Reddit Stories - BETRAYAL UNVEILED_ The Secret Scheme to Seize the Family BUSINESS_

Episode Date: September 8, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #betrayalunveiled #familybusiness #secretscheme #drama #businessSummary:Discover the gripping tale of BETRAYAL UNVEILED: The Secret Scheme to Seize the Family BUSINESS. Dive into the world of deceit, power struggles, and family dynamics as dark secrets come to light, threatening to tear everything apart.Tags:redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, betrayalunveiled, familybusiness, secretscheme, drama, businessBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Spouse covertly erased a communication from my folks regarding assuming control of their company half a dozen years back, she only admitted to it after they inquired about it recently. I, 35M, have been married to my wife Rebecca, 32F, for almost six years now. We'd been together for almost four years before we got married. And now, we even have two beautiful daughters together. Both of us have lived in Oregon all our lives and since we live in a relatively small town, everybody knows everybody. And we've been friends since we were kids.

We didn't even go to college out of state and opted for the nearest one and that's how we became friends and eventually got into a relationship. Our families also got along pretty well together, until they suddenly didn't because of my parents. For context, my parents stopped talking to me out of the blue just a month before my wedding. And even at the wedding, they were in no show which was really shocking. As far as I was concerned, we didn't have any fights or any incidents that could have possibly led to my parents giving me the cold shoulder like that for no reason.

It's like one day, they were just gone for my life and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get them back anymore. They blocked me and just disappeared from my life without any explanation. I tried several times to contact them but I was blocked online, so I was. I even visited them at their house but their neighbors told me that they'd moved out and didn't think that they were going to be back anytime soon. This happened exactly one month before our wedding and I was pretty stressed out because I had no idea where they were. It was only at my wedding reception that I realized where they were because I'd been talking to a couple of my

relatives on my mother's side and they told me all about their move. They told me that my parents had moved to Seattle so they could take over my mother's uncle's business. My parents had been working in management for a while, so this was obviously a massive opportunity for them and I was glad that they took it up. But at the same time, I was pretty disappointed that they didn't think it was important to talk to me before making this huge decision. I was even more upset by the fact that they'd asked a cousin of mine to take over the marketing department of the company and not me, even though they knew that I had an interest in the field and was looking to start something of my own. That company could have been the perfect opportunity for me to get groomed and trained under my

parents so that I could eventually take over. Just like my parents were taking over for their uncle. I felt like they were depriving me of a huge opportunity on purpose and I decided that I wasn't going to try and talk to them anymore either because what they'd done was really selfish and stupid, in my opinion. Rebecca was also on my side and agreed with my decision. She even said that my parents not showing up at my wedding told me everything that I needed to know about how much they cared for me. That was six years ago and since then, I haven't talked to my parents. I didn't even contact them when Rebecca got pregnant for the first time, and not even when our first daughter was born. I often put up photos of my family online and we had a lot of

relatives following us, so I knew that my parents would get to know me somehow. But they still never made an effort to get in touch with us. I was very bitter about this for a long time. But after my second daughter was born about two years ago, I began to feel like I needed to let this age-old feud go, and made up my mind that if my parents ever bothered to contact me in the future, I would talk to them. Even if it was just to get to the bottom of why they'd abandoned me here. And they finally reached out to me a couple of weeks ago. I knew that their business was doing really well and they were planning to expand and open up a branch here, in Oregon, as well. I'd heard from a couple of relatives that they were planning to move back here, after almost

six years of working out of Seattle. And if they were going to move back home, I don't think they could avoid confronting me. So they reached out to me online and informed me that they were coming back and they really wanted to talk to me. They weren't going to move down here permanently for a couple of weeks because they still had a lot of loose ends to tie up back at work but they could visit for a day or two. So we decided to meet for lunch one day after a short conversation online. This happened almost two weeks ago. At lunch, they seemed really happy to see me and it was as if no time had passed at all. I showed them pictures of their granddaughters and they almost started crying tears of joy and told me that they could never forgive me for keeping them away for

so long and never even bothering to fly out to them. I was extremely confused by that allegation because as far as I was concerned, they were the ones who abandoned me here and left without an explanation. So they couldn't say that to me and blame me for keeping them away. I reminded them that they were the ones who left and blocked me everywhere without even leaving an address for me to find out where they were, so I could go see them. Then my mother told me that she'd sent me an email, just in case I changed my mind. And Rebecca was supposed to pass on that message to me, even after all the horrible things that I had said to them. By then, I was really confused because I'd never said anything horrible to my parents like they were accusing me of, and neither had Rebecca

passed on any message to me. So my father told me about an incident that had taken place all those years ago and was actually the reason that they left without a word. Apparently, the day that my parents received the call from my mother's uncle, saying that he wanted them to come to Seattle so they could check out his business and come to a decision regarding whether they'd be willing to take over or not because he was going to retire soon and he needed somebody responsible. My mother had worked with her uncle for a couple of years when she was younger but had moved away after she got married. But her uncle had still held a spot for her, in case she wanted to come back to work for him later. My mother thought it was the right time and so she said

yes without a second thought. They called me very excitedly to inform me of this and asked me if I wanted to join them as well because they knew that I was working in the marketing department at a firm here, but they thought it would be better for me to work with them instead and I could eventually take over as well. The only issue was that business was based out of Seattle and we'd have to move. But it was still possible because I was getting married in a month and we didn't have kids or anything yet, so we just could move along with them and start afresh there. Unfortunately, it was Rebecca who answered their call because I wasn't at home that day and I'd forgotten my phone at home because I thought I was going out with friends after a really

long time. Rebecca told my parents that she would inform me as soon as I came back home and my parents were satisfied with that. But about an hour later they received a text from me, where I'd said that I wasn't going to let them ruin my marriage by misleading me with some slimy little job offer that I didn't even need. The text also said that apparently, my parents had been against Rebecca from the very first day and wanted her out, which is why they were trying to buy me out with the enticing idea of a new business. There were a lot of curse words in the text, directed toward my parents,

which took them by shock because I wasn't one to talk to them that way, especially because they were actually doing a good thing for me. They were shocked and angry, but despite that, they still left me an email with their new business address and told me that I could find them there, in case I changed my mind and decided to act less insane. But they still blocked me everywhere else because the things that I'd said to them were unacceptable and unforgivable. They took a flight out to Seattle a couple of days later and by then, it was too late for me to go and visit them. I tried several more times to see them but they were just never at their house and I could never just get the timing right. And then, I learned where they were from my relatives at the

reception and quit trying to contact them at all. So we just ended up never speaking again. After that discussion with my parents, I realized that there had just been a huge miscommunication and they seemed to understand as well. We didn't want to admit it at the time, but we knew deep down that Rebecca had everything to do with this. So I ended the lunch with my parents hastily and abruptly so I could go back home and talk to Rebecca instead. They were quite okay with it and so, I left as soon as I could. Thankfully, our kids were spending a day with Rebecca's parents and when I came back home, it was just me and her.

I hadn't told her earlier that I'd gone to meet my parents for lunch because I had this feeling that she didn't really like them and wouldn't approve of it if she knew that I was meeting them. But as soon as I came back home, I decided to cut to the chase and asked her point blank why she had never given me the message that my parents had left for me. She pretended to be confused for a while and told me that she didn't know what I was talking about but I didn't back down and pressed on. I asked her if she deleted the texts and the email from my phone as well. Then she finally stopped pretending and turned around to confess that she had indeed done all

of those things that I was accusing her of. But she didn't seem sorry about it in the least and instead, told me that she'd done it all for my own good. More than devastated that my wife had been keeping such a huge secret for me for so many years, I was just pissed that she didn't even seem sorry about it, and somehow seemed to think that she'd done me a favor or something. She continued and told me that back then, she was the one who replied to my parents' messages, pretending to be me, and said all those things that she believed were true. She told me that she always felt like my parents didn't really approve of her because she wasn't as driven and ambitious as the rest of the people in my family. She was the kind of person who went to college for fun

and for the experience, but afterward, she had no intention of working on a career for herself and only wanted to get married and have kids, not that there's anything wrong with that. But she told me that she thought my parents were judgmental and didn't like her, which is why they were trying to get me to move to Seattle with them just a month before my wedding, so I would ditch her and choose the business instead. She told me that she had deleted all those messages and that email so I wouldn't change my mind about the wedding. She also didn't want to move to Seattle because she couldn't afford to leave her friends and family behind and start over in a new place where she didn't even know anyone. I snapped at her when she said that because to protect her own

relationships, she'd ruined two of my most important ones. It was completely unacceptable, what she'd done. And I couldn't believe that she was even trying to defend it. For the record, my parents had never been judgmental of her and actually loved Rebecca like their own. So I didn't even know where she got that notion that they didn't like her or approve of her lifestyle choices. And even if she felt that way for some reason, she could have just talked to me and I would have done something to make her feel better. But instead, she went behind my back, and not only did she ruin my relationship with my parents, but she also destroyed any chances that I had at work on my own terms in an area that I was

comfortable with and forced me to stay here and work in a firm where there was hardly any scope for growth, for years on end. After my daughters were born, I couldn't even quit my job and do something for myself because I couldn't risk my financial stability, now that I had two kids to think of. So thanks to her, I ended up wasting several years of my life in a dead-end job, when I could have been working with my parents and growing a business that I would eventually be able to take over and turn into my own. I was really upset and we got into a huge fight that day, but she just refused to apologize for anything that she'd done and kept insisting that she only wanted to do what was best for me. I didn't understand how any of this was the best for me and to me, it sounded

more like she just wanted to do what was the best for her or whatever she thought was the best for me. I wasn't a child and I really feel like I should have been allowed to come to a decision on my own. Even if it was the wrong decision and even if it was the worst decision that I could have made at least it would have been mine and I wouldn't have any regrets about it. I deserved to at least know about this offer that my parents had for me and she should have had enough faith in me to know that I would make the right call and I would never desert her. But she didn't trust me and decided to take things into her own hands, which just messed everything up for both of us. But most importantly, it messed up the relationship that I had with my parents and they ended up missing so many important milestones of my life, which I wanted them to be a part of. Like my daughter's birth and she, no matter how hard she tried, couldn't bring that moment back anymore. I could just join the business now but those significant moments that I lost with my parents are just forever gone and there's nothing that we can do about it.

So if not anything else, then the least she could have done was apologize for that. But she just didn't think that anything she did was wrong and refused to apologize for any of it. That entire fight was so frustrating that I ended up leaving the house and driving to a hotel so I wouldn't have to talk to her anymore because I was just that frustrated with her and everything that she did, mostly her refusal to acknowledge her mistakes and accept them. I put in my two weeks' notice at work that very evening and made up my mind that now I was going to join my parents and finally work in an environment that was actually conducive and didn't make me feel like it was sucking away at my soul. I didn't think about informing Rebecca about it just like she hadn't

bothered to inform me about so many things that she thought I didn't deserve to know. She tried to call me several times after I left, but I just turned my phone off. Because I really didn't want to talk to her at that point and decided to watch a TV show and drink some wine instead. For the next two days, I didn't talk to her at all, but I really felt like I needed to see my kids. So I would drop in at home from time to time to meet them but would ignore Rebecca and her attempts to get me to talk to her throughout. It wasn't easy, because she just kept going on and on and tried to convince me that she was somehow not the bad guy here. But my parents were, for bringing up a secret that she had managed to hide from me for so long, and said that they were still the ones trying to ruin

our marriage, even when things were going so well for us. By us, she obviously meant her. because things were going that great for me. My income was decent but I hated my job and I hated working at that firm even more. Because it was just so boring and mundane, and nobody ever appreciated any new ideas. But all Rebecca cared about was the money, and as long as that was coming in, she didn't care about how I felt. In the past, there had been several instances where she even talked me out of looking for other jobs or starting my own business because she wanted a stable, life. I didn't blame her for that, but it was just selfish to the core and the fact that she kept blaming everybody but herself made it even worse. So a couple of days ago, when I was visiting

in the evening to see the kids, she started ranting once more about how I was letting my parents take the steering wheel in our relationship and told me that I needed to think for myself. I couldn't take it anymore and told her that I finally was thinking for myself and she was just mad that I wasn't being her little puppet anymore. She didn't like that and finally, asked me a question which is probably what made me come here. She admitted that she'd lied to me in the past, but then she asked me if I was happy with the life I had or not. She went on to say that if she hadn't lied to me, then I would have probably taken up my parents on that offer all those years ago. And then, we probably would have had to cancel our wedding because I would want to move

to Seattle and there was no way that Rebecca was ready to make such a huge move and leave all her friends and family behind. And if we didn't get married, then I would never have the two daughters that I have now and my life would be completely different. She asked me if that was really what I wanted and that made me pause and rethink everything a little because I didn't know how to answer that question. So I just didn't reply to her and came back to the hotel. It's been a couple of days since then and I haven't had enough courage to go back home yet. So far, I didn't have a plan on what to do after this and I just figured that I would go back home once she apologized. But now I just don't know what to do anymore. I do love my daughters a lot and I think they make my life infinitely

better. I also love Rebecca, in spite of everything. And it wasn't as if the past couple of years were all bad because I did have my good times, even at my workplace. Having said, that, I truly don't know how to answer Rebecca's question and I found myself actually reconsidering everything. I haven't talked to my parents about all of this yet, because we're trying to keep conversation light. And my friends have no clue what's going on. So I'm here on Reddit, hoping that I find some answers. Ida for getting upset with my wife for never passing on a message that my parents left for me. Update 1, I finally talked to my parents about this and they had just one thing to say. that Rebecca, no matter what the consequences were, should have been truthful and transparent with me.

They also clarified that they'd only ever had one conversation about what Rebecca wanted to do in the future. Where my mother had told her that she, being a working woman herself, would never discourage another woman from pursuing her own dreams. So if Rebecca was holding back on account of them, she didn't have to and my parents told her that they would be supportive of her decision, no matter what it was. For some reason, Rebecca thought that this was my parents being judgmental because she didn't want to work and only wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. It was a ridiculous conclusion to jump to, especially without even bothering to talk to them about this. In fact, I've kind of lost any respect that I had for Rebecca and now I can't imagine myself going back to living with her anymore. It's been almost a week since we last met and she hasn't tried to contact me, since she probably thinks that she totally owned me with that one. question. The truth is, I might be happy with how my life turned out, but that's only because

Rebecca shut a door that she wasn't even supposed to, and decided for me without consulting with me. Who knows how much happier I would have been had I been allowed to make that call for myself? The credit for my life turning out the way that it did goes to me, not to her. She might have given me two beautiful daughters, but she can't use them as leverage against me, not in this situation at least. After talking to my parents, I think I have a lot more clarity on what to do now. Even if I forgive Rebecca, I hardly think that I can continue with this marriage because I just won't ever be able to trust her or look at her the same way again. It's not even just about the business anymore, it's about her lying to me and then acting as if she did the right thing.

I can't put up with that sort of behavior and I really shouldn't have to. I've had a really hard time coming to this decision, but I think that a divorce is the only way forward for me right now. Update 2. So, I filed for divorce a day ago and I honestly feel so relieved and strangely free. It's been hard because I don't get to speak to my kids since I haven't been back to my house for a while, but I really missed them. I've been considering popping in for maybe just 15 minutes, but I don't know how Rebecca is going to take it, so I've been avoiding my family altogether. It's not the right thing to do, but I just don't know what else I can do. It's just a couple of days more that I have to go without my kids

because after that, Rebecca will be served with the divorce and then we'll see what happens after that. Update 3. So, the divorce proceedings have started and it's weird because Rebecca actually took the news of the divorce a lot better than I thought she would. I've been a little busy for the past couple of days so I hadn't been able to post any updates. But when Rebecca found out that I'd filed for divorce,

she called me and told me that she knew this was coming. And the only thing that she wanted from me was a promise that I wouldn't demand full custody of our daughters. I promised her that because no matter what would have happened or how bitter the divorce would have been, I never would have taken our kids away from their mother. She might have messed up as a wife, but she was a great mom and I couldn't deny it. It's been a while and we are at the negotiation stage right now. We're trying our best to be cordial and civil to each other, but I can tell that both of us are pretty heartbroken.

Neither of us had ever imagined that this was how our marriage would come to an end, but well, it's happening and it's not easy. Update 4. Quick update here, after almost seven months. The divorce is final now and the custody arrangement has also been worked out. I've joined my parents in their business and since they're opening up a branch here, I'm going to be taking over as the head of that branch. I get the kids for half of the week and Rebecca gets to keep them for the other half.

She got a little too much alimony for my taste but it's all over now, so I guess I'm cool with it. What matters is that I'm going to have my dream job and finally live life on my own terms now.