Reddit Stories - RELATIVES INFORMED my devout spouse I was being UNFAITHFUL as an April Fool's

Episode Date: July 16, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #relationships #family #betrayal #aprilfools #confessionSummary: My devout spouse was told by relatives that I was being unfaithful as an April Fool's joke.Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, relationships, family, betrayal, aprilfools, confession, spouse, joke, marriage, trust, honesty, communication, misunderstanding, prank, secrets, loyalty, deceptionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Relatives informed my devout spouse I was being unfaithful as an April Fool's joke at a gathering. Presently, she inspects my mobile device on a daily basis, and mentions she would scratch me if I ever betrayed her. I've been married to my wife for a few years now. She comes from a very religious background and honestly, getting married to her was a big achievement for me. Her family wasn't exactly thrilled about me at first, but we managed to get to. get through it after a lot of drama and tears. To put it briefly, her parents thought I wasn't religious enough and that I wouldn't respect their traditions. They were wrong, but convincing

them took almost two years of me proving myself. Anyway, my cousins and I have always been close. Growing up, we were more like siblings than cousins. We've always played pranks on each other, some of them pretty stupid, but it was always in good fun. Or at least I thought so until recently. My cousins and I used to live in the same neighborhood when we were kids. We'd spend summers together, riding bikes, playing video games, and just being idiots. As we got older, we stayed close, even though we don't see each other as often anymore. We still text almost daily in our group chat, sending memes and catching up on life. So a few days ago, my cousins showed up at my house unannounced with a bunch of their friends,

three cousins, two guys, one girl, and seven of their friends, four guys, three girls. They said we should all hang out together, and I was like, why not? My wife was initially hesitant, but eventually agreed when she saw how excited I was to see my cousins. We ended up cooking together, drinking, and having what seemed like a good time. The cooking part was actually pretty fun. We decided to make tacos, and everyone had their own station. Some people were chopping vegetables, others were cooking the meat, and my youngest cousin was in charge of the music. My wife was making her special guacamole that everyone loves.

The kitchen was crowded, but we were laughing and joking around. I should have seen it coming, honestly. These idiots always try to pull some kind of prank, especially. especially when there's alcohol involved. Last Christmas, they convinced my uncle that his car had been towed when it was just parked around the corner. The time before that, they replaced the sugar in the sugar bowl with salt at a family dinner. But for some reason, I didn't expect them to target my wife. That was my first mistake. We were all drinking pretty heavily. I had a few beers and then switched to whiskey. My wife was drinking wine, which she usually

doesn't do much of, but she was trying to be social. My cousins were doing shots of tequila and challenging everyone else to join them. It was getting rowdy, but in a fun way. While I was drinking with the guys in the living room, my wife suddenly stormed and looking like she'd seen a ghost or something. She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to the corner, asking if I was cheating on her. I was completely shocked and had no idea what she was talking about. My first thought was that someone had shown her some kind of fake evidence or something. I told her I'd never cheat on her and would never even think about it, but she didn't seem convinced. She demanded to see my phone right then and there.

Before I could even process what was happening, she took my phone and locked herself in our bedroom. The rest of the party went awkwardly quiet. My cousins were exchanging glances, and a few of them were trying not to laugh. That's when I started to suspect this might be their doing. I asked them what they said to my wife, but they all played dumb at first. She spent like half an hour going through everything on my phone, messages, emails, photos, even my damn calculator history probably. When she finally came out, she looked calmer but also kind of scary.

She straight up told me she'd smack me if she ever found out I was cheating and would show no mercy. Those were her exact words. It turns out the women, my female cousins and their friends, had told my wife they knew I was cheating on her as some kind of April fools who the fuck prank someone like that. Especially someone they barely know. My wife had only met my female cousin once before at our wedding, and the rest of the women were complete strangers to her. My wife is very religious and takes our marriage vows extremely seriously. This wasn't just some joke to her, it was questioning the foundation of our relationship. In her culture, cheating is one of the worst things a spouse can do.

She once told me that in her parents' 35 years of marriage, they've never even joked about infidelity because it's considered disrespectful to the relationship. My cousins and their friends tried to explain to her that it was just a prank, but my wife was having none of it. She told them all to get out of our house and that she didn't want to hear their explanations anymore. She wasn't yelling, which was almost scarier. She was just extremely firm and cold. I stood there like an idiot, not sure what to do. Part of me felt like I should defend my cousins because we've always been close, but another part knew they had crossed a line.

I didn't immediately back up my wife's demand for them to leave, which I now realize was a mistake. I kind of just froze. My cousins looked to me for support, but when I didn't immediately jump to their defense, they reluctantly started gathering their things. One of my male cousins tried to approach my wife to apologize again, but she just walked away and went back to our bedroom. The whole group was out of our house within about 15 minutes. After everyone left, my wife was still fuming. She told me that if I ever cheated on her, she'd make sure I regretted it for the rest of my life. She said she didn't get married to me just to find me in bed with another woman. I tried to reassure her again that I'd never cheat and reminded her that

she already has access to my phone and knows all my passwords. I shouldn't have to check your phone to trust you, she said, which made me feel even worse about the whole situation. She was right, the fact that she felt the need to go through my phone at all showed how much this prank had affected her. I told her to calm down and not let the alcohol affect her judgment, which probably wasn't the best thing to say in that moment, but I was frustrated too. She looked at me like I just slapped her and walked out of the room. We slept in separate rooms that night, which is something we've never done before in our marriage. The next morning was awkward. My wife was quiet during breakfast, and I didn't know what to say to make things better. I apologized again for my cousin's behavior,

but she just nodded and went about her day. I could tell she was still hurt, but she wasn't expressing it anymore, which worried me even more. Later that day, my cousin started texting me saying I shouldn't have let my wife kick them out. They thought I should have explained to her that it was just a prank and that she was overreacting. I told them it was a shitty prank and what the hell were they expecting? A laugh. Who prank someone by telling them their spouse is cheating? My phone kept buzzing with messages from them. My oldest cousin, Jake, was the most persistent. He kept saying things like, it's April fools, everyone pulls pranks, and we didn't think she'd take it so seriously. I tried to explain that my wife comes from a different background and that this kind of joke hit a nerve, but they weren't listening.

I messaged them saying they're not allowed in my house for a while after pulling that stunt. Now they're calling both me and my wife crazy, saying I'm my wife's slave because I'm standing by her decision. One of them even had the audacity to say, if you can't take a joke, you shouldn't be around people. I think there are harmless pranks, and then there's this bullshit. I don't think it's unreasonable for my wife to be upset about this. But my cousins are acting like we're the ones overreacting, and now there's this whole family drama happening. My mom called me yesterday saying I should forgive my cousins because that's just how they are and they didn't mean any harm. But I don't think that's the point.

Even if they didn't mean harm, they caused it. It's like if someone accidentally breaks your TV, they might not have meant to do it, but you still end up with a broken TV. When I tried to explain this to my mom, she sighed and said, you know your cousins have always been pranksters. Remember when they put blue dye in your shampoo before prom? As if that's the same thing as telling my wife I'm unfaithful. I ended the call feeling even more frustrated. The thing is, my wife and I have been through a lot to be together. Her family almost disowned her for marrying outside their faith.

She fought hard to be with me, and I don't think my cousins understand that context at all. To them, it was just a joke, but to her, it was attacking the relationship she sacrificed so much for. We had to have several meetings with her parents and religious leaders before they would even consider. consider blessing our marriage. There were conditions that I had to agree to, like raising our future children with knowledge of her faith. It was a whole thing, and it took a toll on both of us emotionally. The fact that we made it through all that only to have my cousins casually joke about infidelity feels like a slap in the face. I'm not sure what to do now. My brother thinks I'm overreacting and that my wife needs to lighten up. He wasn't there, though, so he didn't see how hurt she was.

Plus, he and my cousins have always been closer than I am with them, so he's naturally taking their side. I've got a family dinner coming up in a few weeks for my dad's birthday, and I'm dreading it. My cousins will be there, and I know it's going to be awkward as hell. My wife has already said she doesn't want to go, but I feel like her not showing up will just make things worse. Then again, if I force her to go, it might make things worse between us. There was this weird period of like two days where nobody contacted me about the situation, and I thought maybe it was blowing over. But then Jake's wife reached out to my wife on Facebook, they aren't even friends on there, to tell her she was being dramatic about the whole thing. Now my wife is even more upset, and I feel like we're back to square one.

I'm stuck between my family and my wife, and it sucks. I love my cousins, but I love my wife more, and she's the one who's the one who's. who was heard in this situation. I just wish everyone would realize that and let it go. So, Ida for standing by my wife on this one. Update 1, I can't believe this blew up. Thanks for all the comments, even the ones calling me an idiot for not immediately siding with my wife.

I've read most of them and there are a few misconceptions I want to clear up. First, some of you are saying my wife is controlling for checking my phone. She's not normally like this, it was a direct response to being told by multiple people that I was cheating. Wouldn't you want to verify? Before this incident, she never once asked to look through my phone, despite having the password for emergencies. Second, to those saying I should have kicked my cousins out myself, you're right, and I've told my wife this. I froze in the moment and didn't react quickly enough. I regret that a lot. In the moment, I was just so shocked by the whole situation that I didn't know how to respond.

That's on me, and I've apologized to my wife for it. Third, some of you are saying my wife overreacted. You need to understand that in her culture and religious background, cheating isn't just a personal betrayal, it's a moral and religious failing. It's not something people joke about. Imagine someone joking about something that goes against your deepest values, and maybe you'll get it. Anyway, a lot has happened since my original post. I've tried everything I could to convince my wife to forgive my cousins and forget about it, but she's not budging. She still periodically checks my phone and seems to be keeping tabs on me, which makes me think she might still believe

I'm cheating even though I've repeatedly told her I would never do that. Last week, I made her favorite dinner and tried to talk to her about it. I told her that my cousins were idiots but that they didn't mean any harm. She just looked at me and said, if they didn't mean harm, they wouldn't have done something so harmful. And honestly, I couldn't argue with that logic. My cousins have also tried reaching out to her directly to explain it was a prank, a shitty one, but still a prank, which has only made things worse. They found her email address somehow and sent her a group apology that wasn't really an apology. It was more like, we're sorry you took it the wrong way, which is not the same as, we're sorry for what we did. My wife got even angrier

when they contacted her and told me she didn't marry me only to find me with other women. She showed me the email, and it was pretty condescending. They wrote stuff like, We understand you come from a different background, but in our family, we joke around a lot. As if that makes what they did okay. As I mentioned before, my wife is super religious. Marrying her was an achievement for me because of all the obstacles we faced. She fought hard with her family just to marry me, and I understand why she's so sensitive about this. Her parents didn't speak to her for three months after she told them about me. They only came around after meeting me multiple times and seeing that I respected their customs and traditions. Even then, her father pulled me

aside before the wedding and warned me that if I ever heard his daughter, there would be consequences. I promised him I never would, and I meant it. I finally sat down with her and asked what she wants me to do to make things better. She said flat out that she doesn't like my cousins and wants them as far away from us as possible. I asked if there's anything I can do to make peace between them, and she said that in her religion, they aren't even allowed to talk about cheating. She's angry because my cousins crossed a line, and she made it very clear that she would kill me with her own hands if I ever cheated on her after everything she went through to marry me. She explained that when a woman in her culture decides to marry someone outside their faith, they're already viewed with suspicion by their community. The fact that my cousins would suggest I'm cheating feels like confirmation of their worst fears about marrying me.

It's not just about the prank itself, it's about everything it represents to her. She says she trusts me but was deeply hurt by the prank and will handle it herself. She wants me to stay away from my cousins and the whole situation altogether. I think she means it when she says she trusts me, but the seed of doubt has been planted, and that's what makes me so angry at my cousins. My cousins are still texting me saying I need to control my wife and that she's being ridiculous. One of them even said, it's not like we accused you of murder, it was just a joke about cheating. They don't get it at all. They keep bringing up other times they pranked me, like when

they replaced all my family photos with pictures of Nicholas Cage, which was actually pretty funny, or when they filled my car with packing peanuts. But those pranks were aimed at me, not my wife, and they didn't touch on something as sensitive as infidelity. There was this awkward moment the other day when I ran into Jake at the grocery store. He tried to act like nothing had happened, asking me about work and stuff. When I was cold to him, he got all defensive and said, are you seriously still mad about that? It was weeks ago. My wife is so pissed, and even though I thought it would blow over, it hasn't. This isn't like other situations where my wife would eventually listen to me. My cousins really hit a nerve, and even if I tried

to help them, my wife won't let me. I'm stuck in the middle here, and it's exhausting. Some of my extended family is now getting involved, saying I'm choosing my wife over blood relatives, which isn't helping at all. My aunt, my cousin's mom, called me and gave me a lecture about family loyalty, saying, blood is thicker than water. I wanted to tell her that the full phrase is actually the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, which means the opposite of what she thinks it means, but I didn't want to start another argument. My wife and I have been going to sleep at different times to avoid talking about it. She stays up late reading or praying, and by the time she comes to bed, I'm already asleep. Or sometimes I'll stay up late playing video games, and she'll be asleep by the time I come to bed. It's not healthy, but I don't know how to fix it.

I tried to bring it up again last night, but she shut me down immediately. I don't want to talk about your family, she said. They've caused enough problems. I can see her point, but at the same time, I don't want this to be a permanent rift. My cousins are idiots, but they've been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Then again, my wife is my family now too, and she's the one who was heard in this situation. Shouldn't I prioritize her feelings? But if I cut off my cousins completely, will I regret it later?

What if we have kids? Will they never know their cousins because of one stupid prank? These are the thoughts that keep me up at night. I'm trying to find a middle ground, but it feels impossible right now. My wife is still hurt, my cousins are still defensive, and I'm still stuck in the middle. I'll try to update again if anything changes, but for now, we're at a standstill. Update 2, sorry for the delay in updating. Things have been pretty tense around here.

I've been reading all your comments, and I appreciate the support and advice, even from those who think I'm handling this all wrong. First, to address some comments, no, my wife isn't crazy or abusive for being upset about this. Some of you have never been in a relationship where trust is the absolute foundation, and it shows. And to the person who suggested I am in a religious cult, kindly fuck off. Different cultures have different values, and just because they're not yours doesn't make them wrong. wrong. My wife's religious background is an important part of who she is, and I respect that. Anyway, I'm really tired of my wife periodically checking my phone. I think she's still suspicious of me, but at the same time, I feel like I'm partly to blame for not kicking my cousins out

immediately and standing up for her more firmly. Last week, she went through my phone while I was in the shower. I know because I saw the screen time notification later that showed activity during that She didn't say anything about it, but it bothers me that she's still feeling the need to check up on me. I thought about confronting her about it but decided against it. She's still processing all of this, and I don't want to make her feel worse. The reason I was so tolerant and forgiving is because I've always been close with my cousins. Deep down, I thought they were just April fooling my wife, and I genuinely thought she would get over it. But it's been a while now, and she's still upset. My cousins keep trying to downplay what they did. Jake sent me a long text message saying

that I'm overreacting and that it was just a joke that didn't land. He also mentioned that his girlfriend, who was one of the people at our house that day, thinks my wife is controlling for checking my phone. First of all, how does he know she checked my phone? I never told him that. Second, his girlfriend met my wife once and thinks she can judge her. Give me a break. I finally sat down with my wife again and asked her point-blank what she wants me to do. She said she already told me, but I asked her to make it clear once more without getting angry, promising I'd do whatever she wanted.

We were sitting at our kitchen table. It was late, around 11 p.m., and the house was quiet. I made us both tea, which is something we used to do every night before bed, but haven't in a while because of all this tension. It felt like a small step back toward normalcy. She explained that she's deeply hurt by what my cousin said and doesn't want them anywhere near us anymore. She wants me to stay as far away from them as possible too.

As she was talking, I could see tears welling up in her eyes, which broke my heart. This whole situation has been causing her so much pain, and for what? A stupid prank that wasn't even funny. I told her I'm cutting my cousins off completely and won't talk to them at all unless she forgives them. That's when things got really emotional. She started crying and screaming at me, saying once again that she didn't marry me only to be told that I'm in bed with another woman. Do you have any idea what my family said when I told them I wanted to marry you?

She asked through tears. They said you wouldn't respect our ways, that you'd end up hurting me, that men like you always cheat. I defended you. I stood up for you. And now your family makes jokes about the exact thing my parents warned me about. I had never seen her so upset before. It was like everything she'd been holding in since that day just came pouring out. I held her and told her I love her and never wanted to hurt her. I promise she'll never see me with or near my cousins again unless she approves it. That seemed to calm her down a bit. Here's the thing, if I have to cut my cousins off to keep my life partner, then that's what I'll do. I should have listened to her from the beginning instead of trying to convince her to forgive them.

My wife is religious and extremely dedicated to me, and I was being an ass about this whole situation. After our talk, things have been a little better between us. She's still distant sometimes, but at least we're talking. We've started having dinner together again, which is progress. She even suggested we watch a movie together, which is the first time she's initiated any kind of shared activity since the incident. My cousins have been blowing up my phone for days, but I've stopped responding. One of them even showed up at our house yesterday, but I didn't answer the door. They left after about 20 minutes of knocking intermittently.

I watched from the upstairs window as Jake paced back and forth on our porch, occasionally checking his phone. Part of me felt bad, but a bigger part knew I was doing the right thing for my marriage. Jake left a note under our door saying he wants to apologize to my wife in person. I showed it to her, but she just shook her head and handed it back to me without saying anything. I think it's too soon for that kind of reconciliation, if it ever happens at all. My aunt, their mom, called me last night saying I'm tearing the family apart over a stupid joke. I told her that maybe her kids should think before they act next time, and then hung up. Probably not the most mature response, but I'm getting tired of everyone acting like my wife is overreacting.

I had a long conversation with my brother yesterday. He's always been the voice of reason in our family. After hearing the full story from my perspective, he agreed that my cousins crossed a line. He offered to talk to them on my behalf, which I appreciated. Maybe hearing it from someone else in the family will help them understand why this was so hurtful. I'm not sure what happens next. Part of me is sad about potentially losing my relationship with my cousins, but a bigger part knows that my marriage comes first. They crossed a line, and they're refusing to truly apologize or acknowledge how hurtful their prank was.

Last night, my wife and I had dinner with her parents. It was the first time we'd seen them since the incident, and I was nervous about how it would go. Her mom asked why my wife seemed so down, and to my surprise, my wife told them everything. Her father looked at me with such disappointment, as if confirming all his worst fears about me. I had to explain multiple times that I wasn't actually cheating, that it was just a horrible prank. I'm not sure they fully believed me. On the drive home, my wife was quiet.

When we got back, she said, you see what this has done. Now my parents think you're exactly what they feared you'd be. It was a gut punch, realizing how far reaching the consequences of this prank have been. For now, I'm sticking with my decision to cut contact with my cousins. Maybe someday my wife will forgive them, but I'm not counting on it any time soon. And honestly, I'm not sure I want to forgive them either at this point. This morning, my wife didn't check my phone when I was in the shower for the first time in weeks. It's a small thing, but it feels like progress.

We had breakfast together, and she even smiled at something I said. It wasn't much, but it gave me hope that we'll get through this eventually.