Reddit Stories - Arrived home feeling drained and my SPOUSE'S COMPANIONS labeled me UNSOCIABLE for not

Episode Date: July 4, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #relationships #communication #socialanxiety #misunderstood #supportSummary: Arrived home feeling drained and my SPOUSE'S COMPANIONS labeled me UNSOCIABLE for not engaging. Am I the jerk for needing space after a long day?Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, relationships, communication, socialanxiety, misunderstood, support, drained, spouse, companions, unsociable, jerk, space, longdayBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Arrived home feeling drained and my spouse's companions labeled me unsociable for not desiring to socialize, so I retreated to my chamber but then I eavesdropped on my spouse conversing with them. She wished she married someone different and wanted to leave. I worked construction and yesterday I had one of those days where everything goes wrong and you're out there in 95 degree heat for 12 hours straight because the concrete pore got delayed and then we had to stay late to finish the foundation work and by the time I

got home I was covered in dust and sweat and my back was killing me and all I wanted. Was a shower and maybe to sit down for five minutes and not think about anything. But when I walked through the door my wife Adriana had three of her friends over and they were all sitting in the living room with wine glasses and music playing and they all looked at me like I was some kind of intruder in my own house and I could tell they'd been. Talking about something because they got all quiet when I came in. Adriana goes, oh hey babe, you remember Fiona and Gina and Jane and I nodded and said hey, but I was honestly too tired to do much more than that and I just wanted to get upstairs and shower off all this concrete dust that was making me it everywhere and maybe grab something to. Eat. But then Fiona, who I've never really liked because she's always got this attitude like she's better than everyone, she goes, wow, not even going to join us for a drink. That's pretty antisocial and she's looking at me with this smirk.

that I know means she's trying to start something. And I'm standing there thinking, I've been working since 6 a.m., I'm exhausted, I'm dirty, I just want to clean up, but I can see Adriana looking at me with this expression like she's embarrassed or something and I'm starting to feel this anger building up because why should I have to perform for these people

when I just worked my ass off all day to? Pay for this house they're sitting and drinking wine that I paid for. So I said, yeah, I'm going to pass tonight, I'm pretty beat and I started heading toward the stairs but then Gina pipes up with that so rude. We hardly ever see you and Jane nods and goes Adriana was just telling us how you never want to socialize anymore and I can feel my face getting hot because what the hell is Adriana telling these people about me? I turned around and I probably should have just kept walking but I was tired and annoyed and I said look, I work 60 hours a week, I'm covered in concrete dust, I haven't eaten since lunch, maybe cut me some slack here and Fiona laughs this. fake laugh and goes there's always an excuse with you isn't there. That's when I really started getting pissed because who the hell is she to judge me and I said excuse me? I don't think

working to support my family is an excuse and Adriana jumps in with this voice like she's talking to a child and goes okay everyone let's just calm down but she's looking at me like I'm the problem here. And Fiona, she just won't let it go, she goes you know what, this is exactly what we were talking about before you got home, you're always so defensive and angry and I'm I'm thinking what the hell were they talking about before I got home and why is my wife discussing our business with these people? I looked at Adriana and I said what exactly were you talking about and she got this look on her face like a deer in headlights and goes nothing.

We were just chatting but I could tell she was lying and all her friends are sitting there watching this like it's some kind of show. So I said fine, I'm going upstairs and I left them there and went to take a shower and I figured that would be the end of it but I could hear them talking and laughing downstairs and it was really bothering me because I had this feeling they were talking about me and making jokes about me while I'm upstairs trying to wash off a day's worth of hard. Work After my shower I was still hungry so I went to the kitchen to make a sandwich and I had to walk

past the living room and they all got quiet again when they saw me and Fiona said something under her breath that made the other two laugh and I just ignored it and went to the kitchen. But then I could hear them talking again and I heard Adriana's voice say something about always in a bad mood and never wants to do anything fun and I'm standing there making a sandwich thinking, is this really what my wife thinks of me and is this what she tells her friends? So I took my sandwich and went upstairs to our bedroom and turned on Netflix and figured I'd just stay out of their way, but the walls in our house are thin and I could hear everything they were saying and that's when things got really bad. I heard Fiona say, I don't know how you put up with it and Gina goes he's always so moody and hostile

and Jane chimes in with that's not normal behavior for a husband and I'm sitting there eating my sandwich thinking these people don't know anything about me or my marriage, but they're sitting in my living room judging me. But then I heard Adriana's voice and she said, you guys don't understand, it's gotten so much worse lately, he's become really controlling and he gets angry over everything and I almost choked on my sandwich because what the hell is she talking about? I've never been controlling, I work all day and come home and try to stay out of everyone's way. Then Fiona goes that sounds like emotional abuse to me and my heart just stopped because where the hell is this coming from and Gina agrees and goes yeah, that walking away thing he just did,

that's manipulation and I'm thinking how is me going upstairs to shower manipulation. And then Adriana, my wife who I've been married to for four years, she goes sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I'd married someone different, someone who actually wants to be part of life instead of just existing in it and I had to put my sandwich down because I felt like I was going to throw up. Jane goes you deserve better than this and Fiona says you need to think about whether this is the life you want and Adriana just sighs and goes, I know, I think about it all the time, he's just so negative and toxic and I feel like I'm walking on eggshells all the time. I sat there for maybe 10 minutes just staring at the wall because I couldn't believe what I was hearing

and I'm trying to figure out when I became this terrible person she's describing because I go to work every day and I pay the bills and I don't cheat and I don't drink too much and I don't hit her and I thought we were happy or at least okay. Eventually I heard them getting louder and more wine must have been involved because Fiona's voice was getting that slurred edge it gets when she's drunk and she was saying things like he probably monitors your phone and does he control the money and Adriana was going well. He does handle all the finances and I'm thinking of course I handle the finances because she asked me to because she hates dealing with bills and budgets. Then Gina says something about classic signs of abuse and Jane goes you need to document everything

and I realized they were talking about me like I'm some kind of criminal and my wife is just sitting there letting them paint me as this abusive monster when all I did was come home tired from work and want to shower. I couldn't take it anymore, so I put on my headphones and tried to watch TV, but I kept thinking about what Adriana said about wishing she'd married someone different and wondering how long she's felt this way and whether our whole marriage has been a lie. They finally left around 11 p.m. and Adriana came upstairs and acted like nothing happened and asked if I was okay and I said I was fine because I didn't know what else to say and I needed time to process what I'd heard. But I've been lying here thinking about it and I can't shake the feeling

that I'm being set up for something and that my wife has been talking about me behind my back for who knows how long and painting me is this terrible person to justify whatever she's planning to do. Am I the asshole for going to my room instead of hanging out with her friends? Edit. Some people are asking about our relationship history. We've been together for six years, married for four. Adriana works part-time at a boutique and I work construction full-time. We bought our house two years ago and I thought things were good between us. I guess I was wrong.

Update 1. I don't even know where to begin but I guess I should tell you what happened because it's insane and I'm sitting in a hotel room right now trying to figure out what the hell my life has become. So yesterday morning I woke up and Adriana was already gone to work and I figured maybe we could talk when she got home because I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd heard the night before and I needed to understand what was going on with us. I went to work but I couldn't concentrate and my foreman Frank asked if I was okay because I was being sloppy and almost dropped a beam on my foot and I told him I was having some problems at home and he said to take the afternoon off and get my head straight.

So I came home early around 2 p.m. and Adriana's car wasn't there but I figured I'd wait for her and maybe clean up the house a bit and try to think about how to approach this whole thing without it turning into a fight. But when I walked in the house I could hear voices in the living room and I thought maybe Adriana had come home for lunch by Uber and brought one of her friends, but when I looked around the corner it was Fiona and Gina sitting at my kitchen table looking through papers and they both jumped when they saw me. Fiona goes, oh, we didn't expect you home so early and I'm standing there looking at these two women in my house without my wife and I said, where's Adriana and what are you doing here and Gina gets this nervous look and goes she gave

us a key, we're just waiting for her. And I'm thinking why the hell does my wife give keys to people without telling me and I said waiting for her for what and Fiona gets that attitude again in those that's between us and Adriana and I realized they had a bunch of papers spread out on my table and I could see what looked like bank statements and I said are those my financial. Documents Gina tries to cover them up and goes we're just helping Adriana with some things and I walked over and I could see they had my bank statements, my pay stubs, even documents, even documents, from when we bought the house and I said,

What the hell is this? And Fiona stands up and goes, You need to calm down. But I wasn't going to calm down because these people were going through my private financial information in my house without my permission. And I said, get out, both of you, right now and Gina goes, we're not leaving until Adriana gets here and I said, yes, you are, this is my house and you're going through my personal documents without permission.

Fiona gets in my face and goes, this is exactly what we're talking about. You're being aggressive and controlling and I said I'm being aggressive. You're in my house going through my bank statements and she goes, Adriana has every right to access this information. I said Adriana has access to everything. She's on all the accounts, but you two don't and Gina pipes up with we're helping her understand her options and that's when it clicked that they were helping her figure out finances for a divorce.

I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach and I said, get out now or I'm calling the police and Fioreau. She don't laughs and goes, go ahead, call them, they'll want to hear about how you're threatening us and I said, I'm not threatening anyone, I'm telling you to leave my house. That's when Adriana walked in and saw us all standing there and she got this panicked look and Gina goes he came home early and started yelling at us which was not what happened at all and Adriana looks at me and goes, why are you being so hostile? I said Adriana, why are your friends going through our financial documents and she gets defensive and goes I can share whatever I want with my friends and I said our bank statements. and mortgage papers without discussing it with me first. Fiona jumps in with C, he's trying to control what you can and can't do, and I said, I'm not trying to control anything.

I just want to understand why my private financial information is being shared with people who aren't part of this marriage. Adriana goes because I needed help understanding our finances and I said you could have asked me I would have explained anything you wanted to know and she goes right like you explain anything you just handle everything yourself and expect me to trust you. I'm standing there thinking when did asking me about our finances become impossible and I said Adriana, you've never asked me about money that I didn't answer and Fiona goes that's what every controlling husband says.

Gina starts gathering up the papers and goes we should go but Adriana tells them to stay and I said no, they should go. We need to talk about this privately and Adriana goes, I don't want to be alone with you when you're like this. That hit me like a truck because like what? Like what exactly? I said like what, Adriana. What am I being like? And she goes your being aggressive and scary and I looked around at these three women who were looking at me like I was some kind of dangerous animal and I realized they had already decided I was the bad guy no matter what I said or did.

I said I'm going to go for a drive. When I come back I want them gone so we can talk and I turn to leave but Fiona goes running away again. That's mature and I just lost it. and turned around and said, you know what, Fiona, you've been talking shit about me in my own house for two days now and I'm sick of it. She goes there it is, the real you coming out and Adriana goes, please don't yell and I said I'm not yelling, I'm trying to understand why my marriage is being discussed and dissected by people who don't even like me. Gina goes, we like you fine, we just think Adriana deserves better and I said based on what? You don't know anything about our

relationship and Fiona goes we know enough. I looked at Adriana. and I said, is this what you want? You want your friends to decide what's best for your marriage. And she just stood there not saying anything and that's when I realized she had already made up her mind about everything. I said, fine, I'm leaving, figure out whatever you need to figure out and I went upstairs to grab some clothes and when I came back down they were all huddled together whispering and they stopped when they saw me. I said, Adriana, we need to talk tomorrow when you're ready to have an actual conversation and Fiona goes she doesn't have to talk to you if she doesn't want to and I said actually, she's my wife, so yeah, we do need to talk. That's when Fiona got really nasty and goes not for long if she's smart and I said what's that supposed to mean and she goes it means she's finally seeing you for what you really are.

I looked at Adriana and said, is that how you feel? And she wouldn't look at me and just said, I think you should stay somewhere else tonight and I said this is my house too and Gina goes maybe legally, but she didn't. doesn't feel safe with you here. I said safe from what? What exactly do you think I'm going to do to her? And Fiona goes, we've heard the stories and I said what stories? And Adriana finally looks at me and goes, just go, please. So I left and I'm in this hotel and I keep thinking about Fiona saying we've heard the stories and wondering what stories Adriana has been telling about me and when our marriage became something she needed to escape from. I called her this morning and she didn't answer, so I texted and asked if we could meet and talk and she texted back that she needed space and would call me when she was ready. I don't know what I'm supposed to do here

because it feels like I'm being tried and convicted for crimes I don't even know I committed and my wife won't talk to me and her friends are treating me like I'm dangerous. Am I losing my mind or is this as crazy as it seems to me? Edit. A few people asked about Jane since I mentioned three friends but only the other two show up in the update. Jane and her husband, been moved to Arizona the day after that night for his job transfer so she wasn't around for any of the drama that followed. The whole wine night was actually supposed to be a goodbye party for her which makes it even more fucked up that they spent it talking shit about me instead of celebrating her move. Update 2, I can't even believe I'm typing this but my whole life just exploded

and I still can't wrap my head around what happened. So yesterday morning I decided I wasn't going to sit in that hotel room anymore and I drove to Adriana's work to try. try to talk to her because she wasn't answering my calls or texts and I figured if we could just have a normal conversation away from her friends maybe we could figure this out. I waited in the parking lot until her shift ended and when she came out she saw me and her face just fell and she looked scared which made no sense because I'm her husband not some stalker but she walked over to my truck and said, what are you doing here? I said, Adriana, we need to talk. This is getting out of hand and she goes I told you I needed space and I said it's been three days, how much space, how much space

do you need to think about our marriage and she looked around like she was checking to see if anyone was watching us. She got in the truck and said fine, but not here so we drove to a coffee shop and found a corner table and I tried to hold her hand but she pulled away and that's when I knew this was going to be bad. I said Adriana, I heard what you said to your friends the other night about wishing you'd married someone different and I need to understand where that's coming from and she wouldn't look at me and just stirred her coffee and said I was just venting, I said that didn't sound like venting.

That sounded like you've been thinking about this for a while and she finally looked up and goes, Maybe I have and I felt like the floor dropped out from under me. I said, what did I do? What happened to us? And she goes, it's not about what you did, it's about who you are and I said, who am I, Adriana? Because apparently I don't know anymore. She started crying and said, you're just so angry all the time and you shut me out and I feel like I'm living with a stranger and I'm sitting there thinking angry about what and shutting her out how, we watch TV together every night and we talk about our days and I thought we were fine.

I said, can you give me an example of when I've been angry or shut you out and she goes like the other night with my friends, you were so rude and hostile and I said I was tired, I worked 12 hours and came home dirty and exhausted. She goes, that's what I mean, there's always a reason, always an excuse and I said working 12 hours isn't an excuse, it's reality, and she shakes her head and goes, you don't get it, I said then help me get it, tell me what I'm missing and she goes you control everything, the money, what we do? Who we see and I'm thinking what is she talking about because she has access to all our accounts and she's the one who usually decides what we do on weekends. I said, Adriana, you have your own debit card, you can spend whatever you want, how is that controlling

and she goes but you handle all the bills and you get upset if I spend too much and I said I get concerned when we're over budget, that's not the same as controlling. She goes, see, you're doing it right now, making me feel bad for how I feel and I said, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I'm trying to understand what you're talking about, but she just shook her head like I was proving her point. We sat there for a few minutes and then she said, I think we should separate for a while so I can figure out what I want and I said, what about counseling, what about trying to work on whatever problems you think we have. She goes, I don't think counseling will help and I said, why not?

And she goes because you'll just manipulate the counselor like you manipulate me and I almost spit out my coffee because where the hell is this coming from? I said when have I ever manipulated you? And she goes all the time, like when you get quiet and moody when you don't get your way and I said I get quiet when I'm tired or stressed, that's not manipulation. But she had that look like she'd already decided everything and nothing I said was going to change her mind and I realized her friends had convinced her that everything I did was some kind of abuse and she was seeing our whole relationship through that lens now. I said, Adriana, do you really think I'm abusive? And she hesitated and then said, I think you have controlling tendencies and I said, that's not what I asked and she goes, I don't know, maybe. That maybe hit me like a punch to the gut because if my own wife thinks I might be abusive then what's the point of trying to save this

marriage? And I said, if you really think that then maybe we should just get divorced. She started crying harder and said maybe we should and that's when I knew it was over because she didn't even try to deny it or say she wanted to work on things. We sat there for another few minutes and then she said she was going to stay at her sister's house for a while and I said what about our house and she goes, I don't know, we'll figure it out. I drove her back to her car and she got out and said I'm sorry and I said for what. And she goes for everything and then she was gone. I went back to the hotel and I was sitting there feeling like my whole life just ended when my phone rang and it was a number I didn't recognize and when I answered it was a cop saying they needed to talk to me about a

domestic dispute complaint. I said what domestic dispute? And he said someone had called and reported that I was harassing my wife and making threats and I said I haven't made any threats. I just had coffee with her an hour ago. He said he needed to take a statement and asked where I was and I told him I was at XYZ Hotel and he said he'd be right over and I'm sitting there thinking what the hell is happening to my life. The cop showed up with a partner and they were actually pretty decent and asked me to explain my side of things and I told them about the separation and the meeting and they took notes and asked if I had ever hit my wife or threatened her and I said absolutely not. Then one of them said, sir, we have to ask, have you been going through her personal belongings or monitoring her phone

or computer and I said no, why would I do that? And he goes the complaint mentioned controlling behavior. I explained about finding her friends going through our financial documents and how that led to the fight and they looked at each other and one of them said, so you're saying she gave them access to your joint accounts. And I said apparently they asked a few more questions and then said they didn't see any evidence of criminal behavior, but I should probably stay away from my wife for a few days while things cooled down and I said I was already staying at a hotel. After they left I called my brother and told him what was happening and he said, dude, you need a lawyer right now and I said for what? And he goes because it sounds like she's building a case against you,

I said a case for what? And he goes divorce, alimony, maybe trying to claim abuse so she gets more of the assets and I hadn't even thought about that but it made sense with her friends going through our financial stuff. So this morning I called a divorce lawyer and had a consultation and he said based on what I told him it sounds like my wife has been planning this for a while and the friends were probably helping her document everything for the divorce proceedings. He said the police report, even though no charges were filed, could be used to paint me as unstable or threatening and that I should be very careful about any contact with her going forward. I'm supposed to meet with him again tomorrow to start filing papers because

apparently if I don't file first she might try to get a restraining order or claim I'm hiding assets or who knows what else. I keep thinking about that conversation and how she said maybe when I asked if she thought I was abusive and wondering how long she's been planning this and whether anything about our marriage was real. The lawyer said her friends going through our financial documents was actually a good thing for me

because it shows premeditation and planning rather than a spontaneous decision based on actual abuse. I can't believe this is my life now. Final update, I don't even know why I'm writing this except maybe I need to get it all out because the last 24 hours have been completely insane and I feel like I'm living in some kind of nightmare that just keeps getting worse. So after I posted that update I was back at the hotel trying to figure out what the hell to do next when my phone started blowing up with calls from numbers I didn't recognize

and when I finally answered one it was my neighbor Simon asking if I was okay and what the hell was going on at my house. I said what do you mean what's going on and he goes there's cops here in ambulances and Adriana's crying on the front lawn and I felt like I was going to throw up because what the hell was he talking about? I said Simon, what's happening and he goes well something's going on because they've got the whole street blocked off and I hung up and drove home even though the lawyer told me to stay away. When I got to my street there were three cop cars and an ambulance and a bunch of neighbors standing around and I could see Adriana sitting in the back of one of the ambulances with a blanket

around her shoulders talking to a paramedic and when she saw me she started crying louder. One of the cops came over and said, sir, you need to leave immediately and I said, this is my house. What's going on and he goes we have a complaint of domestic violence? I said domestic violence. I haven't even seen my wife since yesterday afternoon and I've got witnesses and he looked skeptical and said she's got bruises on her arms and she says you grabbed her and shook her. I felt like the world was spinning because this was a impossible and I said, officer, I was at the XYZ Hotel last night, I can show you the receipt, I can show you the key card, I ordered room service, there's got to be cameras, but he just told

me to back away from the scene. Another cop came over and said, are you the husband? And when I said, yes, he goes, we need to place you under arrest and I said for what. And he goes assault and battery, and that's when I really started panicking. I said I want to call my lawyer and they said I could do that from the station and they put me in handcuffs right there in front of all my neighbors and I could see people taking pictures with their phones and I felt like my whole life was being destroyed in real time. At the station they put me in a holding cell and let me call my lawyer and when I told him what happened he said don't say anything to anyone until I get there and I said but I have an alibi. I wasn't even there and he goes just sit tight and don't talk. He showed up about two hours later

and we had a meeting with the detective and my lawyer presented the hotel receipts and the key card records and the room service receipt from 9 p.m. and asked them to check the hotel security cameras and you could see the detectives face change when he realized I couldn't have been at my house when Adriana said. The attack happened. The detective left the room and came back about 30 minutes later and said there seems to be some confusion about the timeline and my lawyer said what kind of confusion and he goes the alleged victim may have been mistaken about when the incident occurred. My lawyer said or the incident didn't occur at all and the detective said they were going to need to do more investigation and released me but said not to go home or contact my wife. I went back to the hotel and I was sitting there trying to figure out what the hell just happened when my phone rang and it was Fiona and she was drunk crying and saying I'm sorry.

This wasn't supposed to happen like this. I said what wasn't supposed to happen like this and she goes Adriana wasn't supposed to call the cops. We were just trying to help her get ready for the divorce, and I said get ready how. She's crying and slurring her words and goes we told her she needed to document everything. That she needed proof you were abusive and I said proof of what. I never touched her and Fiona goes we know but she needed something for the divorce. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and I said, are you telling me she made up the bruises? And Fiona starts sobbing and goes it was my idea.

I said she should take pictures of some marks and say you did it, but she wasn't supposed to actually call the police. I said what marks? What are you talking about? And she goes she fell at work a few days ago and had bruises on her arms. And I said she should take pictures and say you grabbed her and I felt like I was going to be sick. I said, Fiona, are you saying my wife has been planning to frame me for domestic violence? And she goes not frame you, just give her leverage in the divorce and I said that's the same thing. She kept crying and saying she was sorry and that Adriana was supposed to just threaten to show the pictures to get a better settlement. But then her sister told her she should call the police to make it official and everything got out of hand. I hung up and called my lawyer immediately and told him about the conversation and he said, Please tell me you recorded that and I said no, but I can try to get her to say it again and he goes, do not contact her, but if she contacts you again, record everything. About an hour later Fiona called back and this time I was ready.

and I recorded the whole thing and she basically repeated everything she'd said before about how they planned to use fake domestic violence allegations to help Adriana in the divorce and how it wasn't supposed to involve the police. My lawyer said this was huge and that we needed to get this information to the police immediately because filing a false police report is a felony and so is filing false domestic violence charges. This morning we went to the police station and played the recording for the detective. The detective said they were going to arrest both Adrienne and Fiona and Fiona and that all charges against me would be dropped and expunged and that they might also charge Gina if they could prove she was part of the conspiracy.

I asked what happens now and he said Adriana would probably be charged with filing a false police report and possibly perjury if she lied in her official statement and that I should contact a civil attorney about suing for defamation and false imprisonment. My divorce lawyer said this changes everything because now we can prove she was acting in bad faith and trying to defraud me and that she'll probably get nothing in the divorce and might even owe me money for damages. I keep thinking about how close I came to being arrested for something I didn't do and how my wife, the person I trusted more than anyone in the world, was willing to destroy my life and my reputation just to get more money in a divorce. The craziest part is that

if Fiona hadn't gotten drunk and called me feeling guilty, I might be sitting in jail right now facing years in prison for domestic violence I never committed and Adriana would be playing the victim and probably getting sympathy from everyone while I lost everything. I don't know how someone can be married to a person for four years and not know they're capable of something like this, but I guess that's what I get for trusting someone who was apparently planning to betray me the whole time. The divorce papers are being filed tomorrow and my lawyer says we're going to go after her for everything we can get and I don't feel bad about that at all because she tried to ruin my life over money.

I still can't believe this is real. Final update, I know most of you probably forgot about this whole mess by now, but I figured I should close the loop on everything that happened because a lot of people were asking for updates and the divorce finally went through last week. So after everything went down with the arrests and the false charges Adriana ended up pleading guilty to filing a false police report and got six months probation in community service

and had to pay a fine and Fiona got the same thing plus she had to pay restitution for my legal fees which was nice because those bills were getting pretty steep. Gina didn't get charged with anything because they couldn't prove she knew about the fake bruise plan but honestly I think she was probably in on it too based on how she was acting that day they were all going through my financial documents. The divorce took forever because Adriana kept trying to drag it out and claim she was the victim of abuse even after she'd been convicted of lying about it but my lawyer shut that down pretty fast every time she tried to bring it up and eventually her lawyer told her to stop because

it was just making her look worse. She ended up getting basically nothing except her car and her personal stuff and she had to split the lawyer fees with me even though mine were way higher because of all the criminal stuff and she had to sign a paper saying she would never claim I abused her or contact me again. I got the house and most of our savings and my retirement account stayed mine and I didn't have to pay any alimony because of the false charges thing which my lawyer said was pretty rare, but the judge was really pissed off about the whole situation. The weirdest part was that Adriana's sister came to talk to me a few weeks before the divorce was final and apologized and said she had no idea what Adriana was planning and that she only

told her to call the police because she believed Adriana's story about me hitting her. She said Adriana had been complaining about our marriage for months and making me sound like this terrible controlling husband and that she and Adriana's mom had been encouraging her to leave me, but they never thought she would make up abuse allegations. I asked her when Adriana started talking about our marriage being bad and she said it started right after we bought the house and Adriana realized how much money I was making and how much our assets were worth and that's when she started saying I was controlling and didn't let her have access to money.

Which was complete bullshit because Adriana knew exactly how much money we had and where it all was and she had her own cards and accounts but I guess she thought she could get more if she played the victim. Her sister said Adriana's been living with their mom since everything happened and working at some retail job making barely anything and that she's been telling people I ruined her life and got her arrested for no reason. I said she got herself arrested by filing false charges against me and her sister nodded and said I know, but Adriana doesn't see it that way. She still thinks she was justified because you were emotionally abusive. I asked what emotional abuse she was talking about and her sister said working

too much, not wanting to socialize, handling the finances, you know, all the stuff her friends convinced her was abuse and I realized Adriana probably still believed she was the victim in all this. It's crazy how someone can convince themselves that their own bad decisions are someone else's fault, but I guess that's what Adriana needs to believe to live with herself. I'm doing fine now, work is good, I got a little bump in my salary last month and I'm making even more money now which is ironic because Adriana could have had half of everything if she just asked for a divorce instead of trying to destroy my life first. My brother and my parents never believed for one second that I was abusive and my coworkers all thought

the charges were ridiculous and my foreman even wrote a character reference letter for my lawyer saying I was one of the most level-headed guys he'd ever worked with. I still get angry sometimes when I think about how close I came to losing everything and maybe even going to prison for something I didn't do but mostly I just feel relieved that it's over and that I found out who Adriana really was before we had kids or anything. I never did figure out exactly when Adriana decided she wanted out of our marriage or when she started planning the whole fake abuse thing, but it doesn't matter anymore because she's not my problem and never will be sometimes I wonder what would have happened

if I had just stayed downstairs and hung out with her friends that night instead of going. To my room but then I realized she was probably already planning to leave me anyway and would have found some other excuse. people who are willing to lie to police and fake domestic violence charges aren't good people no matter how you slice it and I'm better off without that kind of person in my life even if it took me four years to figure out who she really was. Anyway, thanks again to everyone who helped me through this mess and told me I wasn't crazy and that what was happening to me wasn't normal because without this community I probably would have just accepted that I was the problem and let Adriana destroy my life. You guys literally saved me from prison and poverty and I can't. Thank you enough for that. Edith stop asking me for Adriana's social media or trying to find her online.

I'm not giving out personal information and I don't want anyone harassing her even though she deserves it. Just let her live her shitty life with her mom and leave it at that.