I'd love to say that everything was disastrous that evening. She didn't know if she was begging me or her parents. I watched her as mother screamed and questioned her, and her father stood there in shock after she covered herself with the sheets. I didn't say much. I only told her it was over between us and that her cheating on me again was my fault. She didn't understand, and I didn't bother explaining. I don't know what happened between her and her parents after I left.

She came home later that week and asked if we could talk. When I said no, she picked the things she needed and left the house. She didn't even press for me to let her explain. I didn't know what to think or assume when she acted that way. Before she came home to take her stuff, I already contacted a divorce lawyer, and when the papers were ready, she signed them without hesitation. Until today, I still wonder if she ever loved me like she claimed or was only enjoying the tussle of power. with her parents. The last time I tried stalking her on Facebook, she posted a picture of her

and her app with a mushy caption. I was so angry, and I blocked her instantly. Because of that picture, I quit sulking and wondered if she loved me. I saw how happy she was, and I felt stupid for still living in the past and putting my life on hold. I am fine now and have moved on faster than expected. I also realize that we have power over our emotions, and feeling miserable because of a cheating spouse should never be an option. I no longer care about her, all I care about now is me and my future. I hope you enjoy this story. Covered the expenses for my spouse's university education, backed her professional journey, and assisted her in pursuing her aspirations. Later on, I discovered she was having an affair with a colleague and concealing an undisclosed

child from me. Her past. I'm totally new to this, and it's nice just to get this off my chest. This is going to be a very long one, and I'm not a good writer so hang in there with me. We've been together a long time and I think you need some history to see how we ended up where we're at. My wife and I met when we were both in college. We were both working part-time and we were both working part-time and going to school full-time and met while we were on lunch break from our jobs. I thought she was very pretty, so I went to eat there again, hoping to see her again. She came up to me and started talking to me the next time we were both there, and I was sure she was interested, so I asked her out.

We quickly started dating and after a couple of years we got married. When we met I was just finishing school and the company I was working for part-time offered me a full-time management position. My now wife was still in school and I was paying for her college 100%. I actually started paying for her college shortly after we became a couple because she came from a very large family and they couldn't afford to help her and working part-time she didn't have a lot either and I was then working full-time so I paid for her schooling. This is important later. She is very smart, brilliant, graduated with honors and after a couple of not-so-great jobs got a real good professional job that she stayed at for many years, making good money with very good benefits. During our dating years and our early marriage we had a

great love making life. We didn't have SEGs every single day, but when we did it was wild and sometimes very kinky. I was fairly popular in high school, captain of the football team, and college, I was in good shape, ran half marathons, etc. I guess I did okay with the ladies and had a number of partners and a one long-term girlfriend that got a little kinky. My wife, however, was much, much more experienced than I. She was younger than me, but had many more partners and had done much more than I sequally. She liked to party and go a little wild when she partied, so she had a bit of a well-earned reputation. I found out all about it from a mutual friend right from the start and I was good with it, if anything, it made me like her all the more early

in our relationship. She would always tell me how good I was and how I was the first person that cared about her needs and got her off. It always made me feel good and to this day I always make sure she is satisfied before me. I'm fairly average in all ways so I always felt the need to put in maximum effort to make sure my partner wanted me and wouldn't stray thinking they could get better sags from someone else. Sure, I'm a little insecure there. After a few years of marriage I decided to pursue a dream of starting my own sports team, and it was a real struggle to get things off the ground. My wife helped me every step of the way and to make things even more interesting we bought a big house at about the same time. We were both working

our regular jobs and now working to get this new business going. I probably didn't get more than four hours of sleep a night for the next 20 years, and that's not an exaggeration. Money was pretty tight at this time. Because of all the time I was spending with my new team I changed jobs a few times and was putting a lot of my own money into the team to build it up. My wife was bringing home more money than me and there were a few arguments about money and how much I was spending, but all in all we were rock solid. She was my best friend, wife, and lover. The team travels to events every weekend during the season and probably 90% of the time I and was by my side all the time before we had kids.

Some events weren't far from home, so I would be home late that night even if she didn't go. This meant that I missed a lot of family and friend occasions. She went to many family and friends' weddings and other things solo. She even took a few trips with her single friends to the beach for a week to hang out and relax. She loves the beach. Shortly after our fifth wedding anniversary, I was looking for some team pictures and my wife told me to look in the drawers in a spare room, I found pictures of her bachelorette party. I had talked about it after and she had told me about all the drinking and dancing,

flirting with some guys and that it was pretty innocent and tame. My bachelor party was pretty wild and some of the wildest things were done by her brothers, so I was a fairly good boy and wasn't worried about hers at all. Well, the pictures painted a little different picture. Her maid of honor bought her a stripper and was nice enough to take pictures so she'd remember the night, I guess. There was a lot of alcohol in the picture showed the stripper doing his thing and my wife grinding on him having a good time. The last photo showed him completely bare standing in front of her, she still had all her clothes on, with her hand wrapped around his junk. I was like what the F. I took the photos and immediately showed them to her and asked what the F.

She said she didn't tell me about the stripper because she didn't want me to get jealous and that all her friends were egging her on to touch him and she was quite drunk so. she did. She swore up and down that was all that happened. And since I had done about the same at my party that same night I didn't think I could be too pissed. I was really only mad that she didn't tell me about it. She knew exactly what happened at mine all her brothers told her. This did let me know that she could do something and leave out details when she told me and not feel she was lying at all. It always left a nagging little doubt in my head about those beach trips and if she was completely honest about them. Fast forward a few years and things were greatly improving.

We waited to have kids because we wanted to be able to provide for them properly. My sports team had really started to take off and was starting to make us money instead of costing us money. We both had good jobs and we decided it was time to have kids, we had two children four years apart and everything was going great. Sports team was really taking off winning championships, awards, etc. I started to become a little bit of a local celebrity, everyone knew who I was, I was doing TV interviews, radio, etc. Just local and regional stuff nothing big time.

But things were going great. In fact, between my two children's births my wife and I were having the most segs we ever had in our relationship. Wild crazy times that we both seem to enjoy very much. There was even some internet stuff and she was the star, remember she is very pretty and a bit kinky too. This ended a few years ago at her request. These were probably the best days of my life. It is also very important to note that even though we were having some wild times it was just the two of us. We had talked about ever fooling around and both completely agreed it was a 100% deal breaker. She told me if I ever cheated we were done, end of story. We were still very close, but I have found out very recently that after our second child

was born that this is when she started resenting the sports team. She has now told me it bothered her that I was getting all the attention, awards, etc. After she had done so much work and sacrificed so much to get things going, I really didn't see it at the time. Getting in there the part where I need your help is coming soon. Now we have children and she can't or doesn't want to bring them to all our events so she starts traveling with the team less and less. I swear that I always ask her to go, as I really want her there with me. Fast forward a few more years and my wife's father passes away. They were very close, and he was very protective of his baby girl. Side note, he didn't like me at all at first but

warmed up to me and I really liked him and respected him a lot. After a short period of time my wife announces she is quitting her job and going back to change careers and follow in her father's footsteps. I'm a little worried because that means I have to pay for her to go to college again, take care of two young kids, work my regular job, and run my team too, as she will be returning to school full-time. I really wanted to support her, though, because of how much I knew it meant to her and all the support she had given me starting my team. She went summers, nights, etc. to get done as fast as she could and I made it work as best as I could. The kids and I look back at these times and really think it was fun. Me picking them up

from daycare, cooking, me microwaving kids' cuisine, and them tagging along to nights with the team. Things seem to be going great. Fast forward to a few years ago and we're doing so well that I say I want to take her away for a week to her favorite beach for a week just the two of us as a second honeymoon. We didn't have a lot of money for our first one so it wasn't so great and I wanted to make it up to her. It went great, she loved the beach, and we made love more than we did on our first honeymoon. And that's when things seemed to start going bad. After that trip even though the kids were older she didn't want to travel with the team she started wanting to take a trip every summer to the beach, right in the middle of my season when she knew I couldn't go. She said I could

come if I want, but she's going either way. She said she was tired of missing out and since we were doing so well we could afford it and she was going. She'd take the kids and usually invite some of her family along, but it still makes me feel bad. She didn't get to go this year, but has already told me she's going next year without me again. I don't think she's meeting anyone on these trips, but I still don't think it's a good thing. As the last few years have played out, she seems to resent my team more and more. She comes around the team so little that even friends ask what's up. If you've stayed with me for this long the novel is coming to an end. About two years ago she starts talking about a new co-worker a lot. Yeah, you can see where this is going.

She tells me how smart he is and all the new ideas he has and how they have become friends very quickly, which is unusual as she hasn't made friends with her coworkers that much. I'm really getting bad vibes from this right from the start. Then her company is having a big company outing taking a bus trip to a big city for a fancy dinner and show and spouses are invited. I go partially just so I can meet this guy. He's bigger than me, around six foot too, but he's pretty fat and out of shape, but it's obvious to me the way he looks at my wife that he likes her. I ask her about him when we're alone and she says that they're just friends and for me not to worry, just look at him, she says, I could never be attracted to someone like that.

While on the bus ride home, she asks me not to sit next to her so she can stretch out and fall asleep as it's close to 1 a.m. Honestly, it pissed me off because I figured she'd have co-workers sitting with her in no time. She doesn't for most of the trip, about four hours, but for the last half hour he comes up and sits next to her and they talk the rest of the way home. Of course I ask what they were talking about and she says it's a work project coming up, that they will be working on together. Of course my spidey senses are going crazy, but I've got no proof anything is going on.

Things actually seem to cool off for a little while as I think they both have other big projects that keep them apart, but I'm not at all sure about it. One thing is for sure she stopped sleeping with me. She says it's my snoring, and I do snore. I offer to sleep in another room so she doesn't have to sleep on the couch. So now we're sleeping in separate rooms. Let's call that red flag number three, but I'm not really counting.

It gets worse. The love-making stops shortly thereafter too. Giant red flag. She always wanted sex, but no says medical things are bothering her, the kids might hear or a thousand and one other excuses why she doesn't want to anymore. I've tried to talk to her about this a number of times and it never goes well. I try and keep my cool, but I have asked if there is someone else. because I figure if she isn't getting it for me she's getting it from someone else.

Looking back, I wish I didn't say that then maybe she would have let her guard down. Anyway, about a month or so ago one night at about midnight her phone starts blowing up, she used to leave it downstairs at night to charge and I was going to be sleeping downstairs that night. I got lucky and figured out her password and of course co-worker is the one texting her. I stayed up the entire night reading their texts and going through her phone. It was a Friday night so I didn't have to be at work the next morning, but we did have a team event, but I really didn't care. He was texting how much he missed her and hoped they'd see each other soon.

There were missing texts in conversations when things were getting more heated. And it was obvious from the conversations that it seemed like there were phone calls and other things missing as well. Like I said from the start she is a very smart woman and you could tell she was trying to hide certain things. There were tons of I love yous way more than I have heard in the last few years. Lots of I miss yous, I miss your hugs, blowing kisses emojis, and a lot more. Some selfies accompany things together saying how cute they are and on and on. The only thing is there is not any actual talk of having segs or proof of an actual physical affair. Obviously it looks

like there's one going on to me. She has the time as I work a lot and spend. time with the team and I think she thinks the motive. There's been a ton of other red flags that I think I chose to ignore until now. She's had to work late a lot the last year or so. There were a couple of trips for work, she's all of a sudden started drinking and it's quite a bit every night, and many other things. I guess my fear of losing everything I've worked so hard for kept me from blowing this up sooner. The day after I went in her phone I asked my oldest child if co-worker was married? I thought he was, and my oldest has had an internship at my wife's company before the lockdown happened so I figured they would know. They asked why and I made up

some lie about seeing him on Facebook with no wife and I thought he had a wife. Said child immediately went to my wife and told her I was asking about co-worker. Wife then came storming into my office and screamed at me about looking through her phone. She knew instantly why I would ask that, I guess. I'm sure I must have sent off a bunch of other signs that I was wondering if something was going on. Anyway, she went through all the things cheaters usually do. She denied everything, I took screenshots so she only admitted to what I had proof of which wasn't much. Blamed me for invading her privacy. Blamed me for a lot of other stuff too. Basically turning it around that I drove her to seek this close emotional friendship with him,

but that was all it was. I knew I didn't have any proof of anything else, so I said I wasn't accusing her of anything, but she had to agree it looked pretty bad from my point of view and how everything was going between us. She got madder because I was so calm and wouldn't yell back and stormed out. I looked at a lot of Reddit since then and realized just how many mistakes I've made. Since that blow-up she's been hiding her phone,

changed her passwords on everything and has made sure she's not going to let me find anything else very easily. I did ask her about this and she tells me I invaded her privacy, but if I want her phone I can have it. I politely told her I know how smart she is and if she wanted to hide something for me she's smart enough to figure out how. So where do I go from here? I just want the truth. We had one other talk but it was more of the same. I don't want to lose everything, but if she's a lying cheater I don't want that either. The worst part is I still love her with all my heart. She's so smart, beautiful, a great mother to my kids who are both brilliant like her, tops in their class. I know I'm not perfect, I can be pretty intense, work a lot

and have made many mistakes I'm sure, but I've tried really hard to give her a good life. I just want the truth no matter if it's going to hurt or not. No half-truths or trickle the truth to me. God this sucks. Any good advice is appreciated. Thanks and a advance. Update 1, I'll try to not drone on, so two quick parts as I've got a few DMs asking for more updates. Part 1, we've tried to stay together and work through things. A lot of things have gone a lot better. We've had more SEGs in the last month than in the last year and it's been very good. After a few more rough patches she's given me total access to her phone and all social media. He still texts, etc. But she only gives very

short usually one-word answers. I think he still is trying, but she's keeping her answers very short, mostly just about work. So all in all really good right? Well our anniversary came and I really tried to do some nice things, bought her favorite bought flowers, took time off from work to deliver them to her to surprise her, etc. She cried and cried. She said she didn't deserve it and wouldn't stop crying. She would not tell me what was wrong. This happened twice, seemed like serious guilt to me, but she wouldn't tell me what was wrong so I'm left to think the worst. She also accused me of tracking her with GPS, which I'm not, when she was going out to lunch

with coworkers. She said I'd see it on the GPS I'm tracking her with so she wanted to let me know why she was going there. Maybe it's not a bad thing to let her think I am. She didn't give me a chance to tell her I wasn't. I just let her comments go. Then the bomb dropped last night. Part 2

She has a son that she had when she was very young, before we met, and gave him away to a very nice family. He wants to connect with my wife, his biological mother, and our children. She wants to tell our children about him this weekend and wants to let him meet his half-siblings. They have zero idea he exists, she says. She showed me his picture, I had never seen him before. He apparently looks like his father because he has no similarities to my wife. She went to a family wedding last year and talked to him when I was away.

They know a lot about each other's families and have been following each other through social media. She basically says I have no say in any of this since it's her son, and I'm no relation and it's my children's half-brother. I don't know what to think anymore. Any good advice on how to handle this new revelation would be greatly appreciated. Update 2. Honestly, I've thought about going to see a therapist on my own, but I'm afraid I'll look weak and I want to appear strong to my wife and kids. I know that's probably messed up, but it's the truth. I guess that's why I'm here with a throwaway.

My children aren't minors anymore, that's recent. Her son is also much older than my children with her so he's an adult, won't be moving in. The disrespect is probably the thing that bothers me the most. Also, the lawyer is a very good idea. She has never actually even stated that she's shut him down. She just says that their relationship will be strictly professional now. They still work together and so she says they still have to have contact, etc. If I do in fact find that this is an ongoing affair that's the deal breaker and I will end things.

I did state in another comment that even though I have no proof of actual physical cheating, there was definitely emotional cheating and I'm treating this as though there was physical cheating too and we are supposed to be working to fix the many issues in our marriage. I am not sweeping this under the rug. She says she is doing things to help me rebuild my trust in her. Access to her phone, social media, etc. She could still be cheating, but I haven't found proof yet,

and I will be diligent, but not crazy so trying to find out the truth. As for her son, it seems she is being. very disrespectful about the whole situation. I called three different lawyers this morning and I'm going to decide which one to talk to and see where I stand legally with all my assets. Her son is a bomb to me because it makes you realize someone can lie, by omission, for so long and you wonder what else they've hidden from you over the years. I've talked to my oldest and asked why they ran right to their mother and they said they could keep secrets. I said it wasn't a secret, just a question and I wasn't accusing anyone of anything at that point, so why did you think it was a secret? They said I only

would ask that if I thought something was going on between them. They got mad and a little defensive saying their mother would never do anything like that. Honestly, I think they know and want whatever they think will make their mother happy and they must think that is AP right now and not me. Not 100% sure though. It is possible that they think she's just too much of an angel to ever cheat. I think AP and my oldest child became friends during the internship because my wife was friends with him. I know they used to talk at work, but that's all I know. Both my children have always been very supportive of my team. They never seem to resent the time I spent with the team and would ask if they could come with me a lot. My wife would not want to go with me,

but my kids always did and still do. They seem to love the team. I've never thought to ask she told AP about her son. As far as the team goes, we have gotten into a few arguments about it and I warned her to never corner me into having to choose between my team and her. She might not like the answer. More so because I don't like her giving me an ultimatum more than choosing my team over her. Early in my career I would have chose her for sure, the last few years I would choose the team because I figured she had checked out and was probably cheating, etc. The last year or so I've actually talked to her about me retiring and selling the team in about two years, but I want to get out on my terms when I want, not be forced to. I told her I wasn't tracking her car,

but she doesn't believe me. She still thinks I'm tracking it. I think that's stupid because she could just leave her car and take APs. I did ask her directly if she wanted a divorce and she said no. She actually offered me access to all her accounts, I didn't demand it. I can see his texts to her and her responses, but she could be deleting a lot, hard to tell. It seems he has no idea that I'm looking at them, although the I love yous etc. have stopped, so she has definitely said something to him. They don't seem staged he still talks about going out and getting drinks after work, etc. But now with other people, and telling her office gossip, etc. In her position she can basically decide if she works on projects directly with him and

I didn't tell her she can't work with him anymore. I wanted her to tell me that herself, but I now feel like I've got to draw a line at that. No more projects with him, it's time to go no contact. She has said that she's trying to have less and less to do with him and how she now sees that he's very immature emotionally, etc. She also said that she now thinks he's fat and doesn't find him attractive, but I honestly don't believe her on any of that. And I've said it before and I'll say it again, there seems to be no remorse. I think she feels justified or doesn't think she did anything wrong. As far as the Sags go, she has 100% initiated it. And honestly, it has been pretty hot and I've enjoyed myself. She has told me she loved me again, but that has

slowed down again, and how the hell do you tell if she means it? It's obvious I can't see through her lies all that well. I have read what everyone has posted and it made me realize that I was only trying to save our marriage because of what I was afraid of losing. Not that I really loved her anymore. I still love her, but I love who she used to be and is the mother of my children. There's no more romantic love as a couple if you know what I mean. I know I'll never trust her again either. I laid out a few things that I have to have going forward last night we'll see how it goes. Zero contact with AP, there's no meeting son with my kids or telling them without me, she needs to tell me the truth and show some remorse. I told her I'm talking

to a lawyer and unless there is a miracle I'm having a separation agreement written and I will ask her to leave. She cried went to her room and I have not spoke to her since. Update 3, to make a very long story short. We are now divorced. She wouldn't stop contact with AP. Showed no remorse, blame shifted. Never really came clean. I know in my heart I gave it my very best to save what we had. Did I make mistakes? Yes. Looking back I, of course, would have done things different, but it is what it is.

I had enough. I lost a lot in the divorce, but it had to happen. I kept home in teams, had to give up everything else, retirement savings, etc., but it was worth it. I'm good now. Still hurts to think about it, but it gets better every day. day. Enjoying all the things in my life again. My brother and his family have really been there for me. I don't want to be too long so if there is anything else I'll try and answer. So there's your final update. I hope you enjoy this story. My sibling spouse disapproved of me for an

extended period, then experienced a heartbreaking pregnancy loss. As a result, we embraced her return, but she began asserting to my offspring that she was his biological mother. My spouse, Michael and I, have been married for the past eight years. We have a son together called Tom. He is currently four years old and is a very playful kid with a hyperactive imagination. Tom has always been close to me and is a bit of a mama's boy which I don't mind at all since I know as soon as he turns into a teenager, he will have his own interests and may not want to spend as much time with me anymore. David and I are excellent partners and over the years we have perfected our routine in taking care of the house, Tom, as well as a fulfilling careers of our own.

Honestly, this harmony between us has been possible because I thought I had a very respectful and communicative husband like David. So you would imagine that I have nothing to complain about on Reddit, right? Well, I am making this post today on my husband's sister, Kathy. Now, I don't want to start off by showing my bias towards her, but let's just say that Kathy is extremely difficult to get along with. She has always been ice cold towards me right from the start and this behavior has remained the same even though I and David have now been married for a very long time. I remember during the beginning of our dating phase, David told me that his parents would easily approve of me but that his sister Kathy would definitely grill me because she has always

been very protective of him. Well, as it turns out, he was right. The first night we met with her she asked me a bunch of questions about my family, my childhood, and about my siblings. No matter what I answered, she seemed unimpressed and had her nose up in the air the entire time. She would also randomly bring up David's exes in the middle of our conversation and compare them to me as if it were the most normal thing to do. At one point during dinner, she invited David to join her and her girlfriends for a girl's trip telling how he needed to clear his head before getting serious with someone. This statement really weirded me out and I got to got visibly annoyed which David noticed and told his sister to back off as politely as possible.

Now this is something that has sometimes annoyed me about my husband although he does stand up to his sister, he is not really strong about his boundaries because of his affection towards her. I guess this makes her assume she can keep pushing the matter all because she is the older sister and according to her, only she has the best interest about him. Since that first dinner date, I was convinced that Kathy and I did not like each other. It did hurt me a bit, but I was wasn't going to go out of my way to convince someone to love and accept me if their mind was already made up. Despite this incident, I was always polite to her whenever we did meet next but she never

made it easy for me. One incident in particular that pops up in my mind immediately is David's Grandparents' Anniversary Party. They had invited the entire family and I was invited as David's plus one as we had been dating for one year by then. Throughout the party, his family members would come up to me to strike up a conversation and I honestly loved how chill and friendly his family was. The one person who didn't speak a word to me or even greet me was Kathy.

I noticed that and kept out of her way as much as possible. At one point, his grandparents asked everybody to gather around so we could all take a group picture today. As we gathered together, Kathy loudly pointed me out and asked me to get out of the picture. David looked at her with his eyebrows raised as Kathy went on to say that maybe he would break up with me in the future and that she didn't want one of her brother's bimbo to be a part of this picture. My face got red in embarrassment as everyone looked uncomfortable as well. David tried to argue but Kathy kept talking over him saying how I was just a random stranger

and I should not have even come to this function to begin with. I had heard enough and I felt utterly humiliated. David had attended many of my family functions and none of my family members had ever treated David this way. I excused myself and walked back into the the house so I could look for my car keys. I had no intention of spending a minute longer with that woman. David and his parents came rushing behind me trying to apologize. His mother tried to convince me to go back with them but the moment had been ruined. I could hear David's grandparents chastising Kathy loudly and I felt even more guilty for ruining everybody's day. I left immediately and that evening I even contemplated breaking up with David as I knew I could not handle someone like his

sister. However, as it turns out, David came to my place with flowers and pastry to apologize. He told me how everyone had laid it on Kathy for being rude to me and that he had threatened to cut off things with her as well which had apparently made her cry. He told me that he was getting fed up with his sister's antics and that he didn't want anything to do with her. We did talk a lot, but I felt reassured that he stood up for me. In the days that followed, David kept his word. We stopped meeting with Kathy all to. together and he stopped picking up her calls. She would sometimes show up at his house unannounced so he changed all his locks and asked his parents to talk to her so she could respect his private

space. His parents supported his decision so Kathy had no choice but to accept the fact that her brother didn't want anything to do with her. We thought this would make her think and regret the way she treated me but as it turns out, it had the opposite effect. She started calling me and texting me and she would leave me threatening messages blaming me for everything. The tip of the hat was when she showed up at my work one afternoon demanding to meet me. Luckily, my manager intervened and kicked her out, but I was really shaken up. I told David that at this point, I had no choice but to break up with him to get away from his crazy sister, file a case against her, and take her to court for harassing me.

David started to cry hearing this, pleading with me that there was no reason to break up, and begged me to give him a chance so he could take care of it. He then convinced his parents to set up a meeting between him and Kathy at their place where they ultimately had their last conversation. His parents knew about what she was doing to me and made it very clear to her that they wanted nothing to do with her anymore as well. David and his parents warned Kathy that the way she was behaving was borderline crazy and if she continued they would all support my decision to take her to court. I don't know how but Kathy finally broke down and admitted that she needed help. She opened up to them about how she was just spiraling and didn't know how to stop. She also revealed to everyone that she had lost her job and had been unemployed for the last

few months which had added on to her poor mental health. Luckily for her, David's parents stepped up and admitted her to a psychiatric hospital immediately where she could be closely monitored. David reiterated his wish of not staying in touch with her which Kathy finally learned to accept. She did send me an apology text which in my opinion seemed to be. bit half-hearted but for her sake, I hoped that she would heal. When David and I finally got married, we decided to not invite Kathy even though she had eventually been discharged and seemed to be doing well in her life. I wanted nothing to do with her and everybody respected my wish.

She did send me flowers congratulating me on my happy day, which I very much appreciated. Right after we got married and returned from our honeymoon, Kathy announced that she was getting married. Everybody was surprised since no one even knew that she had been dating anyone at this point, but we were all pleased for her at the same time until we learned that she was dating a guy she had met during her time in the psychiatric hospital. Now just to give you all the full context, this guy, James was schizophrenic and an alcoholic who had volatile tendencies according to his doctors. Understandably, David and Kathy's parents were a bit worried when they found out. Kathy announced to everyone that her marriage would take place the next month and she wanted

only David to be there and not me. I kind of expected it and it made me relieved that she had not invited me as it saved me the time to come up with an excuse for not attending. However, my husband felt offended that his sister just invited him and not me so he did not attend the wedding as well. Those who did end up attending their wedding later told us what a nightmare the event was. It turns out that Kathy and James were totally wasted during the and could not even properly repeat the words after the priest. During the reception, James kept drinking and got so blackout drunk that he started to rip open his shirt and pants while everyone just stared at him in horror. Being schizophrenic, James did not like the staring and immediately attacked a server at the event who was just an innocent bystander screaming about how the server looked suspicious and was hiding something.

James family eventually calmed him down and convinced the server to not press any charges against James by paying him off. However, this incident understandably scarred everyone and we all felt quite worried about Kathy's safety. If James could attack a random stranger, then what was the guarantee that he would not attack her? David and his parents did try to get Kathy to talk to her privately about her husband's strange behavior, but Kathy seemed convinced that she could change him and make him all right. No matter how much her parents tried to tell her about the red flags, she seemed convinced that James would never harm her in any way. I wish I could write here that she was right, but as you can already expect, James treated her exactly like everybody warned her about.

Over the years, David and his parents tried to stay in touch with Kathy, but James would knowingly cut off her contact with anybody and prevent her from talking to anyone. We could not file a case against him because Kathy refused to accept any help. On two occasions, we heard that police were called to their place because the neighbors could hear them arguing and getting physically violent with each other. Despite everything, Kathy never budged and seemed convinced that he was the one for her. For years ago, I got pregnant with Tom. Everyone was overjoyed with happiness.

For my baby shower, I wanted Kathy to be a part of the celebration so we sent her an invitation. We never got any reply back from her which worried us so David decided to drive to her place to check up on her. It turns out James had completely cut her off from any communication with us and had thrown away our invitation so she she would not even find out. I don't know exactly what happened, but David understandably got pissed so he and James exchanged a few heated words which did not end up going anywhere because Kathy did not feel that what her husband had been doing was wrong in any way. In frustration, David left and that was the last we knew anything about her. We never contacted her ever again even when Tom was born. Her parents also stopped going above and beyond to convince her and we

all just prayed that she would be okay. These past few years, after Tom was born have been utterly peaceful and full of love. David and I never had any major issues to begin with and now we have both reached a wonderful understanding and rhythm in our marriage. Tom is a very curious kid and he keeps us busy with his antics. David's parents visit us every weekend so they can babysit for a few hours while David and I have our weekly date night. It gives us some time off while the grandparents spend quality time with Tom.

Everything seemed to be going well until eight months ago when Kathy showed up at our doorsteps all muddy and disheveled. Her feet looked dirty and she had no shoes on. We immediately let her in and I rushed to bring her a blanket as she seemed to be shivering. We had not seen her for years at this point so we did not know what to say. David kept stroking her hair and asking her if she was okay. Kathy looked numb and stared off into nothing in particular. Eventually, she revealed to us that she had just miscarried. We sat in shock as she continued to recount how she had gotten pregnant a month ago and thought James would be happy for her. In the beginning, he was but over the weeks he got more and more suspicious that this baby was

going to take her away from him and that she would not love him the same. They would fight a lot and he would threaten to mix rat poison in her food to make her lose the child. Kathy told us that she woke up that day feeling uneasy and when she went to the doctors she found out that she had lost her child. She felt so sick and numb that she could not get into the car and drive back home, so she decided to just walk. Somehow her brain led her up to our house, but I guess she must have at least walked 20 blocks or more bare feet. She did not remember why she had no shoes on.

I felt so sorry for her and immediately gave her a hug. She took a moment to register the hug, but when she did, she hugged me back. We sat there for five whole minutes as Kathy slowly cried into my arms. We knew right then and there that this was her way of asking David seemed ready to confront James directly, but I persuaded him to call the police and notify their parents, who would be better equipped to handle the situation. His parents were incredibly grateful to have their daughter back and assured her they would support her no matter what. When the police took her statement, they were as shocked as us by the multiple abuses that Kathy had endured in her marriage

until that point and kept quiet. James was then immediately arrested despite his protest and threats. He did keep denying until the very end that he had nothing to do with her miscarriage, but as it turns out from Kathy's talks report, she had been indeed poisoned by him which led to the loss of her baby. Long story short, because of James' mental issues and his incompetency to stand trial, the judge sentenced him to a psychiatric facility for treatment indefinitely. This decision was obviously frustrating, but we were also grateful to have Kathy back, safe and sound. I have to clarify that all my previous feelings of animosity towards her had disappeared at this point. As a woman, I felt bad for her and I wanted nothing but to forget

our past so we could keep moving forward. I wished nothing but for Kathy to heal after all this ordeal. She also seemed calm around me and was no longer mean. When we felt she was ready, we introduced Tom to her as we thought it would help her recover faster. She got extremely close to Tom in a short time which none of us minded really. I guess this should have been my first red flag. Over the weeks, she would find ways to spend more and more time with my son by showing up unexpectedly at our place without calling first. She was staying with her and David's parents so she could easily just drive over. She would insist on giving Tom Baths or reading him his bedtime stories, which, at first,

seemed like a kind gesture. However, her increasing presence started to feel a bit weird. It reached a point where Kathy would come over almost every day, unannounced, and always find a reason to stay longer than necessary. She'd bring toys and gifts for Tom, always seeking to be involved in his daily routines. She would also weirdly comment about his clothes or about his hairstyle, telling me how Tom would look better this way or that way which bothered me a bit. While I appreciated her efforts to bond with him, it began to feel like she was slowly getting back to her old ways of undermining me. However this time, instead of her brother, it was about my son and my mama-bear

instinct kicked in. I talked to David who assured me that maybe I was just overthinking and that his sister was just trying to cope with her pain. He reminded me how she had just lost her child which made me feel guilty so I decided to just let her be. If taking care of my son made her feel happy for a few minutes then what's the harm here, right? As the days went on, I tried my best to be accommodating with her presence in our house she started to look after Tom every day when we were at work and would even take him to play at the park in the evening. Sometimes when I would come back home, I would notice how my son did not show the same enthusiasm for me anymore as he always did. He never ran up to greet me anymore and would look at me

curiously. After Kathy would leave, I would try to talk to Tom about the day and if he had any troubles with Kathy around but he would not participate much in the conversation. My son, who was always joyful around me, seemed sad and less enthusiastic. As his mother, I felt really worried about the change in my son's behavior, but whenever I tried to talk to my husband about it, he would gently tell me that I was just thinking too much about trivial things. David would try to assure me that it was all in my head and that Tom was just growing up. However, the nagging feeling inside my head kept bothering me so I talked to one of my coworkers about it who gave me the brilliant plan that I could buy nanny cams from Amazon and install it in my son's room and our living room to keep an eye on Tom. This was an ingenious idea and I bought two cams immediately. I never told David about this as I did not want him to dismiss my feelings yet again.

Yesterday, I came back home and after Tom went to bed, I decided to check the nanny cams I had set up. David was watching TV downstairs so I sat in my study room to watch the video which had audio as well. At first, it was just Kathy taking care of Tom and playing around with him. She seemed really good with children. However, imagine my surprise when I saw Kathy bring out a book from inside her purse which was not something I had noticed before. Generally, we have age-appropriate books to read for our son in his room, but this book was different. She read the book to Tom before his nap time in the afternoon. As I listened to her reading the story, I realized the story was about adoption and how a mother sometimes gives up her child to another mother to be taken care of.

As Kathy kept reading the story to my son, she would add in how this is why she had left Tom behind in my care all those years ago because she wasn't ready then. My eyes widened in horror as she went on to tell my child that no matter what happens, she will always remain his real mother and that no one could love him more than her. She kissed his forehead and left him to take his nap. My hands shook in anger as I finally understood the crap she had been feeding my son for God knows how long which had clearly made my son behave weirdly around me. This poor child must be feeling terribly confused and just did not know what to believe. I was ready to storm downstairs and ask my husband to never let his sister inside our place ever again, but something stopped me. Instead, I decided to take the day off so I could spend some alone time with my son and find out what exactly Kathy has been telling him to brainwash when I told Kathy today that she did not have to come over and babysit. She freaked out insisting that she loved spending time with my son, but I firmly told her to back her to back her.

off and that I wanted the day with my child. David did ask me if I was feeling well and I assured him that everything was okay but that I just needed a break. Later, I took my son to his favorite park so we could play around the whole day. We had pizzas and spent the whole day laughing and having a good time. Before bringing up the conversation, I wanted my son to feel safe around me. When I did start asking him about what his aunt and he had been talking about, he got a bit quiet. I promised Tom that was not in trouble in any way and that I just wanted him to know that he could talk to me about anything. This is when my son spilled the truth. He told me how Kathy had been trying to convince him for weeks that she was his real mother even though he did not really believe it. She would

also tell him how I would eventually leave him because only Rayall mothers love their children. Because of her insistence, he felt scared of asking me about it in case I would really kick him out. He told me that he loved me and he did not want to go live with Kathy. Hearing those words, my heart broke for him as I stared at his tear-streaked face. He looked so small and vulnerable, a stark contrast to the joyful and playful boy I knew so well. I knelt down to his level, gently took his hands in mind, and assured him that everything was going to be okay. We would get through this together, no matter what. I hugged him tightly, feeling the weight of his fears and pain.

I felt like a loser for having failed to protect my son from this psycho. I assured him that he had nothing to worry about and that me and David would take care of this. However, my son then informed me that David already knew about all this. I asked him what he meant and he said, I asked Daddy and he knows about this, but he told me not to tell you anything. The blood drained from my face as I realized that my husband, despite finding out what his sister was up to, had chosen to protect her instead of our son. He already knew about everything. I could not let my son around these people anymore. I did not want my son to be confused and frightened about his own mother.

I was his mother and it was my job to protect him from this. I quickly drove home and packed our bags. I told my parents that I was coming over to their place and that if David asked, we would tell him that I missed them and wanted to spend time with them. Luckily for me, my parents are very supportive so they did not even hesitate to say yes. As I am writing this, I have already talked to my parents about everything and they are as shocked as me about what Kathy has been telling my son. David did call me when he must have returned home to an empty house, but I tried to sound as normal as possible, telling him that I needed a break from our place and my work. He did sound curious, but I assured him that I would stay with my parents for just a few days.

We seldom fight so I guess he didn't think much about it even though my behavior must have seemed strange to him. I am so conflicted right now. I have no idea what I should do. How should I be confronting this situation? Ida for distancing my son and me from my husband's crazy sister. Update 1, wow, I woke up to almost 600 plus comments under my post. I can't believe so many people even use Reddit and have come across my post. I have used all fake names in my story so hopefully none of David's family members find out that this is about him.

Also to those people who are dragging me in the comments for not talking to my husband about this first, I assure you that I would have definitely talked to my husband had my son not told me that he had tried to talk to David about this when he first found out. Call it my mother's instinct but the fact that my husband knew for weeks about how differently my son had been behaving with me but would gaslight me continuously goes on to show that a confrontation with him would not have led to anything constructive. I also wanted to take my son immediately out of the situation and he is now much safer with my parents here. No psycho can feed him lives and that's all that matters. Kathy has tried to get in touch with me several times, sending me multiple messages insisting that she needs to meet my son and how much she misses him. I plan on putting an end to this for once and for all in the upcoming family get-together

at David's parents placed this coming weekend. This get-together has been planned for weeks in advance by me as David's grandparents are visiting and I thought we could all spend some quality time together. However, in light of recent events, I plan on using this opportunity to speak my truth and make sure that Kathy comes nowhere near my son ever again. Update 2, I am back with an update. I finally confronted David and Kathy as planned during their family get-together. I was so nervous before going, but I decided to take the nanny cam recording with me so I could have legitimate proof to show everyone. Without going into too much detail and just getting straight to the point, I did call out Kathy. in front of everyone during lunch.

She looked shaken up and tried to laugh it off as if it wasn't a big deal. Then I showed her the nanny cam and told her how I had recorded what she had told my son. I watched the color drain from her face as I then sent the video to the family group chat so everyone could see what I was talking about. Her parents were horrified as they watched her trying to convince my son that she was his real mommy. After this, I confronted David and told him how he failed to protect our son. my husband looked really guilty but tried to justify saying he didn't think much about it and thought

this would help his sister get over her grief. He felt torn between supporting his sister's recovery and telling me about it but ultimately he chose to keep quiet. I informed him that because of his actions, I did not trust him anymore and could not let my son around him or his family ever again. For the first time in a long time, I watched my husband break down in tears but I did not budge from my decision. I informed him that I couldn't have my son grow up in a family where his dad refused to stand up for him just to protect his mentally ill sister. David and Kathy's parents and grandparents apologized to me and assured me that they would make sure that Kathy came nowhere near our son ever again. Kathy looked utterly humiliated but didn't even have the shame to apologize

once. David kept justifying his actions but I paid no heed. I left shortly after this confrontation as my work here was done and I wanted nothing. to do with either of them anymore. Update 3. I see some of you are confused with my decision, so I just wanted to clarify, yes, I plan on divorcing my husband. I know many of you wanted me to give a second chance to my husband as this wasn't entirely his fault and I do agree. David is a good man. However, a good man doesn't automatically make him a good father. Just because he and I never had any issues doesn't mean he was a good father to Tom. He should have nipped this from the beginning when our son

came to him with doubts instead of spending weeks trying to cover it up and gaslight me. Both me and my son can't trust him anymore. I welcomed Kathy back into my life with open arms after what she went through because as a woman I felt sorry for her but in the end, she proved exactly why I never liked her in the first place. I understand the abuse Kathy went through was extremely traumatic for her, but that doesn't mean that our son should have to pay for it. She was a grown-ass woman who clearly had mental issues to begin with but we thought

she had gotten better. However, what really surprised me was my husband's. The fact that he would choose her mental well-being over our son's proofs why he should never be around Tom. He was always such a supportive husband and I thought I could trust him but since what happened with Kathy, he clearly wanted to protect her more than us. I promised that from now on, I will protect my son no matter what happens. I am confident I can get full custody of my son if I expose his family history during the custody battle. I hope you enjoy this story. Had a genetic examination and learned that my grandfather is indeed my biological parent. My mother has concealed this unbelievable truth for more than three decades. Discovered this revelation over the past weekend. My mom is not a

normal mother and is a narcissist or maybe a full-blown sociopath. For you to understand the full ramifications of what she has told me, I will go into my backstory. My mom, me and grandparents all lived together until I was six. My granddad, is my mom's stepdad. However, he was always family to me and I never considered him as a step-grandparent. When my mom was 30, she had me. My dad was never in the picture, I was told he was a married man who my mom was seeing. One day he turned around and said he didn't want to see her anymore and wanted to try and make the relationship with his wife work for the sake of his kids. He vanished and mom never saw him again and soon after mom found out she was pregnant. She decided that she wouldn't tell her parents the guy's name, and wouldn't

tell him unless he called her as it wasn't her place to destroy a family, and refused to put a name on the birth certificate. My grandparents helped her through the pregnancy. When I was five, my mom met Chris, my stepdad, and we moved into a separate house. Chris has his quirks. He was nice, but didn't want to be a dad yet my mom changed all her parenting ideals to match his strictness. An odd choice to do for someone who doesn't want kids. Okay, on to the issue at hand.

With the birth of my son, I started to wonder who my dad is, more so I could be aware of any possible medical conditions than having a relationship with him. I asked my mom last year and got the same answer as usual. Married man, no pictures or number this time I so started looking into him. No record of his name in the school mom said she met him. The age didn't line up with how long people are at school for, so she got me an ancestry kit. Imagine my surprise when a member of my grandfather's family popped up on there. So last weekend I confronted my mom who needed a few days to remember and this weekend,

I got the results of this. And my grandfather is, My father. The story my mom gave was so crazy, I can't accept it. But we'll type it here she was deeply depressed as she didn't have children, was abused by her granddad, her actual dad abandoned her and all relationships were not healthy, her type was married men.

So her stepdad, my granddad slash dad, was the first nice person in her life and they became so cool. close friends that people would joke they were having an affair but it was never like that one drunken night out she opened up to my granddad about why she was depressed she wanted a baby and asked him to help her with this and gave him a pot. He left a deposit went downstairs and immediately realized this was insane, so asked her to destroy the sample. She said she would but didn't, and used it anyway, claiming they never had sex ever. Then a week later the married man she was seeing, the same one we can find no record of, had a condom split so she presumed it was him

and my granddad slash dad never suspected a thing. Now, the DNA lines up that my granddad is my dad. But I don't know what to do with the information or where my head is at. And I would really appreciate any advice on what you think my next steps should be. A few of my scattered thoughts. One, my mom must be an utter sociopath. Not only does she do. do that with her stepdad, in her early years she actively convinced my grandparents to move in with her while raising his child and lying, if not having an affair, and if the story is true, she must have had a suspicion I could have been his and just lied. 2. How could a person with feelings and emotions do that to their own mother?

Followed by letting this lady look after her slash her affair child while she goes through cancer. My nan goes over monthly to check on her. If anyone can lie to her, her entire family like this and rubbed their faces in it like this, I can't see her as someone with feelings and I don't trust her at all, even her husband doesn't know about this. Heck, while she met up with me to tell me this, she told her husband she was going to see my son. Her lies never end. Three. While I never realized how crazy my mom is, I knew she was a little nutty.

My granddad, however, is a different matter. He has always been there. My Rock when I was younger in dealing with thinking my mom would die before I hit 16. He is always so loving to his wife that the person I thought he was just wouldn't do this. But Mom's story is so disgusting and crazy. Why would she lie? But as he is so sensible why wasn't the advice go to a sperm donor or bar crawl, dress up, buy a guy a few drinks and don't use protection? 4. Finally, what do I do with this information? I can't face my family knowing the whole close-knit dynamic is built on a lie. I'm tempted to tell everyone, but my grandma is a saint,

and I can't imagine telling an 83-year-old your husband and daughter have stabbed you in the back, even though you spent your entire life looking after the woman your husband was cheating on you with and they're a fair baby. I think at this stage of her life it may kill her. She has had such a hard life and just doesn't deserve to look back and see that every second of her kindness was wasted. If I could tell the world while protecting her, I would. But I don't think it's right my mom gets to walk away from this scot-free and I think it's only right that my granddad should be told, if he doesn't already know. Mom says he doesn't. But how can I believe all of this? If I tell him without mom talking to him, then I have the best chance of the real story. However,

I rarely see him without my grandma, and I can pretty much work the real story out and I can't help but feel this isn't my mess to clean up. My mom should tell him and if she says I told him this story I will know it's an outright L-I-E-D-S-O, my head is a mess, and my SO is too involved in wanting to protect me, so I could really use some impartial advice on what you guys think I should do. I want what's best for me, my so, my kid, and my grandma. Update 1, March 30th, 3. Okay, it's been a few days and the shock has settled somewhat. I read everyone's replies and tried to answer them all, but it has been a busy few days. Original post is here for those who didn't see it. The three consistent pieces of advice were to get therapy, that my anger

seems to be totally directed at my mom and non towards my dad slash granddad and to maybe consider that my granddad has groomed her from a young age. I want to assure everyone that all your comments were listened to. I will correct that it wasn't that I wasn't angry at him, but the shock of that bit hit harder. My mom and I always had a turbulent relationship, he however was my rock for my entire life, and this was so out of left field and unlike the man I knew, that it took me a little longer to realize that this could very well be a form of grooming. I moved the situation forward by texting my mom my feelings. To shorten a very long text, it boiled down to two main points. 1. I don't believe your story. You need to tell me what happened. Was this an affair? Was it

something more sinister point two? You need to tell my granddad slash dad this. My mom answer was very short. She didn't mention my feeling or ask how I was once, but told me she wouldn't speak to me about this again. That she was not groomed and this was her idea, she isn't sorry and it's my fault I'm hurt as my investigation has forced her to tell the story apostrophe middle that she will tell my granddad. The next day my granddad, called me immediately. He sounded as I felt shocked, confused, etc. My mom just said I'm not as shocked as I thought I would be. He told me his version, with two key differences. That it wasn't a deposit on the side, but mom had pre-bought a kit that allowed artificial insemination, which has just as likely a chance of working as sex itself.

He was convinced by her it was a good idea, he can't remember every argument, as it was 33 year ago, but the two that sticks out are you or the person I am closest to, and I trust you and if I needed a kidney, you would give me that without hesitation this conversation along with a few beers meant he went along with it. However after he did it he realized what an utter mistake this was and told my mom this is a mistake, let's not do this. Bin it and let's not talk of it again as nothing happened. Mom agreed, said she would been his sample and he left for home thinking he avoided the biggest mistake of his life.

Mom, of course, did not destroy it as she said and used it. In the eyes of my country's law this is sexual assault. In my last post, I mentioned my mom was molested by her granddad and abandoned quite publicly by her birth father. Something I didn't mention against my granddad, is he also had a rough childhood. His mother died when young and his stepmom was abusive. This has led him to forgive any mistakes his family makes and means family comes first without exception and to a fault.

Because he views my mom as his daughter, he feels the villain of the peace as the understanding of mental health wasn't there. I didn't realize how deep her depression was and I regret not telling her to see a therapist and that he failed her massively for not doing so. He is also thinking of telling his wife immediately but thinks I should have a say in that choice. He empathized with how I was feeling too, something my mom did not. I want to believe him, however, as I said earlier in this post, it's this relationship that will impact me more in losing.

So spoke to my partner for outsider's opinion as she of course knows these people traits and flaws. She agrees that this sounds plausible in an insane situation. My granddad's flaw in putting family first. My mom's manipulative and lying nature, while her story not lining up completely. There could always be the chance they had an affair or drunk in one night stand that neither will admit to. But nothing has ever made my partner or me feel there was any kind of spark or awkwardness between them to suggest this. My mom also always spins story. to make her look like a saint. The easy option would be to say this was grooming or assault as an easy-out-why-make-up this

completely unbelievable lie is another option. A few people may wonder if my mom is that good at manipulation. There are many small instances but let me just say the biggest. She once convinced my grandma and granddad to buy a house with her that none of them could afford on their own outside of their hometown. A couple of years later, she moved out. When I was younger, my grandma said, you know how convincing your mom can be and it's only by piecing this together when I was older. When she has tried to convince me with some very skewered point of view or outright lies that made me realize that how she communicates isn't normal, but manipulation.

So, next steps my granddad, wants all three of us to meet up either weekend and discuss if we tell the wider family. He is willing to tell his wife if that's what everyone wants, even knowing it will destroy his marriage. My mom hasn't contacted me since, so I don't know if she will even come. If she does come to this meeting, I will be using this as an opportunity to confirm if my mom did withdraw consent when we are all there. If she does admit this, then I am inclined to believe this crazy story is true and they were both monumentally stupid and my mom has stabbed him in the back. The shock from my granddad is real, but also our relationship was real, and we were both in the dark. meaning I can see a way of forging our relationship ahead. My mom, however, I do not trust and if she admits to this, will also be admitting to sexual assault.

I don't imagine her admitting this usually, but she has admitted thus far, only with no other options due to an ancestry test. With that relationship. I don't know. I don't trust her. But then she is clearly old lady with cancer with very deep-seated mental problems. The old relationship will always be dead, but should I set new boundaries and try and form a new relationship with this woman, or just cut contact due to lack of trust? This I don't know yet. I'll also be setting my boundaries or as far as the wider family goes.

My granddad has stated I should get a say in whether my grandma is told. This is something I don't know the morally right thing to do. She is 83 years old, and this will destroy her. And will she even believe this crazy story? Probably not as she was also abused by her father. So much abuse in my family has been uncovered with this. It's so sad. But then if my granddad was sexually abused, is this fair to destroy his marriage?

On the flip side, is it right to lie about something this big? This is a decision I can't make for my own mental health, and ultimately it is not my mistake to clean up after. So, I will be using this meeting to tell them they need to choose between them what the next steps are. My mom has effortlessly kept this lie from everyone in her life, so that will clearly be her choice. But my granddad, will he be able to lie to his wife with this? I don't know. I will tell them that they need to choose, and I will go along with that decision.

But if they change their mind, they need to tell me so I can prepare for any fallout. Our meeting will be in a week or two, so I will leave a final update then. For now, I wanted to thank everyone who reached out and gave advice. I will be getting to a therapist soon, so I can make a better informed decision and can make a clearer choice for what's better for me so and child. Someone said I should marry my missus as she is needed to put up with the brunt of my mom's insanity for four plus years. To those I will say you are right. She is absolutely amazing. and we have been engaged for a while.

But COVID, a pregnancy which led to buying a house and our first baby has put the delay to an actual wedding. But she truly is the best and been a rock throughout all of this. Update 2, May 4, 2023. It's been a few weeks and a lot has happened, so as I got such good advice from you guys, I thought I would tell you what happened up until now, and then I won't update any further. Before I continue, I feel I should clarify. a comment in my older post.

The title said my mom went from normal to narcissist in an hour. She has always been a narcissist, often narcissist have a golden child and a scapegoat. I was the golden child, with no siblings to be a scapegoat. Enter my fiancé and a scapegoat was found. In the last eight years her nature has become more and more obvious to me the meaner she treated my fiancé, and me being blind to it failed to defend my partner when I should have. have. Genuinely believing it was my mom's poor communication skills, which I have been aware of for many years. Anyway, on with the update. My mom, granddad, and I sat down on Good Friday.

My mom collaborated my granddad's story, and she had stolen his sperm. I took on board what people said about her being abused for years, and so I decided to steer away from the act itself. It will always be in my mind that they maybe had an affair, which would mean she was groomed, as the truth they have presented is so bizarre, but it was over 30 years ago and without it I wouldn't be here and it's what they both are saying is true. So, I turned the conversation into how we move forward. Originally, I wasn't going to comment on if we should tell anyone or not as it's their mess. But I know that my mom would argue for keeping it quiet, which she did, and not having an opinion when I know the outcome felt the same as having an opinion on it.

So when they asked what I wanted to do, the deciding factor came down to a friend's advice she gave me. Will telling your grandma help you in any way and no, it wouldn't? So, I agreed to keep it quiet. My mom then accidentally told me she had lied to my stepdad her from seeing my kid, which I thought was really not okay. I am angry with her for a justifiable reason and in trying to get our relationship to be somewhat salvaged, despite having no trust for her and she's blaming me for this. So told her she needs to tell her husband the real reason I haven't been as close. After this conversation, I had three days off work and wanted a bit of time and space to put it behind me, book some therapy, and spend time with my so and kid. Which never happened.

That night, somebody tried to reverse a car through my neighbor's house and revenge of what the police told us was a petty squabble and the neighbors got a rifle, guns are super rare in the UK, and shot at them. Of course, the police were called by numerous people on the street and thanked the gods my child slept through it. By my so and I were nervous wrecks for a long time after, so goodbye relaxing weekend and thanks for ruining Easter. After making sure my family was safe, I picked this family drama back up and I met my mom and stepdad last weekend. This was to set clear boundaries in the relationship going forward. My trust in her is broken and honestly, I don't think she has a long enough life left to rebuild it completely due to cancer, but my relationship is separate from her and my son's relationship, who loves his Nana and has been kept separate from all of this. I feel very distant from my close-knit family these days, but I guess that's what happens when they lie to you your whole life. My mom has given me an attempt at an apology, however weak.

I have told her my feelings, which haven't been understood, and I have set new boundaries, which will probably be ignored, so I will keep my so's mother's advice to heart if you can offer a relationship to just one person. Knowing you will get nothing back, you will have led a good life then finally, as of today my so's mother. and I can announce she has been pregnant throughout all this ST storm, and due to the extra stresses, we have been super nervous that the baby was okay. But in the first scan baby was moving around, with a strong healthy heartbeat. Thank you again everyone for the help and advice you gave me. Update 3, June 22, 2023. The full details are in my post history, so I'll try and be brief here. My mom lied about my dad's identity my whole life, and I recently found out she sexually assaulted her stepfather, who I have always seen as my granddad, is actually my father.

She lied to me my whole life and has put me in the awful situation of not being able to tell anyone, as it will kill my grandma, who is a saint and has spent her whole looking after and caring for my mom and granddad dad and at 86 does not deserve this news and rip my family apart. I know I need therapy, I just have a toddler, a pregnant so, so no time or money. All of this, I could forgive. It's fucked up, but I guess without it I wouldn't be here, neither would my kid. What has really hurt me through this is the lying to others as to why I have been a little different.

She told her husband I was blocking her from seeing her grandkid, or blaming me for being upset, her lack of empathy or understanding. Everything she has said is just showing me she does not understand why I am upset. My so has been a goddamn rock, and although she isn't a huge fan of my mother, has tried to remain impartial and polite as I have, anyway, with a brief overview of a very messed up problem. On to my question. Despite this last year, my mom and me were quite close. Not the best at communicating but we used to chat every few days. My mom has had cancer since I was 15.

She was given a year and I am now 31. It's come back and I don't think she is long. She is now using a wheelchair. I want her to have as much time with her grandkid before she goes and both me and my partner want to be able to bury the hatchet so when she passes we can say we tried our best and we won't feel any regrets when our shock of all of everything passes. That's our plan, but when either of us see her or speak to her we just. just feel angry at the past wrongs, the new ones, the shock, everything. And every friend we ask who knows the full story just says they would refuse to see her or be unable to forgive her. And I get it. But I could really use some advice on how to forgive

so future me doesn't feel guilty when she is dead in a few months. Anyone got any help? New update, January 25th, 2024. After getting no advice on the last post, I figured figured there would never be an update to share. Throughout most of this, shock was the predominant feeling. Then about three weeks ago, all the emotions hit me like a ton of bricks and I really started to struggle. In November my partner gave birth to a beautiful baby. She is tired getting up to feed him, and I didn't have the capacity to ignore her tired shortness and not take it personally. The UK health system is slow, and counseling only started three weeks ago so did not know how to heal, or find forgiveness to anyone, despite my mom being very sick.

But last Thursday, something big changed in writing my thoughts down, but after not really knowing the rules of updating on each sub, I thought I would compile the posts together and put the update here. Last week, after seeing how much I was struggling my soul reached out to my mom to tell her how much it was affecting. My mom's reaction was sorry he is hurting, I wish you would talk to me but want. I don't want to hurt everyone by telling the truth to which my soul replied as a mother, I'm sure you don't want to leave this world hurting your son.

In not telling everyone you are leaving him the scapegoat and she needs to find a solution. To my surprise this worked and she sat down and told my nana and her sister her version of the truth. My opinion, as soon as I heard my nana knew the truth I wrung her and sobbed. However, the truth has lifted a huge mental load for me and for the first time in nearly a year, I can think without a huge cloud over everything. I think this secret was leaving me more and more depressed, and while I was outwardly fine it was taking an even bigger toll that I realized, and shock had saved me in all the last three weeks.

Now the truth is out and I can function. My biggest issue was I felt like a sleaze ball lying, but didn't know if it was the right thing to do. I can revoke my silence, but couldn't take back the truth so chosen action until I knew what to do. But I'm not sure I ever would have figured that out. The other thoughts were if I waited for my mom to pass away, is it fair sharing this with her sister who then has to sit with that knowledge

without the opportunity to ask any questions for herself? I know I spoke in circles with friends, my partner, and did the best I could so I won't beat myself up too much. But I felt a physically weight lift from my shoulders when I knew the lie was out. I still don't believe their story, however. My mum keeps mentioning she thought my real dad was Robert from school even though I know he doesn't exist. But at the least, this doesn't affect my identity. My Nana's opinion, my nana remains a saint.

She believed them totally, as she knows how dedicated her husband is to helping his children, and knows how bad my mom's mental health was. She loved her family and is happy for me that I found out my dad and knows he loves me. She is disappointed with her husband for not telling her. her when he found out a year ago. But is happy that it resulted in me as she couldn't love me more. She is sad I needed to deal with this while raising a baby, and didn't think it was fair on them to put me through it. I names my baby after her, as she's amazing. My aunt's opinion, my aunt reached out to wish me well and know nothing is affected in our relationship

by my parents. She found out yesterday, a little later. She has lost a lot of respect for her sister and stepdad. But knows she loves her family, even if she is disappointed and her trust is shaken. She has chritized that they made me stay silent as it will kill my nana and thinks that was cowardly and wrong of them. But knows she needs her family, and my mom and her poor health needs her. She has told her children and told them it is up to them if they believe the story or not. So that's the end of it. I have bought a few self-help books, got a therapist who is helping and just trying to rebuild after a year of hell. My mom probably only had a few months left, but then, she had until I was 17 and I'm 32 now, so we shall see. But with the truth I can at least

start forging a small relationship based in truth, however I doubt it will ever be as strong as it was, just because she doesn't have time to rebuild it to that. Ultimately, what my aunt said really rang true to me. It's a shame, because even if the story is true, nobody's will ever believe it. And they will live with that stain on them forever. Edit for clarity a few comments saying the cancer is fake. Totally understand why, however she lost five inches, her back collapsed and recently needed a catheter putting in. This part isn't faked. I hope you enjoy this story. My guardians constantly labeled me as the household underachiever. Following an extended period of estrangement, they attempted to evict me when I arrived at my grandfather's 80th birthday celebration.

During my upbringing, I always felt overshadowed by my older sister, Megan. She was everything our parents seemed to value academically gifted, disciplined, and consistently earning perfect grades. Megan had a natural focus and drive that made her seem almost flawless in their eyes. Meanwhile, I was the opposite in so many ways. I struggled to focus in school, procrastinate, on everything until the very last minute, and was constantly forgetful. It wasn't just academics, either. These challenges spilled into every other area of my life, leaving me feeling like I could never measure up.

I didn't understand why I was the way I was, and honestly, I just thought I was lazy or incapable. It wasn't until much later in life that everything finally clicked for me, L had ADHD. The diagnosis was a revelation. Suddenly, all the struggles and frustrations from my childhood made sense. Every symptom I'd wrestled with, from my inability to concentrate to my chronic procrastination, fit perfectly into the ADHD framework. With the help of medication and other tools, I'd been able to turn my life around and

approach things with a sense of control I never knew was possible. But back then, as a child, there was no diagnosis, no understanding, and no support. all my parents saw were my shortcomings. For context, my parents are both incredibly accomplished individuals. Their high-achieving academics, widely respected in their fields, and they hold prestigious positions at work. Naturally, they expected the same level of excellence from their children. They wanted Megan and me to be the most successful people in any room. Megan, of course, lived up to those expectations effortlessly. I, however, was the troublesome child. In their eyes, I wasn't working hard enough, wasn't disciplined enough,

and wasn't good enough. They frequently compared me to Megan, their golden child, which only deepened the divide between me and my sister. Those comparisons hurt more than they likely realized, making me feel like there was something fundamentally wrong with me just because I was different from her. Megan didn't make my childhood any easier either. Because we studied at the same school, it often felt like I could never escape her shadow or her judgment. If I didn't finish my assignments on time or got into any kind of trouble at school, she would yell at me. She'd go on and on about how embarrassed she was to have a loser sibling like me.

Those words cut deep, especially when they came from someone I was supposed to look up to. At home, Megan would tattle on me to our parents for the smallest things, like hanging out with my friends instead of studying. She was constantly looking for ways to prove to a our parents that she was the better child. I think part of it stemmed from the fact that, unlike me, Megan didn't have any friends. She was a classic no at all, always acting superior to everyone else and ready to pounce on anyone who made the slightest mistake. Unsurprisingly, people didn't like her. She isolated herself, and instead of being introspective about why, she doubled down

on her condescending attitude. Despite her flaws, my parents absolutely adored her. They never once called her out for her behavior or encouraged her to be kinder or more humble. Instead, they celebrated her as if she could do no wrong. They bragged about Megan constantly at family gatherings, at work, to neighbors, to anyone who would listen. Every year, they threw these extravagant birthday parties for her, complete with fancy decorations, guests, and expensive gifts. They made it clear they felt Megan deserved to be celebrated because, in their words, she was the one good thing to come out of their marriage. Can you even imagine hearing your parents say that

about your sibling as if you're nothing in comparison? Meanwhile, my birthdays were almost an afterthought. There were no parties, no excitement. Every year, I received the same predictable gift, books. And not the fun, imaginative kind of books that kids might actually enjoy. They were always educational books, the kind that screamed, you need to work harder. When my sister graduated from college, it was a monumental moment for my family. She got into one of the top universities in the country, and my parents were absolutely over the moon. They couldn't stop talking about her achievements, boasting to anyone who would listen about how proud they were of her. Two years later, when it was my turn to graduate, the situation couldn't have been more different. I didn't

get into a prestigious university like Megan. Instead, I got accepted into an average university compared to hers, one that didn't hold the same weight or prestige in the eyes of my parents. Their disappointment was palpable. My dad didn't even try to hide it. He told me outright that he had no hopes for me anymore. He said he just wanted me to be gone from their lives because he was too embarrassed to even tell our relatives where I was going to college. Those words crushed me. To hear your own father essentially disown you, all because you didn't live up to some unrealistic standard, is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. My parents called me the black sheep of the family, saying they regretted having me and that raising me had been a waste of their time and

resources. Megan also made it clear that she felt disgusted by the idea of me attending the college I had chosen. She told me that even though she didn't expect me to reach her level of academic excellence, I should have at least tried harder. Her words stung. To them, my best was never good enough. I was so hurt by their words and their attitude that I made a decision then and there. If they truly felt this way about me, if they genuinely believed I wasn't worth their time or love, then I would do them a favor and cut them off. I wasn't going to stay in an environment that only tore me down. I promised myself that I would carve out my own path, no matter how hard it might be, and that I wouldn't look back. Going to college was a whole new chapter for me,

but it came with its own challenges. I had to take out an education loan just to afford it, and I also picked up a part-time job to support myself. Balancing work, studies, and managing my ADHD was incredibly difficult. There were moments when I felt like giving up, but I didn't. For the first time, I was surrounded by people who believed in me friends who were supportive and encouraging, who saw my potential instead of my flaws. With their help and the right medication to manage my AD, I started to build a life that felt meaningful and fulfilling. Today, I am an Al Solutions architect working at a top multinational corporation. For the past nine years, I've had zero contact with my parents or my sister,

nor have I kept any tabs on their lives. I have worked hard to distance myself from that part of my life because it brought me nothing but pain. I usually avoid family events altogether to steer clear of any chance encounters with my parents or Megan. However, this time was my granddad's 80th birthday party. He personally called and begged me to come. I had not seen him in such a long time.

He's one of the few people in the family who's always shown me kindness, and I couldn't bear the guilt of disappointing him on such a milestone occasion. Against my better judgment, I decided to go. When I arrived at the party, I noticed that my parents were already there. I had expected this, of course, but seeing them, in person after so many years still stirred up old emotions I wasn't entirely prepared for. Despite what I felt, I reminded myself why I was there. This was about my granddad's birthday. I went to greet my granddad discreetly, gave him a hug, and spent the rest of the time saying

hello to everyone else, exchanging polite words and smiles with family members who were genuinely surprised and happy to see me. Many of them hadn't seen me in nearly a decade, so they were excited to catch up. But then, my parents spotted me. I caught the look on their faces stunned as if they couldn't believe I was standing there. Almost immediately, my dad approached me, his expression unreadable, and asked me if he could have a word with me privately. I nodded, so he then guided me away from the rest of the party, leading us to a more private corner of the venue, away from the wandering eyes of the guests. From the very start of the conversation, my parents made it crystal clear that they weren't happy to see me.

There was no attempt at pleasantries or even the faintest hint of reconciliation. My dad's first question was blunt and cold, What are you doing here? I calmly explained that I had come at my granddad's request, that he had personally asked me to attend his 80th birthday celebration and I just couldn't ignore him. My mom wasn't satisfied with this explanation. She immediately wanted to know why I'd never bothered to attend any of my granddad's previous

birthday parties or other family events for that matter, yet had suddenly decided to show up now. Mom taunted me, questioning if coming here for Grandad was just an excuse. She asked if I had finally come to my senses and if I was looking for an opportunity to reconnect with them after all these years. Her words infuriated me, but I kept my composure. I told them firmly and clearly that I did not want to reconnect with them in any way. It's not like I needed their permission to attend my own granddad's party. If they hated my presence here so much, they could simply go back to ignoring me and leave me alone to mingle with others. However, Mom argued that they wished they could ignore me but that people would then start asking questions to them. She told me that I should

have at least given them a heads up, so they could have been better prepared to answer questions about me. Honestly, she was acting like I had committed a crime or something. I told her that if anyone asked, they could simply tell them that I was doing very well in life, that I had built a successful career and a very supportive partner. Hearing this, my dad scoffed and said, Do you honestly expect us to believe that you have a successful career? You didn't even graduate from a decent college, for goodness sake. I felt a rush of anger building inside me. I had built my career from the ground up, overcoming so many obstacles, and yet here he was, dismissing everything I'd achieved with a single sentence. Before I could argue with him, my dad pointed to the door and

coldly said, you should leave. People can't know you're still a failure. I was stunned. Who did they think they were to ask me to leave a party that wasn't even about them? How could they still treat me like this? They were so obsessed with protecting their image and acting holier than thou in front of others. Their hurtful, dismissive words made me realize that they still thought I was the same child they could just control. However, I wasn't the same person anymore. If they were so worried about what people might say, I decided I was going to teach them a lesson they'd never forget. Without a second thought, I pushed past them and walked back to where the rest of the guests were gathered. My granddad noticed immediately that something was off with me and came over to

check on me. I didn't hold back I told him everything. I told him what my parents had said to me, how they tried to kick me out, and how they were still so ashamed of me that they didn't want anyone to know I was even here. Hearing this, my granddad was livid. He assured me that my parents had no right to treat me that way, let alone try to ruin his birthday by causing such drama. He said he'd speak to them on my behalf, but I told him it wouldn't make a difference. What we needed to do was bring the truth to light publicly. Luckily, my granddad agreed with me. So, I had then raised my glass and gently clinked it to get everyone's attention. The room fell silent and all eyes turned to me. I took a deep breath, steadied my voice, and started by congratulating

my granddad on reaching such an incredible milestone. I thanked him for inviting me and said how much it meant to be there celebrating with him. Then I shifted gears. I told everyone how nice it was to see so many family members again after so many years, but I also explained why I hadn't been a part of these celebrations for nearly a decade. I'm sure many of you are wondering why I had never shown up to any family event over the years. So, I'm going to tell you the truth. It was because of my parents. The truth is, my parents have always treated me like I was beneath them, making me feel like I was nothing more than a burden to them over the years. I laid it all out. I told them how my parents had ostracized me, made me feel like I wasn't good enough,

and how they had labeled me a failure all my life, simply because I hadn't lived up to their impossible expectations. I shared how I had paid my own way through college by taking out loans and working part-time jobs, without any support from my parents. I made it clear that while I had worked hard to build a life for myself, they had not once reached out to check on me. The room was dead silent as I spoke. Some people exchanged uncomfortable glances, while others stared at my parents, who looked absolutely

mortified. My mom's face was white as I was talking while my dad looked furious. I didn't just stop there. I shared how, throughout my entire childhood, my parents had favored Megan, showering her with love, attention, and opportunities while labeling me the black sheep of the family. I explained how their constant comparisons and harsh treatment had alienated me, how they dismissed my struggles with ADHD as laziness, and how they never once tried to understand or support me. I went on to say that now that I was an adult, successful in my own right, I had no expectation that my parents would suddenly embrace me. However, I certainly didn't anticipate that they would go so far as to scold me for attending my own granddad's birthday party a party I was invited to buy the guest of honor

himself. It was absurd and hurtful, and I wanted everyone to know just how ridiculous their behavior was. So, for all those years when I wasn't at family events, I wasn't being rude or distant. I was protecting myself. I was trying to heal from years of emotional wounds. However, today when I showed up here for the sake of my granddad, my parents wanted to kick me out. They keep saying that they don't want to answer any questions about me as it makes them feel ashamed about who I am. So, this is why I wanted to address this here, in front of all of you for once and for all. I'm done hiding. I'm done allowing them to make me feel like I'm the problem. From now on, I'll be attending every family event, regardless of whether my parents like it or not.

As I finished my speech, my granddad and some of my cousins started to cheer on me. They then came over to give me a hug, showing their support. My parents, on the other hand, my parents, on the other hand, seemed frozen in place, unable to come up with any defense for their actions now that the truth was in the open. For so long, they had controlled the narrative, but now, everyone could see the reality of who they were and how they had treated me. After that, my parents quickly left, clearly embarrassed, while I stayed behind, enjoying the rest of the party by spending time with my cousins and other close relatives. In the days that followed this incident, several relatives have reached out to me, expressing their support and commending me for speaking

my truth. Some say it took real courage for me to stand up for myself and call out the unfair treatment I had endured from my parents for so long. A few have even apologized for not recognizing what I had gone through earlier or for not reaching out to me sooner. However, not everyone agrees with how I handled the situation. A handful of relatives feel that I should have kept the matter private, arguing that I went a bit too far by exposing my parents publicly and humiliating them in front of the entire family. So, Reddit Ida? Update 1, I must say, all of your comments have been incredibly kind. I'm genuinely overwhelmed by how many people I've reached out to check on my well-being. For everyone asking, I'm doing okay mentally. All throughout my childhood,

I became accustomed to my parents treating me like trash. It was painful, and I carried that hurt for so long, but as I've grown, I've learned to stand up for myself. The moment at the party was a culmination of years of pent-up emotions and truths I had suppressed, and honestly, I'm glad I spoke out. I have no regrets about defending myself and finally letting the family know my side of the story. For those of you wondering about where Megan was during the party she wasn't there. According to one of my cousins, she was on a work trip, which explains why I didn't run into her. And honestly, I'm relieved. If she had been there, she would have likely jumped on my parents' bandwagon and said something nasty to me also.

After all, Megan is always quick to criticize and demean me, so her absence was, in a way, a small mercy. Some of you have asked why, during those tough times, I didn't seek financial help from other family members when my parents refused to support me. The truth is, is, back then, I was young, naive, and easily swayed by their words. When my parents and Megan mocked and insulted me calling me a failure, belittling my college, and questioning my worth, I internalized all of it. I genuinely believed that the rest of my family would feel the same way. The thought of airing our dirty laundry to others back then and potentially facing more rejection was mortifying to me. I was also proud so I made up my mind

to handle everything on my own, no matter how difficult it was. When it comes to my granddad, I need to emphasize that he has always been supportive of me in his own way. Financially, he hasn't been very stable, so I couldn't have relied on him to help with my college expenses. However, his emotional support has been invaluable, and he's always believed in me and understood the dynamics between me and my parents. He knows the whole story every bit of it and he's never judged me for cutting ties with my parents. In fact, I'm deeply grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to speak at his party and for standing by me when I decided to expose my parents for who they truly are.

Anyway, since that moment at the party, I've heard from multiple relatives that my parents are facing serious backlash from people who were horrified to learn how cruel they had been to me. Many of these relatives had no idea about the extent of their behavior because my parents had always gone around painting me as the problem child. Clearly, they had created this narrative to protect their own image while sweeping their toxicity under the rug. Now that the truth is out, it seems their facade is finally starting to crumble. I can only hope that this public embarrassment will serve as a wake-up call for them. Maybe, just maybe, they'll reflect on their actions and come to their senses. But even if they

don't, I've said my peace, and I feel a sense of closure. Update 2. So, Megan reached out to me this week. She heard from our parents and relatives about what happened during the party, so she called me. As soon as I picked up the phone, she started yelling at me, furious about what had happened. She couldn't believe that I had the audacity to expose our parents publicly. She claimed that I was only doing this to cause drama, and that my actions were selfish. According to her, I had no right to air our family's dirty laundry in front of everyone, especially when my parents had spent years trying to move on and live their lives without me. She kept going on about how I was ruining the fragile peace that had been established, and that I should just let it go and move on, instead of dredging

up the past. She asked me, what do you want from them? An apology? Really, for what? Just because they didn't pay for your college fees? You want an apology because they were disappointed in you? An apology because they always pushed you to be better? An apology because they wanted the best for you? I couldn't help but scoff at her. Megan had always been the one to side with our parents, no matter how badly they treated me. She never understood the hurt I had gone through, always brushing it off as family drama. It was easier for her to pretend everything was fine than to face the truth. I pointed out to her that pushing someone to be better doesn't mean humiliating them or mocking them for years when they don't meet one's expectations. What I needed from our parents

wasn't just more pressure it was support, love, and understanding. I told her how much I wished they had been the kind of parents who saw me for who I was and helped me navigate my challenges, rather than berating me for falling short of their impossible standards. I never asked them to give me a perfect childhood, but I just wanted parents who had my back and understood me, not ones who saw me as a disappointment. Megan argued how if I really felt this way, I could have sorted out my feelings with them privately instead of exposing them publicly. She said that our parents had worked for years to build a certain image, and now all their accomplishments seemed meaningless because all anyone was talking about was how awful they were

for abandoning me all those years ago. She asked if it had really been worth it, suggesting that I was just bitter because they were right all along and implying that maybe I hadn't accomplished anything in my life, which is why I was coming after our parents after so long. I just laughed at her words and calmly told her that despite all the terrible things, things our parents and she had put me through, I had built a successful career. The reason I had exposed our parents had nothing to do with my accomplishments. It was about finally taking control of my own narrative after years of being silenced and dismissed. I had been cast aside and treated like I was the problem, but the truth was I had been the one who had been wronged. So, exposing them

wasn't about showing off how far I'd come or making them look bad. It was about standing up for myself, about letting people know what had really been happening behind closed doors. Megan didn't back down and continue to argue with me that I needed to issue a public apology for the sake of our parents' reputation, but I cut her off. I told her bluntly that I would never do something like that. Why would I apologize to them when I am the victim? I told Megan that she needed to get her head out of the hole she had buried it in and stopped defending people who had treated me like trash for my entire life.

Just to frustrate my sister even more, I told her that from now on, I would be attending every single family event, no matter how much it bothered her or our parents. If they dared to confront me again, I would keep exposing them. Why should I let their toxic behavior control my connections with the rest of the family? I had every right to see my relatives, and to form connections with my family members. My sister claimed I was only doing this to make our parents' lives miserable and demanded that I go back to not being in contact with anyone, just like I had during all these years. I sighed in exasperation. Clearly, Megan and I weren't going to see eye to eye, so I told her to stay in her lane from that point forward and to mind her own business. I wasn't going to tolerate any more

of her attempts to defend our parents or make excuses for their behavior. I then ended our conversation and blocked her number. After all, I didn't owe her anything anymore and no explanations, and no apologies. Update 3, I just wanted to quickly update a few things that have happened in the last four months. To begin with, I've made a conscious effort to be more involved in my family life. I make it a point to attend all our family gatherings, whether they're big events like birthdays or anniversaries or even smaller, casual get-togethers. Beyond that, I've also been spending more time with my granddad, making sure to visit him regularly and check in on how he's doing. Additionally, hanging out with my cousins more often. Whenever we come up with plans, whether it's just grabbing

food, watching a movie, or spending time together doing something fun, I make it a priority to join in. It's been great to strengthen those bonds and create new memories with them. Last month, my mom apologized to me after all this time. It was a big moment for me. Since both my mom and dad are blocked on my phone, she reached out via email. She shared that she had been going to therapy and spending a lot of time reflecting on the past. She admitted that she and my dad had, in some ways, favored my sister over me and tried to justify it by saying that because she and dad grew up in strict, academically focused families, they had always expected me and Megan to meet the same high standards. She went on to say that after I had spoken up for myself

during my granddad's party and revealed that I had ADHD, it was a turning point for her. She admitted to doing her own research afterward and came to realize that I really did have ADHD. She confessed to feeling guilty for not recognizing the signs earlier and for failing to support me as a child when I needed it most. In the email, she also wrote how she had been quietly following my career over the past few months through LinkedIn. She said she was really proud of the things I've accomplished. She also mentioned my dad at the end of the message. While she said he is aware of my achievements too, she acknowledged that he's a very proud man and will probably need a little bit more time before he's ready to come around and offer his own

apology. Honestly, I'm still shocked that my mom wrote all of that to me. If only she had been this understanding while I was growing up, my childhood could have been so much different. That said, despite her email, I haven't unblocked her or my dad. I'm still not ready to forgive them. I hope you enjoy this story. Sibling requested that I become the designated caretaker of their infant, so I insisted that their spouse undergo DNA testing before I would assume responsibility for their child. Consequently, their marital union was strained. Is ending. I, 28F, have an older brother, 30M, and around two weeks ago, he asked me to be the legal guardian of his son.

His son is just six months old. My brother visited me two weeks ago and told me that he and his wife wanted me to be his legal guardian because his job required him to move to another city and his wife, 29F, spends most of her time in the hospital for her chemo treatments. My brother can't reject this offer either to stay back here because it pays more than his current job and he desperately needs money to pay for his wife's treatments as she was diagnosed with stage two liver cancer last month. So he worked out an arrangement with his in-laws where there'll be the ones looking after his wife's. while he works out of state for five days and comes back on the weekends, but they're also kind of aged and won't be able to handle taking care of both his wife and his son, so he wanted me to take over the duties of his son. We have no other family apart from each other, so I'm the only person he could turn to which is why it was really difficult for me to say no

at all. Both our parents passed away when we were in our early 20s and we've been on our own ever since. My brother works in marketing and I'm a high school teacher so it's not exactly like we're rich and I'm too busy and tired to take on any additional responsibilities, like looking after my nephew. I also couldn't just say no to my brother because we're all we have and it would break my heart if he got mad at me over this. There was also another reason that I was kind of skeptical to agree to this legal guardianship and that was because of all the rumors and gossip I'd heard about my sister-in-law. We live in a relatively small town and news travels fast. So a couple of years back, I think before my brother even got married, I heard from one of my

co-workers that one of her cousins had gotten into a lot of legal trouble over a paternity fraud that she'd pulled off and was now being sued by her husband whom she'd been fooling. And even though people weren't really sure of it, there was one name that kept popping up when they were gossiping about this and that was my present sister-in-law's name. I'm really not sure how exactly she was involved or to what extent, but I did know that she was involved somehow and she'd helped them cover it up for a few years after their child was born. Their son was almost two years old when that guy's wife, my sister-in-law's best friend, insisted that they get married so she could quit her job and live at home with her son.

His mother suspected that something was off because of how hard she was pushing her decision and that's how the paternity test finally happened. And we also learned that apparently, my now sister-in-law had played a huge role in this fraud by putting her best friend in touch with her cousin who worked at the hospital and would periodically take money from her best friend and her unsuspecting husband to make sure this was all kept under wraps. So essentially, she and her best friend were fooling the poor guy for money and while her best friend got into legal trouble for it, she walked away Scott-free. Almost two years ago, my brother told me that he'd met a woman and it happened to be the same

woman whom I'd heard about in this paternity scam gossip. I'd told him about it back then and warned him but he was dead sure that she had nothing to do with it and he trusted her, not the rumors and gossip he heard about her. I didn't know what to say to him, so I didn't interfere and so within a year, they got married and had a baby. I didn't say anything then because I didn't want to disturb their perfectly happy marriage and then, last month, she was diagnosed with stage two liver cancer, which is why she's been in and out of the hospital for some time now. I haven't said anything about what I heard from my friends back then, but when my brother said that they wanted me to be their son's legal guardian.

I decided that I didn't want to get caught up in anything right now, and so I told him that I'd only agree to the legal guardianship because he didn't like the implications of what I was saying and said that I was needlessly doubting his wife even though they'd been together for so many years now. But I stuck by what I said and told him that I wasn't going to be his son's legal guardian if he didn't get the paternity test done first because I really didn't want any unnecessary trouble in case there really was something

that she was hiding still. So after a lot of arguing, he finally gave in and told me that he'd get it done. Then, I didn't hear from him for two whole weeks, but all of a sudden, three days back, he called me and told me that I no longer needed to sign anything and that he was staying here. I was confused because he'd just cancelled the move out of the blue, so I asked him what changed and he told me to mind my own business and then hung up on me. That really threw me off because my brother was a generally nice and polite person so I had absolutely no idea what changed in these past few days. I couldn't even ask anyone else because

the only person who was likely to know what was going on with him was his wife and I didn't want to speak to her so I waited for a day for my brother to come around on his own and tell me what was going on but he didn't. So I did what I had to and called up my sister-in-law instead for some answers. She answered as soon as I called and when she did, she didn't waste a second before she started screaming at me and accused me of ruining her marriage. I don't know why she said any of that, but one thing's for sure, something awful has happened and I'm afraid that it has to do with a paternity test. I'd only been hell-bent on my brother getting the test done

because I wanted to buy myself some time to think about what I wanted to do about the guardianship and also I didn't want to invite trouble just in case he wasn't really the parent. But I'm guessing that there was something that his wife had been hiding and my insistence on the paternity test must have opened some kind of worms because otherwise, I couldn't think of a single reason why my brother would make such a decision. I feel awful because just for my own selfishness, I've potentially ruined my brother's marriage and it doesn't help that his wife's suffering from cancer as well. I'd for insisting that my brother get a paternity test done before I agree to be the legal

guardian of his baby. Update 1. Thank you for all the kind messages and comments. I'm glad to know that not everyone's judging me for wanting to put myself before anyone else. I spoke to my brother today and he told me everything that had happened in the past two weeks after I asked him to get the paternity test done. He told me that after he met with me, he went straight home and told his wife what I'd asked for. He'd assumed it would be a pretty straightforward conversation since he didn't think his wife would disagree, but she was very against it and it didn't make sense to him.

She said that it was insulting that I wanted him to get a paternity test done because that just meant that I still believe she was a scammer and even worse, she'd been scamming her own husband. So she was against the whole idea of the paternity test and wanted him to look for alternatives. But her reaction to the suggestion of getting a paternity test done was so overly emotional that even he began to suspect that something was off about her behavior and after a few days of wondering what to do, he finally gave in and decided to get the paternity test done. done without telling his wife about it. He didn't know what to expect but was secretly hoping that he wouldn't find out anything that he didn't want to. Unfortunately, I think everyone knows by now what he must have found out. My brother and his son weren't a match. He was so shocked by the results the first time that he got the test done a second time, just to make sure that there had been no mistakes, and even the second time around, the result remained the

same. He was in shock about what he'd found out since this meant that his marriage was a lie, but he had no idea how to confront his wife. He'd never paid any heat to the rumors he'd heard about her, not even when I'd warned him but now, as it turns out, everyone else had been right and he'd been the one who was dead wrong about his wife. A few days after he got the results, he decided to finally confront his wife. At first, she tried to deny it, but there was no running away from the truth anymore when he knew for a fact that he's not the father of the son he'd been raising for so long. After a while, she finally confessed to him that a while ago, when they just got married, she'd had an affair with one of her friends when he happened to be

out of town and that's how she got pregnant. She never came clean about it either because she felt like that was going to ruin their marriage for good and once she got pregnant, she knew that she didn't want to be with anyone else apart from my brother. My sister-in-law also spilled the beans on the first paternity scam she pulled off by revealing that she'd been the one who put her best friend in touch with her cousin who used to work at the hospital back then and her friend's husband never would have found out either if he hadn't gotten another paternity test done independently from a different. Hospital. So whatever people have been saying about her was true. I can't believe that in spite of knowing the consequences of cheating

and lying, she still went through and put my brother through the same thing. It's unbelievable and disgusting, to say the least, and now, I'm really glad that I pressured my brother into getting a paternity test done or else he might not have been able to find out about any of this. She didn't have a job when she married my brother and after she got married, she decided that she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom so it had been my brother who'd been supporting her every step of the way. So it wasn't the fact that she was finally sure of him that made her stay with him and pick her marriage over affairs but the fact that she literally didn't have anyone else to go to once she got pregnant. My brother thinks that that's the real reason he stayed and I agree with

him. If she could cheat on him one year into their marriage, then she didn't really love him and the only thing that made her stay with my brother was the fact that he was willing to look past her history, trust her implicitly, and provide for her without questioning her. She only cared about herself and while my brother is still struggling to come to terms with that, I'm not. I'd always known that my sister-in-law wasn't the most trustworthy person but had kept it all to myself since I didn't want to stir up any unnecessary trouble in my brother's life and he seemed to be really in love with her. And the fact that they were pregnant within a year of their marriage. I couldn't say anything that could potentially mess up their marriage when they were

about to have a child together and once my nephew was born. There was no way I was going to talk crap about my sister-in-law because that would inevitably end up with me and my brother never speaking again. So I stayed silent but the truth was bound to come out someday. I just regret that I wasn't the one to stop this from happening. My brother has filed for divorce and full custody of his son. His wife is devastated and insists that she really does love him now, but there's no taking back what she did. I, for one, am happy that he's made the decision to leave even if it is after so many years.

The only thing I feel a little bad about is that she's a cancer patient and this is coming at a really bad time for her but my brother deserves better and I'll stand by that. Update 2. I just found out from my brother that the friend that she cheated on him with and his son's real father had still been actively involved in their lives up until recently. He'd come over for a few drinks in the evening today and was venting to me when he told me about this spectacular bit of information. This man had been an old friend of his wife's and he'd had feelings for her since forever but then my sister-in-law had chosen to marry my brother because she felt that this friend of hers wasn't stable financially, which just meant that he was well off enough for her. her. She'd told him about this friend of hers long back when they started dating initially but he'd never suspected a thing because that's how much he trusted her. When she told him the truth, she claimed that they'd been together only once after their marriage just because they were drunk and emotional but he didn't know if anything she said was true anymore. My brother said

that he'd been an idiot to trust her in the first place and regret spending so many years of his life fighting against anyone who said a word against her because eventually. It all turned out to be true and she was nothing more than someone who was after whatever little money he had and he was the only guy foolish enough to trust her despite her reputation. I felt like crap about myself after he left because if I just pushed him a little harder and forced him not to marry this woman then maybe he wouldn't be in this awful situation at all but here we are. It's disgusting that she even remained in touch with the man she cheated on her husband with. Listening to him talk about how his wife would often invite this guy and his wife over for dinner and they'd all sit

and chat like old friends while he raised this other man's son was sickening. And I just had to listen to him, but this was his reality. I really can't imagine what my brother must be going through right now, and I just keep thinking about how different things would have been if I tried to force him to see her reality before he got married to her. It sucks that he's having to go through all of this just because he chose to love someone who didn't deserve any of it. I don't even know Waddle become of his relationship with his son now

because this is all bound to take a toll on him mentally. He's been living at home with his son and his wife has moved in with her parents, but she keeps visiting every day to ask for forgiveness and convince him not to leave her. It must be crazy difficult for him to say no to a literal cancer patient after so many years of togetherness. I know he still loves her despite what she did to him and all the lies she told him throughout their marriage and her pregnancy, and I could hear it in the way he was reminiscing today about the good times he'd had with his wife. I wish I could do something to help my brother, but I can't, my hands are tied. The most I can do for him is to offer to babysit my nephew because he's taking up more work and responsibilities in his workplace so that he earns more than whatever he's making now and can give his son the life he deserves.

I don't think he'll get full custody of his son, given the circumstances. I bet the court will want to let their kids spend as much time as he can with his mother if something unfortunate happens to her. It's unlikely that she'll be able to fight the cancer longer than she already has, and as far as I know, her condition has been steadily worsening for the past few months. To be honest, at this point, I don't even know what to feel about anyone involved in this situation, including myself. I tried my best to warn my brother back when he was dating my still, but he didn't listen so it's not like I'm in the wrong here either, but I also can't just shake off the guilt. All I can say for sure is that every single adult involved here has failed my nephew and made a complete mess of things, including me. I just hope we're all able to come out of this as better people now. Update 3. It's been a week and a half since my brother last visited and he's been really caught up with work.

He dropped by today and requested me to watch my nephew for a couple of hours as he had to go visit his lawyer urgently and I agreed because this was the least that I could do for him when he was in such a state. Once he came back, he told me that his wife had told her friend about who was the real father of her son and he's willing to fight for custody as well if my brother doesn't agree to his wife's terms. He told me that she's still willing to patch things up with him and even tried to play the cancer card by saying that she wouldn't even be around for much longer probably so he should just let her spend the last few months of her life peacefully instead of being so selfish and disrupting it all with legal complications. She doesn't even understand that the custody battle isn't a way to get back at her but is just to ensure that even if she does pass away, her so-called friend isn't able to just swoop in and take his child away from him just because he's his biological father. Only a truly selfish human being would imagine that this is all about them. The only thing that my brother is doing to get back at her as she says is the divorce and that's just because he respects himself too much to spend any more time with someone who has done nothing but use him for these past couple of years. years. They had a really bad argument about the same a couple of days ago when she dropped by to see her son and talked to him yet again so that she could persuade him to stop the legal

proceedings. When he told her that he wasn't going to change his mind, she got mad and said those things and the situation just got worse. He believes that she got her friend involved just to retaliate and I agree with her. I don't even know what her friend's wife is going to say about all of this. They've only been married for four months according to what my brother told me and this is some insane crap that they're getting into. I'm grateful that my nephew himself is blissfully unaware of any of this and even today, he seemed as happy as ever. I hope that he stays this way forever because the poor kid really shouldn't have to deal with so much from such a young age.

Update 4. Hi, everyone. My sister-in-law visited me today to see my brother. He'd been here to drop the baby off for a while and he'd been avoiding her for a few days so she turned up at my house because she knew he was likely to come here. I tried to tell her to go away but she looked so sickly and weak that I was having a really hard time turning someone like that away. So my brother took over for me and instead of turning her away, he invited her into the house and told her to make it quick because he also had to leave for work soon. I was in the room with them and the entire conversation happened right in front of me which made me feel like I was intruding on something really personal.

My sister-in-law was pleading with my brother to let her have joint custody and she'd somehow managed to get rid of her friend since she didn't even want to involve him in the first place but her emotions got the better of her and she ended up telling him the truth, which is why he got involved. She said that she'd made her peace with the divorce and wasn't even going to contest it, but she desperately needed to see her baby because her cancer was just getting worse and it had already progressed to stage three, according to what her doctors told her this week so she needed to spend as much time as she could with her son. I thought my brother was going to say

no by how distraught he looked, but instead, he told her that the most he could do for her at this point was that he could let her have supervised visits. He told her very calmly that she'd lied to him for months and that he couldn't just accept it and move on just because she was sick. He was also suffering and just because his pain and scars didn't show, didn't make it any easier for him. He told her that he'd fought against everyone who called her a gold digger and a a scammer, but eventually, that's what the truth was since she cheated on him in spite of how hard he'd been defending her. So now, for his own sake and the sake of his son, he wanted to let her go and start afresh. My sister-in-law didn't seem too happy about what was being said,

but my brother was quite firm that she could either agree to supervised visits once a week or she could go to court against him. After some silence, she said that she'd pick supervised visits which is what the court would have ordered anyway so now they only need to legally agree to that arrangement. The divorce is still going to happen, though. I don't know what the future has in store for my brother and my nephew, but I pray that it's only good things. Now on to the next story. Story 2. Notice my wife coming home half-dressed, so I checked the security footage. What I discovered ended our marriage. I, 27M, was married to my my ex-wife, 24F, for almost two years before I found out she wasn't as faithful as she claimed.

My wife and I met at the beach on a summer afternoon, and we had a fantastic time together. She had come with a group of male and female college friends. They were all law students, but they decided to take a little break from school. I was also with a few friends, so some of us interacted with my wife and her friends, and we got along well. While other people's conversations ended the day after we left the beach to our different destinations, my wife and I exchanged numbers and kept talking occasionally. Shortly after we met, we started dating and married two years later. Before my wife and I married, our relationship was not smooth. My wife came from a well-to-do background, and her parents gave us a very tough time. They were against my wife

dating someone like me, and they told her she would be making a grave mistake if she ended up with me. They said so because I worked 12 hours a day, had two different jobs, and couldn't get a good paying job, no matter how hard I tried. Her parents were a pain in the ass, but because we loved each other, we vowed to get married, with or without her parents' approval. After months of her parents trying to separate us, they stopped and accepted our relationship. With her parents out of our way, I expected we would not have any other issues, but I had no idea more was coming. Two months before we married, my wife cheated on me with one of her

classmates and confessed to me. She said it happened by mistake, and the guilt had been eating her up. Meanwhile, I had noticed during the time she claimed it happened that she was always looking sad and somehow depressed, and each time I questioned her to find out what was bothering her, she would say she was okay. When she confessed that she had cheated on me with her classmate and couldn't explain how it happened, I forgave her. Now that I share my story, I regret making such a mistake and wish I was smarter. I believed she wouldn't do it again because I felt if she came clean by herself and didn't wait for me to find out, then she was genuinely sorry.

This was very hard on me, but because I was young, stupid, and in love, I forgave her, and she promised it would never happen again. We continued with our wedding and were married for almost two years. Though we never discussed or escapade with her classmate again, it never left my head. I remembered her confession every day, but I never mentioned it or talked about it. I tried my best to let it remain in the past because she had moved on, and she was trying her best to be my perfect wife. She was extremely nice to me, hampered me, and treated me like the only man in the world.

I don't know if it was her way of saying sorry for what she had done, but irrespective of everything she did, each time I looked at her, I wondered if she was still sleeping with him behind me. It got to the point where I began to feel bad because I thought I was still holding on to the past, and I wasn't enjoying our marriage like I should have. It took me a whole year after we married to forcefully put everything behind me and go with the flow. I knew I had not cared for her like I had initially planned from the beginning of our relationship. So, I started making little effort, like making breakfast in bed for her and fixing dinner for us before she returned from work. My ultimate plan was to do something very

special for us on our second anniversary, and I looked forward to it. Eventually, the day of our second anniversary reached, and I made all the preparations to sweep her off her feet and at least make up for the times I didn't treat her right. I even got a costly gift, the dress she would wear, and accessories to go with it. I went home early that day from work and waited hours for her to return. When she didn't return home like I expected, I called her to ask why, and she said one of her professors fixed an imprompt to class, and she couldn't miss it because attending the class came with a score. I felt disappointed when I heard that, but didn't try to argue. I expected that since it was our wedding anniversary, she wouldn't want to miss a special occasion like that.

I can't explain why, but that feeling of her doing something behind me crept up again, and I couldn't shake it off this time. To be at peace with myself, I decided to check her Snapchat location, and it was different from the location she schooled at. I didn't believe it at first, but after checking thrice, I realized my wife had been lying to me again. I went to the location without wasting time, and it rang a bell. It was the same apartment her classmate, whom she slept with before we married, lived in.

I'd lie if I said I could explain how we felt that evening. Being heartbroken or disappointed would not describe it enough. I wanted to storm into the apartment and attack her, but I had a better idea. I called her proud parents to come over to the apartment so we could surprise her for our anniversary. I knew they would come because they would do anything for their only child. Not long after I called, her parents arrived, and we went to the apartment to say, surprise. As soon as we knocked on the door, and her lover came to open, Her parents saw her walking totally naked inside the house.

Her father yelled her name, and her mother pushed her app aside and charged in. I'd love to say that everything was disastrous that evening. She didn't know if she was begging me or her parents. I watched her as mother screamed and questioned her, and her father stood there in shock after she covered herself with the sheets. I didn't say much. I only told her it was over between us and that her cheating on me again was my fault. She didn't understand, and I didn't bother explaining.

I don't know what happened between her and her parents after I left. She came home later that week and asked if we could talk. When I said no, she picked the things she needed and left the house. She didn't even press for me to let her explain. I didn't know what to think or assume when she acted that way. Before she came home to take her stuff, I already contacted a divorce lawyer, and when the papers were ready, she signed them without hesitation. Until today, I still wonder if she ever loved me like she claimed or was only enjoying

the tussle of power with her parents. The last time I tried stalking her on Facebook, she posted a picture of her and her app with a mushy caption. I was so angry, and I blocked her instantly. Because of that picture, I quit sulking and wondered if she loved me. I saw how happy she was, and I felt stupid for still living in the past and putting my life on hold. I am fine now and have moved on faster than expected. I also realize that we have power over our emotions and feeling miserable because of a cheating

spouse should never be an option. I no longer care about her, all I care about now is me and my future. I hope you enjoy this story. My partner insisted on splitting all expenses evenly, even though he earned twice as much as me, and closely monitored my spending when he eventually agreed to contribute more. When he asked me to marry him, he me a pre-nup that left me with nothing and called me a GLD digger when I refused to sign. I, 26F, have been with my boyfriend Elijah, 29M, for three years. We moved and together eight months ago into a really nice apartment. Here's where the issue started. Elijah Works makes around $140,000 annually. I make $70,000. When we were apartment hunting, Elijah kept pushing for places that were at the top of my budget

but well within his comfort zone. I expressed concerns about affordability, but he said we'd split everything 50 to 50 and it would be fine. I trusted him and went along with it. Our monthly expenses break down like this, rent, $3,200, I pay $1,600, utilities, around $200, I pay $100, groceries, around $600, I pay $300, internet slash streaming, $150, I pay $75. So I'm paying $2,075 monthly just for basic living expenses, which is about 35% of my take-home pay. I also send a bit of money back home for my parents to take care of themselves and other than that I also pay for my student loans. Elijah pays the same amount, but it's only about 18% of his take home. This leaves me with very little discretionary income while Elijah has plenty left over for savings, hobbies, vacations and eating out.

The problem came to a head last month when Elijah suggested we book a weekend trip to Napa Valley. The total cost would be around $1,500 split between us. I had to tell him I couldn't afford it because I'm already stretched thin with our current expenses. He seemed genuinely surprised and said I should just budget better. This led to a larger conversation where I explained that while our arrangement is technically equal, it's not equitable given our income difference. I suggested we split expenses proportionally to our incomes instead, so I'd pay about 33% and he'd pay 67%. This would free up about $700 monthly for me, which isn't huge but would make a real difference in my quality of life.

Elijah's response was pretty firm. He said he's worked hard to get where he is and shouldn't be penal. for earning more. He thinks 50 to 50 is the most fair arrangement and that asking him to pay more is essentially asking him to subsidize my lifestyle choices, meaning my work. He said if I wanted to afford our lifestyle, I should consider switching to a higher paying field. I tried explaining that I'm not asking him to subsidize luxury items. I'm asking for help with basic living expenses so I can occasionally do things like go out to dinner or buy new clothes when needed. I also pointed out that he was the one who pushed for this expensive apartment.

He said he's not stopping me from enjoying life, but that financial independence is important to him and he doesn't want to set a precedent of being my financial provider. He suggested I could always move somewhere cheaper if our current place is too expensive for me. Now I'm wondering if I'm being unreasonable. We're not married, so maybe I don't have a right to expect him to pay more

just because he makes more. But the current situation feels unsustainable for me, and I'm starting to resent that he can easily afford our lifestyle while I'm constantly stressed about money. We haven't talked much about it since our argument three days ago, and things have been pretty tense. I'm considering looking for a cheaper place on my own, but I'd really rather work this out because I do love him and see a future with us. So Reddit, I'd offer asking my boyfriend to contribute more to our shared expenses based on income, or should I accept that 50 to 50 is fair regardless of our earnings difference?

Comment 1. NTA. This is a huge red flag. He pushed for an expensive apartment knowing your income, then acts surprised when you can't afford extras? A true partner would want to ensure you're both comfortable, not just technically equal. The fact that he called your career a lifestyle choice

is especially concerning. Ops reply, the lifestyle choice comment really stung because I'm genuinely passionate about my work and feel like I'm making a difference. It's not like I'm just working part-time for fun. I have a master's degree and work full-time with overtime. I guess I'm starting to see that this might be about more than just money. Comment two. Did he know your salary when you were apartment hunting? And has he ever offered to cover anything when you've had to decline activities due to cost? Ops reply, yes, he knew my exact salary. We had discussed our finances pretty openly early in the

relationship. And no, he's never offered to cover me when I can't afford something. Usually he just does the activity without me or suggests I find the money somehow. Last month he went to a concert with his friends that I couldn't afford, and when I felt a bit left out, he said I could have prioritized differently to afford the ticket. Comment 3. NTA but I think you have bigger problems than finances. His attitude suggests he sees your relationship as a business partnership rather than a romantic one. The fact that he'd rather you move out than adjust the split is telling. Ops reply, in the end if I move out it's going to cost him more or he will have to get a new roommate. I'd give out the business partnership part because other than this we had no problems

before. Comment four. Have you considered what would happen if you moved and together permanently or got married? Would he expect S.O.M. Wife to pay 50% of expenses? What about if you had kids and couldn't work full-time. His attitude suggests he hasn't thought through the practical realities of a long-term partnership. Ops reply, this is something that's been worrying me too. We've talked about marriage and kids in general terms, but never the financial things. When I brought up the hypothetical of me staying home with future kids, he said we'd figure it out when the time comes but maintain that right now, we're both working full-time so 50 to 50 makes sense. Update, so I posted here about four months ago asking if I was T.A. for wanting my boyfriend to contribute more to

household expenses based on our income difference. The overwhelming response was NTA, and many of you pointed out some red flags in his behavior that I hadn't fully recognized. After reading through all your comments and doing some thinking, I decided to have another conversation with Elijah about our finances. I showed him some of the proportional payment calculators people had suggested and explained how the current arrangement was affecting my mental health and our relationship. To my surprise, he actually agreed to try the proportional split. He said he'd been thinking about what I said and realized he didn't want me to be stressed about money all the time. I was really hopeful that we'd turned a corner.

For the past four months, we've been splitting expenses roughly 65 to 35 based on our incomes. The extra $650 per month has honestly been life-changing for me. I'd been able to start a small emergency fund, by groceries without checking my account balance first, and actually participate in activities with Elijah and our friends. But here's where things have gotten weird and honestly worse than before. Elijah has become incredibly focused on tracking where his extra money goes. He initially asked me to show him my budget so he could see how the additional money was being used. I thought this was reasonable since he was contributing more, so I showed him my monthly expenses.

That's when the comments started. He began questioning purchases he deemed unnecessary. Some examples, I bought a $12 lipstick. And he said that was excessive since I already have lipstick. I get coffee twice a week on my way to work, $6 each time. And he calculated that $6.24 annually that could go to savings. I bought a $45 dress for a work event. And he said I should have shopped at Target instead. I spent $30 on a birthday gift for my sister, and he suggested I should make something instead. The thing is, none of these purchases prevented me from meeting my financial obligations. I'm still contributing my 35% to all shared expenses on time. I'm building my emergency fund, and I'm not going into debt.

But according to Elijah, since he's subsidizing my lifestyle, he should have input on how I spend my extra money. It's gotten to the point where he'll check our grocery receipts and question why I bought name brand items instead of generic, or why I bought ingredients for cookies when we don't need dessert. He started commenting on every package that arrives, asking what I ordered and how much it cost. Last week, I spent $25 on a streaming service for true crime documentaries, something I really enjoy and helps me relax after work. Elijah saw the charge and said it was wasteful since we already have Netflix and Hulu. He suggested I cancel it and just find something to watch on the services we already have. When I told him I felt like he was micromanaging my spending, he said he's just trying to help me be more financially responsible since he's contributing more to our household.

He said if I want complete financial autonomy, we should go back to 50 to 50. The funny thing is that Elijah regularly spends money on things I'd consider unnecessary, $200 gaming headphones, $80 dinners with coworkers, a $300 smart. watch upgrade when his old one worked fine. When I pointed this out, he said it's different because it's his money and he can afford these things without impacting his financial goals. Elijah even suggested I switched to a different grocery store because it's more budget-friendly, even though the store he suggested is 20 minutes further from our apartment and would cost me time and gas money. When I said the convenience of our current store is worth the slightly higher prices,

he said, I'm not taking our financial partnership seriously. I feel like I'm in a no-win situation. The 50-to-50 split was financially stressful and limited my quality of life. But this new arrangement comes with a level of control and judgment that's making me feel like a child asking for an allowance. I'm starting to think this isn't really about money at all, but about control. The person who suggested that in my original post might have been right. I'm not sure what to do here.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? Any advice would be appreciated. I'm feeling pretty lost right now. Comment 1. This is financial abuse. He's using money as a tool to control your behavior. The proportional split was never about fairness for him. It was about gaining leverage over you. Please consider whether this is the kind of relationship you want long-term.

Ops reply, I hadn't thought of it as financial abuse, but you might be right. The control aspect is what's really bothering me. He never monitored my spending when I was paying 50%, even when I was struggling. Now that he's paying more, suddenly every purchase needs his approval. It feels manipulative. Comment two, my ex-husband did this exact thing. Started with helping with finances, then became controlling every penny. It escalated to him hiding money and making me ask permission for basic necessities.

Please protect yourself. Comment three, does he track and justify his own spending to the same degree he expects from you? Also, have you considered opening a separate account that he doesn't have access to? Ops reply, no, he doesn't track his own spending at all. He has a general budget but doesn't scrutinize every purchase like he does mine. And I do have my own checking account. We never combine finances completely. But he still monitors my spending through cost.

comments and questions about everything that arrives or every charge he notices when we're together. Update 2, it's been a wild a year since my last update, and I honestly don't know where to begin. For those who missed my previous posts, my boyfriend Elijah and I had issues with financial arrangements that escalated into him micromanaging my spending after agreeing to pay proportionally based on our income difference. Things had actually gotten a bit better after my last post. I had a direct conversation with Elijah about his monitoring of my purchases, showing him some of the comments you all left. He seemed to understand that his behavior was crossing boundaries and backed off significantly. We established some ground rules about our finances,

and I thought we were moving in a positive direction. Fast forward to two months ago. Elijah proposed. It wasn't a complete surprise. We'd been talking about marriage more seriously over the past year, and I knew he'd been looking at rings. The proposal itself was lovely, he planned a weekend trip to the mountains, and I genuinely felt happy and loved in that moment. But then came the conversation about the pre-nup. Elijah said he wanted to get the business side sorted out quickly so we could focus on planning the wedding. He presented me with a document that his lawyer had drafted. I'm not exaggerating when I say my jaw dropped reading through it. The pre-up basically stated that, all assets acquired before marriage remained separate, this part seemed reasonable,

all assets acquired during marriage would be considered separate property belonging to whoever earned the money to purchase them. In case of divorce, I would have no claim to any property, including our home. Even if I contributed to household expenses or child care, I would not be entitled to any spousal support regardless of the length of marriage or circumstances of divorce. Any debt incurred by either party during marriage would be the sole responsibility. of that person. The document also included provisions about me potentially becoming a stay-at-home mother. Elijah said he'd been thinking about our future and really wanted me to focus on raising our children rather than working. The pre-nups stated that if I chose to stay home with kids,

would receive a monthly allowance for personal expenses, but this would not create any claim to marital property. I was honestly stunned. I asked Elijah to explain the reasoning behind such an extreme pre-nup, especially given his expectation that I'd stop working to raise our children. His response was that he wanted to protect what he'd worked hard for and ensure that if things didn't work out, we could separate cleanly without complex property division. When I pointed out that staying home to raise children would put me at enormous financial risk if we divorced, he said that was why we needed to make sure we didn't get divorced. He said the pre-nup would actually strengthen our marriage because we'd be together for the right

reasons rather than financial security. I asked what would happen if I became disabled and couldn't work, or if he lost his job and I needed to support the family. He said those were unlikely scenarios and we'd figure it out if they happened. The more I read through the document, the more I realized it essentially treated me like an employee rather than a spouse. I would contribute labor, child care, household management, and receive compensation, the monthly allowance, but would never build any equity or security in our partnership. I told Elijah I needed time to think and wanted to have a lawyer review the document. He seemed annoyed by this and said pre-nups were standard and that I was overthinking things.

He suggested we just sign it so we could move forward with wedding planning. When I continued to express concerns, Elijah became defensive. He said he was offering me a comfortable life where I wouldn't have to work, and that I was being ungrateful for questioning the arrangements. He pointed out that many women would love to be stay-at-home mother. and that I was making problems where none existed. I ignored him and consulted with a family law attorney, and she was honestly horrified by the document.

She said it was one of the most one-sided prenups she'd ever seen and strongly advised against signing it. She explained that prenups are supposed to be fair and reasonable, not strip one party of all financial protection. I went back to Elijah and explained what the lawyer had told me. I suggested we work together to create a more balanced agreement that would protect both of us while ensuring I wouldn't be left destitute if something happened to our marriage. Elijah's response was not what I hoped for. He said he wasn't interested in negotiating and that the

pre-nup was fair as written. He accused me of being money-focused and said he was disappointed that I couldn't trust him to take care of me. When I explained that love and legal protection weren't mutually exclusive, he said I was thinking like a divorce lawyer instead of a fiancé. The conversation escalated when I pointed out the irony of him calling me money focus given our entire relationship history with financial issues. I reminded him of how he'd monitored my spending and questioned my purchases, and how he'd prioritized his financial comfort over mine for years. Elijah said he thought we'd moved past those issues and that bringing them up now proved I was holding grudges instead of moving forward. He said the pre-nup was actually a solution to our financial conflicts because

it would establish clear boundaries from the beginning. When I asked what would happen if I simply refused to sign, Elijah said he'd need to reconsider the engagement because marriage without a pre-nup wasn't something he was willing to do. He said he loved me but wasn't going to put his financial future at risk, even for love. We've been in limbo for the past month. Elijah has been staying at his friend's apartment while he thinks about whether we want the same things. He's made it clear that marriage with the pre-nup is written as his only acceptable option, while I've maintained that I won't sign something that leaves me completely vulnerable. The ring is sitting in my jewelry box, and I honestly don't know if I'll ever wear it again.

I keep thinking about the person who commented on my first post about what would happen if I became a stay-at-home mom. Turns out they were exactly right to be concerned. I feel like I'm seeing Elijah clearly for the first time, and I don't like what I'm seeing. The financial control, the dismissal of my concerns, the expectation that I trust him completely while he refuses to offer any legal protections. It all feels like a pattern I should have recognized sooner. Has anyone else dealt with a situation like this? Is there any middle ground here, or should I accept that we want fundamentally different things from marriage? I love Elijah, but I'm starting to think love isn't enough if we can't agree on basic principles of partnership and mutual respect.

Comment one, do not sign the pre-nup. What he's proposing isn't a marriage, it's indentured servitude. He wants you to give up your career. and financial independence while keeping all the power for himself. This man does not see you as an equal partner. Ops reply, that's exactly what it felt like reading it, like I'd be an employee rather than a wife. I'm realizing that our financial issues were never really resolved,

just temporarily masked. Comment two, I was a psalm for 12 years before my divorce. Even with a fair pre-up and spousal support, rebuilding my career and financial independence was incredibly difficult. What he's proposing would leave you in an impossible situation if anything went wrong. Please don't sacrifice your future security. Ops reply, this is what terrifies me. I'd be giving up years of career development and earning potential with zero protection if things went wrong.

The attorney I consulted said that in my state, I might not even be eligible for spousal support with this pre-nup, since I'd be voluntarily choosing not to work. Comment three, look at the pattern. 50 to 50 split despite income inequality, then monitoring your spending when he paid more, then pre-nup that gives you no protection while expecting you to give up your career. This man has shown you who he is repeatedly. When someone shows you who they are, believe them and leave them. Don't be a stupid doormat.

Final update, this will be my final update on this situation, and honestly, I'm writing it from my new apartment feeling sad. When I left you all last, Elijah and I were taking you. a break while he decided whether he wanted to marry someone who wouldn't sign his extremely one-sided pre-up. I had been hoping that some time apart might help him understand my concerns and we could work toward a compromise. I was wrong. Three weeks ago, Elijah texted me asking to meet for dinner. I thought this might be the conversation where we could finally work through our issues like mature adults. Instead, it turned into the most eye-opening evening of our entire relationship. Elijah started by saying he'd been doing a lot of thinking and talking to friends

and family about our situation. He said multiple people had warned him about women who change after engagement and start making financial demands. He'd apparently decided that my refusal to sign the pre-nup was evidence that I was more interested in his money than in building a life together. I tried to explain, again, that I wasn't asking for his money. I was asking for basic protections that would prevent me from being financially devastated if our marriage ended. Especially if I gave up my career to raise our children as he wanted. I pointed out that a fair pre-nup could protect his premarital assets while still ensuring I wouldn't be left with nothing after potentially years of unpaid domestic labor.

That's when Elijah said something that made everything crystal clear. If you're so worried about being financially devastated by divorce, maybe you're already planning for our marriage to fail. He said that a woman who truly loved him would trust him to take care of her and wouldn't need legal guarantees. He said the fact that I wanted protections showed that I didn't really believe in our relationship and was essentially planning an exit strategy. I asked him why, if he truly believed our marriage would last forever, he needed a pre-nup at all. If he was so confident we'd never divorce, why not just skip the pre-nup entirely? His response was telling, he said men always need to protect themselves

because you never really know what someone's true intentions are. The double standard was staggering. He needed legal protection because you never know, but I was supposed to trust completely and need no protection at all. The conversation got worse from there. Elijah said he'd revised the pre-nup to be even more clear about expectations. The new version included, a specific monthly allowance amount, $2,000, for my personal expenses if I stayed home,

a clause stating that if I chose to work part-time or full-time after having children, would still not be entitled to any marital property. A morality clause that would void any financial support if I was unfaithful or abandon the marriage when I read through this revised document. I realized that Elijah fundamentally viewed marriage as a business transaction where he would be the owner and I would be a contractor with very limited rights. I told Elijah that I couldn't sign this document and suggested we postpone the engagement until we could work with both of our attorneys to create something more balanced. I said that if he truly loved me and wanted a partnership, he should want me to feel

secure and protected, not vulnerable and dependent. Elijah's response was the final straw. He said he was disappointed that I had turned out to be just like every other woman who was trying to get her hands on a man's money, he said he thought I was different because I had my own career and seemed independent, but that my true colors were showing now that marriage was on the table. He called me a gold digger and said that asking for any financial protections in marriage proved I was just after his money, he said real love meant trusting completely and that I was showing I never really loved him by wanting legal safeguards. I was honestly speechless. This is the same man who had insisted on protecting his own financial interests with an ironclad pre-nup, but somehow my desire for basic

security made me a gold digger. I took off the engagement ring and told Elijah that we clearly wanted different things from marriage. I said that if he couldn't understand why I needed financial protection, especially if I was going to give up my career for our family, then we weren't compatible for the long term. Elijah seemed shocked that I was ending things. He said I was throwing away a good relationship over money and that I'd regret this decision when I was older and still single. He said he had offered me a comfortable life and that I was being foolish and greedy to turn it down. I moved out of our shared apartment two weeks ago. Elijah kept the place, his name was on the lease, and I found a cute one-bedroom closer to my work.

It's smaller and more expensive relative to my income, but it's mine, and I make all the decisions about how I spend my money. The relief I feel is overwhelming. I didn't realize how much stress I was carrying about our financial dynamics until it was gone. I can buy coffee without justifying it, I can choose my own grocery. store, and I can make plans for my future without worrying about someone else controlling my access to resources. Thank you to everyone who commented on my previous posts. Your perspectives helped me see patterns I was too close to recognize on my own. I truly think I dodged a bullet, and I'm grateful I figured it out before legally tying myself to someone who saw me as a financial

liability rather than a life partner. Edit, a lot of people are asking about the apartment situation. Elijah and I were both on the lease, but he's taking over the full rent and getting my name removed. I forfeited my security deposit, but honestly, it's worth it for a clean break. My new place is about $200 more per month than my share of the old rent, but I'm managing fine and actually enjoying having my own space. Edit 2. Some people are asking if I tried couples counseling. We briefly discussed it during our break, but Elijah said the only thing we needed to work on was my trust issues and unrealistic expectations. He didn't think there was anything wrong with his approach to finances or the pre-nup.

You can't fix a relationship when one person doesn't think there's a problem. I hope you enjoy this story. Had a genetic examination and learned that my grandfather is indeed my biological parent. My mother has concealed this unbelievable truth for more than three decades. Discovered this revelation over the past weekend. My mom is not a normal mother and is a narcissist or maybe a full-blown sociopath. For you to understand the full ramifications of what she has told me, I will go into my backstory. My mom, me and grandparents all lived together until I was six.

My granddad, is my mom's stepdad. However, he was always family to me and I never considered him as a step-grandparent. When my mom was 30, she had me. My dad was never in the picture, I was told he was a married man who my mom was seeing. One day he turned around and said he didn't want to see her anymore and wanted to try and make the relationship with his wife work for the sake of his kids. He vanished and mom never saw him again and soon after mom found out she was pregnant. She decided that she wouldn't tell her parents the guy's name, and wouldn't tell him unless he called her as it wasn't her place to destroy a family, and refused to put a name on the birth certificate. My grandparents helped her through the pregnancy.

When I was five, my mom met Chris, my stepdad, and we moved into a separate house. Chris has his quirks. He was nice, but didn't want to be a dad yet my mom changed all her parenting ideals to match his strictness. An odd choice to do for someone who doesn't want kids. Okay, on to the issue at hand. With the birth of my son, I started to wonder who my dad is, More so I could be aware of any possible medical conditions than having a relationship with him. I asked my mom last year and got the same answer as usual.

Married man, no pictures or number this time I so started looking into him. No record of his name in the school mom said she met him. The age didn't line up with how long people are at school for, so she got me an ancestry kit. Imagine my surprise when a member of my grandfather's family popped up on there. So last weekend I confronted my mom who needed a few days to remember and this weekend, I got the results of this. And my grandfather is my father. The story my mom gave was so crazy, I can't accept it.

But we'll type it here she was deeply depressed as she didn't have children, was abused by her granddad, her actual dad abandoned her and all relationships were not healthy, her type was married men. So her stepdad, my granddad slash dad, was the first nice person in her life and they became so close friends that people would joke they were having an affair but it was never like that one drunken night out she opened up to my granddad about why she was depressed she wanted a baby and asked him to help her with this and gave him a pot. He left a deposit went downstairs and immediately realized this was insane, so asked her to destroy the sample. She said she would but didn't, and used it anyway, claiming they never had sex ever. Then a week later the married man she was seeing, the same one we can find no record of, had a condom split so she presumed it was him and my granddad slash dad never suspected a thing.

Now, the DNA lines up that my granddad is my dad. But I don't know what to do with the information or where my head is at. And I would really appreciate any advice on what you think my next steps should be. A few of my scattered thoughts. 1. My mom must be an utter sociopath. Not only does she do that with her stepdad, in her early years she actively convinced my grandparents to move in with her while raising his child and lying, if not having an affair, and if the story is true, she must have had a suspicion I could have been his and just lied.

2. How could a person with feelings and emotions do that to their own mother? Follow by letting this lady look after her slash her a fair child while she goes through cancer. My nan goes over monthly to check on her. If anyone can lie to her entire family like this and rub their faces in it like this, I can't see her as someone with feelings and I don't trust her at all, even her husband doesn't know about this. Heck while she met up with me to tell me this, she told her husband she was going to see my son. Her lies never end. 3.

While I never realized how crazy my mom is, I knew she was a little nutty. My granddad, however, is a different matter. He has always been there. My Rock when I was younger and dealing with thinking my mom would die before I hit 16. He is always so loving to his wife that the person I thought he was just wouldn't do this. But Mom's story is so disgusting and crazy. Why would she lie? But as he is so sensible why wasn't the advice go to a sperm,

donor or bar crawl, dress up, buy a guy a few drinks and don't use protection. Four, finally, what do I do with this information? I can't face my family knowing the whole closed-knit dynamic is built on a lie. I'm tempted to tell everyone, but my grandma is a saint, and I can't imagine telling an 83-year-old your husband and daughter have stabbed you in the back, even though you spent your entire life looking after the woman your husband was cheating on you with and they're a fair baby. I think at this stage of her life it may kill her. She has had such a hard life and just doesn't deserve to look back and see that every second of her kindness was wasted. If I could

tell the world while protecting her, I would. But I don't think it's right my mom gets to walk away from this scot-free and I think it's only right that my granddad should be told, if he doesn't already know. Mom says he doesn't. But how can I believe all of this? If I tell him without mom, talking to him, then I have the best chance of the real story. However, I rarely see him without my grandma, and I can pretty much work the real story out and I can't help but feel this isn't my mess to clean up. My mom should tell him and if she says I told him this story I will know it's an outright L-I-E-D-S-O, my head is a mess, and my so is too involved in wanting to protect me, so I could really use some impartial advice on what you guys think I should do. I want what's best for me, my

So, my kid, and my grandma. Update 1, March 30th, 2023. Okay, it's been a few days and the shock has settled somewhat. I read everyone's replies and tried to answer them all, but it has been a busy few days. Original post is here for those who didn't see it. The three consistent pieces of advice were to get therapy, that my anger seems to be totally directed at my mom and non towards my dad slash granddad and to maybe consider that my granddad has groomed her from a young age. I want to assure everyone that all your comments were

listened to. I will correct that it wasn't that I wasn't angry at him, but the shock of that bit, hit harder. My mom and I always had a turbulent relationship, he, however, was my rock for my entire life, and this was so out of left field and unlike the man I knew, that it took me a little longer to realize that this could very well be a form of grooming. I moved the situation forward by texting my mom my feelings. To shorten a very long text, it boiled down to two main points. One, I don't believe your story, you need to tell me what happened. Was this an affair? Was it something more sinister point two? You need to tell my granddad slash dad this. My mom answer was very short. She didn't mention my feeling or ask how I was once, but told me she wouldn't speak

to me about this again. That she was not groomed and this was her idea, she isn't sorry and it's my fault I'm hurt as my investigation has forced her to tell the story apostrophe middle-dutch she will tell my granddad. The next day my granddad, called me immediately. He sounded as I felt shocked, confused, etc. My mom just said I'm not as shocked as I thought I would be. He told me his version, with two key differences. That it wasn't a deposit on the side, but mom had pre-bought a kit that allowed artificial insemination, which has just as likely a chance of working as sex itself. He was convinced by her it was a good idea,

he can't remember every argument, as it was 33 year ago, but the two that sticks out are you or the person I am closest to, and I trust you, and if I needed a kidney, you would give me that without hesitation this conversation along with a few beers meant he went along with it. However after he did it he realized what an utter mistake this was and told my mom this is a mistake, let's not do this. been it and let's not talk of it again as nothing happened.

Mom agreed, said she would have been his sample and he left for home thinking he avoided the biggest mistake of his life. Mom, of course, did not destroy it as she said and used it. In the eyes of my country's law this is sexual assault. In my last post, I mentioned my mom was molested by her granddad and abandoned quite publicly by her birth father. Something I didn't mention against my granddad, is he also had a roughest. childhood. His mother died when young and his stepmom was abusive. This has led him to forgive

any mistakes his family makes and means family comes first without exception and to a fault. Because he views my mom as his daughter, he feels the villain of the peace as the understanding of mental health wasn't there. I didn't realize how deep her depression was and I regret not telling her to see a therapist and that he failed her massively for not doing so. He is also thinking of telling his wife immediately but thinks I should have a say in that choice. He empathized with how I was feeling too, something my mom did not. I want to believe him, however, as I said earlier in this post, it's this relationship that will impact me more in losing. So spoke to my partner for outsider's opinion as she of course knows these people

traits and flaws. She agrees that this sounds plausible in an insane situation. My granddad's flaw in putting family first. My mom's manipulative and lying nature, while her story not lining up completely. There could always be the chance they had an affair or drunk in one night stand that neither will admit to. But nothing has ever made my partner or me feel there was any kind of spark or awkwardness between them to suggest this. My mom also always spin stories to make her look like a saint. The easy option would be to say this was grooming or assault as an easy out why make up this completely unbelievable lie is another option. A few people may wonder if my mom is that good at manipulation. There are many small instances but let me just say

the biggest. She once convinced my grandma and granddad to buy a house with her that none of them could afford on their own outside of their hometown. A couple of years later, she moved out. When I was younger my grandma said, you know how convincing your mom can be and it's only by piecing this together when I was older. When she has tried to convince me with some very skewered point of view or outright lies that made me realize that how she communicates isn't normal, but manipulation. So, next steps my granddad, wants all three of us to meet up either weekend and discuss if we tell the wider family. He is willing to tell his wife if that's what everyone wants, even knowing it will destroy his marriage. My mom hasn't contacted me since,

so I don't know if she will even come. If she does come to this meeting, I will be using this as an opportunity to confirm if my mom did withdraw consent when we are all there. If she does admit this, then I am inclined to believe this crazy story is true and they were both monumentally stupid and my mom has stabbed him in the back. The shock from my granddad is real, but also our relationship was real, and we were both in the dark. Meaning I can see a way of forging our relationship ahead. My mom, however, I do not trust and if she admits to this, will also be admitting to sexual assault. I don't imagine her admitting this usually, but she has admitted thus far, only with no other options due to an ancestry test. With that relationship?

I don't know. I don't trust her. But then she is clearly old lady with cancer with very deep-seated mental problems. The old relationship will always be dead, but should I set new boundaries and try and forth? a new relationship with this woman, or just cut contact due to lack of trust. This I don't know yet. I'll also be setting my boundaries or as far as the wider family goes. My granddad has stated I should get a say in whether my grandma is told. This is something I don't know the morally right thing to do.

She is 83 years old, and this will destroy her. And will she even believe this crazy story? Probably not as she was also abused by her father. So much abuse in my family has been uncovered with this. It's so sad. But then if my granddad was sexually abused, is this fair to destroy his marriage? On the flip side, is it right to lie about something this big? This is a decision I can't make for my own mental health, and ultimately it is not my mistake to clean up after.

So, I will be using this meeting to tell them they need to choose between them what the next steps are. My mom has effortlessly kept this lie from everyone in her life, so that will clearly be her choice. But my granddad, will he be able to lie to his wife with this? I don't know. I will tell them that they need to choose, and I will go along with that decision. But if they change their mind, they need to tell me so I can prepare for any fallout. Our meeting will be in a week or two, so I will leave a final update then. For now, I wanted to thank everyone who we will.

reached out and gave advice. I will be getting to a therapist soon, so I can make a better informed decision and can make a clearer choice for what's better for me so and child. Someone said I should marry my missus as she is needed to put up with the brunt of my mom's insanity for four plus years. To those I will say you are right. She is absolutely amazing, and we have been engaged for a while. But COVID, a pregnancy which led to buying a house and our first baby has put the delay to an actual wedding. But she truly is the best and been a rock throughout all of this. Update 2, May 4, 2023.

It's been a few weeks and a lot has happened, so as I got such good advice from you guys, I thought I would tell you what happened up until now, and then I won't update any further. Before I continue, I feel I should clarify a comment in my older post. The title said my mom went from normal to narcissist in an hour. She has always been a narcissist, often narcissist have a golden child and a scapegoat. I was the golden child, with no siblings to be a scapegoat. Enter my fiancé and a scapegoat was found.

In the last eight years her nature has become more and more obvious to me the meaner she treated my fiancé, and me being blind to it failed to defend my partner when I should have. Genuinely believing it was my mom's poor communication skills, which I have been aware of for many years. Anyway, on with the update. My mom, granddad, and I sat down on Good Friday. My mom collaborated my granddad's story, and she had stolen his sperm. I took on board what people said about her being abused for years, and so I decided to steer away from the act itself. It will always be in my mind that they maybe had an affair, which would mean she was groomed, as the truth they have presented is so bizarre, but it was over 30 years ago and

without it I wouldn't be here and it's what they both are saying is true. So, I turned the conversation into how we move forward. Originally, I wasn't going to comment on if we should tell anyone or not as it's their mess. But I know that my mom would argue for keeping it quiet, which she did, and not having an opinion when I know the outcome felt the same as having an opinion on it. So when they asked what I wanted to do, the deciding factor came down to a friend's advice she gave me. Will telling your grandma help you in any way and no, it wouldn't? So, I agreed to keep it quiet. My mom then accidentally told me she had lied to my stepdad her from seeing my kid,

which I thought was really not okay. I am angry with her for a justifiable reason and am trying to get our relationship to be somewhat salvaged, despite having no trust for her and she's blaming me for this. So told her she needs to tell her husband the real reason I haven't been as close. After this conversation, I had three days off work and wanted a bit of time and space to put it behind me, book some therapy, and spend time with my so-and-kid. Which never happened. That night, somebody tried to reverse a car through my neighbor's house and revenge of what the police told us was a petty squabble and the neighbors got a rifle, guns are super rare in the UK, and shot at them. Of course, the police were called by numerous people on the street and thank the

gods my child slept through it. By my so and I were nervous wrecks for a long time after, so goodbye relaxing weekend and thanks for ruining Easter. After making sure my family was safe, I picked this family drama back up and I met my mom and stepdad last weekend. This was to set clear boundaries in the relationship going forward. My trust in her is broken and honestly, I don't think she has a long enough life left to rebuild it completely due to cancer, but my relationship is separate from her and my son's relationship, who loves is Nana and has been kept separate from all of this. I feel very distant from my close-knit family these days, but I guess that's what happens when they lie to you your whole life. My mom has given me an

attempt at an apology, however weak. I have told her my feelings, which haven't been understood, and I have set new boundaries, which will probably be ignored, so I will keep my so's mother's advice to heart if you can offer a relationship to just one person. Knowing you will get nothing back, you will have led a good life then finally, as of today my so and I can announce she has been pregnant throughout all this ST storm, and due to the extra stresses, we have been super nervous that the baby was okay. But in the first scan baby was moving around, with a strong, healthy heartbeat. Thank you again everyone for the help and advice you gave me. Update 3, June 22nd, 2023. The full details are in my post-history, so I'll try and be brief here. My mom lied about my

dad's identity my whole life, and I recently found out she sexually assaulted her stepfather, who I have always seen as my granddad, is actually my father. She lied to me my whole life and has put me in the awful situation of not being able to tell anyone, as it will kill my grandma, who is a saint and has spent her whole looking after and caring for my mom and granddad dad and at 86 does not deserve this news and rip my family apart. I know I need therapy, I just have a toddler, a pregnant so, so no time or money. All of this, I could forgive. It's fucked up, but I guess without it I wouldn't be here, neither would my kid.

What has really hurt me through this is the lying to others as to why I have been a little different. She told her husband I was blocking her from seeing her grandkid, or blaming me for being upset, her lack of empathy or understanding. Everything she has said, is just showing me she does not understand why I am upset. My so has been a goddamn rock, and although she isn't a huge fan of my mother, has tried to remain impartial and polite as I have, anyway, with a brief overview of a very messed up problem. On to my question. Despite this last year, my mom and me were quite close. Not the best at communicating, but we used to chat every few days. My mom has had cancer since I was 15. She was given a year and I am now 31. It's come back and I don't

think she is long. She is now using a wheelchair. I want her to have as much time with her grandkid before she goes and both me and my partner want to be able to bury the hatchet so when she passes we can say we tried our best and we won't feel any regrets when our shock of all of everything passes. That's our plan, but when either of us see her or speak to her we just feel angry at the past wrongs, the new ones, the shock, everything. And every friend we ask who knows the full story just says they would refuse to see her or be unable to forgive her. And I get it. But I could really use some advice on how to forgive so future me doesn't feel guilty when she is dead in a few months. Anyone got any help? New update, January 25th, 2024. After getting

no advice on the last post, I figured there would never be an update to share. Throughout most of this, shock was the predominant feeling. Then about three weeks ago, all the emotions hit me like a ton of bricks and I really started to struggle. In November my partner gave birth to a beautiful baby. She is tired getting up to feed him, and I didn't have the capacity to ignore her tired shortness and not take it personally. The UK health system is slow, and counseling only started three weeks ago so did not know how to heal, or find forgiveness to anyone, despite my mom being very sick. But last Thursday, something big changed in writing my thoughts down, but after not really knowing the rules of updating on each sub, I thought I would compile the posts together

and put the update here. Last week, after seeing how much I was struggling, my soul reached out to my mom to tell her how much it was affecting. My mom's reaction was sorry he is hurting, I wish you would talk to me but want. I don't want to hurt everyone by telling the truth to which my soul replied as a mother, I'm sure you don't want to leave this world hurting your son. In not telling everyone you are leaving him the scapegoat and she needs to find a solution. To my surprise this worked and she sat down and told my name.

Nana and her sister her version of the truth. My opinion, as soon as I heard my Nana knew the truth I wrung her and sobbed. However, the truth has lifted a huge mental load for me and for the first time in nearly a year I can think without a huge cloud over everything. I think this secret was leaving me more and more depressed, and while I was outwardly fine it was taking a even bigger toll that I realized, and shock had saved me in all the last three weeks. Now the truth is out and I can function, my biggest issue was I felt like a slees ball lying, but didn't know if it was the right thing to do. I can revoke my silence, but couldn't take back the truth so chosen action until I knew what to do. But I'm not sure I ever would have figured that out. The other thoughts

were if I waited for my mom to pass away, is it fair sharing this with her sister who then has to sit with that knowledge without the opportunity to ask any questions for herself? I know I spoke in circles with friends, my partner, and did the best I could so I won't beat myself up too much. But I felt a physically weight lift from my shoulders when I knew the lie was out. I still don't believe their story, however. My mum keeps mentioning she thought my real dad was Robert from school even though I know he doesn't exist. But at the least, this doesn't affect my identity. My Nana's opinion, my Nana remains a saint. She believed them totally, as she knows how dedicated her husband is to helping his children, and knows how bad my mom's mental

health was. She loved her family and is happy for me that I found out my dad and knows he loves me. She is disappointed with her husband for not telling her when he found out a year ago. But is happy that it resulted in me as she couldn't love me more. She is sad I needed to deal with this while raising a baby, and didn't think it was fair on them to put me through it. I names my baby after her, Amazing. My aunt's opinion, my aunt reached out to wish me well and know nothing is affected in our relationship by my parents. She found out yesterday, a little later. She has lost a lot of respect for her sister and stepdad. But knows she loves her family, even if she is disappointed and her trust is shaken. She has chritized that they made me stay silent as it will kill my

nana and thinks that was cowardly and wrong of them. But knows she needs her family, and my mom and her poor health needs her. She has told her children and told them it is up to them if they believe the story or not. So that's the end of it. I have bought a few self-help books, got a therapist who is helping and just trying to rebuild after a year of hell. My mom probably only had a few months left, but then, she had until I was 17 and I'm 32 now, so we shall see. But with the truth I can at least start forging a small relationship based in truth, however I doubt it will ever be as strong as it was, just because she doesn't have time to rebuild it to that. Ultimately, what my aunt said really rang true to me. It's a shame,

because even if the story is true, nobody will ever believe it. And they will live with that stain on them, forever. Edit for clarity a few comments saying the cancer is fake. Totally understand why, however she lost five inches, her back collapsed and recently needed a catheter putting in. This part isn't faked. I hope you enjoy this story. Sibling deceived her acquaintances for many years, asserting that our guardians are intolerant and I physically descend her for being bisexual. Not proficient at elucidating matters, so please be patient with me. Guess. So about three years ago my 15F older sister, 17F, Leah's fake name, personality basically did a 180 overnight. went from being the sweet, reliable big sis to kind of snappy and closed off.

Stop doing chores would get an attitude if anyone reminded her, spent all day in her room you get the point. I was 12 at the time, so I was just like, why is she acting like that? And my brother, 21M, was moved out and busy with school and whatnot. In the beginning my parents chalked it up to teenage girl hormones, which was also technically part of the issue, but also one night she just came out of her room crying and told us she is bisexual. My parents were extremely supportive of this, so was my brother because he's gay. I wasn't educated on this kind of stuff at the time, so I didn't get until my parents explained it to me and why it was such a big deal to her and I was just like cool good for

you, sis. So anyways her behavior got better after that and she was being nice to us again. She didn't hang out with me as much, which is like what teenage girl wants to be around their little sister, L.O.L. So fast forward three years later me and my sister are really close again or at least I thought we were. One thing I've noticed saying with my parents is that her friends started acting very weird towards us. Like they wouldn't talk to us when they came over, if they did, or would occasionally make backhanded remarks or roll their eyes when we spoke. It was weird but again this was only when they came over which was rarely, so me and my parents

kind of just brushed them off like whatever they don't have to like us. I just found out why they act like this. Probably like an hour ago, Ike. I was peacefully binge watching an anime when my phone started buzzing like crazy. When I checked, I was added into a group chat on IG by her friends. In this group chat they were basically bashing me for being a horrible person. They were calling me homophobic, a spoiled brat, terrible sister, golden child, home wrecker. Kept telling me I need to apologize to my sister for abusing her so obviously I'm confused. When I expressed my confusion to them, they told me to stop acting dumb and innocent. Later, though, they realized I was being serious and genuinely did not know what they were talking about.

That's when they sent me a bunch of screenshots between them and my sister. To some things up, my sister has fed her friends a very wild story about her life and how we treat her. Our parents are extremely homophobic and are kicking her out at 18 because of her sexuality. When she came out I quickly became the favorite child I'm spoiled and get everything I want and because of this I treat her badly for fun. I hit her, steal slash break her things, verbally abuse her and call her homophobic slurs. Not only do my parents allow it, they encourage it. She's forced to do all of the chores and cooking in the house including cleaning my room. This girl does not know how to cook.

Lied about other stuff like having autism and me making fun of her for it which is crazy because I'm the one with autism. There's so much more the screenshots go back like two years so she's been telling them this shit for close to three fucking years. I asked them why it's taken them this long to confront me. They said she begged them not to confront or talk to us about it because apparently it will make things worse for her and her plan was just to go and see with us once she's 18. But they couldn't hold back this time because the most recent thing she told them was that apparently I found out ABT the guy she likes Slash is talking to and immediately found his social media and started texting him now he won't talk to her. won't talk to her. So not the abusing but this was the straw that broke the camels back for them? L. M.A.O. I debunked as much as I could, sent them picks from Pride Festivals we went to with her, sent them picks of us, we take a lot together, sent them picks of my brother with his boyfriend.

They were pissed, but I asked them not to do anything until I figure out how to deal with it because apparently my sister is the abused black sheep of the family, they agreed. The convo about me stealing the boy she likes happened a few hours ago I checked on my sister and she was peacefully sleeping so she doesn't know A, B, T, the G.C. As for me? I'm having many emotions about this shocked, hurt, angry it feels like a huge slap in the face. I don't know how to go about this I don't even know why she's doing it. For attention? Ike. Reddit what should I do? Comments where Op has replied. Queen Legolas, is it possible she found her coming out to you guys is anticlimactic and felt the need to create her own narrative or something?

Wouldn't be the first time I've read about someone doing something like this. I read another post of this woman smearing against her parents about blogging about how horribly she was treated and her parents got wind of it and exposed her. She got in trouble for that. She was an adult too. I suggest inviting all the friends and the parents and confront her together so she doesn't continuously change her narrative. It might feel like ganging up on her, but this is how you catch her in her lies. She's almost 18, she could leave soon and destroy your family's reputation. She's already doing that, but she could like, lie about all that in her college applications and other stuff. Have your parents contact her

therapist to update on what she's been up to? Oop, I honestly have no clue. I wrote in another comment that reading the MSGS from the screenshots her friends sent me I couldn't even recognize her. She sounds like another person in these texts that I thought her friends were just fabricating it. At home, she's completely normal doesn't lie, sweet as always, mature you get the idea? Can you send me a link to that post, please? Smile. Editor's note, the text was saved before it got deleted. Update 1, December 30th, 2023. First off, I want to thank everyone for advice. you all help me get my thoughts in order, so I really appreciate that. So now for the update, I talked to my parents and it went kind of how I expected?

Kind of not. Also I know this is kind of late I do apologize for that. I stayed up most of the night, a because I was reading her comments and whatnot and B couldn't sleep that much, L.O.L. Got ABT two hours in. But I went with the obvious advice y'all gave me and took screenshots of everything including the MSGS from the last night GC. My dad gets home earlier than my mom and my sister has a part-time job so I spoke to my dad first. Obviously he was furious, shocked, hurt. It was hard watching it

happened since I love my dad. He also apologized a lot as I'm the one who had to find this out and sit him down. Anyway, mom got home and my dad wanted to talk to her alone so I went in my room, this is the unexpected part. I heard my parents arguing a lot and I'll skip the details, but I later found out that mom knew ABT Leah's lies. She found out ABD five months ago and didn't tell my dad. I don't know the details, but apparently she made my sister promise not to do it anymore and just trusted that she wouldn't.

L. M.A.O. Safe to say my dad was pissed. Leah got home and things got worse, more screaming, from Leah. it was hard not to hear BC I was literally in the house, but my dad said that Leah was punching and scratching her legs threatening to kill herself, also screaming that she was going to kill me. So I was kind of scared to leave my room, literally never heard my sister scream like that before. My dad was already mad that my mom went behind his back and kept him out of something that involves his child. My mom defended herself saying that she was just protecting Leah and that she's just a kid.

But my dad is smart enough to realize that Leah is clearly not meant. and said she needed to be put in M.H. A lot of you said the same. From what I heard and what my dad told me my mom begged him not to, but dad was already pissed ABT what she did so he threatened to leave her if she didn't comply. There was more arguing but eventually they did drive her to the hospital and obviously I haven't seen her. Me and my dad are now at my grandparents, Dad sighed, and he is not currently speaking to my mom but he did tell her that if she tries to take Leah out then she is ending their marriage. I also spoke to my brother and obviously he was hurt but concerned for our sis, so there's that. My dad and I have talked a lot, good talks. He apologized

to me for everything going on but it's not his fault so there's nothing to forgive if anything I feel more bad ABT the situation but me and my dad are good. I'm not sure exactly where my parents' relationship stands right now but dad told me not to worry ABT adult stuff and to just focus on being a kid and going to school so that's what I'm going to try and do. But that's basically everything for now I will update if anything else happens. Comments Beatsy 85, you were so brave and I'm so happy you told your parents. It's wonderful that your dad has you and your sister's back.

Your mom seems scared and obviously ill-equipped to handle the gravity of your sister's symptoms. Your dad's right though, he's got this. You're safe and loved. It takes work but now that your sister's actions and symptoms are in the open. You all can start to heal. By telling your dad, you started the healing journey. That's huge and an amazing thing. For some reassurance regarding your sister.

Seven years ago my sis had several psychotic breaks. It was a combo of drugs, complex trauma, later diagnosed BPD so a different situation but it did result in her threatening to kill me, and she wanted to, as she was taken to the MH. It was scary. After her doing a shit ton of work, therapy, taking her meds, etc., she is leveled, honest and just a little weird. We have a strong and very honest relationship. Oop, I didn't mention this in either of my posts because I didn't think it was relevant but now it kind of is? An issue with my mom is that ever since Leah came out she does kind of coddle her and make excuses for her shitty behavior like example why is Leah being kind of rude today?

mom oh well i'm sorry she's just young and trying to navigate her sexuality as a young teenager and then and you get it l-o-l cobb old wait during her freak out did your sister at in point try to explain why she did that i mean i have a pretty good idea why but i want to hear what she had to say also please stick with your dad oop she didn't explain no at first dad said she was lying she said her friends were trying to get her in trouble, then she said I was trying to get her in trouble but dad wasn't having it. She tried making excuses but in the end I didn't find out the reason from her. Commentator asks about the possibility of Oop's mom hiding from the family and thinking it was a phase that the sister might get over with. Oop, I have a theory as to why. Unfortunately my mom has

always been the person to run or turn away from difficult situations. I think that in my mom's heart she knew she needed to do something A-B-T it, but at the same time my sister is her sweet angel and my mom just didn't want to face the possibility that Leah is anything other than her sweet angel so she ignored it and forgot it happened. Commentator has expressed concerns for Oop and if she is able to keep her personal things away from her sister if released. Oop, most of her lies were about me weirdly enough. It's just so crazy how she can be so loving towards me but if you read those messages you'd

think she hated me, she didn't just make up lies about how I treat her. She would bash my character any chance she got and so would her friends. Things I always thought she loved about me when she was actually making fun of it behind my back for years. I don't know if my dad is considering divorce or not. Marriage counseling for sure, how he sees it is if she kept a secret about something so huge for months involving his child, what else is she hiding? Also I will talk to my dad about erasing me from her phone, L.O.L. And people can say what they want, but I will not be giving her pass for what she did because her mental health is shit. Mental health or not, she made a choice, a choice to actively bash and destroy my character behind my back for three years.

She is my sister and I will always love and care for her and I am rooting for her to get better, but as of right now I don't have to like her, it's going to take a long time for her to earn my trust back and forgive her, if she even wants that I don't think my sister even likes me, L-O-L. I don't have to be the fire that keeps her warm. Commentator asks about Oop's sister's admission to the mental health and if the sister will get therapy. Oop, like I said before I don't know the ins and outs of therapy or mental hospitals, I wasn't there when they took her all I know is they were gone for a few hours before they came back and me and my dad went to my grandparents. I asked my dad about it and they said it honestly depends on the situation and what the person is dealing with.

When they took her, her legs were bleeding and swore. from hurting herself plus the details of what happened previously so yes, as of right, she is in 72-hour hold or whatever. It's not just the fact that she was making threats, she was literally injured from hurting herself. Dien 1-4124, it's probably a good idea to limit her internet access for a bit after she gets out, or slees to monitor it a lot. There's a chance she might start spreading lies on there, too, if she's given the chance right after coming back. Also, I know you said that your father isn't going to go for divorce yet. But please tell him to still gather evidence now of what your mom did just in case. Theoretically, if it does come to divorce, if your sister ends up in soul or majority custody of your mother, I'm willing to bet that she's going to keep enabling your sister.

And since your mom did already, your sister would probably ask to be with her. At your ages, courts usually let teens decide who to be with. Your father would have to prove why that would be bad. Just based off my experiences going through a shit ton of custody battles when I was younger between my parents. Oop. Yeah, my dad has already said that he will do everything to help my sister get better, but she's not getting a pass because of her mental issues. She still chose to do something awful and continue doing it for three years. She's not going to have the same privileges she had when she gets out, no phone or other entertainment devices for a while and no hanging with friends. outside of school, not that she has anymore.

The point is, if I didn't find out when I did something very catastrophic could have happened, like getting CPS called on them. Or worse, Dad said that Leah needs to understand that as much as good behavior gets rewarded, bad actions have bad consequences. As for my parents, I still have no idea. They did end up speaking on the phone earlier, but it was pretty short. All I know right now is that Dad doesn't trust Mom and thinks she might be hiding. other stuff and he definitely wants to get marriage counseling, and possibly family therapy for all of us.

Update 2, January 7, 24. Hey guys, it's been a minute but I have another update if y'all are still interested. Also, thanks again for the sweet comments it means more than you know. I'll start with some positive stuff first. I got to see my brother and his BF. They took me and my dad to the movies and out to dinner it was really fun, it took my mind off things. New Year's was really fun I spent it with my dad's side of the family. I haven't shared too much details with friends because this is a family matter but from what they know they've been super supportive and sweet. Now on to other stuff. Leah was supposed to get out on the first but that didn't end up happening. She did get out on the fifth and is at home with our mom. Again, I repeat I don't know how all that stuff works.

I had a conversation with my dad about not feeling comfortable going home and being around my sister and mom just yet and he was very understanding but he did have to go back for obvious reasons and my grandparents were more than pleased to keep me there, L.O.L. About my sister, from what I know her first day out she didn't talk to anyone and basically just slept the rest of the day. Second day was a little rough she wasn't happy about not getting her phone back or having some privileges taken from her. My mom tried to fight with my dad about it but basically gave up as she's still in hot water with him. When mom found out I wasn't coming home right away and wasn't really open to talking to Leah about the situation yet she got pretty upset and sent me a message. She basically said that I can't be mad at Leah because she's not well and needs all the support she can get right now and apparently she's in distraught that I don't want to talk to her and I'm making things worse. Okay, literally never cared less. Leah does have depression slash anxiety. I don't know any more than that other than she is being medicated. I'm pretty sure my dad did talk to my sister's therapist to update her on the situation. My dad did go through my sister's phone and it wasn't cute.

He found a GC where my sister and her friends would basically harass this girl from their school, reason? No clue. Not just for that situation but for the whole situation in general my dad did have to find the numbers of Leah's friend's parents and let them know of what's been going on. I have no clue what's happening with them, but it's none of my business. Leah did admit that the lying was for attention and false sympathy and she never meant for it to go this far. Not sure if I believe that entirely. I don't think I need it but my dad also wants to put me in therapy

so I'm just going with it, L.O.L. Big issue right now, my mom continues to coddle and enable my sister. My sister knows this too so she hasn't been going to my dad about anything because she knows that he is going to actually parent her. My mom will try to stand her ground with Leah but then the wall water work start and blah, blah, blah, blah, it's annoying and it's making my dad upset. It's the fact my sister knows she can get my mom to do what she wants. It's manipulative and gross. I have gone back to school and Leah is coming back soon. I'm worried for when that happens.

A lot of you said she might try and spin some story with teachers or counselors, but also as of right now my sister is essentially friendless and I'm not going to talk to her at school either. I mean it is the consequences of her own actions but I can't help but pity her. I just don't want her loser ex-friends to come up and be awes to her. At the end of the day I think that inevitably there will be a meeting with Leah, my parents, ex-friends, and their parents, and the girl that Leah and her friends harassed. I already said this in a comment, but I'm going to say it here too. Regardless of what y'all think I do not plan on forgiving or speaking to my sister anytime soon, L.O.L.

She does not get a pass because her mental health is shit, she still actively chose to do something disgusting and continue to do that for three years. She did not just make up lies about how I treat her, her and her loser squad would actively make fun of slash and bash my character any chance they got. Looks, hobbies, interests, was all bashed. I would never let someone speak about my sister the way she let them speak about me. I love her and genuinely hope she gets better but I don't have to like her. My mom can think I'm a brat and my sister can cry about it as much as she's

wants I don't care, it's going to take a long time for me to trust her again. It honestly terrifies me to the core how insanely two-faced a person can be, literally baffles me. Main issue right now. Mom and Dad. My dad wanted to fight for their marriage he really did, looked into marriage counseling and I see immediately. But after more talking slash arguing about my sister, my mom lying and continuing with her BS my dad ended up finding something very disgusting that my mom has been hiding from him that has left him heartbroken. I'd rather not get into it, but I'm sure y'all have some ideas. I'm still letting all of this process. So no, my dad does not plan on continuing with my mother. Things are a little tough right now. My dad can't

exactly just leave our house, mainly because my sister refuses to leave my mom and understandably my dad doesn't want to leave Leah alone with her. So he's staying just until some legal stuff is sorted out and I don't plan on going back anytime soon. That's basically it for now. I'd if I'll update again. We'll just have to wait and see. I love my dad so much he's my best friend, so I'm just going to try my best to cheer him up

and be a good kid during these times. Thanks again for all the support. Y'all are great. Comments. Anilla, blue, violets, it's situations like this that make you realize who your parents' favorite child is, and it sounds like Leah is your mom's.

Does your mom have a history of doing the same thing, lying for attention? Boop. TBH I've always been closer with my dad, Leah's always been closer to my mom. Growing up my mom never showed any blatant favoritism between us, but it's always been kind of obvious even to members outside of immediate family which child is closer with which parent. To answer your last question I'm honestly not sure if she was like that when she was younger. If you haven't already guessed, some PPL have,

my dad recently found out my mom had an affair, and from what I've observed and what I've been updated on, my mom refuses to take accountability for it and keeps playing the victim. New update, Silly Sissy March 6th, 2024. Honestly didn't think I would be making another update, but the account has just been sitting here and I felt bad for leaving everyone on a cliffhanger, L.O.L. Also, I realized that my last post was actually Update 3 not too sorry if that confused anyone. Spoilers. It got worse. So I'll start with my parents, they aren't speaking. Well, they are through attorneys but my mom can't be civil for two seconds in the same room as my father. I did write this

in a comment, but yes, my mother was having an affair. There were some theories that my sister found out about the affair which triggered her breakdown or she found out so mom and her recovering for each other. My mom's affair started just short of a year ago, and Leah had no clue. It's unknown if this was my mother's only affair. Now on to Leah, she got much worse. My mom basically went against everything my dad and her agreed on and gave her phone back plus other privileges. My dad wasn't even surprised anymore and just turned her service off. He pays for all our phones.

He's also planning on taking mom and sis off the family plan. She did go back to school which turned out the way I expected. She's doing school from home now and I'll get into that. In my last post, I believe I mentioned that my dad went through my sister's phone and found a very disturbing group chat where Leah and the losers would bully this girl. I don't think I can actually classify what they were doing to this girl as bullying, though. I talked about it in private messages with someone, but it's not something I want to repeat on here. Please just know that it was very, very disturbing and gross.

Enough so that the school needed to get involved, which did happen. I'll just call the girl Claire. I won't get into the details of what happened during this school meeting but ex-friends and my sister got expelled. Yes, expelled, Leah's one and only excuse for the bullying was she was a bitch to me. My parents were just going to enroll Leah in an alternative school but her ex-friend group was also going to that school. They were angry with my sister, threatening to jump her and stuff. My mom feared for her safety, ironic, so she's doing it from home instead. I actually spoke to Claire privately, mostly to apologize on behalf of my sister and let her know we had no clue.

She was honestly one of the sweetest people I've ever spoken with, I feel terrible she did not deserve what my sister was putting her through and it honestly makes me a shame that I'm related to her. Claire is doing okay though she has a good support system and is in therapy. Leah has completely stopped going to therapy and taking her meds and basically switched from her victim mentality to just straight up being disgusting to everyone in her life that cares about her with the exception of being nice to my mom when she wants something. Leah and I did eventually end up speaking through texting. When she got her phone back, she sent me a long paragraph on Instagram, which I won't post on here,

but to sum it up it was basically just her saying that everything that's going on with our family right now is my fault and all of this could have been avoided if I just talked to her first. About the screenshots. Not inherently untrue, but I also don't really care. Originally, I believe my dad was going to try and get primary customer. of Leah because he didn't trust my mother for obvious reasons. And I don't know the details of the discussions he's had with his lawyer about it, but Leah's going to be 18 soon plus with everything else going on.

I don't think he's going to do that anymore. My dad and I did have a long conversation about Leah and what the future looks like for her. To sum that up, he will always love and care for her as his daughter, but as a person he doesn't particularly like her at the moment. If Leah came to him and showed genuine signs of remorse plus wanting to get better, wanting to get better, he would do so in a heartbeat. But as for right now, you can't help someone who doesn't want help, forcing it won't make things better. As for my mother and I, we aren't speaking either. Our last conversation was mostly her screaming at me and berating over the phone,

mostly over me being a brat and not wanting to come home, LOL. I don't really know what the future looks like right now. All I know is I'm going to stick with my dad. Both my dad and I have been going to therapy which has been keeping things lighter and less stressful so that's good. But that's basically the update. I'm sorry to all of those who were really rooting and praying for my sister to get better. This is not easy for anyone in my family right now, but I do apologize. Once again, thanks for all the support and sweet comments it means a lot. I did end up showing my dad the posts which he thankfully wasn't upset about. He appreciates all the support Reddit has shown our family. I may update again if anything major happens but if I don't, I don't.

Thanks again. I hope you enjoy this story. Spouse had an affair with my step-sibling and conceived a child, so when I requested a paternity examination she terminated the pregnancy. Therefore, I disclosed all the details to her family who subsequently cut her off from her inheritance. I, 34M, have been married to my wife, 29F, for two years. Our relationship has been pretty standard. We met at a work event many years ago, we were friends for a couple of years before realizing we both have feelings for each other and started going out. We dated for three years before I

asked her to marry me, so we have been together for almost six years now. We never really had any complications either in our dating phase or after being married. She is beautiful, smart, and a great partner to me. I have tried my best to be a good husband to her and we have been happy together. Around six months ago, my stepbrother Darren, 28M, got fired from his job. Instead of looking for another job, he decided to take some time off to travel and find himself. Darren has always been sort of unpredictable and spontaneous. It took my dad and mom a lot to convince him to even go to college and get a degree. He always has crazy ideas that he has to be talked down from. But getting fired from his job because of being intoxicated during a work meeting is a big deal despite his history.

He decided to stop drinking as well and even though I was afraid this was just another thing he would pursue halfway through and quit, I tried to be supportive for my dad's sake. My parents got divorced when I was a kid and my dad married Darren's mom when I was a teenager. So when he asked if he could crash at my place for a few weeks because he wanted to explore New York, I didn't really know how to say no. I was skeptical and not really willing to do it, but my dad and stepmom asked me to let him stay and I couldn't say no. I asked my wife and she said she was okay with it so I reluctantly gave in. He came to live with us two months ago. I made it clear that he couldn't bring any people into the apartment and even though he could

leave and come back whenever he wanted, it shouldn't disrupt our sleep at all. He was surprisingly okay with all my rules. For the first few days, he stayed out all. almost all night and I even saw him come in as late as 7 a.m. while I was already up and getting ready for work. Apart from that, he was quite nice. Had dinner with me and my wife at our place and even cooked for us a few times. I was pleasantly surprised. This was not the Darren I had known all my life. My wife and I had planned a weekend trip to Vegas the second weekend he was there, as I had some work there. We told Darren to take care of the place till we were back.

Everything was decided but at the last minute, my wife caught the bad stomach flu. That was Thursday night and we were supposed to leave the next morning. We were both really upset but still thought she would go if she felt any better in the morning. Unfortunately, though it only seemed to get worse, and by the time we were supposed to leave, she was too sick to go. I tried to reschedule my work thing and postpone our trip, but it was two last minute and I had to go. I felt awful about leaving her in that condition but I knew that at least Darren would be there in case her health got worse. He promised to stay in and make her home cooked meals as well. I promised to be back Saturday morning as early as I could and left.

Looking back, I can't believe I didn't see what happened coming. So I went to Vegas by myself, got back the next day, and saw that my wife was feeling better. I didn't think anything much of it. But after that weekend, I noticed that Darren was home more often than before. Earlier, he used to go out every day but didn't go out for many days on a stretch. I asked him if everything was fine and he just shrugged it away saying he was just trying to conserve his savings. I didn't think much of it. But then I started noticing other things that started to stand out to me.

I came back from work one day and saw that my wife was already home. Apparently, she took half a day off from work because she had a headache and forgot to tell me. Another time, I was home early from work and Darren and my wife entered the house together. Apparently, they had just met outside the building. This could have been a coincidence, but I had a bad feeling about it. I had never doubted my wife's faithfulness and even though Darren was a messy person, I didn't think he could do something as awful as that. But I just could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

wrong. I knew I couldn't accuse them of something out of nowhere. Not only did I not have any proof, but it would cause an insane amount of chaos in my family that I just did not want to deal with. So I did the simplest thing possible. I asked Darren how long he was planning to stay with us. I told him that it was great having him around but maybe he should start thinking of his next steps. Thankfully, he took the hint and said that he would be moving out within the week. My My wife was in the room while I had this conversation and she just kept quiet. Didn't say a single word. I did not like that.

Anyway, Darren moved out and I tried not to think of all my doubts and focus on my marriage instead of thinking of the worst case scenario. Once Darren moved out, things were good and I almost started to believe that I was just being paranoid and nothing of that sort was going on. I was embarrassed to think my wife would do something like that when she has been the perfect partner to me all these years. But then, something happened. Around two weeks ago, we found out that my wife was pregnant. Two months pregnant, to be precise. You can probably see where this is going. Two months ago, Darren was living with us. I felt sick to my stomach. I'll give you

some context. I am a few years older than my wife, as I have already mentioned. I was ready to settle down and start a family of my own by the time I was 30. When my wife and I started dating, I knew right away she was the one for me and I wanted to marry her. But she felt like she was too young to have kids and wanted to wait a few years before taking that step. I supported her decision even though this was not what I wanted. We decided to wait till she was 30 to start trying for kids. So we always use protection. My wife isn't on any pills because her body reacts bad to hormonal birth control. So she always insists on us to be extra careful and I always, always use protection. Of course, accidents don't happen. But I just could not get over the fact

that there was something wrong. The timing was just disturbing to me. She said she wanted to keep the baby. She said that even though this was unplanned, it was a good thing and we should be happy about this. I have wanted kids for a long time so under different circumstances, I would be on cloud nine, but I was in total agony. I tried to look happy in front of my wife, but I don't think I have ever felt worse. I did not know what to do. I could not talk to any of my friends about it because I didn't want anyone to judge me, but I just could not shake the negative thoughts and feelings away.

After around a week of living in complete agony, I realized I couldn't just live like that. I had to confront my wife. I knew that this could have a disastrous impact on her marriage and if I ended up being wrong, she might never forgive me. But I kept thinking of the worst and the possibility of her being pregnant with my own stepbrother's baby was nauseating. We went to our first check-up and we got some blood work and tests done, but all I could feel was a sense of complete devastation. I couldn't bear it.

So I prepared myself for the worst and decided to talk to her. Around a week ago while having dinner, I told her that I had to talk to her about something very important. She wanted to know right away. I was terrified but tried to be as direct as possible. I told her that I was sorry for feeling this way, but asked her if it really was my baby she was pregnant with. She seemed shocked at my question.

Her whole face turned red and she started screaming about how I was a monster for accusing her of something so awful and how she has always been faithful to me. She asked me where all this was even coming from and I told her that it was just too much of a coincidence that she was two months pregnant after it had been two months since Darren left. This made her even angrier and she started shouting even more. I could see that this was becoming ugly and tried my best to calm her down and make her listen to me. I explained to her that it was painful for me to live with these doubts and I wished I didn't

have them and told her about the things that happened during Darry. day that made me think that something was wrong. She seemed to calm down a bit and told me that she understood that I had doubts but I needed to trust her and in our marriage. I felt terrible but I told her that I wished I could just erase these thoughts I had tried and if there was really nothing to worry about, I wanted a paternity test after the baby was born. I even apologized to her and told her that I understood this must be difficult for her but I had to be sure for my own sanity. Obviously, I didn't expect her to be completely. okay with this and lash out a bit, but the reaction she had was insane. If she was agitated before,

the mention of a paternity test made her go ballistic. She told me that I was cruel and she couldn't believe that I would make her go through something so humiliating over my crazy thoughts. I tried to keep calm but honestly seeing her be so against it just made me feel like my doubts were true and I was getting angry. I told her that this was an ultimatum and if she didn't agree with it, I don't think we can be together. This seemed to calm her down a bit and she said she needed time to think about it. We slept in separate rooms that night. The next morning we didn't say a word to each other and went to work.

I spent the whole day at work thinking about what happened and imagining the worst-case scenario to be the truth. The rest of the week was spent like that. She would come back late at night and refuse to speak to me. Every single time I tried to talk to her, she would get really agitated so I stopped. I didn't know that she was just planning her next move. Last Thursday I woke up in the morning and realized that she didn't come home last night. I texted her several times but she wouldn't get back to me. I had to go to work but was so

upset that I could not continue working and went home early. I spent hours waiting for her to come home but when she didn't turn up past nine and still wouldn't answer my calls, I got extremely worried about her. I didn't know what else to do, so I called up her assistant at work to ask about her. To my surprise, I was told that she had taken two personal days and hadn't been to work. Her assistant seemed surprised that I didn't know about this. I was extremely worried at that point and called up a few of her friends to ask if she was with any of them. When all of them said that they hadn't heard from her, I started imagining the worst. I was terrified that something happened to her or that she had left me. As a last resort, I called my mill to ask if she was

with them. She wasn't, but my mill got very worried to hear that she had disappeared for two. She said she would try to reach her and let me know if there was any news. We decided to call 911 if she was still unavailable. I spent the next half an hour in utter panic, but then I got a call from my wife. She said that she was perfectly fine and needed some time to fix things and I didn't have to involve her mother and stress her out for no reason. She sounded completely nonchalant and even annoyed. The fact that she showed no concern for stressing me out made me angry, but I controlled myself and asked her where she was and when she was coming back. She said that she would be back the next morning and hung up. I went to bed frustrated

and extremely upset. I even thought of taking some time away from her. Little did I know what was in store for me. She woke me up the next morning and seemed unusually happy. I asked her about where she was yesterday and she said she was fixing a problem. What she said next was wilder than anything I could have imagined. And trust me when I say I had spent weeks thinking of everything that could go wrong. I asked her what she meant and she said that this pregnancy was putting stupid doubts in my mind and destroying our marriage so she decided to save our marriage and got an abortion. She looked directly into my eyes and said that now I had no reason to doubt her loyalty and we could have a fresh start for our marriage. I was

flabbergasted. I think this is the first time in my life that I have actually used this word and meant it. I just looked at her and asked her if she was joking and she said she was completely serious and hoped that I could relax now and not let silly doubts bother me anymore. That was my breaking point. I stared at her for a few more minutes, got up and left. I was afraid that I would have some sort of mental breakdown if I spent a second more in her presence. She started to follow me but I told her to stay away from me if she didn't want trouble. I suppose my tone was serious enough to stop her. On the way out of the building, I called my lawyer and told her that I was divorcing my wife and she needed to start the paperwork as soon as possible. I told her that we

needed to make sure she didn't get a penny of my money and set up a meeting for the next morning. I didn't know how exactly things would go, but I knew what to do. I called Darren and asked where he was. He said he was somewhere in Atlanta. I told him that I was divorcing my wife and asked him not to waste my time and just admit that they slept together. He stayed silent for a few minutes and just apologized to me. That did it for me. I knew there was nothing else to do. I checked into a hotel for the night and braced myself for everything that I knew was coming my way. The next morning, I woke up and went straight to my lawyer and gave her all the details. The adultery, the abortion, the whole nine yards basically.

She said that even though it's difficult to get a clean divorce with no alimony unless both parties come to a mutual understanding since my wife has a high-paying job of her own and she is definitely the one at fault here. We did have a chance. I didn't even care about the money honestly. It was more about the principle of the matter. I was done with this woman. I couldn't believe how cold she could be.

It was like I had spent all these years with a stranger. The person I married and loved would not be capable of doing something so insane. I know that she slept with my stepbrother, but there was a chance that she was pregnant with my baby and now we have no way of ever finding out. After almost six years into this relationship, changing my plans to accommodate her wishes and doing everything I could to be a good husband, this is what I got. I called her assistant and asked if she was at work and she was.

I asked her to not let my wife know I called and lied about planning a surprise for her. I then went home, packed up as many of her things as I could in three suitcases, and put them out in the hall. The next step was calling a locksmith and changing our locks. I did not want to see her, I did not want her in my home and I did not want to see her. I then packed some of my own stuff in an overnight bag and headed back to my hotel because I didn't want to be home when she came back. By the time everything was done, it was almost five and I was exhausted both physically and mentally. The moment I reached my hotel I crashed on the bed and fell asleep. I woke up to my phone ringing.

It was my wife, of course, but I decided to give her the same silent treatment that she gave. me the day she got the abortion behind my back. She kept calling me and there were a million texts that I didn't bother to read. As far as I was concerned, I had nothing to say to her. After almost an hour of calling me relentlessly, she finally stopped. I thought she gave up but then I got a text from Darren saying that she had reached out to him asking if I had spoken to him. He told her that it was over and that I knew everything.

He apologized again on text, but I couldn't care less about that. I didn't text him back either and was thinking of what to do next. The next step is where I think I might have taken it a step too far. But I was heartbroken and humiliated. I didn't know what else to do. So something you should know about my wife is that she comes from a very conservative Southern family. They do things a certain way over there and had been pressuring her to have kids from the moment

we got married, basically. For years I had taken her side at every family event about taking our time. I never once revealed that the only reason we weren't trying to have children was because she wanted to wait. I knew that if they found out about her cheating and having an abortion, it would not be very pleasant for her. So I decided to just be petty for once in my life and called my mill. I calmly explained everything to her and told her that I was divorcing her daughter for violating my trust. She sounded mortified. She wouldn't believe me.

I told her that Darren had already admitted to the affair and as far as the abortion was concerned, I could show her the positive pregnancy test and the doctor's reports from our first visit. The rest she could just ask her daughter to explain. I expected a reaction for my wife real soon and sure enough, she was blowing up my phone in no time. I tried to wait, but when she refused to quit

after an hour and a half of relentless calling, I finally picked out. her reaction was as expected she was beyond angry and said that i was wrecking her life for no reason and that she had no place to go for the night i ignored her attempts to get a reaction out of me and told her she was free to check into any hotel of her choice and told her not to annoy me i told her that she would be hearing from my lawyer soon and any communication from now will be done through our lawyers i also told her that i would get the rest of her things packed and delivered anywhere she wanted

She told me that her parents were absolutely furious with her and said that she was not welcome in their family anymore and could say goodbye to ever inheriting a scent from them. This was kind of unexpected, even by my in-laws. I expected them to be angry but perhaps not do something this drastic. Obviously, I didn't say any of this to my wife. I told her that she should have thought of this before going behind my back and that what her parents do is none of my concern. She said that I was immature and petty and shouldn't have dragged her parents into our marital problems because now her life was ruined and she didn't have anyone. I responded by saying that I couldn't care less about her and hung up on her.

She proceeded to send me a billion texts calling me all kinds of names and saying that she would take every penny I had and make me regret this. I also got a call from my father-in-law. He said that he was ashamed of his daughter and apologized to me for what she did. He told me that they were done letting her get away with everything and hoped that this would teach her a lesson. He asked me for the reports from Arabgen which I was more than happy to share with him. It has been a few hours since then and my wife keeps texting me. I'm thinking of just blocking her but somewhere in the back of my head,

I have this nagging voice that keeps telling me I took things too far and should have kept it between the two of us. I don't regret locking her out of my apartment and I definitely don't have second thoughts about the divorce, but I know what a huge blow it is for her to be cut off from her parents. I'd offer telling my in-laws about my wife's adultery and abortion. Update 1, I want to thank everyone who supported what I did and those of you who shared your own stories. Made me feel a lot less alone than I was feeling and also put me at ease about my reaction. I've been dealing with the divorce stuff and it is not easy. She refuses to cooperate with me and is adamant on getting alimony.

We have been trying to reach an agreement among ourselves and avoid going to court because we all know how messy divorces can get but it seems like she is treating this like an offense against her ego and does not exactly care about practicality. I am extremely glad I had the foresight to kick her out of the apartment before she had a chance to take the ultrasound documents and the pregnancy test I have with me now. I have spoken to Darren about the whole situation as well. As angry as I am at him, he says he will cooperate and even. testify if he has to. He has also avoided all contact with my wife and has blocked her on every possible platform. He has apologized for what he has done, not that his apology means anything to me but at least he isn't doubling down on his mistake like she did. I couldn't resist my own curiosity and asked him for details about the affair, and he said that it did start that weekend

I went to Paris. It continued as long as he lived there and apparently, they met a few times after he moved out as well. He said that he had no idea about her pregnancy or her abortion. As angry as I am at him, I do need him to act right in case things go that far. I also know that the only reason he is suddenly so considerate of my needs is because he has been relying on my dad financially because his savings have run out and my dad has made it clear that he will be cut off permanently if he makes the situation worse in any way. My dad has made it clear that the only reason he is not cutting him off immediately. is because we might need him if the divorce gets complicated.

I am trying as hard as I can to not lash out at him and it has not been easy. No other good news as of yet except that I have moved into my apartment. I don't know exactly where she is and I cannot pretend to care. I am glad that I have owned this apartment for far longer than I have been married to this woman so it is unlikely that I will lose it. That's all for now. I am gearing up for the divorce to get uglier, it's not like I have any. other choice. I'll try to update you guys once things settle down a little. Update 2, I'm

officially divorced, folks. It has been around six months since my last update and I have been incredibly caught up in everything. Since my last update, things have moved forward with the divorce. My wife continued to be difficult initially, but after several pretrial hearings, depositions, and settlement conferences later, it became clear that if we let this go to a trial it would only end badly for her. Darren gave his statement under oath and we already had evidence of her pregnancy. We brought an Arab gin for her statement

and she backed us on everything. The depositions were particularly revealing. Under oath, my wife had to answer some tough questions. Her demeanor and the inconsistencies in her story only worked against her. Darren's deposition confirmed our suspicions and his apology, while it meant nothing to me, was a crucial piece of evidence.

They also stupidly took some pictures in some intimate settings during the affair which Darren had on his phone. It was impossible to deny the truth. After the depositions, we moved to settlement conferences. These were tense, but my wife's lawyer seemed to realize that fighting for alimony wasn't going to be fruitful. Given her high-paying job and a solid evidence of her infidelity, it became clear that her demands for alimony wouldn't hold up in court.

We were willing to settle things amicably, but I was not going to be taken advantage of. Eventually, my wife conceded. She agreed to forego any claims for alimony. The settlement also ensured that she would not receive any part of my assets beyond what we agreed upon, which was fair given her contributions during our marriage. I'm glad that the final agreement was reached without the need for an unnecessary trial that would only drain my energy and my finances. She will receive her personal belongings, and we've divided our joint assets equitably.

The settlement ensures that both of us can move on without further entanglements. I am beyond relieved that everything is over now, but I can't help but feel like all of this has been a huge waste of my time. Not just the divorce, but the whole marriage. I cannot believe I wasted my time and energy and derailed my plans of starting a family for someone who didn't hesitate to throw it all away for essentially nothing. Thank you all for your support and advice. It's been invaluable during this tough time. If anyone else is going through something similar, stay strong and lean on your support network.

It gets better. Update 3, don't know if anyone's still interested, but I posted on this subreddit beginning of the year and it has been a few months since my last update. A couple of hours ago I got a call from my dad. I picked up not expecting much, but he told me something that honestly left me wondering how to react. Apparently, Darren and my ex-wife are seeing each other again. I haven't been in

contact with either of them and didn't know that Darren found a job in the city and moved here. I guess that was enough to rekindle their flame and she somehow forgot all the insults she hurled at him during the divorce. I feel disgusted, I feel betrayed, and like someone made a fool of me. My dad said that he has made it clear to both Darren and my stepmom that he wants nothing to do with Darren anymore. Feels good to have my old man at my side at least. Anyway, that's that. I hope I don't hear anything about this anymore, so I don't think I'll have any updates for you guys anymore. I hope you enjoy this story. My guardians constantly labeled me as the household underachiever. Following an extended period of estrangement, they attempted to evict me when I arrived

at my grandfather's 80th birthday celebration. During my upbringing, I always felt overshadowed by my older sister, Megan. She was everything our parents seemed to value academically gifted, disciplined, and consistently earning perfect grades. Megan had a natural focus and drive that made her seem almost flawless in their eyes. Meanwhile, I was the opposite in so many ways. I struggled to focus in school, procrastinated on everything until the very last minute, and was constantly forgetful. It wasn't just academics either. These challenges spilled into every other area of my life, leaving me feeling like I could never measure up. I didn't understand why I was the way I was, and honestly, I just thought I was lazy or incapable.

It wasn't until much later in life that everything finally clicked for me, L had ADHD. The diagnosis was a revelation. Suddenly, all the struggles and frustrations from my childhood made sense. Every symptom I'd wrestled with, from my inability to concentrate to my chronic procrastinate, fit perfectly into the ADHD framework. With the help of medication and other tools, I've been able to turn my life around and approach things with a sense of control I never knew was possible.

But back then, as a child, there was no diagnosis, no understanding, and no support. All my parents saw were my shortcomings. For context, my parents are both incredibly accomplished individuals. Their high-achieving academics, widely respected in their field, respected in their fields, and they hold prestigious positions at work. Naturally, they expected the same level of excellence from their children. They wanted Megan and me to be the most successful people in any room. Megan, of course, lived up to those expectations effortlessly. I, however, was the

troublesome child. In their eyes, I wasn't working hard enough, wasn't disciplined enough, and wasn't good enough. They frequently compared me to Megan, their golden child, which only deepened the divide between me and my sister. Those comparisons hurt more than they likely realized, making me feel like there was something fundamentally wrong with me just because I was different from her. Megan didn't make my childhood any easier either. Because we studied at the same school, it often felt like I could never escape her shadow or her judgment. If I didn't finish my assignments on time or got into any kind of trouble at school, she would yell at me. She'd go on and on about how embarrassed she was to have a loser sibling like me. Those words cut deep, especially when they

came from someone I was supposed to look up to. At home, Megan would tattle on me to our parents for the smallest things, like hanging out with my friends instead of studying. She was constantly looking for ways to prove to our parents that she was the better child. I think part of it stemmed from the fact that, unlike me, Megan didn't have any friends. She was a classic no at all, always acting superior to everyone else and ready to pounce on anyone who made the slightest mistake. Unsurprisingly, people didn't like her. She isolated herself, and instead of being introspective about why, she doubled down on her condescending attitude. Despite her flaws, my parents absolutely adored her. They never once called her out for her behavior or encouraged her to be kinder

or more humble. Instead, they celebrated her as if she could do no wrong. They bragged about Megan constantly at family gatherings, at work, to neighbors, to anyone who would listen. Every year, they threw these extravagant birthday parties for her, complete with fancy decorations, guests, and expensive gifts. They made it clear they felt Megan deserved to be celebrated because, in their words, she was the one good thing to come out of their marriage. Can you even imagine hearing your parents say that about your sibling as if you're nothing in comparison? Meanwhile, my birthdays were almost an afterthought. There were no parties, no excitement. Every year, I received the same predictable gift, books. And not the fun, imaginative kind of books that kids might actually enjoy.

They were always educational books, the kind that screamed, you need to work harder. When my sister graduated from college, it was a monumental moment for my family. She got to into one of the top universities in the country, and my parents were absolutely over the moon. They couldn't stop talking about her achievements, boasting to anyone who would listen about how proud they were of her. Two years later, when it was my turn to graduate, the situation couldn't have been more different. I didn't get into a prestigious university like Megan. Instead, I got accepted into an average university compared to hers, one that didn't hold the same weight or prestige in the eyes of my parents.

Their disappointment was palpable. My dad didn't even try to hide it. He told me outright that he had no hopes for me anymore. He said he just wanted me to be gone from their lives because he was too embarrassed to even tell our relatives where I was going to college. Those words crushed me. To hear your own father essentially disown you, all because you didn't live up to some unrealistic standard,

is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. My parents called me the black sheep of the family, saying they regretted having me and that raising me had been a waste of their time and resources. Megan also made it clear that she felt disgusted by the idea of me attending the college I had chosen. She told me that even though she didn't expect me to reach her level of academic excellence, I should have at least tried harder. Her words stung. To them, my best was never good enough. I was so hurt by their words and their attitude that I made a decision then and there, if they truly felt this way about me, if they genuinely believed I wasn't worth their time or love, then I would do them a favor

and cut them off. I wasn't going to stay in an environment that only tore me down. I promised myself that I would carve out my own path, no matter how hard it might be, and that I wouldn't look back. Going to college was a whole new chapter for me, but it came with its own challenges. I had to take out an education loan just to afford it, and I also picked up a part-time job to support myself. Balancing work, studies, and managing my ADHD was incredibly difficult. There were moments when I felt like giving up, but I didn't. For the first time, I was surrounded by people who believed in me friends who were supportive and encouraging, who saw my potential instead of my flaws. With their help and the right medication to manage my ADHD, I started to build a life that

felt meaningful and fulfilling. Today, I am an Al Solutions architect working at a top multinational corporation. For the past nine years, I've had zero contact with my parents or my sister, nor have I kept any tabs on their lives. I have worked hard to distance myself from that part of my life because it brought me nothing but pain. I usually avoid family events altogether to steer clear of any chance encounters with my parents or Megan. However, this time was my granddad's 80th birthday party. He personally called and begged me to come. I had not seen him in such a long time. He's one of the few people in the family who's always shown me kindness, and I couldn't bear the guilt of disappointing him on such a milestone occasion. Against my better judgment, I decided to go.

When I arrived at the party, I noticed that my parents were already there. I had expected this, of course, but seeing them in person after so many years still stirred up old emotions I wasn't entirely prepared for. Despite what I felt, I reminded myself why I was there. This was about my granddad's birthday. I went to greet my granddad discreetly, gave him a hug, and spent the rest of the time saying hello to everyone else, exchanging polite words and smiles with family members who were genuinely surprised and happy to see me. Many of them hadn't seen me in nearly a decade, so they were excited to catch up. But then, my parents spotted me. I caught the look on their faces stunned as if they couldn't believe I was standing there.

Almost immediately, my dad approached me, his expression unreadable, and asked me if he could have a word with me privately. I nodded, so he then guided me away from the rest of the party, leading us to a more private corner of the venue, away from the wandering eyes of the guests. From the very start of the conversation, my parents made it crystal clear that they weren't happy to see me. There was no attempt at pleasantries or even the faintest hint of reconciliation. My dad's first question was blunt and cold, what are you doing here?

I calmly explained that I had come at my granddad's request, that he had personally asked me to attend his 80th birthday celebration and I just couldn't ignore him. My mom wasn't satisfied with this explanation. She immediately wanted to know why I'd never bothered to attend any of my granddad's previous birthday parties or other family events for that matter, yet had suddenly decided to show up now. Mom taunted me, questioning if coming here for Grandad was just an excuse. She asked if I had finally come to my senses and if I was looking for an opportunity to reconnect with them after all these years. Her words infuriated me, but I kept my composure. I told them firmly and clearly that I did not want to reconnect with them in any way. It's not like I needed their permission to attend my own Granddad's party.

If they hated my presence here so much, they could simply go back to ignoring me and leave me alone to mingle with others. However, Mom argued that they wished they could ignore me but that people would then start asking questions to them. She told me that I should have at least given them a heads up, so they could have been better prepared to answer questions about me. Honestly, she was acting like I had committed a crime or something. I told her that if anyone asked, they could simply tell them that I was doing very well in life, that I had built a successful career and a very supportive partner. Hearing this, my dad scoffed and said, Do you honestly expect us to believe that you have a successful career? You didn't even graduate

from a decent college, for goodness sake. I felt a rush of anger building inside me. I had built my career from the ground up, overcoming so many obstacles, and yet here he was, dismissing everything I'd achieved with a single sentence. Before I could argue with him, my dad pointed to the door and coldly said, you should leave. People can't know you're still a failure. I was stunned. Who did they think they were to ask me to leave a party that wasn't even about them? How could they still treat me like this? They were so obsessed with protecting their image and acting holier than thou in front of others. Their hurtful, dismissive words made me realize that they still thought I was the same child they could just control. However, I wasn't the same person anymore.

If they were so worried about what people might say, I decided I was going to teach them a lesson they'd never forget. Without a second thought, I pushed past them and walked back to where the rest of the guests were gathered. My granddad noticed immediately that something was off with me and came over to check on me. I didn't hold back I told him everything. I told him what my parents had said to me, how they tried to kick me out, and how they were still so ashamed of me that they didn't want anyone to know I was even here. Hearing this, my granddad was livid. He assured me that my parents had no right to treat me that way, let alone try to ruin his birthday by causing such drama. He said he'd speak to them on my behalf, but I told him it wouldn't make a difference.

What we needed to do was bring the truth to light publicly. Luckily, my granddad agreed with me. So, I then raised my glass and gently clinked it to get everyone's attention. The room fell silent and all eyes turned to me. I took a deep breath, steadied my voice, and started by congratulating my granddad on reaching such an incredible milestone. I thanked him for inviting me and said how much it meant to be there celebrating with him. Then I shifted gears. I told everyone how nice it was to see so many family members again after so many years, but I also explained why I hadn't been a part of these celebrations for nearly a decade. I'm sure many of you are wondering why I had never shown up to any family event over the years.

So, I'm going to tell you the truth. It was because of my parents. The truth is, my parents have always treated me like I was beneath them, making me feel like I was nothing more than a burden to them over the years. I laid it all out. I told them how my parents had ostracized me, made me feel like I wasn't good enough, and how they had labeled me a failure all my life, simply because I hadn't. lived up to their impossible expectations. I shared how I had paid my own way through college

by taking out loans and working part-time jobs, without any support from my parents. I made it clear that while I had worked hard to build a life for myself, they had not once reached out to check on me. The room was dead silent as I spoke. Some people exchanged uncomfortable glances, while others stared at my parents, who looked absolutely mortified. My mom's face was white as I was talking while my dad looked furious. I didn't just stop there. I shared how, throughout my entire childhood, my parents had favored Megan, showering her with love, attention, and opportunities while labeling me the black sheep of the family. I explained how their constant comparisons and harsh treatment had alienated me, how they dismissed my struggles with ADHD as laziness, and how they

never once tried to understand or support me. I went on to say that now that I was an adult, successful in my own right, I had no expectation that my parents would suddenly embrace me. However, I certainly didn't anticipate that they would go so far as to scold me for attending my own granddad's birthday party a party I was invited to buy the guest of honor himself. It was absurd and hurtful, and I wanted everyone to know just how ridiculous their behavior was. So, for all those years when I wasn't at family events, I wasn't being rude or distant. I was protecting myself. I was trying to heal from years of emotional wounds.

However, today when I showed up here for the sake of my granddad, my parents wanted to kick me out. They keep saying that they don't want to answer any questions about me as it makes them feel ashamed about who I am. So, this is why I wanted to address this here, in front of all of you for once and for all. I'm done hiding. I'm done allowing them to make me feel like I'm the problem. From now on, I'll be attending every family event, regardless of whether my parents like it or not. As I finished my speech, my granddad and some of my cousins started to cheer on me.

They then came over to give me a hug, showing their support. My parents, on the other hand, seemed frozen in place, unable to come up with any defense for their actions now that the truth was in the open. For so long, they had controlled the narrative, but now, everyone could see the reality of who they were and how they had treated me. After that, my parents quickly left, clearly embarrassed, while I stayed behind, enjoying the rest of the party by spending time with my cousins and other close relatives. In the days that followed this incident, several relatives have reached out to me, expressing their support and commending me for speaking my truth. Some say it took real courage

for me to stand up for myself and call out the unfair treatment I had endured from my parents for so long. A few have even apologized for not recognizing what I had gone through earlier or for not reaching out to me sooner. However, not everyone agrees with how I handled the situation. A handful of relatives feel that I should have kept the matter private, arguing that I went a bit too far by exposing my parents publicly and humiliating them in front of the entire family. So, Reddit Ida? Update 1, I must say, all of your comments have been incredibly kind. genuinely overwhelmed by how many people I've reached out to check on my well-being. For everyone asking, I'm doing okay mentally.

All throughout my childhood, I became accustomed to my parents treating me like trash. It was painful, and I carried that hurt for so long, but as I've grown, I've learned to stand up for myself. The moment at the party was a culmination of years of pent-up emotions and truths I had suppressed, and honestly, I'm glad I spoke out. I have no regrets about defending myself and finally letting the family know my side of the story. For those of you wondering about where Megan was during the party she wasn't there. According to one of my cousins, she was on a work trip, which explains why I didn't run into her.

And honestly, I'm relieved. If she had been there, she would have likely jumped on my parents' bandwagon and said something nasty to me also. After all, Megan is always quick to criticize and demean me. so her absence was, in a way, a small mercy. Some of you have asked why, during those tough times, I didn't seek financial help from other family members when my parents refused to support me. The truth is, back then, I was young, naive,

and easily swayed by their words. When my parents and Megan mocked and insulted me calling me a failure, belittling my college, and questioning my worth I internalized all of it. I genuinely believed that the rest of my family would feel the same way. The thought of airing our dirty laundry to others back then and potentially facing more rejection was mortifying to me. I was also proud so I made up my mind to handle everything on my own, no matter how difficult it was. When it comes to my granddad, I need to

emphasize that he has always been supportive of me in his own way. Financially, he hasn't been very stable, so I couldn't have relied on him to help with my college expenses. However, his emotional support has been invaluable, and he's always believed in me and understood the dynamics between me and my parents. He knows the whole story every bit of it and he's never judged me for cutting ties with my parents. In fact, I'm deeply grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to speak at his party and for standing by me when I decided to expose my parents for who they truly are. Anyway, since that moment at the party, I've heard from multiple relatives that my parents are facing serious backlash from people who were horrified to learn how cruel they had been to me.

Many of these relatives had no idea about the extent of their behavior because my parents had always gone around painting me as the problem child. Clearly, they had created this narrative to protect their own image while sweeping their toxicity under the rug. Now that the truth is out, it seems their facade is finally starting to crumble. I can only hope that this public embarrassment will serve as a wake-up call for them. Maybe, just maybe, they'll reflect on their actions and come to their senses. But even if they don't, I've said my peace, and I feel a sense of closure. Update 2.

So, Megan reached out to me this week. She heard from our parents and relatives about what happened during the party, so she called me. As soon as I picked up the phone, she started yelling at me, furious about what had happened. She couldn't believe that I had the audacity to expose our parents publicly. She claimed that I was only doing this to cause drama, and that my actions were selfish. According to her, I had no right to air our family's dirty laundry in front of everyone, especially when my parents had spent years trying to move on and live their lives without me. She kept going on about how I was ruining the fragile peace that had been established,

and that I should just let it go and move on, instead of dredging up the past. She asked me, what do you want from them? An apology? Really, for what? Just because they didn't pay for your college fees? You want an apology because they were disappointed in you? An apology because they always pushed you to be better? An apology because they wanted the best for you?

I couldn't help but scoff at her. Megan had always been the one to side with our parents, no matter how badly they treated me. She never understood the hurt I had gone through, always brushing it off as family drama. It was easier for her to pretend everything was fine than to face the truth. I pointed out to her that pushing someone to be better doesn't mean humiliating them or mocking them for years when they don't meet one's expectations. What I needed from our parents wasn't just more pressure it was support, love, and understanding. I told her how much I wished they had been the kind of parents who saw me for who I was and helped me navigate my challenges. rather than berating me for falling short of their impossible standards.

I never asked them to give me a perfect childhood, but I just wanted parents who had my back and understood me, not ones who saw me as a disappointment. Megan argued how if I really felt this way, I could have sorted out my feelings with them privately instead of exposing them publicly. She said that our parents had worked for years to build a certain image, and now all their accomplishments seemed meaningless

because all anyone was talking about was how awful they were for abandoning me all those years ago. She asked if it had really been worth it, suggesting that I was just bitter because they were right all along and implying that maybe I hadn't accomplished anything in my life which is why I was coming after our parents after so long. I just laughed at her words and calmly told her that despite all the terrible things our parents and she had put me through, I had built a successful career. The reason I had exposed our parents had nothing to do with my accomplishments. It was about finally taking control of my own narrative after years of being silenced and dismissed.

I had been cast aside and treated like I was the problem, but the truth was I had been the one who had been wronged. So, exposing them wasn't about showing off how far I'd come or making them look bad. It was about standing up for myself, about letting people know what had really been happening behind closed doors. Megan didn't back down and continue to argue with me that I needed to issue a public apology for the sake of our parents' reputation, but I cut her off.

I told her bluntly that I would never do something like that. Why would I apologize to them when I am the victim? I told Megan that she needed to get her head out of the hole she had buried it in and stopped defending people who had treated me like trash for my entire life. Just to frustrate my sister even more, I told her that from now on, I would be attending every single family event, no matter how much it bothered her or our parents. If they dared to confront me again, I would keep exposing them. Why should I let their toxic behavior control my connections with the rest of the family?

I had every right to see my relatives, and to form connections with my family members. My sister claimed I was only doing this to make our parents' lives miserable and demanded that I go back to not being in contact with anyone, just like I had during all these years. I sighed in exasperation. Clearly, Megan and I weren't going to see eye to eye, so I told her to stay in her lane from that point forward and to mind her own business. I wasn't going to tolerate any more of her attempts to defend our parents or make excuses for their behavior. I then ended our conversation and blocked her number. After all, I didn't owe her anything anymore and no explanations, and no apologies. Update 3, I just wanted to quickly update a few things that have happened in the last four months.

To begin with, I've made a conscious effort to be more involved in my family life. I make it a point to attend all our family gatherings, whether they're not. their big events like birthdays or anniversaries or even smaller, casual get-togethers. Beyond that, I've also been spending more time with my granddad, making sure to visit him regularly and check in on how he's doing. Additionally, I've been hanging out with my cousins more often. Whenever we come up with plans, whether it's just grabbing food, watching a movie, or spending time together doing something fun, I make it a priority to join in. It's been great to strengthen those bonds and create new memories with them.

Last month, my mom apologized to me after all this time. It was a big moment for me. Since both my mom and dad are blocked on my phone, she reached out via email. She shared that she had been going to therapy and spending a lot of time reflecting on the past. She admitted that she and my dad had, in some ways, favored my sister over me and tried to justify it by saying that because she and dad grew up in strict, academically focused families, they had always expected me and Megan to meet the same high standards. She went on to say that after I had spoken up for myself during my granddad's party and revealed that I had ADHD, it was a

turning point for her. She admitted to doing her own research afterward and came to realize that I really did have ADHD. She confessed to feeling guilty for not recognizing the signs earlier and for failing to support me as a child when I needed it most. In the email, she also wrote how she had been quietly following my career over the past few months through LinkedIn. She said she was really proud of the things I've accomplished. She also mentioned my dad at the end of the message. While she said he is aware of my achievements too, she acknowledged that he's a very proud man and will probably need a little bit more time

before he's ready to come around and offer his own apology. Honestly, I'm still shocked that my mom wrote all of that to me. If only she had been this understanding while I was growing up, my childhood could have been so much different. That said, despite her email, I haven't unblocked her or my dad. I'm still not ready to forgive them. I hope you enjoy this story. Following numerous letdowns, I distanced myself from my relatives.

Presently, my G-dependent sibling requires my assistance, and my guardians are insisting I return to our residents. At that time, sisters' graduation party, I was left feeling utterly embarrassed by my own parents when they humiliated me in front of everyone. This event, surrounded by our close friends and family, was supposed to be only about my older sister, Amelia. She had just graduated from college and had secured an amazing job which she was very excited to start with. When my parents stood up to deliver a speech in her honor, I expected words that would celebrate her accomplishments only. After all, she had worked hard to

reached this milestone, and she deserved every bit of recognition that night. In their speech, when they began to speak about my sister as one of the greatest blessings in their lives, I wasn't really all that surprised. I then, I was old enough to have accepted the fact that my parents loved Amelia more than me. She had always been the more accomplished daughter. The one my parents compared me to every day. But then, my parents began to joke in their speech about how they should have stopped getting pregnant after having Amelia because according to them. The secondborns are usually always useless anyways and how with just Amelia in their life they could have spent more time and energy on her instead of wasting it on me. I was stunned to hear them say

such hurtful things, openly and carelessly, while I was sitting right there. I looked around the room, hoping that maybe someone anyone would notice how upsetting their words were. But all I saw were the faces of my family, laughing along as if this cruel comparison was nothing more than harmless humor. Although my parents had always made me feel lesser and unworthy many times before, this was the first time they'd revealed it so publicly, leaving no room for me to hide from the fact that in their eyes, I was simply not good enough when compared to their precious daughter, Amelia. This wasn't some isolated incident or moment of bad judgment. It was a confirmation of what I'd felt all my life that my older sister would always be the daughter they cherished.

while I was seen as a distant afterthought, being the second-born. Growing up, I became accustomed to the unspoken favoritism that ran through our household. It was constant, creeping in through their words, their actions, and their habits. For my birthdays, my parents would often forget to wish me, and on more than one occasion, they were conveniently on work trips when my birthday came around so I would be pretty much left alone. But when it came to Amelia, they'd never miss her moment. both my parents would be there every year without fail, planning an elaborate party and ensuring she felt celebrated. Watching the way they showered her with affection on her special day,

I learned early on to manage my expectations and accept that my birthday simply didn't hold the same importance to them. Since I was always an outgoing child, I was often told by my parents that I was troublesome or annoying for simply being who I was. I was scolded for things as small as being too talkative or expressing my interests openly, and labeled as difficult because I didn't fit the quiet, demure mold they seemed to prefer. In contrast, Amelia's reserved nature and introverted habits were praised endlessly. She was seen as well-behaved and mature in our family, the ideal daughter. As a result, over the years, she was the one they showcased and paraded around in front of everyone, while I was the one they often critiqued. I tried, for a time, to live up to the image my

parents seemed to want. I put in the effort, hoping that if I acted differently, achieved more, or followed the path they'd laid out, they might eventually see me in a new light. But as I grew older, it became clear that I couldn't simply mold myself into a copy of Amelia. We were two different people, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't become her. Eventually, I just gave up and instead tried to grow accustomed to their constant admiration for her, the way they'd brag about her accomplishments to anyone who'd listen while ignoring everything that I have ever done. However, all those moments cutting as they were had at least been kept within the family. My parents had never humiliated me in front of others, so I was taken aback by how casually

they seemed to embarrass me during their speech for Amelia's graduation. This was the first time they had let the entire extended family see just how little regard they had for me. What stung me even more was that not one single member and my entire family spoke up or told my parents how this was inappropriate. No one even so much as gave me a sympathetic look after my parents made those jokes at my expense. My parents continued to shower Amelia with praises, their voices filled with pride that I had never seen directed my way. Then, they proudly announced that they had bought her a graduation gift, a brand new car, something she had always dreamt to have. The room erupted into applause, cheers, and laughter, with everyone's attention

fixed on Amelia as she hugged my parents, brimming with joy and gratitude. The three of them looked so happy. At that moment, I felt like an outsider in my own family. The strange thing is that I have never harbored any jealousy towards Amelia. We'd always gotten along well enough, and I truly believe that whatever good came her way, she deserved it. But that speech? That broke me. If you're wondering whether I confronted my parents after that humiliating speech, the answer is yes, I did. For years, I had quietly endured their favoritism, their disregard, and their hurtful remarks. I internalized all of it, convincing myself that maybe if I just kept quiet, if I just tried to be strong and not make a fuss,

things might get better. But that night after the speech, after being made the butt of their joke in front of everyone I finally reached the breaking point. I was tired of holding everything in, tired of pretending like their words didn't hurt me anymore. So, I decided I couldn't keep silent any longer. I gathered the courage to speak up, thinking maybe, my parents would see how deeply their actions had affected me. I wanted them to understand. I wanted them to recognize the hurt they had caused over the years

and acknowledged the embarrassment I felt at that moment, to at least show that they cared enough to listen to me. I thought that if I expressed my feelings, they might regret what they said, or at least feel remorse for making me feel so insignificant. But when I finally confronted them, I was met with a cold, dismissive response. They barely gave my words any thought.

Instead of empathy or an apology, they told me I was overreacting, as if the years of being overlooked and belittled could be shrugged off so easily. They acted as though my feelings didn't matter, as though I had no right to be upset with them. My dad went so far as to tell me he had nothing to be proud of when it came to me, and that I shouldn't hold it against them if they

felt disappointed by who I was. I remember the way he said it, so matter-of-factly, as though my life didn't matter to him. On the other hand, my mom pointed out that I was being too needy by getting upset over something so trivial like this and asked me to stop overreacting. It was like my parents were insinuating I hadn't even earned the basic respect of being their child because I hadn't accomplished enough, that I was somehow less deserving of their pride or love than Amelia simply because I wasn't her. The matter even got back to my sister who sided with my parents, obviously, insisting that I was being too harsh on them. She told me that I should not be this upset about their graduation speech since it was just a harmless joke. She even said something that cut me to

my core something I will never forget. Amelia told me that if I had just studied and worked hard like she had, maybe I could make them proud too. Those words stung more than anything else. The implication that I hadn't tried hard enough to earn their respect, was devastating. She made it sound so simple, as if all the years of effort I had put in were invisible to her as if my struggles and my own attempts to find my place didn't count for anything. As my older sister, I had expected her to protect me in some way, but she didn't do that. Hearing that from her felt like betrayal. Looking back, that conversation changed everything. I realized after that I was done with my family done trying to gain their approval, done explaining myself, and done waiting

for love or validation that would never come. From that day forward, I directed all my energy into building something for myself. I poured myself into my studies, focusing on the things I could control, the things that could lead me to a better future. Two years later, all of that work paid off when I got accepted into my dream college on a full scholarship, an accomplishment that was mine alone. It was an achievement that belonged entirely to me a result of my hard work, my dedication, and my refusal to let my family's neglect define who I was. I had earned that success, and for the first time, it felt like I had done something that was truly mine. My parents were stunned when I gave them the news, almost as if they had never even expected

me to go to college in the first place, let alone with a scholarship. My sister checked my acceptance letter twice as if she couldn't quite believe I could actually achieve something on my own. Clearly all of them had underestimated me, and I felt a sliver of satisfaction watching their disbelief faces. However, my mom then turned my mood sour by mentioning how it was a good thing I had received a full scholarship since they hadn't set aside any college fund for me anyway, so this solved all of their problems. I just shook my head at her comment. My parents had no problem covering my sister's education, yet didn't have the consideration to save anything for mine. When it was time for me to move out, I just packed up and left home to move into my

college dorm. Since that day, I made a conscious decision to cut off all communication with my parents and my sister, Amelia. I didn't feel the need to explain my reasons to them. After all, they had shown time and again that my feelings, my perspective, and my worth didn't matter to them. Why should I exhaust myself trying to make them understand something they had proven and capable of even acknowledging. There was no apology that could erase the years of neglect and hurt they had inflicted on me, and since they hadn't even offered one, I knew trying to reason with them was futile. In the weeks and months that followed, my family reached out repeatedly, sending me emails and messages. At first, I was tempted to open them with the faint hope that maybe they had

reflected on their actions and had reached out to make amends. But each message was just a bitter reminder of who they were. Instead of taking responsibility for the years of emotional pain they had caused, their emails were filled with attempts to gaslight me into believing I was the one being unreasonable. They insisted I had overreacted, painting my decision to cut ties as immature and impulsive. The underlying tone of their words always circle back to the idea that I was wrong for cutting them off, that I was the one breaking up the family. As a result, I have never bothered replying to any of them. Now my college so far has been going great. I've been able to focus entirely on my studies, my interests, and most importantly, on building friendships with people who see and value me

for who I am. I have taken up a part-time job working at a local diner so I can save money for my future. It's nice to meet new people at the diner and talk about their lives. Since cutting off my family, I've poured myself into my classes, my social life, and everything my new environment has to offer, filling my days with meaningful experiences. I genuinely haven't spent even a single moment missing them or wondering how they're doing. So, yesterday, out of the blue, when I received an email from my parents I was surprised. They had stopped writing to me a long time ago since I had not even once replied to any of their previous emails. In this email, my parents urged me to contact them immediately as they had some grave news to share with me. Despite everything, despite the years of

hurt and rejection, I felt my chest tighten. I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that something terrible had happened. My heart started racing, and all I could think about was the possibility that someone in the family might have fallen seriously ill, or worse, passed away. Despite my resolve to keep them at a distance, the concern got to me. I picked up the phone, unblocked them, and called them back immediately, my heart racing as I braced myself for whatever news they were about to deliver. My parents told me that the news they wanted to share with me was about my older sister, Amelia, who is going through a severe personal crisis. Apparently, they've discovered that she's been battling drug addiction, something that has taken a devastating

toll on her life. According to them, her addiction has spiraled to the point where she's lost her job, drained her savings, and now finds herself with no resources or options left. This news was a complete shock to me, as I had no inkling that anything like this was happening to my sister. Amelia, in my mind, had always been the high-achieving, dependable sibling, the one who had their lives together. But now the same sister had a drug addiction? It was hard for me to even believe that.

In my parents' eyes, Amelia's addiction was something so unbelievable that it shattered the image they'd held of her. I could sense their disbelief, their desperation, and more than anything their overwhelming concern about how this might reflect on their reputation if anyone else ever found out. As they shared all this, they also expressed the hope that I might have some answers for them. They mentioned how surprising it was that Amelia, of all people, had fallen into something as destructive as drug addiction, given how responsible and grounded she had always seemed to them. And then, my father asked me, in a voice laced with suspicion, you didn't introduce her to drugs back then, did you? I was completely taken aback by the insinuation. The idea that they could think

I had anything to do with Amelia's struggles, let alone something as serious as introducing her to drugs, was not only absurd but deeply insulting. I mean I didn't even do drugs myself so how could I introduce drugs to my older sister? Also, I hadn't had any contact with Amelia or the of my family in years, precisely because of how they had treated me. I had been out of their lives, focusing on building my own path, far away from their toxicity. Yet now, in the face of their perfect image of Amelia cracking, they were quick to look for someone else to blame and apparently, I was the easiest target to point fingers towards as always. I told them how ridiculous they were to even suspect me and asked them to talk to Amelia before assuming anything.

Throughout our conversation, I noticed how my parents seemed more fixated on the shame they feared it might bring to the family if Amelia's news came out. My mother, rather than showing concern about my sister, seemed fixated on the embarrassment she felt over my sister's secret habit. She kept talking about how shocking it was to discover this side of her perfect daughter, and how people would talk if they ever found out. My mom then began pleading with me to come back home so I could help them take care of Amelia since she and dad felt overwhelmed. and unprepared to handle the situation with my sister. I mean, what do we even do? I feel so ashamed of her. So, maybe you can talk to her for us?

My mom asked me as if this was a valid request to make to me after years of being in no contact. I told them plainly and without sugar-coting my words, I could not help Amelia. She needs professional help. My sister is battling something as serious and complex as addiction, which can't simply be solved with family intervention at home. I stressed that if they truly cared about her well-being

and wanted to support her to get over her addiction, the best and most compassionate thing they could do would be to send her to a treatment center where experienced professionals could guide her recovery. But my father immediately shot down the idea of sending her to rehab, practically shuddering at the notion of their family's good name being tarnished by her admission into a treatment center. He argued that sending her to a place like that

would only serve to destroy their reputation in front of others. He couldn't bear the thought of people knowing that their one accomplished daughter had a problem as serious as drug addiction. My dad scolded me for even mentioning this option, as if acknowledging her addiction out loud was somehow more shameful. He insisted that I needed to come home, that the three of us needed to work together to take care of Amelia, keeping her under watch every minute and every hour so she wouldn't relapse, as though constant supervision would magically solve the issue. He went on and on about how they just wanted my sister to feel better and go back to her usual life as soon as possible. In their minds, it seemed that as long as no one else knew, everything would go back to normal.

They wanted me to be complicit in a charade, to act as though everything was normal while hiding her struggles from everyone else. As I listened, I felt a surge of anger and disbelief. Why were my parents so obsessed with their reputation? So obsessed with what others thought of them. My sister was clearly struggling with something serious and here was a chance for my parents to truly step up, to show that they could put their daughter's needs above appearances, to actually make a difference in her life and they still couldn't do it. Clearly, these people had not changed a bit.

And on top of everything, now they were trying to pull me back in, expecting me to uphold this family facade by helping them take care of my sister, who they always compared me to. I informed them that I needed some time to think things over. After all, I have my classes and job to think about so I can't just up and leave. My parents argued that I could take at least two or three weeks off to help them out since they really needed me. Right now, I can't help but feel conflicted about the whole thing. A part of me wants to make sure that Amelia is okay, to find out if there is anything I can do for her.

But another part of me just wants to be selfish and let my parents handle their golden child all on their own. Even now, they are more concerned with saving face than truly addressing the heart of the issue so I don't know if I can be much of a help. Ida, if I refuse to go back home and take care of my drug-addicted sister? Update 1. Okay, wow, I didn't expect this story to blow up. I have received hundreds of comments and it's taking me some time to go through them. I would like to clarify a few things. I don't hate my sister, in fact, I genuinely care about her and truly want a lot.

help her. However, over the past three years, I've experienced a level of peace and stability that I hadn't felt before, all because I've had no contact with my family. Reconnecting with my sister means opening the door for my parents to re-enter my life as well, and that's something I'm dreading. For everyone asking how my sister ended up struggling with drug addiction and wondering if this is something she may have been dealing with for years, maybe even before my parents recently found out I honestly don't know for sure. According to me, Amelia was clearly the golden child, praised and upheld as the perfect daughter. This kind of pedestal often comes with immense pressure to maintain that image,

leaving little room for vulnerability or failure. If Amelia felt that her worth was tied solely to her accomplishments and how others perceived her, any setback no matter how small might have been devastating. I guess over the years, drugs could have become her coping mechanism to escape the weight of those expectations or the fear of letting our parents down. the thought that my sister might have been silently struggling all this time without telling me makes me feel even sadder. I wish she had felt she could be open with me earlier. I would have wanted to be there for her, to help her find a way through it before things got to

this point. It just leaves me feeling helpless, like there's this huge part of her life I didn't know about and maybe could have supported her with if I'd known. Also, my parents are high-achieving individuals themselves so that is the reason why they expected the best from me and my sister from a very young age. I need some time to think about everything and will update if something more happens. Update 2, after a lot of internal debate and encouragement from some of the comments I read, I decided to reach out to Amelia. Despite everything, she is my sister, and I felt it was important to hear from her directly rather than basing my decisions on my parents' version of events. I sent her a text first just a simple message asking if she wanted to talk.

It took her a few hours to reply, but when she did, she agreed to a phone call. When we finally spoke, the voice on the other end of the line sounded like a shadow of the sister I remembered. Amelia was quieter, hesitant, and there was a heaviness in her tone. She opened up, bit by bit, about what she'd been going through. Amelia admitted to struggling with addiction for the past few years. It started shortly after she graduated and began working at her law firm. Because she had always been the perfect, high-achieving daughter, she struggled to maintain that status at work as well by always working harder than others to please her boss,

in the hopes that she might get more recognition or promotion. However, eventually, she started to feel exhausted and burnt out. But even then, Amelia felt she could never fault her, never slow down, and certainly never ask for help because she had to live up to the expectations everyone had placed on her. When the stress became unbearable, a friend introduced her to recreational drug use as a way to unwind. What began as occasional use spiraled into dependency before she even realized what was happening. Amelia also revealed that, for the longest time, she felt trapped. She couldn't admit to her parents that she was struggling because she knew how they would react.

Their constant emphasis on appearances and their unwillingness to acknowledge anything that didn't fit their narrative left her feeling isolated. Even when she began losing control, she kept up the facade, pretending everything was fine. It wasn't until she spiraled into using drugs, lost her job, and depleted her savings that she couldn't hide the truth anymore. She told me how embarrassed she was to even admit this to me and asked me if I was judging her as hard as she was judging me. hearing her story was heartbreaking for the first time i saw that the pedestal our parents had placed her on wasn't a privilege it was a prison while i had been dealing with the pain of being overlooked she had been dealing with the suffocating weight of being their golden child both of us in our own ways had been harmed by our parents favoritism and their obsession with control i told her that i wished she had talked to me about her

feelings because there was no way that I would have ever judged her. I understood her more than she could comprehend and my only regret is that I wasn't there for her through all this. Amelia then apologized to me genuinely for everything that had happened between us. She said sorry for the way she had always sided with our parents. She admitted that, at the time, she hadn't understood my pain because she was so consumed by her own struggles. She told me how much she regretted not standing up for me during the graduation party speech and felt awful for the part she played in making me feel like I didn't matter. For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

Part of me wanted to hold on to the anger I'd carried for so long, to remind her of how much her words had hurt. But the bigger part of me, the part that had always cared and looked up to my sister, just felt sad for everything we'd both endured. I told her I appreciated her apology and that I didn't blame her. After all, she had been as much a victim of our parents' toxic behavior as I had, just in a different way. Amelia told me she's scared about the future and uncertain about whether she can recover.

She feels like she's let everyone down, but more than anything, she's afraid of letting herself down. She said she wanted to go to rehab but felt stuck because our parents were so opposed to the idea. They had convinced her that admitting herself to a treatment center would bring shame to the family, and she didn't want to disappoint them even further. I told her as firmly as I could that she needed to prioritize herself. and her recovery above anything else. I explained the same thing that I had told our parents

that addiction isn't something she can overcome alone, and professional help is not only necessary but also the best chance she has at getting her life back on track. She seemed hesitant, but I could tell my words resonated with her. I offered to help her research treatment options and even suggested that if she wanted, I could help her find a program far away from our hometown where she wouldn't have to worry about gossip or judgment from anyone.

I reassured her that there was no shame in seeking help and that she deserved to take this step for herself, not for anyone else. By the end of our conversation, Amelia sounded lighter, almost as if the act of sharing her truth with me had lifted some of the burden she'd been carrying. She thanked me for reaching out and promised to think seriously about what we'd discussed. I told her I'd be here for her. Update 3. Hello everyone. After speaking with Amelia, I feel so much better. I wish we could have reconnected years ago. Anyways, Amelia has agreed to finally get herself admitted to a treatment center, far away from our home.

My parents are furious at her for this decision and they are also pissed that I am suddenly supporting her. They cannot fathom that Amelia and I are now talking to each other behind their backs. My parents have threatened that if Amelia doesn't recover from her drug addiction even after going to the center, then they are going to blame me for foolishly pushing her to this decision. For now, I've decided to help Amelia from a distance. I'll continue to support her emotionally and check in on her regularly, while she recovers. If our relationship continues to improve, then I will definitely visit her in the future. As for my parents, I'm going to go back to no contact with them after this.

I won't let them drag me back into their web of control. I hope this will be the wake-up call they need to finally reflect on their actions, but honestly, I'm not holding my breath. I hope you enjoy this story. Spouse had an affair with my step-sibling and conceived a child, so when I requested a paternity examination she terminated the pregnancy. Therefore, I disclosed all the details to her family who subsequently cut her off from her inheritance. I, 34M, have been married to my wife, 29F, for two years. Our relationship has been pretty standard. We met at a work event many years ago, we were four.

friends for a couple of years before realizing we both have feelings for each other and started going out. We dated for three years before I asked her to marry me, so we have been together for almost six years now. We never really had any complications either in our dating phase or after being married. She is beautiful, smart, and a great partner to me. I have tried my best to be a good husband to her and we have been happy together. Around six months ago, my stepbrother Darren, 28M, got fired from his job. Instead of looking for another job, he decided to take some time off to travel and find himself. Darren has always been sort of unpredictable and spontaneous. It took my dad and mom a lot to convince him to even go to college and get a degree.

He always has crazy ideas that he has to be talked down from. But getting fired from his job because of being intoxicated during a work meeting is a big deal despite his history. He decided to stop drinking as well and even though I was afraid this was just another thing he would pursue halfway through and quit, I tried to be supportive for my dad's sake. My parents got divorced when I was a kid and my dad married Darren's mom when I was a teenager. So when he asked if he could crash at my place for a few weeks because he wanted to explore New York, I didn't really know how to say no. I was skeptical and not really willing to do it, but my dad and stepmom asked me to let him stay and I couldn't say no. I asked my wife and she said she was okay with it, so I reluctantly gave in. He came to live with us two months ago.

I made it clear that he couldn't bring any people into the apartment and even though he could leave and come back whenever he wanted, it shouldn't disrupt our sleep at all. He was surprisingly okay with all my rules. For the first few days, he stayed out almost all night and I even saw him come in as late as 7 a.m. while I was already up and getting ready for work. Apart from that, he was quite nice. Had dinner with me and my wife at our place and even cooked for us a few times. I was pleasantly surprised.

This was not the Darren I had known all my life. My wife and I had planned a weekend trip to Vegas the second weekend he was there, as I had some work there. We told Darren to take care of the place till we were back. Everything was decided but at the last minute, my wife caught the bad stomach flu. That was Thursday night and we were supposed to leave the next morning. We were both really upset but still thought she would go if she felt any better in the morning. Unfortunately, though it only seemed to get worse, and by the time we were supposed to leave, she was too sick to go.

I tried to reschedule my work thing and postpone our trip, but it was two last minute and I had to go. I felt awful about leaving her in that condition but I knew that at least Darren would be there in case her health got worse. He promised to stay in and make her home cooked meals as well. I promised to be back Saturday morning as early as I could and left. Looking back, I can't believe I didn't see what happened coming. So I went to Vegas by myself, got back the next day, and saw that my wife was feeling better.

I didn't think anything much of it. But after that weekend, I noticed that Darren was home more often than before. Earlier, he used to go out every day but didn't go out for many days on a stretch. I asked him if everything was fine and he just shrugged it away saying he was just trying to conserve his savings. I didn't think much of it. But then I started noticing other things that started to stand out to me. I came back from work one day and saw that my wife was already home. Apparently, she took half a day off from work because she had a headache and forgot to tell me.

Another time, I was home early from work and Darren and my wife entered the house together. Apparently, they had just met outside the building. This could have been a coincidence, but I had a bad feeling about it. I had never doubted my wife's faithfulness and even though Darren was a messy person, I didn't think he could do something as awful as that. But I just could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. I knew I couldn't accuse them of something out of nowhere. Not only did I not have any proof, but it would cause an insane amount of chaos in my family

that I just did not want to deal with. So I did the simplest thing possible. I asked Darren how long he was planning to stay with us. I told him that it was great having him around, but maybe he should start thinking of his next steps. Thankfully, he took the hint and said that he would be moving out within the week. My wife was in the room while I had this conversation and she just kept quiet. Didn't say a single word. I did not like that.

Anyway, Darren moved out and I tried not to think of all my doubts and focus on my marriage instead of thinking of the worst-case scenario. Once Darren moved out, things were good and I almost started to believe that I was just being paranoid and nothing of that sort was going on. I was embarrassed to think my wife would do something like that when she has been the perfect partner to me all these years. But then, something happened. Around two weeks ago, we found out that my wife was pregnant. Two months pregnant to be precise. You can probably see where this is going. Two months ago, Darren was living with us.

I felt sick to my stomach. I'll give you some context. I am a few years older than my wife as I have already mentioned. I was ready to settle down and start a family of my own by the time I was 30. When my wife and I started dating, I knew right away she was the one for me and I wanted to marry her. But she felt like she was too young to have kids and wanted to wait a few years before taking that step. I supported her decision even though this was not what I wanted. We decided to wait till she was 30 to start trying for kids.

So we always use protection. My wife isn't on any pills because her body reacts badly to hormonal birth control. So she always insists on us to be extra careful and I always, always use protection. Of course, accidents don't happen. But I just could not get over the fact that there was something wrong. The timing was just disturbing to me. She said she wanted to keep the baby. She said that even though this was unplanned, it was a good thing and we should be happy about this.

I have wanted kids for a long time so under different circumstances I would be on cloud nine. but I was in total agony. I tried to look happy in front of my wife, but I don't think I have ever felt worse. I did not know what to do. I could not talk to any of my friends about it because I didn't want anyone to judge me, but I just could not shake the negative thoughts and feelings away. After around a week of living in complete agony, I realized I couldn't just live like that. I had to confront my wife.

I knew that this could have a disastrous impact on her marriage and if I ended up being wrong, she might never forgive me. But I kept thinking of the worst and the possibility of her being pregnant with my own stepbrother's baby was nauseating. We went to our first check-up, and we got some blood work and tests done, but all I could feel was a sense of complete devastation. I couldn't bear it. So I prepared myself for the worst and decided to talk to her. Around a week ago while having dinner, I told her that I had to talk to her about something very important. She wanted to know right away. I was terrified but tried to be as direct as possible. I told her that I was sorry for feeling this way, but asked her if it really was my

baby she was pregnant with. She seemed shocked at my question. Her whole face turned red and she started screaming about how I was a monster for accusing her of something so awful and how she has always been faithful to me. She asked me where all this was even coming from and I told her that it was just too much of a coincidence that she was two months pregnant after it had been two months since Darren left. This made her even angrier and she started shouting even more. I could see that this was becoming ugly and tried my best to calm her down and make her listen to me.

I explained to her that it was painful for me to live with these doubts and I wished I didn't have them and told her about the things that happened during Darren's day that made me think that something was wrong. She seemed to calm down a bit and told me that she understood that I had doubts. but I needed to trust her and in our marriage. I felt terrible, but I told her that I wished I could just erase these thoughts I had tried, and if there was really nothing to worry about, I wanted a paternity test after the baby was born. I even apologized to her and told her that I understood this must be difficult for her,

but I had to be sure for my own sanity. Obviously, I didn't expect her to be completely okay with this and lash out a bit, but the reaction she had was insane. If she was agitated before, the mention of a paternity test made her go ballistic. She told me that I was cruel and she couldn't believe that I would make her go through something so humiliating over my crazy thoughts. I tried to keep calm but honestly seeing her be so against it just made me feel like my doubts were true and I was getting angry.

I told her that this was an ultimatum and if she didn't agree with it, I don't think we can be together. This seemed to calm her down a bit and she said she needed time to. think about it. We slept in separate rooms that night. The next morning we didn't say a word to each other and went to work. I spent the whole day at work thinking about what happened in imagining the worst-case scenario to be the truth. The rest of the week was spent like that. She would come back late at night and refused to speak to me. Every single time I tried to talk to her, she would get really agitated so I stopped. I didn't know that she was just planning her next move.

Last Thursday I woke up in the morning and realized that she didn't come home last night. I texted her several times, but she wouldn't get back to me. I had to go to work but was so upset that I could not continue working and went home early. I spent hours waiting for her to come home, but when she didn't turn up past nine and still wouldn't answer my calls, I got extremely worried about her. I didn't know what else to do, so I called up her assistant at work to ask about her. To my surprise, I was told that she had taken two personal days and hadn't been to work. Her assistant seemed surprised that I didn't know about this. I was extremely worried at that point and called up a few of her friends to ask if she was with any of them.

When all of them said that they hadn't heard from her, I started imagining the worst. I was terrified that something happened to her or that she had left me. As a last resort, I called my mill to ask if she was with them. She wasn't, but my mill got very worried to hear that she had disappeared for two. She said she would try to reach her and let me know if there was any news. We decided to call 911 if she was still unavailable. I spent the next half an hour in utter panic, but then I got a call from my wife. She said that she was perfectly fine and needed some time to fix things and I didn't have to involve her mother and stress her out for no reason.

She sounded completely nonchalant and even annoyed. The fact that she showed no concern for stressing me out made me angry, but I controlled myself and asked her where she was and when she was coming back. She said that she would be back the next morning and hung up. I went to bed frustrated and extremely upset. I even thought of taking some time away from her. Little did I know what was in store for me. She woke me up the next morning and seemed unusually happy.

I asked her about where she was yesterday and she said she was fixing a problem. What she said next was wilder than anything I could have imagined. And trust me when I say I had spent weeks thinking of everything that could go wrong. I asked her what she meant and she said that this pregnancy was putting stupid doubts in my mind and destroying our marriage so she decided to save our marriage and got an abortion. She looked directly into my eyes and said that now I had no reason to doubt her loyalty and we could have a fresh start for our marriage. I was, flabbergasted. I think this is the first time in my life that I have actually used this word and meant it. I just looked at her and asked her if she was joking and she said she was completely serious and hoped that I could relax now and not let silly doubts bother me anymore.

That was my breaking point. I stared at her for a few more minutes, got up and left. I was afraid that I would have some sort of mental breakdown if I spent a second more in her presence. She started to follow me, but I told her to stay away from me if she didn't want trouble. I suppose my tone was serious enough to stop her. On the way out of the building, I called my lawyer and told her that I was divorcing my wife and she needed to start the paperwork as soon as possible. I told her that we needed to make sure she didn't get a penny of my money and set up a meeting

for the next morning. I didn't know how exactly things would go, but I knew what to do. I called Darren and asked where he was. He said he was somewhere in Atlanta. I told him that I was divorcing my wife and asked him not to waste my time and just admit that they slept together. He stayed silent for a few minutes and just apologized to me. That did it for me. I knew there was nothing else to do.

I checked into a hotel for the night and braced myself for everything that I knew was coming my way. The next morning, I woke up and went straight to do. to my lawyer and gave her all the details. The adultery, the abortion, the whole nine yards basically. She said that even though it's difficult to get a clean divorce with no alimony unless both parties come to a mutual understanding since my wife has a high-paying job of her own and she is definitely the one at fault here. We did have a chance. I didn't even care about the money honestly. It was more about the principle of the matter. I was done with this woman. I couldn't believe how cold she could be. It was like I had spent all these years with a stranger.

The person I married and loved would not be capable of doing something so insane. I know that she slept with my stepbrother, but there was a chance that she was pregnant with my baby and now we have no way of ever finding out. After almost six years into this relationship, changing my plans to accommodate her wishes and doing everything I could to be a good husband, this is what I got. I called her assistant and asked if she was at work and she was. I asked her to not let my wife know I called and lied about planning a surprise for her. I then went home, packed up as many of her things as I could in three suitcases, and put them out in the hall. The next step was calling a locksmith and changing our locks. I did not want to see her, I did not want her in my home and I did not want to see

her. I then packed some of my own stuff in an overnight bag and headed back to my hotel because I didn't want to be home when she came back. By the time everything was done, it was almost five and I was exhausted both physically and mentally. The moment I reached my hotel I crashed on the bed and fell asleep. I woke up to my phone ringing. It was my wife, of course, but I decided to give her the same silent treatment that she gave me the day she got the abortion behind my back.

She kept calling me and there were a million texts that I didn't bother to read. As far as I was concerned, I had nothing to say to her. After almost an hour of calling me relentlessly, she finally stopped. I thought she gave up, but then I got a text from Darren saying that she had reached out to him asking if I had spoken to him. He told her that it was over and that I knew everything. He apologized again on text, but I couldn't care less about that. I didn't text him back either and was thinking of what to do next.

The next step is where I think I might have taken it a step too far. But I was heartbroken and humiliated. I didn't know what else to do. So something you should know about my wife is that she comes from a very conservative southern family. They do things a certain way over there and had been pressuring her to have kids from the moment we got married, basically. For years I had taken her side at every family event about taking our time. I never once revealed that the only reason we weren't trying to have children was because she wanted to wait.

I knew that if they found out about her cheating and having an abortion, it would not be very pleasant for her. So I decided to just be petty for once in my life and called my mill. I calmly explained everything to her and told her that I was divorcing her daughter for violating my trust. She sounded mortified. She wouldn't believe me. I told her that Darren had already admitted.

to the affair and as far as the abortion was concerned, I could show her the positive pregnancy test and the doctor's reports from our first visit. The rest she could just ask her daughter to explain. I expected a reaction for my wife real soon and sure enough, she was blowing up my phone in no time. I tried to wait, but when she refused to quit after an hour and a half of relentless calling, I finally picked out. Her reaction was as expected. She was beyond angry and said that I was wrecking her life for no reason and that she had no place to go for the night. I ignored her attempts to get a reaction out of me and told her she was free to check into any hotel of her choice and told her not to annoy me. I told her that she would be hearing from my lawyer soon and any

communication from now will be done through our lawyers. I also told her that I would get the rest of her things packed and delivered anywhere she wanted. She told me that her parents were absolutely furious with her and said that she was not welcome in their family anymore. and could say goodbye to ever inheriting a scent from them. This was kind of unexpected, even by my in-laws. I expected them to be angry but perhaps not do something this drastic. Obviously, I didn't say any of this to my wife. I told her that she should have thought of this before going behind my back

and that what her parents do is none of my concern. She said that I was immature and petty and shouldn't have dragged her parents into our marital problems because now her life was ruined and she didn't have anyone. I responded by saying that I couldn't care less about her and hung up on her. She proceeded to send me a billion texts calling me all kinds of names and saying that she would take every penny I had and make me regret this. I also got a call from my father-in-law. He said that he was ashamed of his daughter and apologized to me for what she did. He told me that they were done letting her get away with everything and hoped that this would teach her a lesson.

He asked me for the reports from Arabgen which I was more than half. happy to share with him. It has been a few hours since then and my wife keeps texting me. I'm thinking of just blocking her but somewhere in the back of my head, I have this nagging voice that keeps telling me I took things too far and should have kept it between the two of us. I don't regret locking her out of my apartment and I definitely don't have second thoughts about the divorce but I know what a huge blow it is for her to be cut off from her parents. I'd offer telling my in-laws about my wife's adultery and abortion. Update 1, I want to thank everyone who supported what I did and those of you who shared your own stories. Made me feel a lot less

alone than I was feeling and also put me at ease about my reaction. I've been dealing with the divorce stuff and it is not easy. She refuses to cooperate with me and is adamant on getting alimony. We have been trying to reach an agreement among ourselves and avoid going to court because we all know how messy divorces can get, but it seems like she is treating this like an offense against her ego and does not exactly care about practicality. I am extremely glad I had the foresight to kick her out of the apartment before she had a chance to take the ultrasound documents and the pregnancy test I have with me now. I have spoken to Darren about the whole situation as well. As angry as I am at him, he says he will cooperate and even testify if he has to. He has also

avoided all contact with my wife and has blocked her on every possible platform. He has apologized for what he has done, not that his apology means anything to me but at least he isn't doubling down on his mistake like she did. I couldn't resist my own curiosity and asked him for details about the affair, and he said that it did start that weekend I went to Paris. It continued as long as he lived there and apparently, they met a few times after he moved out as well. He said that he had no idea about her pregnancy or her abortion. As angry as I am at him, I do need him to act right in case things go that far. I also know that the only reason he is suddenly so considerate of my needs is because he has been relying on my dad financially because his savings

have run out and my dad has made it clear that he will be cut off permanently if he makes the situation worse in any way. My dad has made it clear that the only reason he is not cutting him off immediately is because we might need him if the divorce gets complicated. I am trying as hard as I can to not lash out at him and it has not been easy. No other good news as of yet except that I have moved into my apartment. I don't know exactly where she is and I cannot pretend to care. I am glad that I have owned this apartment for far longer than I have been married to this woman so it is unlikely that I will lose it. That's all for now.

I am gearing up for the divorce to get uglier, it's not like I have any other choice. I'll try to update you guys once things settle down a little. Update 2, I'm officially divorced, folks. It has been around six months since my last update and I have been incredibly caught up in everything. Since my last update, things have moved forward with the divorce. My wife continued to be difficult initially, but after several pretrial hearings, depositions, and settlement conferences later, it became clear that if we let this go to a trial it would only end badly for her.

Darren gave his statement under oath and we already had evidence of her pregnancy. We brought an Arab gin for her statement and she backed us on everything. The depositions were particularly revealing. Under oath, my wife had to answer some tough questions. Her demeanor and the inconsistencies in her story only worked against her. Darren's deposition confirmed our suspicions, and his apology, while it meant nothing to me, was a crucial piece of evidence. They also stupidly took some pictures in some intimate settings

during the affair which Darren had on his phone. It was impossible to deny the truth. After the depositions, we moved to settlement conferences. These were tense, but my wife's lawyer seemed to realize that fighting for alimony wasn't going to be fruitful. Given her high-paying job and a solid evidence of her infidelity, it became clear that her demands for alimony wouldn't hold up in court. We were willing to settle things amicably, but I was not going to be taken advantage of.

Eventually, my wife conceded. She agreed to forego any claims for alimony. The settlement also ensured that she would not receive any part of my assets beyond what we agreed upon, which was fair given her contributions during our marriage. I'm glad that the final agreement was reached without the need for an unnecessary trial that would only drain my energy and my finances. She will receive her personal belongings, and we've divided our joint assets equitably. The settlement ensures that both of us can move on without further entanglements. I am beyond relieved that everything is over now, but I can't help but feel like all of this has been a huge waste of my time. Not just the divorce, but the whole marriage.

I cannot believe I wasted my time and energy and derailed my plans of starting a family for someone who didn't hesitate to throw it all away for essentially nothing. Thank you all for your support and advice. It's been invaluable during this tough time. If anyone else is going through something similar, stay strong and lean on your support network. It gets better. Update 3, don't know if anyone's still interested, but I posted on this subreddit beginning of the year

and it has been a few months since my last update. A couple of hours ago I got a call from my dad. I picked up not expecting much, but he told me something that honestly left me wondering how to react. Apparently, Darren and my ex-wife are seeing each other again. I haven't been in contact with either of them and didn't know that Darren found a job in the city and moved here. I guess that was enough to rekindle their flame and she somehow forgot all the insults she hurled at him during the divorce. I feel disgusted, I feel betrayed, and like someone made a fool of

me. My dad said that he has made it clear to both Darren and my stepmom that he wants nothing to do with Darren anymore. Feels good to have my old man at my side at least. Anyway, that's that. I hope I don't hear anything about this anymore, so I don't think I'll have any updates for you guys anymore. I hope you enjoy this story. Sibling deceived her acquaintances for many years, asserting that our guardians are intolerant and I physically dissent her for being bisexual. Not proficient at elucidating matters, so please be patient with me. Guess. So about three years ago my 15F older sister, 17F, Leah's fake name, personality basically did a 180 overnight. She went from being the sweet, reliable big sis to kind of snappy and closed off.

Stop doing chores would get an attitude if anyone reminded her, spent all day in her room you get the point. I was 12 at the time so I was just like why is she acting like that? And my brother, 21M, was moved out and busy with school and whatnot. In the beginning, my parents chalked it up to teenage girl hormones, which was also technically part of the issue, but also one night she just came out of her room crying and told us she is bisexual. My parents were extremely supportive of this, so was my brother because he's gay. I wasn't educated on this kind of stuff at the time, so I didn't get until my parents explained it to me and why it was such a big deal to her and I was just like cool good for you, sis. So anyways, her behavior got better after that and she was being nice to us again. she didn't hang out with me as much, which is like what teenage girl wants to be around

their little sister, L.O.L. So fast forward three years later me and my sister are really close again, or at least I thought we were. One thing I've noticed saying with my parents is that her friends started acting very weird towards us. Like they wouldn't talk to us when they came over, if they did, or would occasionally make backhanded remarks or roll their eyes when we spoke. It was weird, but again this was only when they came over which was rarely, so me and my and my parents kind of just brushed them off like whatever they don't have to like us. I just found out why they act like this. Probably like an hour ago, Ike. I was peacefully binge watching an anime when my phone started buzzing like crazy. When I checked I was added into a group chat on

IG by her friends. In this group chat they were basically bashing me for being a horrible person. They were calling me homophobic, a spoiled brat, terrible sister, golden child, home wrecker. Kept telling me I need to apologize to my sister for abusing her so obviously I'm confused. When I expressed my confusion to them, they told me to stop acting dumb and innocent. Later, though, they realized I was being serious and genuinely did not know what they were talking about. That's when they sent me a bunch of screenshots between them and my sister. To some things up my sister has fed her friends a very wild story about her life and how we treat her. Our parents are extremely homophobic and are kicking her out at 18 because of her sexuality.

When she came out I quickly became the favorite child I'm spoiled and get everything I want and because of this I treat her badly for fun. I hit her, steal slash break her things, verbally abuse her and call her homophobic slurs. Not only do my parents allow it, they encourage it. She's forced to do all of the chores and cooking in the house, including cleaning my room. This girl does not know how to cook. Lied about other stuff like having autism and me making fun of her for it, which is crazy because I'm the one with autism. There's so much more the screenshots go back like two years, so she's been telling them this shit for close to three fucking years.

I asked them why it's taken them this long to confront me. They said she begged them not to confront or talk to us about it because apparently it will make things worse for her and her plan was just to go and see with us once she's 18. But they couldn't hold back this time because the most recent things she told them was that apparently I found out ABT the guy she likes Slash is talking to and immediately found his social media and started texting him now he won't talk to her.

So not the abusing but this was the straw that broke the camels back for them? LMAO. I debunked as much as I could, sent them picks from Pride Festivals we went to with her, sent them picks of us, we take a lot together, sent them picks of my brother with his boyfriend. They were pissed, but I asked them not to do anything until I figure out how to deal with it because apparently my sister is the abused black sheep of the family, they agreed.

The convo about me stealing the boy she likes happened a few hours ago I checked on my sister and she was peacefully sleeping so she doesn't know A, B.T the G.C. As for me? I'm having many emotions about this shocked, hurt, angry it feels like a huge slap in the face. I don't know how to go about this I don't even know why she's doing it for attention Ike

Reddit what should I do comments where Op has replied Queen Legolas Is it possible she found her coming out to you guys as anticlimactic and felt the need to create her own narrative or something? Wouldn't be the first time I've read about someone doing something like this I read another post of this woman smearing against her parents about blogging about how horribly she was treated

and her parents got wind of it and exposed her, she got in trouble for that. She was an adult too. I suggest inviting all the friends and the parents and confront her together so she doesn't continuously change her narrative. It might feel like ganging up on her, but this is how you catch her in her lies. She's almost 18, she could leave soon and destroy your family's reputation. She's already doing that, but she could like, lie about all that in her college applications and other stuff.

Have your parents contact her therapist to update on what she's been up to? Oop, I honestly have no clue. I wrote in another comment that reading the MSGS from the screenshots her friends sent me I couldn't even recognize her. She sounds like another person in these texts that I thought her friends were just fabricating it. At home, she's completely normal doesn't lie, sweet as always, mature you get the idea? Can you send me a link to that post, please? Smile.

editor's note, the text was saved before it got deleted. Update 1, December 30th, 2023. First off, I want to thank everyone for advice. You all help me get my thoughts in order so I really appreciate that. So now for the update, I talked to my parents and it went kind of how I expected? Kind of not. Also I know this is kind of late I do apologize for that. I stayed up most of the night, a because I was reading her comments and whatnot and B couldn't sleep that much, L.O.L. Got ABT two hours in. But I went with the obvious advice y'all gave me and took screenshots of everything including the MSGS from the last night G.C. My dad gets home earlier than my mom and my sister has a part-time job, so I spoke to my dad first. Obviously he was furious,

shocked, hurt. It was hard watching it happen since I love my dad. He also a apologized a lot as I'm the one who had to find this out and sit him down. Anyway, Mom got home and my dad wanted to talk to her alone, so I went in my room, this is the unexpected part. I heard my parents arguing a lot and I'll skip the details, but I later found out that Mom knew A. B. T. Leah's lies. She found out A. B.D. 5 months ago and didn't tell my dad. I don't know the details, but apparently she made my sister promise not to do it anymore and just trusted that she wouldn't. L. M.A.O. Safe to say my dad was pissed. Leah got home and things got worse, more screaming, from Leah. It was hard not to hear B.C. I was

literally in the house, but my dad said that Leah was punching and scratching her legs threatening to kill herself, also screaming that she was going to kill me. So I was kind of scared to leave my room, literally never heard my sister scream like that before. My dad was already mad that my mom went behind his back and kept him out of something that involves his child, my mom defended herself saying that she was just protecting Leah and that she's just a kid. But my dad is smart enough to realize that Leah is clearly not mentally well and said she needed to be put in a MH. A lot of you said the same. From what I heard and what my dad told me my mom begged him not to, but dad was already pissed ABT what she did so he threatened to leave her if she

didn't comply. There was more arguing but eventually they did drive her to the hospital and obviously I haven't seen her. Me and my dad are now at my grandparents, dad sighed, and he is not currently speaking to my mom but he did tell her that if she tries to take Leah out then she is ending their marriage. I also spoke to my brother and obviously he was hurt but concerned for our sis so there's that. My dad and I have talked a lot, good talks, he apologized to me for everything going on but it's not his fault so there's nothing to forgive if anything I feel more bad ABT the situation but me and my dad are good. I'm not sure exactly where my parents' relationship stands right now but dad told me not to worry ABT adult stuff and to just focus on being a kid

and going to school so that's what I'm going to try and do. But that's basically everything for now I will update if anything else happens. Comments. Beetsy 85, you were so brave and I'm so happy you told your parents. It's wonderful that your dad has you and your sister's back. Your mom seems scared and obviously ill-equipped to handle the gravity of your sister's symptoms. Your dad's right though, he's got this. You're safe and loved. It takes work but now that your sister's actions and symptoms are in the open. You all can start to heal. By telling your dad, you started the healing journey. That's huge and an amazing thing. For some reassurance regarding your sister.

Seven years ago my sis had several psychotic breaks. It was a combo of drugs, complex trauma, later diagnosed BPD so a different situation but it did result in her threatening to kill me, and she wanted to, as she was taken to the MH. It was scary. After her doing a shit ton of work, therapy, taking her meds, etc., she is leveled, honest and adjust a little weird. We have a strong and very honest.

honest relationship. Oop, I didn't mention this in either of my posts because I didn't think it was relevant but now it kind of is? An issue with my mom is that ever since Leah came out she does kind of coddle her and make excuses for her shitty behavior like example why is Leah being kind of rude today? Mom, oh well I'm sorry she's just young and trying to navigate her sexuality as a young teenager, and then and you get it? L.O.L.

Cobbold, wait during her freak out did your sister at In Point try to explain why she did that? I mean I have a pretty good idea why, but I want to hear what she had to say. Also, please stick with your dad. Oop, she didn't explain no. At first dad said she was lying, she said her friends were trying to get her in trouble, then she said I was trying to get her in trouble but dad wasn't having it. She tried making excuses but in the end I didn't find out the reason from her. Commentator asks about the possibility of Oop's mom hiding from the family and thinking it was a phase that the sister might get over with. Oop, I have a theory as to why.

Unfortunately, my mom has always been the person to run or turn away from difficult situations. I think that in my mom's heart she knew she needed to do something A-B-T-it, but at the same time my sister is her sweet angel and my mom just didn't want to face the possibility that Leah is anything other than her sweet angel so she ignored it and forgot it happened. Commentator has expressed concerns for Oop and if she is able to keep her personal things away, from her sister if released. Oop, most of her lies were about me weirdly enough. It's just so crazy how she can be so loving towards me,

but if you read those messages you'd think she hated me, she didn't just make up lies about how I treat her, she would bash my character any chance she got and so would her friends. Things I always thought she loved about me when she was actually making fun of it behind my back for years. I don't know if my dad is considering divorce or not. Marriage counseling for sure,

how he sees it is if she kept a secret about something so huge for months involving his child, what else is she hiding? Also I will talk to my dad about erasing me from her phone, L.O.L. And people can say what they want, but I will not be giving her pass for what she did because her mental health is shit. Mental health or not, she made a choice, a choice to actively bash and destroy my character behind my back for three years. She is my sister and I will always love and care for her and I am rooting for her to get better, but as of right now I don't have to like her, it's going to take a long time for her to earn my trust back and forgive her, if she even wants that I don't think my sister even likes me, L.O.L. I don't have to be the fire that keeps her

warm. Commentator asks about Oop's sister's admission to the mental health and if the sister will get therapy. Oop, like I said before I don't know the ins and outs of therapy or mental hospitals, I wasn't there when they took her all I know as they were gone for a few hours before they came back in me and my dad went to my grandparents. I asked my dad about it and they said it honestly depends on the situation and what the person is dealing with. When they took her, her legs were bleeding and swollen from hurting herself plus the details of what happened previously. So yes, as of right, she is in 72-hour hold or whatever. It's not just the fact that she was making threats, she was literally injured from hurting herself. Dien 1-4124, it's probably a good idea to limit her

internet access for a bit after she gets out, or slees to monitor it a lot. There's a chance she might start spreading lies on there, too, if she's given the chance right after coming back. Also, I know you said that your father isn't going to go for divorce yet. But please tell him to still gather evidence now of what your mom did just in case. Theoretically, if it does come to divorce, if your sister ends up in sole or majority custody of your mother, I'm willing to bet that she's going to keep enabling your sister. And since your mom did already, your sister would probably ask to be with her. At your ages, courts usually let teens decide who to be with. Your father would have to prove why that would be bad. Just based off my experiences going through a

shit ton of custody battles when I was younger between my parents. Oop. Yeah, my dad has already said that he will do everything to help my sister get better, but she's not getting a pass because of her mental issues. She still chose to do something awful and continue doing it for three years. She's not going to have the same privileges she had when she gets out, no phone or other entertainment devices for a while and no hanging with friends outside of school, not that she has anymore. The point is, if I didn't find out when I did something very catastrophic could have happened, like getting CPS called on them. Or worse, dad said that Leah needs to understand that as much as good behavior gets rewarded, bad actions have bad consequences. As for my parents,

I still have no idea. They did end up speaking on the phone earlier, but it was pretty short. All I know right now is that dad doesn't trust mom and thinks she might be hiding other stuff and he definitely wants to get marriage counseling, and possibly family therapy for all of us. Update 2, January 7, 2024. Hey guys, it's been a minute, but I have another update if y'all are still interested. Also, thanks again for the sweet comments it means more than you know. I'll start with some positive stuff first. I got to see my brother and his BF. They took me and my dad to the movies and out to dinner it was really fun. It took my mind off things. New Year's was really fun I spent it with my dad's side of the family. I haven't shared too much details with friends because this is a family

matter but from what they know they've been super supportive and sweet. Now on to other stuff. Leah was supposed to get out on the first but that didn't end up happening. She did get out on the fifth and is at home with our mom. Again, I repeat I don't know how all that stuff works. I had a conversation with my dad about not feeling comfortable going home and being around my sister and mom just yet and he was very understanding but he did have to go back for obvious reasons and my grandparents were more than pleased to keep me there, L.O.L. About my sister. From what I know her first day out, she didn't talk to anyone and basically just slept the rest of the day. Second day was a little rough she wasn't happy about not getting her phone back or having some privileges taken from her.

My mom tried to fight with my dad about it but basically gave up as she's still in hot water with him. When mom found out I wasn't coming home right away and wasn't really open to talking to Leah about the situation yet she got pretty upset and sent me a message. She basically said that I can't be mad at Leah because she's not well and needs all the support she can get right now and apparently she's in distraught that I don't want to talk to her and I'm making things worse. Okay, literally never cared less. Lea does have depression slash anxiety. I don't know any more than that other than she is being medicated. I'm pretty sure my dad did talk to my sister's therapist to update her on the situation. My dad did go through my sister's phone and it wasn't cute. He found a GC where my sister and her friends would basically harass this girl from

their school, reason? No clue. Not just for that situation but for the whole situation in general my dad did have to find the numbers of Leah's friends' parents and let them know of what's been going on. I have no clue what's happening with them but it's none of my business. Leah did admit that the lying was for attention and false sympathy and she never meant for it to go this far. Not sure if I believe that entirely. I don't think I need it but my dad also wants to put me in therapy, so I'm just going with it, L-O-L. Big issue right now, my mom continues to coddle and enable my sister. My sister knows this too, so she hasn't been going to my dad about anything because she knows that he is going to actually parent her. My mom will try to stand her ground

with Leah, but then the waterwork start and blah, blah, blah, it's annoying and it's making my dad upset. It's the fact my sister knows she can get my mom to do what she wants. It's manipulative and gross. I have gone back to school and Leah is coming back soon, I'm worried for when that happens. A lot of you said she might try and spin some story with teachers or counselors, but also as of right now my sister is essentially friendless and I'm not going to talk to her at school either. I mean it is the consequences of her own actions but I can't help but pity her. I just don't want her loser ex-friends to come up and be awes to her. At the end of the day I think that inevitably there will be a meeting with Leah, my parents, ex-friend.

and their parents, and the girl that Leah and her friends harassed. I already said this in a comment, but I'm going to say it here too. Regardless of what y'all think I do not plan on forgiving or speaking to my sister anytime soon, L.O.L. She does not get a pass because her mental health is shit, she still actively chose to do something disgusting and continue to do that for three years. She did not just make up lies about how I treat her, her and her loser squad would actively make fun of slash and bash my character any chance they got. Looks, hobbies, interests, was all bashed. I would never let someone speak about my sister the way she let them speak about me. I love her and genuinely hope she gets better

but I don't have to like her. My mom can think I'm a brat, and my sister can cry about it as much as she wants I don't care. It's going to take a long time for me to trust her again. It honestly terrifies me to the core how insanely two-faced a person can be, literally baffles me. Main issue right now. mom and dad. My dad wanted to fight for their marriage he really did, looked into marriage counseling and I see immediately. But after more talking slash arguing about my sister, my mom lying and continuing with her BS my dad ended up finding something very disgusting that my mom has been hiding from him that has left him heartbroken. I'd rather not get into it, but I'm sure y'all have some ideas. I'm still letting all of this process. So no, my dad does not plan on

continuing with my mother. Things are a little tough right now. My dad can't exactly just leave our house, mainly because my sister refuses to leave my mom and understandably my dad doesn't want to leave Leah alone with her. So he's staying just until some legal stuff is sorted out and I don't plan on going back anytime soon. That's basically it for now. Idif I'll update again. We'll just have to wait and see. I love my dad so much he's my best friend so I'm just going to try my best to cheer him up and be a good kid during these times. Thanks again for all the support, y'all are great. Comments

Anilla, Blue, Violets, it's situations like this that make you realize who your parents' favorite child is, and it sounds like Leah is your mom's. Does your mom have a history of doing the same thing, lying for attention? Boop. TBH I've always been closer with my dad,

Leah's always been closer to my mom. Growing up my mom never showed any laden favoritism between us, but it's always been kind of obvious even to members outside of immediate family which child is closer with which parent. To answer your last question I'm honestly not sure if she was like that when she was younger. If you haven't already guessed, some PPL have, my dad recently found out my mom had an affair, and from what I've observed and what I've been updated on, my mom refuses to take accountability for it and keeps playing the victim. New update, Silly Cissy. March 6th, 20,

I honestly didn't think I would be making another update but the account has just been sitting here and I felt bad for leaving everyone on a cliffhanger, LOL. Also, I realized that my last post was actually Update 3 not too sorry if that confused anyone. Spoilers. It got worse. So I'll start with my parents, they aren't speaking. Well, they are through attorneys but my mom can't be civil for two seconds in the same room as my father. I did write this in a comment. but yes, my mother was having an affair. There were some theories that my sister found out about the affair which triggered her breakdown or she found out so Mom and her were covering for each other.

My mom's affair started just short of a year ago, and Leah had no clue. It's unknown if this was my mother's only affair. Now on to Leah, she got much worse. My mom basically went against everything my dad and her agreed on and gave her phone back plus other privileges. My dad wasn't even surprised anymore and just turned her service off. He pays for all our phones. He's also planning on taking mom and sis off the family plan.

She did go back to school which turned out the way I expected. She's doing school from home now and I'll get into that. In my last post I believe I mentioned that my dad went through my sister's phone and found a very disturbing group chat where Leah and the losers would bully this girl. I don't think I can actually classify what they were doing to this girl as bullying though. I talked about it in private messages with someone, but it's not something I want to repeat on here. Please just know that it was very, very disturbing and gross. Enough so that the school needed to get involved, which did happen.

I'll just call the girl Claire. I won't get into the details of what happened during this school meeting but ex-friends and my sister got expelled. Yes, expelled, Leah's one and only excuse for the bullying was she was a bitch to me. My parents were just going to enroll Leah in an alternative school, but her ex-fellings. friend group was also going to that school, they were angry with my sister, threatening to jump her and stuff. My mom feared for her safety, ironic, so she's doing it from home instead. I actually spoke to Claire privately, mostly to apologize on behalf of my sister and let her know we had no clue. She was honestly one of the sweetest people I've ever spoken with, I feel terrible she did not deserve what my sister

was putting her through and it honestly makes me a shame that I'm related to her. Claire is doing okay though she has a good support system and is in therapy. Leah has completely stopped going to therapy and taking her meds and basically switched from her victim mentality to just straight up being disgusting to everyone in her life that cares about her with the exception of being nice to my mom when she wants something. Leah and I did eventually end up speaking through texting. When she got her phone back she sent me a long paragraph on Instagram which I won't post

on here but to sum it up it was basically just her saying that everything that's going on with our family right now is my fault and all of this could have been. been avoided if I just talked to her first. About the screenshots. Not inherently untrue, but I also don't really care. Originally, I believe my dad was going to try and get primary custody of Leah because he didn't trust my mother for obvious reasons. And I don't know the details of the discussions he's had with his lawyer about it, but Leah's going to be 18 soon plus with everything else going on. I don't think he's going to do that anymore. My dad and I did have a long conversation about Leah and what the future looks like for her.

To sum that up, he will always love and care for her as his daughter, but as a person he doesn't particularly like her at the moment. If Leah came to him and showed genuine signs of remorse plus wanting to get better, he would do so in a heartbeat. But as for right now, you can't help someone who doesn't want help, forcing it won't make things better. As for my mother and I, we aren't speaking either. Our last conversation was mostly her screaming at me and berating over the phone,

mostly over me being a brat and not wanting to come home, L.O.L. I don't really know what the future looks like right now. All I know is I'm going to stick with my dad. Both my dad and I have been going to therapy which has been keeping things lighter and less stressful so that's good. But that's basically the update. I'm sorry to all of those who were really rooting and praying for my sister to get better. This is not easy for anyone in my family right now, but I do apologize. guys. Once again, thanks for all the support and sweet comments it means a lot. I did end up showing my dad the posts which he thankfully wasn't upset about. He appreciates all the support Reddit has shown our family. I may update again if anything major happens but if I don't, I don't. Thanks again.

I hope you enjoy this story. Spouse being unfaithful during my pregnancy. Max brought our infant without authorization to see his lover, so I contacted the authorities and now they are both facing legal consequences. I was married to my ex-husband, Alan, up until just four months ago. He and I broke up after I caught him red-handed with his mistress. At the time, I was pregnant, and I had been staying at my mother's house for about a week. I decided to surprise Alan by coming back home early. I had planned to cook him a nice breakfast before he went off to work, hoping to do something special for him since he had been telling me how much he missed me. But when I arrived home, I found him in bed, not alone, but with another woman. Of course, I screamed and yelled,

probably waking up half the neighborhood in the process. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Alan, in a panic, kept apologizing to me, trying to explain himself. But instead of taking responsibility for what he had done, he actually tried to turn the situation around, telling me that I shouldn't have come home so early, and that I should have called him first before showing up. It was as though he was basically blaming me for catching him in the act. I was beyond furious and heartbroken, and I demanded to know who the woman was, but Alan kept avoiding the question. He insisted it didn't matter and tried to deflect, saying that we could talk about it later.

But at that moment, there was no later. The woman had absolutely no remorse on her face, and it was clear from the expression she wore that this wasn't the first time she had been in my home. Her demeanor was cold and unfazed as if she had no. care in the world about what was happening. When I asked her if she and my husband were having an affair, she didn't hesitate to coldly nod, acknowledging what she had done without any shame. Alan, on the other hand, yelled at me to ignore her, claiming he was going to explain everything

to me later. The woman then scoffed at him and began putting her clothes back on. That's when I noticed something that made my stomach drop, she was wearing my red nightdress. I was taken aback. kind of woman wore someone else's clothes while sleeping with their husband. I screamed at her to take off my night dress, my voice shaking with anger and disbelief. I asked her what the hell she thought she was doing, wearing my clothes after sleeping with my husband. The thought of it made my blood boil. She casually said she had nothing to wear for the night so she had gone through

my closet and picked out what she wanted. And then, with a nasty smirk, she added, it's not like you can fit into these anymore, as she pointed at my pregnant belly. At that moment I saw red. Who the hell did this woman think she was? Coming into my home, sleeping with my husband, and then having the audacity to wear my clothes? Without even thinking, I lost all control and lunged at her, grabbing her hair and yanking it as hard as I could. She screamed in pain, thrashing around, but I was taller and stronger than her, so she couldn't break free. I swear, If I hadn't been pregnant, I would have taken her down to the floor and given her a good beating but I didn't want to put my baby at risk. The woman continued to try and fight back, until Alan

quickly intervened, pulling her away from me. Then the woman, her face still full of defiance, shouted at Alan, that she was going to kill me for touching her hair and demanded that he stand up for her if he ever wanted to see her again. Her voice had a certain authority. She spoke to Alan as if she was his partner, as if she had every right to control him. This is when I started to realize that she wasn't just some random woman to him. This wasn't a one-night stand. Both of them clearly knew each other quite well. She was talking to him like his girlfriend. Alan, surprisingly, turned on me. He began to scold me for slapping her, telling me I needed

to calm down and act more rationally. I couldn't believe it. Here he was, the one one who had betrayed me turning things around to make me feel guilty for standing up for myself. I asked him to tell me exactly who she was and what was happening between them. This is when Alan began to tell me that, over the months, since I had become pregnant, he had felt less and less attracted to me. He explained that, as his feelings for me faded, he met Lila, the woman I had caught him with, and that she had been able to satisfy him in ways I never could. Hearing his words, I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me.

All those months, all that love I thought we shared, meant nothing to him anymore. And then he went on to say that what had started off as just hookups between him and Lila had now turned into something serious. Alan casually told me he had been planning to talk to me about it. But since I was pregnant, he wanted to wait until after I gave birth. He wanted to spare me the pain, he said, as if that was some kind of favor. He had already made his choice to leave me. I couldn't believe the betrayal.

While I was pregnant and carrying his child inside me, the father of my baby was out having fun with another woman. Over the four years of our marriage, I had supported Alan through everything, his career, his dreams, his struggles, and for what? For him to turn around and stab me in the back like this? The anger and hurt inside me were overwhelming. It felt like all the love I had given, all the sacrifices I had made, meant nothing to him. I told Alan there was no reason to wait until after the baby was born to divorce me. If he was already so sure he didn't love me anymore, then what was the point of staying married? Why drag it out? His excuses didn't matter to me anymore. Alan tried to argue that we could

talk about it later, but I was done listening. The pain of everything he had done was too much, and my frustration boiled over. I told him, in no uncertain terms, that he needed to pack up his things and leave my house and take his mistress with him. The audacity of him, coming into my home and bringing that woman into my bed, was beyond anything I could tolerate. Even if he didn't feel attracted to me anymore, how dare he disrespect me like this? Alan was visibly taken aback. He never expected me to take such a firm stand and tried to argue back. But I wasn't going to back down. I told him that if he didn't leave, I would call the police on him. I wasn't going to let him stay in my house a moment longer. Eventually, my ex-husband begrudgingly

agreed and started to pack up his things. As they were leaving, Lila had the audacity to taunt me. She mocked me, saying everything Alan had told her about me over the months was true, that I was a cold and calculating woman. She went on, cruelly saying that this was why no man could ever stay with me. Her word stung deeply, and it felt like she was rubbing salt into a wound that I didn't think could hurt anymore. To make matters worse, Alan didn't say a word to defend me. They both left without a single word of apology or remorse and as soon as the door closed behind them, I broke down. The weight of the betrayal, the hurt, and the loss overwhelmed me, and I couldn't hold it in anymore. I cried like I had never cried before, but in the midst of that pain, a part of me knew I

couldn't let them break me. After all, I had been raised by a single mother, and she had taught me to be strong, Tondo stand up for myself no matter what. So, despite how broken I felt, I picked myself up. I wasn't going to let Alan or anyone else take away my sense of self-worth. Over the next few weeks, I reached out to a lawyer, got advice, and filed for divorce. Thankfully, I had been smart enough to have Alan sign a pre-nup before we got married, which meant our divorce proceedings would be much faster and simpler. Since I was in a far better financial position than he was, I knew this wouldn't be a long battle. The one thing we needed to settle was custody of our child. As the mother, I was granted primary custody of our newborn. I would raise my

child, and Alan would have supervised visitation, at least until our child was older and then maybe we could change the custody arrangements again. I couldn't trust him to be alone with the baby after everything that had happened, and the lawyer made it clear that it was in the best interest of the child, especially given the circumstances. In the end, we both agreed on this. Now, four days ago, I finally gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. The experience was overwhelming, but I had my mom with me the whole time. It was a relief to have her there, as I needed all the comfort I could get throughout the entire birthing process. I was still at the hospital recovering when Alan came to visit me and our baby the next day. Surprisingly, he seemed genuinely proud to be a father.

Despite all the anger I felt toward him, I wanted us to at least try to be good co-parents for the sake of our child. Our son was the one thing that mattered now. After a little while, my mom decided to head back home to freshen up. She had been awake with me for what felt like hours, and I could tell she needed rest. I, too, was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and I really wanted to get some sleep. Alan assured me he would stay in the room and watch over our son while I rested. I told him to wake me up if our son cried, as he would probably need to be fed, and Alan promised me he would.

So, imagine the sheer panic I felt when I woke up three hours later to my mother frantically asking me, Where's your baby? I was disoriented and confused as I tried to gather my thoughts. We looked around the hospital room, but my baby and Alan were nowhere to be found. My heart started racing, and I could feel the adrenaline pumping as I realized something was terribly wrong. I immediately asked the nurses if they had seen Alan or my son, and one of them finally told me, to my horror, that she had seen Alan walking out of the hospital with my baby. The moment those words hit me, I was frozen in disbelief.

Alan had no right to leave with my child without my permission, especially after he had promised me he would stay and watch over him. My mind was reeling, and I could barely process what was happening. I grabbed my phone and started calling him frantically, but he didn't pick up. Each unanswered call only made my anxiety worse. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I was on the verge of having a panic attack. Where did Alan take him? What if my son woke up hungry?

What would he eat? Was Alan planning to disappear with him, to take my baby away from me? All kinds of disturbing questions flooded my mind, each one more terrifying than the last. All I could think about was my baby and whether he was okay. After almost multiple missed calls, Alan finally picked up, or so I thought. But to my shock, it wasn't Alan's voice on the other end. It was Lila. She calmly informed me that my baby was with her and that Alan had brought him back to their place

to show off our newborn to her since I had not allowed her to visit me at the hospital. This was true, Alan had asked me if he could bring Lila with him and I had refused since I didn't want to see her. I asked her how my son was and to give the phone to Alan so I could give him a peace of my mind about leaving with my child without permission. Lila then told me that my son had woken up, shortly after Alan had taken him there and was crying, clearly hungry, so Alan had hurried to a grocery store to buy some formula so they could feed him. She then added that Alan had left his phone behind by mistake, which is why I had to wait if I wanted to talk to him. I was absolutely taken aback. My son had woken up hungry, crying and she wanted me to wait. Also what right did they have to give my son formula when I, as his mother, hadn't agreed to that? I immediately demanded that she drive back to the hospital and return my son back to me so I could feed him.

But Lila argued that she and Alan knew what they were doing, claiming that they were doing, claiming that they they were going to be my son's parents now along with me, and that they knew what was best for him also. She said that I needed to stop freaking out and that after they fed him, Alan would bring the baby back to me. Her tone was so cold, so dismissive that she sounded like a deranged psycho who was trying to justify keeping my hungry infant child away from me. I continued to urge her to bring my son back, but she kept saying how she and Alan had read parenting books so they were prepared to handle my child without me. Her words only fueled my fury. At that moment, I knew I had to act fast. Without hesitation, I cut the call with Lila and immediately dialed the

police. I told them that my ex-husband had kidnapped my newborn son and left him with a stranger. My heart was racing as I explained how terrified I was for my baby's safety, especially since I had just given birth a day ago. The fear that something could happen to him, that he might be hurt or scared without me, consumed me. I needed to make sure he was returned to me safely. The police responded quickly, and within an hour, Alan and Lila were arrested for kidnapping and endangering my child. Soon after, they brought my son back to the hospital. I rushed to change him and feed him, and while he seemed fine physically, I could tell he had been crying for hours. His little face was red, and the sight of it broke my heart. The whole situation was a

nightmare, but I was glad that at least my baby was back where he belongs, with me. Since then, my ex and Lila have been out on bail, but they're facing charges and will have to appear in court soon. I made it clear that I wasn't dropping the charges, and I wanted to see them punished for what they did. This wasn't something I could just overlook. My baby's safety was at stake, and they needed to answer for what they had done. At first, Alan was adamant that he hadn't done anything wrong, that I was over. reacting, and that I shouldn't have called the police on them. He tried to defend himself, claiming that he was just trying to show off our son. But it was obvious that he had no sense of

how serious the situation was. He thought he could just walk away without facing consequences. However, I guess after talking to a lawyer, Alan's tune has changed. Now, he's asking me to reconsider the charges, claiming that he's facing jail time and begging for me to forgive him. So, Reddit Ida. Update 1, to everyone asking why Alan and Lila would do something like this, I am just as stunned as all of you. When we got divorced, I thought we could at least manage to be supportive co-parents for the sake of our son. But what Alan has done goes far beyond crossing any line, it's unforgivable. He had no right to just take my baby and leave, especially when he didn't even have primary custody. The fact that he would take my son without informing me or considering

how it would affect me or the baby shows a complete lack of respect for me as his mother. Also, it's not just about custody, it's about basic decency and responsibility as a parent. He doesn't get to make decisions like this without consulting me, especially when it involves our one-day newborn son. I've seen some comments asking why I called the cops, and honestly, it makes me think that some of you don't fully understand what it means to be a parent, especially a mother. Any parent who has a child, especially a newborn, knows you can't just separate a baby from their mother right after birth. Newborns need constant care. They need to be fed, changed and held. It's not just about a few hours, they need care 24 to 7. When my son

returned to me, he was crying, his diaper hadn't been changed, and he was hungry. It broke my heart to see him in that state. No one, especially not Alan and Lila, has the right to put my baby in that situation. As a mother, I had to do what was necessary to protect my child and make sure he was safe. The police were the only way to ensure that he was returned to me immediately. How could my ex and Lila just unilaterally decide to buy and feed my newborn formula without even discussing it with me? That decision wasn't theirs to make, especially when I'm the mother. It's completely outrageous. More importantly, how could my ex leave my baby with someone I don't even know properly? Someone I only know because I found her sleeping with him. What if something had

happened to my baby while he was with her? What if she had done something to harm him? How could he be so reckless, so careless? The thought alone terrifies me. I don't regret calling the cops. Not for a second. What they did was wrong, and I'm not going to just let it go. I'm so thankful that my baby is back with me and that he's okay, but I'm going to make sure Alan and Lila are held accountable for what they did. My priority is my son, and I will do everything in my power to protect him forever, even if it means making tough decisions. Update 2. It's been a week since my last update. I'm relieved to say that me and my baby are doing fine now. We're back home, and my mom is staying with us to help out. I've also made sure to say, up cameras everywhere just in case. I'm not taking any chances with my son's safety after

everything that's happened. As for my ex, he has been begging me for mercy, trying to get me to reconsider the charges. He's apparently scared of facing jail time, but I have been ignoring him. So, the other day, he tried to come over to my place and talk to me forcefully. When he showed up unannounced, looking all flustered and desperate, I didn't let him come in. Instead, I I stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind me. My son was asleep inside, and I wasn't about to let this man wake him up. Alan basically told me how as the father of my child he had every right to take our son wherever he wanted and that he wanted me to stop acting like the scorned ex-wife and just

let everything go. He wanted me to drop the charges immediately and try to talk with the cops about how it was all just a big misunderstanding. His audacity was truly unbelievable. I told him that I wasn't going to do anything. like that when it wasn't true. Then with complete disregard for everything I'd been through, everything we had gone through, he told me that this was apparently the reason he'd fallen out of love with me in the first place. He looked me dead in the eye and said with a patronizing

tone, this whole situation, how you have acted, it's exactly why I couldn't be with you anymore. You're so controlling, so rigid. This is why I cheated. You're so impossible to deal with. No wonder things fell apart between us. You suffocate everything you touch. I was taken aback by his choice of words. Before I could react, he continued to yell at me. Do you really think you are the only parent here? This is my son too and I deserve your respect.

You had no right to call the cops and get me arrested. To him, it seemed like the entire situation was my fault. I was the one who had pushed him to cheat. I was the one who had made him fall out of love, I was the one who had made him feel trapped. He seemed completely oblivious to the gravity of what he had done and seemed to think that just because he was the father, he could do whatever he wanted, with no consequences. I took a breath, standing firm as I looked him dead in the eyes and told him that his manipulation wasn't going to work on me anymore. I wasn't some naive woman he could walk all over like before.

You don't get to stand there and tell me why you fell out of love with me. You cheated, you lied, and you're the one who destroyed everything. I am glad we got a divorce and I don't care about you anymore. But this isn't about us, it's about my son. You took him to see your girlfriend just one day after he was born, while I was still recovering at the hospital. You and I both know you had no right to do that. Now you think I'm supposed to just let go. I don't care if you're scared of jail time because I'm not going to drop the charges.

His jaw clenched, and I could tell he was trying to come up with something to say, but I cut him off. You don't get to play the victim anymore, Alan. You made your choices, and now you're facing the consequences. You think you're entitled to mercy because you share DNA with my son? Let me remind you, that being a father is about actions, not biology. And your actions have done nothing but prove how unfit and immature you are to make any decisions for him. I will make sure the court punishes you for this. I then shut the door on his face while he continued to shout from the other hand. He crossed a line, and I'm not backing down.

As for Lila, she has continued to send me the nastiest, most unhinged messages since that day. It's as though she's made it her personal mission to harass me at every turn. Every time I think she can't stoop any lower, she surprises me. The audacity of that woman knows no bounds. She has written to me saying that she was looking forward to becoming my son's new mommy, but that I ruined her chance out of sheer jealousy. Because I got her arrested, she then told me how she wished for me and my son to die in a car accident and that we didn't deserve to live.

I was stunned reading that message. It was beyond disgusting. What kind of person wishes death on someone, especially a mother and her child? She is utterly vile and disrespectful. I've shown all of Lila's vile. messages to my lawyer, and we are taking immediate action. We are planning to get a restraining order against Lila as soon as possible. Given how threatening and malicious her messages have been, we feel it's necessary to ensure that she stays away from me and my baby forever.

Update 3, it's been a month and a half since my last update. The day of the court hearing finally arrived yesterday. Both Alan and Lila had their lawyers with them, of course, trying to downplay what had happened and avoid taking any responsibility. Alan's defense was filled with excuses. He tried to claim that he was just trying to be a good father by taking the baby to Lila since I was asleep and that he was going to return the baby to me later that day. He said it was basically my fault for not allowing him to bring Lila with him to visit our son. Apparently he never meant to cause any harm and claimed that I freaked out due to my hormones

and called the cops for no reason. But, regardless of his words, the reality of the situation spoke. for itself. He had taken my baby without permission, left him in the care of a woman who I barely knew and had basically ignored my rights as a mother. There was no excuse for what he had done. He begged the judge for some leniency. Lila, as expected, also didn't take any responsibility. She tried to act like she had every right to be involved with my son as if she was now some kind of a stepmother. She claimed I had a grudge against her ever since she had won my husband from me and that I was trying to make her life difficult unnecessarily.

At this point, my lawyer stood in the courtroom and began to read out all of Lila's vile messages aloud, filled with cruelty and threats. It was necessary for the judge to understand the kind of person my ex's girlfriend really was and why she needed to stay far away from me and the baby. I could see the shock on the faces of those present. Clearly, Lila had no respect for me, for my son, or for our boundaries. After everything was presented, the messages, the timeline of events, the police reports, and the testimony from my side, the judge was clear in their ruling. Alan was found guilty of kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child.

Lila, too, was charged with contributing to the child's endangerment. In the end, Allen was given a sentence that involved one-year probation and mandatory parenting classes. If he breaks the rules of his probation, he will face jail time. Lila was given a restraining order, and she was ordered to stay away from me and my family. The restraining order meant I wouldn't have to worry about Lila sending me any more hateful messages. And the court's decision reinforced that I, as a mother, had the final say in how my child is raised. Both of them were also required to pay restitution for the emotional distress they had caused to me and the baby. I could see both Alan and Lila seething with rage by the end of the court proceeding, but there was nothing that they could do.

anymore. They got what they deserved. Update four, six months have passed since the court hearing, and life has slowly begun to feel more like normal again. My son, who I still can't believe is already six months old, has brought so much joy into my life. Every milestone he hits, his first smile, the first time he rolled over, and now he's almost sitting up on his own, makes everything worth it. I've been focusing on making sure he grows up in a stable, loving environment, surrounded by family and friends who truly care about him. My mom visits us as much as she can, and I'm so grateful for her support. She's been a huge help with everything from taking care of my son during the night to offering emotional support when I've needed it most.

I honestly don't know how I would have done it without her. As for Alan and Lila, they've both been completely out of the picture. Alan did try to reach out once or twice, but I didn't respond. I'm done with him. I've made it clear that my son and I are moving forward without him, and that's exactly what we're doing. As for Lila, the restraining orders have worked, and I haven't had any direct contact with her since the court hearing. Honestly, there are still moments when I look back at everything that happened with Alan and Lila, and the anger and hurt creep back in, but I try not to let those emotions consume me. What matters now is my son and the life we're building together.