Reddit Stories - Sam CONTACTED the AUTHORITIES about me taking his tablet and destroyed my EMPLOYMENT

Episode Date: July 14, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #relationships #confession #legaladvice #workplaceissues #consequencesSummary: Sam contacted the authorities about me taking his tablet and destroyed my employment.Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, relationships, confession, legaladvice, workplaceissues, consequences, authorities, tablet, employment, conflict, resolution, communication, consequences, honesty, accountability, trustworthinessBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Sam contacted the authorities about me taking his tablet and destroyed my employment by sharing online content accusing me of being a criminal. Later on, we discovered that his grandchild was the real culprit. It, but he never apologized. My 27M wife, 29F, and I aren't in a good place. It's not a fun feeling. I feel context is important here. We're college sweethearts married for six years and have a daughter, for F.

Our constant hurdle is family. It's like having to validate our relationship. I always thought my wife was worth it, though. I haven't felt for anyone else the way I do about her. My wife's family is very old school. They're conservative in their beliefs and values. My Phil, 59M, is treated as the captain and looked to as the head. My relationship with him was never smooth, not for my lack of trying.

Him putting up with me only came after my daughter. I don't believe he's ever thought I was good enough for his daughter. I wasn't his first choice or in his top five. I don't share their gated community or fancy schools background. My Phil always had some backhanded remark about my upbringing. During a family gathering at my in-laws last Christmas, my Phil's iPad went missing. He blew a fuse and accused me of stealing it. His reasoning was there was a period of time I was alone in the house.

I was never actually alone in the house. I was helping my mill, 58F, in the kitchen because people were kicking back their feet while she was slaving away for a big family. There was no reasoning with him. He called the police and actually told the officers how a real man would own up when caught, but I was never taught to be a man. Another backhanded remark. I was raised in a household of women. My Phil expressed once that only a man can raise a boy into a man.

I spoke up for myself during his rantings. The whole situation was humiliating, but I had nothing to hide. The officers had to de-escalate and stood around until everyone went their separate ways. My Phil did a smear campaign on social media accusing me of theft and saying how I wasn't family. Some real vicious stuff was said. It impacted my life. I lost a job opportunity because his posts came up in the vetting process. The company was rebranding and didn't want drama associated.

Essentially, I was shunned from the family. There were those who didn't agree with my fill, but they wanted to stay out of it. No one wanted to cross him. I was no longer welcomed on my in-law's property until I confessed and apologized. My wife still attended everything without me and took our daughter with her even on nigh. I wanted to spend it with her and our daughter, but she chose to appease her dad and keep tradition. During all of my Phil's accusations, the smear campaign, and shunning, my wife didn't lend me support in any way. She bowed to her dad and would tell me to just apologize.

She said I was being stubborn by refusing. It wasn't about apologizing. My Phil wanted me to beg. I'm not a prideful person, but I'm not getting on my knees and pleading for forgiveness for something I didn't commit. My wife said she was only trying to keep the peace instead of being right. Once my Phil badmouthed me around our daughter, and my wife never spoke up. She claimed she didn't hear him. I don't believe she would have done anything either way.

Our daughter kept me afloat. I put my foot down on her attending gatherings after. the bad-mouthing. My wife accused me of escalating by withholding our daughter. I felt my Phil tried to influence my child against me. My move was for boundaries. I wasn't asking my wife to cut off her dad. I know how important family is to her. But we're married. We have a child. We made vows. I only wanted her to be there for me as my partner and best friend. She abandoned me. I had more support from my Mill and Sill, 35F, than I ever did from her. We fought a lot.

We were pushed to a new level of argument. I held everything in, and we'd blow up. My wife said she dealt with her dad her whole life, and she learned sometimes it was better to just yield. About a month ago, my name was cleared. My sill found the iPad in her son's, 9M, room. He confessed to taking it. He was afraid to say anything after my Phil's reaction to me. My Phil has never apologized or publicly recanted.

He acts like nothing happened, and the rest of the family followed suit. He had my mill relay that I was welcome to their home again. Others began inviting me to functions. I've declined for myself and my daughter. I'm not holding grudges or using my daughter as punishment. I saw who my fill was clearly. I don't want any involvement with him unless necessary, nor is my daughter allowed to have unsupervised visits with him. I don't want her exposed to the ugliness.

The situation remains a sore on my marriage. My wife won't talk about it. If I try, she says I'm throwing the past in her face. I'm just trying to open up to her about how everything still affects me. She feels I'm not working toward keeping the peace. My Phil falsely accused me of theft, led a smear campaign, badmouthed me around our daughter, and was enabled by some family. This is me keeping the peace.

I'd give this post as the right call. My wife wouldn't approve, but there's no talking to her about this in any real way. I'm lost. We've never been so disconnected. I'm in love with her. I wouldn't have stayed if I wasn't. I want to work on our marriage and do right by our daughter. I don't regret my choice on my fill, but I am questioning if I'm making things worse.

I feel alone. I need a fresh perspective. How do I move forward as healthily as possible for my marriage when I'd court a step? Additional info, Boop added more on his fill and his wife. I honestly didn't know things were this bad with her dad until later. The most distance she got from him when we were. in college. She had told me she purposefully chose a school further away from home and she didn't go home as much on breaks. She said she just wanted to break off on her own. Her work took us

back near her parents and she kind of went back into the fold but even then, I didn't expect her to just ditch me like she did. We faced some pushback for my fill and her position wasn't so severe. I feel like things blew up, she had to make a decision, S&D she chose to go along to get along with her dad. What hurts is that she knew I wasn't guilty but still chose him. Even in private there were no words of comfort from her. She just kept urging me to apologize to her dad update. May 9, 2025. I, 27M, want to thank everyone for the support. I appreciate it. The situation with my Phil, 59M, was extensive and largely unaddressed by my wife, 29F. It occurred to me that, not being able to open up to her, I didn't know how to communicate with her anymore.

The feedback I received was a real eye-opener. My issue isn't isolated to my fill. This isn't solely a spat with in-laws. It's an issue involving my wife. Things with my fill are what they are. I'm not seeking a deeper connection with him. We're in-laws, nothing more, nothing less, and he made it abundantly clear in his smear camp. pain that I wasn't family but a hurdle the family needed to overcome. My concern is my wife

and our daughter, for F. They're my family and my focus. With that said, I realize I can't make my wife do anything. I can't make her communicate with me. I can't make her instill boundaries with her dad. I only have a say for myself and our daughter. I know something needs to change. Our marriage can't be sustained this way. It's not good for anyone, especially our daughter. After getting my feelings out, I felt more resolved with what I needed to do. I told my wife about the original post. She's seen it in some comments. She wasn't thrilled, but to her credit, she didn't automatically shut me down like usual. She was open to hearing what I had to say. I'd give ultimatum is the right term because I wasn't trying to force her to choose anything. I'm just trying to implement boundaries

for our daughter and our marriage. I told her that things needed to change because our marriage couldn't survive like this. No one should feel alone or abandoned in their marriage. The options were either couples therapy or separation. She didn't take to separation well. She seemed repulsed by it. She said she knew we weren't in a good place, but she didn't realize that was where I was at and how we made vows and our bond is supposed to withstand. She feels her dad shouldn't take away from us. I told her I wasn't taking separation lightly. Our vows do mean something, but whether she admits it or not, she checked out on our vows in favor of her dad. It wasn't keeping the peace. It was me drowning while she was on her dad's boat and never tossed me a line.

Our issues are bigger than just her dad. Our current way isn't it? My wife chose therapy. We found a therapist, and it's officially scheduled. I want to be hopeful, but that's not something I've let myself feel for a bit now. I don't believe she was only telling me what she thought I wanted to hear. I saw the reality of it hit her when separation was put on the table. I asked her if MC was something she really wanted.

I'm not talking about the sometimes it's better to yield things she said about her dad or for keeping the peace. I was asking what she genuinely wanted. She said it was and that she doesn't want to lose our relationship or our family. Some have questioned why I'd want to try working on my marriage. It's not about staying for our daughter. I want to make a real attempt for my family and see if things can be mended. I know there's more to my wife than just my fill. I fell in love with her because of who she was as a person.

When we met and got to know each other it was away from her dad. I saw how caring she was for others even if she didn't agree with their POV, how decent she was, and how she had a weight off her shoulders with distance from her dad's shadow. My wife is the youngest of her siblings, and I would say my in-laws hold on to her more tightly. I didn't know how bad things were until I actually dealt with my Phil. It's why she chose a long-distance school and didn't go home on breaks often. Her work moved us closer to home and she was back into the fold fully. My Phil's smear campaign was our first major obstacle following that.

I'm in love with my wife, but I'm not speaking out of blind love. Whether we're together or not, I want the best for her. Part of my hope for MC is that she regained sight of herself separate from her dad and sees that boundaries for herself aren't crossing the line. Maybe we can recover together and come out better for it. I know we got married a little young. Trust me, we'd heard our fair share from the skeptics, but I was always sure of my wife. Marriage wasn't something I took lightly. I didn't expect there to be nothing but clear skies.

But we should want more from each other. Being there for each other and emotional intimacy are the bare minimum. We should be a team. Our family is the core before any other relationship. To me, our vows mean consciously choosing each other and committing to each other even when it's hard. I'd quote MC will bring. It'll be my first experience with therapy. All I can do is take everything one step at a time and reaffirm boundaries for myself and my daughter.

I'm not withholding my daughter as punishment or holding grudges. I don't even want an apology from my fill because I know it'll be empty. I'm just done giving him any more power. I'm protecting my daughter too. To those who haven't experienced something like this, I hope you never will, and for those in a similar struggle, I hope for nothing but the best for you. You're not alone. Thank you for showing me that I'm not either.

Next story, made my wife handle all household work while I argued with her instead of helping, so she left me. Now I finally learned how to be a good partner but with my second wife instead of her. I was the ah, I know it. My ex and I, 40s, married in college in our early 20s. We went from living in the dorms together to being married and living on our own in another state due to my job. We enjoyed the honeymoon period with each other along with being young, 20-somethings in an exciting new city. Not long after being married she was pregnant and our first child was born a few months after our first anniversary. She was a psalm, I picked up overtime to cover everything. She matured way faster than I to support the baby, I was still closer to being a

college dorm student than I was a husband slash father slash equal. We had constant fights how I wasn't doing enough to help or supporting her physically or emotionally, I kept trying to tell her how I was doing enough, how I worked 80 hours last week, how I changed a diaper last week, how I cooked my own meal, just for me, so she wouldn't have to, etc. As she would explain her problems and how I could help her but I didn't hear them, I just wanted to argue. I used weaponized incompetence before that term was coined. In my mind I was working hard and she was just being unrealistic and couldn't see how much I did. In reality, there was far more work than I realized, my ex was drowning and asking for help and all I would do was argue with her about how there

was no way she was drowning. Things would improve every few months, partly because I would do a little more work, partly because she just internalized her frustrations and stopped initiating conversations about them. We had another child during this time, but this soon added even more stress and the fights grew even worse. Eventually she said she couldn't handle it any longer and moved in with family a few hours away. I tried to win her back through love bombing, again, before I knew what that was, and figured she would come to her senses.

And so I was extremely surprised when I got served the divorce papers. I couldn't believe it, I never cheated on her, I didn't abuse her, I had no vices, we loved each other, how could she be divorcing me? Yet she did, and when we met with lawyers I was taken off guard by how much resentment there was towards me, where had that come from? We agreed to every other weekend visitations. The first time I had to take care of my two toddlers on my own for two whole days was an eye-opener. I had done it once or twice when married, but she had pre-made the meals, picked out the clothes, cleaned the house, etc. I was still learning how to consistently do the laundry and wash the dishes every day and pick up after myself.

I had gone from living with my parents to living in the dorms with roommates who constantly cleaned, to living with my ex. I knew how to take care of a house but never had to do it all on my own, someone else always picked up the slack. And now I was fully responsible for that and for two little lives for 48 hours. I remember being completely overwhelmed, and hit by a huge wave of empathy and understanding of where she had been over the past few years and what I had done to her. I apologize to her, but that only made her angrier. So I grew up. I vowed to make the most out of each weekend with my children.

I learned how to cook, I actually liked cooking. I learned how to braid hair, I bought tons of unnecessary toddler supplies and packed them all in the stroller just in case my kids needed something on a walk. It set her on my own time I picked up new hobbies and went to the gym. I read the nonfiction, how-to-slash relationship books that my ex had been begging me to read. Overall, I worked on myself and tried to become a super dad to my kids. A couple of years after the divorce I started dating again. Being a single dad in my late 20s was a turn-off to a lot of women and I was rejected often, but I found myself being matched. with other single moms and really connecting with them. I eventually met my now wife, a single mom

whose ex had abandoned her for someone else and wanted nothing to do with their children. And to her, I was the perfect catch, a loving dad who worked hard, did the household chores, and was devoted to her. I learned from my mistakes in my first marriage, and took all the criticisms my ex had made about me to heart and improved from them. I became the husband my ex tried to make me into. I still slip up and still have a lot to learn, but I do that with the support of my wife. I would still see my ex every other week and the relationship improved somewhat, but there was still an undertone of resentment in each interaction. She went back to school, got a job, and raised our kids as a single mom.

I tried to get more visitation as they got older, but she fought back and due to them living too far for daily visits, I only got longer summers with them. I have no idea about her dating life, I never ask the kids about her, but she is unmarried. I know very little about her life, she could be very happy and enjoying everything. But within our few interactions very little of that shows. Now, our youngest is a senior and going to graduate and I've been talking to my ex more to prepare for it. It's mostly cordial, but occasionally hints of anger and passive aggressive comments come out. I have thanked her for being a wonderful mother to our children in raising them, and again

apologized for never being there or taking her seriously all those years ago. I still feel like the ah, though, sometimes because of how she understandably treats me, and other times just for my own guilt of how I treated her when we were married. She is about to have an empty nest after devoting her life to children when I failed her, and I am living the suburban family life we had planned for but with someone other than her. Am I still the awe for learning for my divorce and becoming the husband I should have been with my ex? Update, May 12, 2025. Thank you for those who continue to reach out for updates.

While nothing has changed from my previous post's original question, I will always be the awe in my ex's eyes. I will have guilt for that for life, will continue to try to make amends with her, and will try to do better with my wife and kids. There was an event that brought a little closure recently. My youngest child, now 18, with my ex graduates this month. My ex held a party for them at her house which was attended by immediate family and friends from both sides. It was the first time many members of our respective families had been together since our wedding 20 plus years ago. We hosted separate parties for our oldest child's graduation two years ago. Overall, the party went very well.

Our daughter was celebrated and felt appreciated. She said it felt a little weird to have her two worlds collide, such as when her, step, siblings hung out with her maternal cousins, or having both sets of grandparents spending lots of time talking with each other and laughing. It brought a pang of guilt that my daughter didn't remember a time when her grandparents were close friends, as they were before her mother and I divorced. My wife and my ex spent time with each other and laughed a few times. My wife won't tell me what all they talked about so my guess is they shared some common war stories about me. My ex and I had a chance to talk as well. We mostly talked about the kids and how proud we were of our daughter, how excited she is to move for college, and what our oldest child was up to. She asked what was next with our family and I gave updates about my younger kids and their future graduations and activities.

She returned that she was excited and a little anxious about having an empty nest. Her job is mostly the same but going well and she is planning on traveling. She also casually dropped the name Mark during our conversation, Mark and I talked about doing, and I had no idea who she was talking about. Maybe he's someone she's seeing, but she didn't elaborate, I didn't pry, and the topic moved on. I suspect we each assume our kids inform the other parent about our respective life updates more than they actually do, because it didn't seem like she was trying to drop major news on me when she said it. And there was no mark present at the party so I really have no idea what

their connection is. Near the end, I again thanked her for being a wonderful mother to our children and briefly re-apologized for my actions years ago. She replied kindly and apologized for fighting so hard against me when I requested more visitation a decade ago. Note, initially, I only saw the kids every other weekend with short summers. I pushed for more visitation after I remarried, had moved into a larger house that could fit everyone, and was in a position to take care of the kids for longer times. I asked for 50 to 50 but ended up with 40 to 60 after a bitter mediation. We returned to talking about the kids and the conversation mostly ended after that. When that seems like it, I don't see the need for other updates. I doubt I will see much of my ex.

The kids now adults are both doing their own things, have their own cars, and can visit their individual parents and siblings as they wish. There are no more visitation drop-offs between my ex and either will probably be college graduations and maybe eventual weddings, but beyond that our interactions are mostly finished. While we both had caused each other frustration, pain, and resentment over the years after the divorce, and I will always have my guilt for failing her in our marriage, in the end we successfully raised two happy children who are starting their own adult lives. Each of our lives

took unexpected paths to get here, but we got here nonetheless and are proud our children made it through while feeling loved. My wife and younger kids are also happy in doing well. There are tons of updates with all them but those aren't relevant to this subreddit. I am not the odd of them, I'm just dad and husband, although sometimes they are embarrassed slash reluctant to admit to having those associations with me.