My Parents Worshipped My “Golden Child” Sister and Treated Me Like a Defect—So I Chose the One Person She Thought Was Untouchable
I used to think family was a place you could fall apart and still be caught.
Mine was a courtroom without a judge, where the verdict was always the same: Jess was perfection, and I was the problem.
My parents, David and Caroline, didn’t just prefer my older sister.
They built their entire world around her, like she was the proof they’d done life correctly, and I was the inconvenient footnote they wanted erased.
I was born with a disability, and they treated it like a personal insult.
When I was four, they had me tested and latched onto one number they couldn’t stop talking about, as if a lab result could explain why they felt embarrassed by their own kid.
They didn’t call it concern.
They called it a “fix,” and they decided Jess would be the tool that did it.
Their method was simple, almost scientific in their minds.
If they could grind down my self-worth, if they could make me feel small enough, they believed I would somehow “build myself back” into the version of a son they wanted.
What they actually built was a house where love had rules and approval had a price.
And the price was always paid by me.
One Christmas, when I was twelve and Jess was fifteen, we both asked for new bikes.
I remember the living room glowing with twinkle lights, the smell of pine sap mixing with cinnamon candles, and my mother’s camera already out like she knew which child would be worth photographing.
Jess tore open her box first.
Her bike was bright purple and shiny, with big wheels and a basket up front, the kind of bike you see in commercials where the kid’s smile is the whole point.
Then it was my turn.
I ripped open wrapping paper and found a pink T-shirt folded neatly, the fabric thin and cheap in my hands.
Across the front, in big letters, it read: Jess’s little bro.
My father laughed like it was the cleverest joke he’d ever told, and my mother smiled as if humiliation was a lesson.
Jess held up her bike while they snapped pictures.
I stood there with that shirt in my lap, feeling my face burn, watching my own Christmas become a performance about who mattered.
That was the moment I learned how favoritism can be quiet and still be violent.
Not with fists, but with laughter that teaches you you’re allowed to be mocked in your own home.
The more they pushed, the more my insides started to unravel.
I didn’t become tougher; I became /// and ///, and I got so good at hiding it that teachers thought I was “mature.”
My parents didn’t care.
Somewhere along the way, their “cure” turned into harsh favoritism and borderline emotional neglect, and they acted like it was normal.
They praised Jess for everything, even when there wasn’t anything to praise.
Once, she got a B-minus on her report card, and my parents acted like she’d won a national championship.
They paid to have a custom banner hung across the front of the house.
It read, OUR DAUGHTER GOT A B-, with a big smiling photo of Jess like she’d been crowned.
The neighbors honked when they drove by.
Jess soaked up the attention like sunlight, and my parents soaked up the credit for raising her.
Then I came home with straight A’s.
I didn’t expect a banner, but I did expect a smile, maybe a “good job,” maybe a moment where I wasn’t invisible.
What I got was worse than a joke.
My parents trashed my room because I hadn’t gotten straight A-pluses.
They pulled drawers out, dumped clothes onto the floor, and turned my space into chaos like they were proving a point.
I stood in the doorway watching my own bedroom become a warning.
After that, almost nothing surprised me.
Not the digs at dinner, not the way my mother’s voice sharpened when she said my name, not the way my father’s silence could feel louder than yelling.
When I got accepted to a solid university with a partial scholarship, I thought—stupidly—that this would finally change something.
I came home with the letter in my hand, the paper trembling because my hands were shaking with hope.
My father read it once and handed it back like it was junk mail.
“My biggest disappointment,” he said, because it wasn’t a full scholarship, because it wasn’t perfect, because I wasn’t Jess.
Meanwhile, Jess practically flunked out of her community college classes and called it “finding herself.”
She announced she wanted to take a gap year, and that gap year turned into five.
To celebrate, my parents threw her a party.
They bought her a new laptop for her “creative journey” and told everyone who would listen that Jess was destined for big things.
I remember standing in the kitchen, listening to them toast her future, wondering what it felt like to be loved without earning it.
That was when I stopped hoping they’d wake up.
One of the only slightly better parts of my life came when I managed to move out.
I did it as soon as I possibly could, working multiple jobs while taking classes, stacking shifts until my body felt like it belonged to my boss more than it belonged to me.
I lived in tiny apartments with thin walls, ate cheap food, and learned how to stretch a paycheck until it almost snapped.
But even with the struggle, it felt like freedom.
Distance didn’t fix my family, though.
It just made their cruelty quieter and more strategic.
When I couldn’t afford to come home for Thanksgiving one year, I told my father honestly.
I said I had rent due, I said gas money wasn’t there, I said I was trying to keep my head above water.
He didn’t ask if I was okay.
He said, “Well, I guess your priorities are elsewhere,” like survival was a personal insult to him.
Even after I created distance, family gatherings turned into subtle torture sessions.
The comments weren’t shouted; they were delivered with smiles.
“Still at that starter job?” my mother would ask, sweetly.
Then she’d turn to someone else and say, “Jess is thinking about starting her own boutique—she’s so entrepreneurial,” like ambition was something you inherited only if you were her.
At my graduation, they arrived late.
I stood in my cap and gown watching families hug and cheer, and I tried not to flinch every time I scanned the crowd and didn’t see them.
When they finally showed up, my father’s first comment wasn’t congratulations.
He leaned in and said, “Four years for that degree seems like a lot of time for what you’ll be doing.”
Jess showed up in the most extravagant dress possible, glittering and dramatic, as if the ceremony was about her.
My parents fawned over her outfit, took photos, told her she looked “stunning,” while I stood there holding a diploma that apparently meant nothing.
What made it worse was that I kept trying with Jess.
I told myself she was still my sister, that siblings are supposed to have some kind of bond, even if parents mess everything up.
But with Jess, it was one-sided.
I reached out, she ignored me, and when she did respond, she somehow turned every conversation into a competition she had to win.
If I got a promotion, she suddenly had an “amazing opportunity” on the horizon.
If I started dating someone, she’d immediately announce she was “basically in love” with someone new.
Once, after months of silence, I called her to share news about a significant promotion.
I remember standing in my apartment, phone pressed to my ear, rehearsing the words like I still believed she could be happy for me.
“Hey Jess,” I said, trying to sound casual, “guess what—I got promoted to senior analyst.”
There was a pause long enough to feel deliberate.
“Okay,” she said flatly, then sighed like she was bored.
“Anyway, I just got approached by this amazing startup, and the salary is probably more than you’ll ever make.”
The position she mentioned never existed.
I knew it even then, but she didn’t need it to be real—she just needed me to feel smaller.
When I finally landed my dream job after years of grinding, I made the mistake of mentioning it at a family dinner.
I said it with a cautious pride I didn’t know how to hide, because I’d earned it the hard way.
“Guys,” I said, “I just got my dream job.”
I barely finished the sentence before my mother cut in.
“Okay, but did you hear about Jess?” she said immediately, voice bright.
“She met a successful entrepreneur with connections everywhere.”
My parents talked about him like he was a legend.
They said his name with reverence: Dwight.
In reality, Dwight wasn’t some visionary.
He worked in sales at a midsized paper company, the kind of job that was respectable but not mythical, but the way my parents described him, you’d think he was the next Elon Musk.
They were thrilled because Jess had attached herself to someone they could brag about.
It didn’t matter what he actually did; it mattered what they could pretend it meant.
Their wedding was an extravagant affair that my parents spared no expense for.
There were flowers everywhere, an expensive venue, a photographer who barked instructions like a director, and a cake so tall it looked like a monument.
They paid for everything with a smile, like it was an investment in the only child they considered a success.
Meanwhile I…
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was still paying off my student loans but then I met one of Jess’s short-term friends and what happened next shifted the family Dynamic forever because Jess was not happy I can’t tell you you the
explanation in this short video to watch the rest of the video and see what went down click the link below we connected instantly Josephine was everything I wanted smart funny compassionate and gorgeous we met at one of Jess’s many housewarming parties she and Dwight moved nearly every year always to bigger and better places that my parents helped finance Josephine was standing alone near the bookshelf looking as out of place as I felt she had shoulder length brown hair intelligent green eyes and a smile that made me forget my name mid
introduction not much of a party person she asked sipping her wine not much of a Jess’s World person I replied before I could stop myself instead of being put off she laughed genuinely ah you must be the mysterious brother I’ve heard about the one with the conventional Life Choices we spent the rest of the evening in that corner talking about everything from classic literature to our shared love of terrible Sci-Fi movies by the end of the night I had her number and a date planned for the following weekend when we started dating my parents
predictably made snide comments about how she was settling and wondering what she saw in me she’s so cultured and well traveled my mother remarked after meeting Josephine it’s surprising she’s interested in someone so local the way she said local made it sound like a terminal illness my father was more direct does she know what you make at that job of your women like that usually have higher expectations oddly Jess became super interested in my life constantly asking about Josephine she’d call out of the blue supposedly to catch
up but every conversation turned to questions about Josephine’s job her family her Hobbies Josephine mentioned she might get transferred to the New York office Jess commented once though I had never shared this information with her that would be hard on your relationship wouldn’t it at the time I was just relieved she seemed to care about something in my life looking back I should have seen the warning signs Josephine and I moved in together after dating for a year and it was amazing both of us had solid careers we traveled
and discussed our future our apartment wasn’t fancy a one-bedroom in a decent neighborhood but it was ours we painted the walls ourselves assembled Ikea furniture while laughing at the incomprehensible instructions and created a home that felt safe and happy I never thought I could feel this content Josephine told me one night as we sat on our secondhand couch eating takeout and watching documentaries my parents always pushed for more bigger better this this is enough you’re enough I finally thought I might get the life
I’d always wanted good job loving partner maybe kids eventually I proposed on our fifth anniversary with a quiet dinner at home I’d spent months saving for the ring nothing ostentatious but a beautiful Emerald that matched her eyes set in white gold I’d hidden it in her favorite dessert a chocolate sule that I’d practice making a dozen times in secret when she found it her eyes filled with tears yes she whispered before I could even ask the question a thousand times yes we planned a long engagement taking our time to plan the wedding we
weren’t rushing we had our whole lives ahead of us or so I thought when we told my family about our engagement the reactions were telling Mom plastered on a fake smile and said how nice in a tone that suggested anything but Dad grunted and muttered we’ll see before turning back to his football game Jess had the strangest reaction though she congratulated us but her smile was weird almost predatory I brushed it off as my own insecurity let me see the ring Jess demanded grabbing Josephine’s hand she examined it with a critical eye oh it’s
cute simple I guess that’s more your style anyway later I overheard my mother telling Josephine don’t rush into anything dear you’re still young and there are plenty of opportunities out there for someone like you the implication being that I wasn’t one of those opportunities the following year was hectic with wedding planning and work stress Josephine and I were both putting in long hours to save for the wedding and house payment we weren’t seeing each other as much but I figured it was just a phase every relationship
had has rough patches right our date nights became less frequent reduced to quick dinners before one of us had to work late or catch up on sleep when I suggested a weekend getaway to reconnect Josephine seemed hesitant I don’t know if I can get away right now she said not meeting my eyes the Johnson account is really demanding I understood we were both building our careers and sometimes that meant sacrifices we’ll make it work I told her squeezing her hand after the wedding we can take that trip to Maine we’ve been talking about in hindsight I
missed some obvious Clues Josephine became glued to her phone quickly hiding text messages with a nervous laugh claiming they were just work stuff she started going out more with friends coming home late smelling like wine and cologne but I trusted her completely it never crossed my mind she might be cheating especially not with my own sister’s husband one night I woke up around 2: a.m.
to find her side of the bed empty I wandered blury eyed into the living room to see her huddled on the couch Whispering intensely into her phone when she noticed me she jumped like she’d been caught stealing sorry did I wake you she asked tucking her phone away quickly just checking in with Sarah about the bridesmaid’s dresses at 2: a.m.
I nodded and went back to bed pushing away the nagging doubt Sarah was her maid of honor and notoriously disorganized it wasn’t completely implausible another red flag Josephine suddenly developed an interest in Jess and Dwight’s lives she’d bring them up in conversation suggesting double dates and family gatherings that she’d previously tried to avoid we should have dinner with Jess and Dwight this weekend she’d say casually I ran into Dwight at that coffee shop near my office yesterday he mentioned a new restaurant they wanted to try it struck me as odd
that Dwight would happen to be at a coffee shop 30 minutes from his workplace but I didn’t question it I was happy Josephine was making an effort with my family even if they never made much effort with her about 3 months ago Josephine started acting strange Moody irritable and constantly nauseous I got excited thinking she might be pregnant we hadn’t been trying but we talked about having kids eventually I started daydreaming about helping her through morning sickness picking out Nursery colors one morning I found her throwing
up in the bathroom I held her hair back and rubbed her shoulders soothingly do you think we should get a test I asked trying to contain my excitement she looked at me with panic in her eyes no I mean it’s probably just a stomach bug or food poisoning but the symptoms persisted she avoided wine at dinner turned green at the smell of coffee and took frequent naps I began leaving pregnancy books on her nightstand prenatal vitamin information bookmarked on her laptop I even started researching the best pediatricians in our area you’d
be such an amazing mom I told her one evening as we cuddled on the couch our kid would be so lucky to have you she burst into tears and rushed to the bathroom I assumed it was hormones and gave her space then one night she sat me down with tears streaming down her face and dropped the bomb she was pregnant but it wasn’t mine I was stunned we hadn’t been intimate much lately because of our busy schedules but I never expected this when I asked who the father was she broke down sobbing and whispered it’s Jess’s husband my world
imploded everything I thought I knew Came Crashing Down I couldn’t breathe or think straight just felt overwhelming betrayal crushing me Dwight I managed to choke out my sister’s husband Dwight Josephine nodded her face contorted with guilt and tears I’m so sorry I never meant for it to happen it just it just did how long my voice sounded alien to my own ears flat empty 3 months she admitted staring at the floor it started at your parents anniversary party I remembered that party vividly my parents 40th anniversary a lavish event they’d
spent months planning Josephine had looked stunning in a blue dress and I’d been so proud to have her by my side I recalled how she’ disappeared for nearly an hour claiming she needed fresh air because the room was too warm Dwight had been absent around the same time I thought nothing of it Josephine tried explaining between sobs apparently it started at our engagement party Jess’s husband Dwight had cornered Josephine telling her she was making a mistake marrying me he played on her insecurities saying he could give her
everything I couldn’t and it wasn’t a one-time thing they’d been having an affair for months he said you’d never be able to provide the life I deserved she cried that I was wasting my potential with you and you believed him I asked incredulously after 6 years together you believed what he said about me I didn’t At first she insisted but he was persistent he text me little things comments about how I deserved better observations about how your family treated you how they might treat our children Someday my stomach lurched at
the manipulation so what he was just concerned for your welfare this was all for your benefit no of course not she whispered he made me feel special desired he said Jess didn’t understand him that they were basically roommates at this point the classic cheaters handbook I couldn’t believe Josephine had fallen for it couldn’t believe she’d betrayed me so completely where would you meet I asked needing to understand the full scope of the deception his office mostly sometimes hotel rooms if we could get away for lunch she was
sobbing now makeup streaming down her face once at their house when Jess was visiting your parents each word was like a knife I thought about all the late nights at work the weekend conferences the sudden errands she needed to run alone all lies does Jess know I asked suddenly thinking of my sister Josephine shook her head no at least I don’t think so Dwight said he’d handle telling her when the time was right I laughed bitterly when the time is right and when exactly is the right time to tell your wife you’ve been [ __ ] her brother’s
fiance and got her pregnant I kicked Josephine out that night I couldn’t stand looking at the woman who’d betrayed me so completely she begged forgiveness saying it was a mistake and she loved me but all I could think about was how many times she’ lied to my face while wearing my ring please she sobbed as she hastily packed a bag we can work through this people make mistakes I love you not him if you loved me you wouldn’t have spread your legs for my sister’s husband I spat the words tasting like poison in my mouth if you loved me you
wouldn’t have lied to me for months while planning our wedding I was going to end it she insisted the pregnancy wasn’t planned we used protection not good enough apparently I said coldly get out you have 30 minutes to take what you need anything left behind goes in the trash she tried touching my arm where am I supposed to go I don’t know Josephine D’s office maybe since you’re so familiar with it or perhaps one of those hotels you enjoyed so much it’s not my problem anymore after Josephine left I called Dwight I don’t remember exactly
what I said it was all a blur of rage and pain he initially tried playing it cool cling it was just a drunken mistake that meant nothing when I pressed him he got defensive saying well maybe if you’d been a better fiance she wouldn’t have come to me are you [ __ ] kidding me I yelled into the phone you’re blaming me for you sleeping with my fiance you’ve got some nerve look man I’m sorry it happened this way he said with artificial remorse but Josephine and I connected on a level that you two never did she needs someone who can match her
ambition and that’s you I laughed without humor a mediocre salesman riding on my parents handouts what exactly are you going to provide for her and this baby because as far as I can tell you’ve never provided anything for yourself he grew cold then you’ve always been jealous of what Jess and I have now I’ve got Josephine too think about that while you’re alone in that pathetic apartment you call home I saw red I drove straight to their house planning something I’d probably regret the drive was a blur I don’t even remember stopping at traffic
lights or making turns all I could think about was confronting Dwight face to face making him feel even a fraction of the pain consuming me when I arrived my parents were already there DW had called them first spinning some story about Josephine seducing him and how sorry he was and of course they believed him they always do I burst through the door without knocking to find them all sitting in the living room like some kind of Twisted intervention my mother was patting Dwight’s shoulder consolingly while my father stood with
his arms crossed looking grave Jess was noticeably absent well look who finally showed up my father said his voice dripping with disapproval care to explain why you’re threatening your brother-in-law brother-in-law I echoed in disbelief you mean the man who’s been sleeping with my fiance for months the man who got her pregnant while married to your daughter my mother gasped Josephine’s pregnant oh Dwight you poor thing what a mess that girl has created I couldn’t believe what I was hearing are you serious right now he cheated on
your daughter with my fiance how is Josephine the only one at fault here Mom immediately started lecturing me about forgiveness and family while Dad stood there with his arms Fross looking disappointed in me not in Precious Dwight I tried explaining what really happened but they wouldn’t listen they kept saying I needed to forgive Dwight and support Josephine through her pregnancy because family comes first you don’t understand the pressure Dwight’s under my mother insisted Jess hasn’t been very attentive lately men have
needs are you actually justifying him cheating on your daughter I asked incredulous where is Jess anyway does she know what her husband’s been doing my father cleared his throat Jess is upstairs resting she’s understandably upset but she’s willing to work through this that’s what mature adults do they don’t run around making accusations and threats Dwight has agreed to couples counsel my mother added as if this solved everything he’s taking responsibility for his actions which is more than I can say for you me what have
I done except be betrayed by everyone I trusted you’ve always been dramatic my father side always making everything about you this situation requires delicacy and understanding not your usual tantrum Dwight sat there smugly playing the contrite husband I’ve apologized to Jess and she’s forgiven me Josephine and I made a mistake but now we have to think about the baby that’s when I lost it years of bottled resentment exploded I told them exactly how I felt about their Twisted loyalty how they’d always favored Jess and her
husband over me never taking my side or supporting me I told Dwight he was dead to me I told my parents they could have the family they always wanted because they didn’t have me anymore you know what I’m done I said my voice dangerously quiet done with all of you for 34 years I’ve tried to earn your love and respect and it’s never been enough nothing I do has ever mattered compared to anything Jess does that’s not true my mother protested weakly we love you both equally I laughed bitterly that’s a lie and you know it when Jess
crashes a car it’s an accident when I get straight A’s it’s expected when Jess drops out of college she gets a party when I graduate with honors I get a handshake you’ve always been stronger my father said you didn’t need the support Jess did no you just didn’t want to give it to me I countered and now your precious son-in-law has knocked up my fiance and somehow I’m still the bad guy I turned to Dwight then you’re pathetic a cheating lying coward who’s never worked for anything in his life you think you’ve won something here
congratulations on your prize a woman who cheats on her fiance I’m sure she’ll be completely faithful to you I stormed out ignoring their calls and pleas I drove aimlessly for hours just wanting to escape everything and everyone when I finally got home I had dozens of missed calls and messages Josephine begging for another chance Dwight alternating between apologies and accusations most came from my parents demanding I grow up and make amends you’re tearing this family apart with your stubbornness my mother’s voicemail declared Josephine is
in a fragile condition and needs support not judgment my father was more direct this childish behavior ends now be at Sunday dinner to apologize to Dwight and work this out like a man there were even messages from Jess which surprised me I forgiven Dwight and you should too she said coldly Josephine made a mistake but the baby is innocent in all this we need to come together as a family not a word about how she felt about her husband’s betrayal not a shred of empathy for what I was going through just the same old
family script protect the favored ones blame me for not falling in line I ignored them all barely eating or sleeping I called out sick from work using all my available time off I couldn’t face anyone or deal with explaining what happened I just sat in my apartment replaying every moment of my relationship with Josephine and every interaction with Dwight trying to figure out where things went wrong was I not attentive enough did I miss signs that Josephine was unhappy was there something I could have done differently
the questions tormented me day and night after a week of isolation my boss called personally we concerned about you she said this isn’t like you is there anything we can do I broke down then telling her everything she listened without judgment then offered a temporary transfer to our Seattle office it might help to have some distance she suggested take a few months clear your head the position is yours when you’re ready to come back it felt like the first kindness anyone had shown me in ages I accepted immediately it’s been 3
months now I’ve moved to a new apartment in Seattle changed my phone number and started therapy to process all this but my family won’t back off despite my attempts to cut contact they keep invading my life somehow they tracked down my new workplace address probably through my parents friends who seem to be everywhere they’ve started showing up at my workplace trying to Ambush me and force a Reconciliation mom confronts me in the parking lot wailing about how I’m tearing the family apart dad leaves harsh voicemails telling me to man up
and forgive Dwight last week my mother cornered me as I was leaving the office this has gone on long enough she insisted blocking my path to my car Josephine is 6 months long now she needs closure and so does Dwight I’ve given them closure I replied trying to step around her it’s called cutting them out of my life how can you be so selfish she demanded this isn’t just about you anymore there’s an innocent child involved a child that wouldn’t exist if Dwight hadn’t betrayed both me and his wife I reminded her that’s not on me she
tried a different tactic then her voice softening we miss you you’re your father and I want our son back you never wanted me when I was there I said sadly why start now they’ve even sent flying monkeys in the form of extended family to Guilt Trip me Aunts Uncles and cousins I haven’t spoken to in years suddenly calling to tell me how important family is and how I should let bygones be bygones it’s like they’re living in an alternate reality where Dwight and Josephine made some minor mistake rather than a life-altering
betrayal my cousin Rick who I haven’t spoken to since his wedding 5 years ago texted out of nowhere family sticks together through thick and thin your parents are heartbroken whatever happened can be fixed with enough love and forgiveness Aunt Patty my mother’s sister left a voicemail so Laden with guilt it could sink a ship your poor mother can barely get out of bed some days worrying about you is this how you repay all their sacrifices by turning your back when the family needs Unity I wanted to scream what sacrifices what
Unity where was this concern for family cohesion when I was growing up feeling like an outsider in my own home yesterday I got a message from Josephine she’s keeping the baby and plans to co-parent with Dwight and guess what my parents are thrilled about becoming grandparents forgetting all the awful comments they used to make when Josephine was with me the message was full of apologies and justifications including how she and Dwight had found real love through this difficult situation she even had the audacity to
suggest we could all be friends eventually for the child’s sake I know this isn’t how any of us plan things to work out her message read but sometimes life takes unexpected turns Dwight and I have found something genuine together and we hope you can find happiness too the baby is a boy by the way we’re thinking of naming him David after your father we’d love for you to be in his life as his uncle the irony was almost too much to bear the woman who betrayed me wanting me to play happy Uncle to the child she conceived through that
betrayal and naming him after my father the ultimate way to ensure my parents would Overlook any wrongdoing I’m at my wits end part of me wants to cut ties completely and start fresh somewhere else maybe move across the country change my name and build a new life where nobody knows about this mess but another part is so angry I want to stay and fight to show them how [ __ ] up this whole situation is my therapist says I need to process my feelings rather than run from them but also that I have every right to establish
boundaries your family has shown a consistent pattern of disregarding your feelings and needs she observed it’s not unreasonable to distance yourself from that Dynamic but distance doesn’t seem to be enough they keep finding ways to infiltrate my life to force their narrative that I’m the problem not them I don’t know what to do anymore the Betrayal has affected every aspect of my life I can’t sleep without medication I can’t stand being alone with my thoughts I haven’t even considered dating again the idea of trusting someone like that
terrifies me what if I’m just unlovable I asked my therapist during a particularly dark session what if there’s something fundamentally wrong with me that makes people treat me this way there’s nothing wrong with you she assured me but when we grow up in Dysfunctional systems we sometimes recreate those Dynamics unconsciously your family trained you to accept less than you deserve the good news is you can untrain those patterns I’ve also lost friends over this ones who think I should take the high road and reconcile
with my family as if I’m the bad guy for refusing to play happy families with the people who hurt me the most my college roommate Tom who’s known me for years surprised me with his take families are complicated man yeah what they did was awful but at some point you have to move on blood is blood I cut him off immediately blood clearly meant nothing to my family why should it mean anything to me the thought of Josephine and Dwight raising a child together a child that could have been mine is like a constant knife in my gut I understand
logically that the child is innocent in all this it’s not the baby’s fault its parents are lying cheating scumbags but I can’t make myself feel good about its existence my parents have started talking about how I should be involved in the child’s life and how I’ll be an uncle the concept makes me physically ill how can I look at this kid and not see the ultimate symbol of my sister’s husband’s betrayal so rdit am I the [ __ ] for refusing to forgive my sister’s husband and ex-fiance am I wrong to want to cut ties with my family
over this any advice on how to move forward would be appreciated because right now I feel like I’m drowning in a sea of betrayal and gaslighting sorry for the novel length post if you made it this far thank you writing all this out has been somewhat therapeutic I’m not sure what I’m hoping to gain validation guidance or just the chance to scream into the void and have someone anyone here me
