What is the best way to confront a person’s shocking betrayal of you and your loved ones? Do you have it out in the open, or keep things private?
That was the decision faced by one Redditor, who posted her experience in the “Am I the A**hole (AITA)” subReddit.
The Original Poster (OP), known as Throwsister3567 on the site, shared the specifics of the betrayal right in the title.
“AITA for calling out my sister for taking and selling my sick husband’s possession’s in front of the entire family?”
OP began with the sad context.
“My [25-year-old female] husband [30-year-old male] was diagnosed with leukemia.”
“He didn’t start recieving treatment right after his diagnosis because of how weak his body was, his health hasn’t improved It’s not looking good so far, he keeps getting worse and I’m constantly worrying about him.”
Of course, some adjustments have been made.
“He’s been in and out of the hospital lately so My stepmom offered to help and sent my sister (19-year-old female) to our apartment to cook and clean.”
“I’m away from home most of the time and my sister would show up for hours every day to take care of the apartment.”
But then OP made a discovery.
“Recently I noticed stuff going missing, stuff that belonged to my husband specifically like his wrist watch and some of his electronic devices (apart from his phone).”
“I asked my sister about and she claimed she didn’t see them.”
“I kept noticing more of my husband’s possessions disappear with time and it drove me nuts as I kept questioning my memory since I lacked sleep.”
“I decided to lock the bedroom as a solution but I lost the key later.”
Then OP connected a couple dots.
“another thing I noticed is my sister keep asking about my husband non stop not about his health but about what he has/doesn’t have which was weird of her.”
“In the past couple of weeks my husband was re admitted to the hospital I was with him the entire time.”
So she dug a little deeper.
“I went home at 4pm to get my clothes changed and for some reason I had strong feeling to check our indoor camera.”
“I saw my sister walking in and out of our bedroom and had my husband’s possessions in her hand.”
“She took his wrist watches, his gaming device and other possessions with monetary value. I was confused but then figured she was taking his stuff and going home with it.”
After discovering the disheartening truth, OP knew what she had to do.
“I went to my dad’s house and confronted her there by showing everyone the video but she still denied after I asked if she was selling her sick brother in law’s possessions.”
“She kept denying til she finally confessed saying she needed money to pay off debts and rent and thought since my husband was so sick then those possessions weren’t necessary.”
Judgment was swift and intense.
“Everyone was shocked including dad, I yelled that she was taking advantage of my sick husband to sell his stuff and make money complety dismissing the fact that if I happen to lose him then those possessions become priceless to me.”
“She started crying after I asked her infront of everyone if she was relying on him not returning home to notice the stuff that was missing and called her gross and disgraceful for doing this to him while he’s down and struggling.”
“Everyone berated her and went off on her, My stepmom heard about it later and called and was angry saying I should’ve taken my sister aside not confront her and accuse her of being a thief infront of the whole family.”
“I argued asking if she was okay with her taking and selling my husband’s possessions and she said no but I went about this completely wrong.”
Nonetheless, OP couldn’t let it all go.
“Now everyone shunned my sister after I publicly exposed her knowing she had a reason to do what she did which is rent and she’s a kid and made a mistake besides she helped so that should mean something to me.”
“did i go far?”
Anonymous strangers weighed in by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
- NAH – No A**holes Here
Just about every Redditor who responded assured OP she hadn’t been an a**hole. In just a few words, they put things into perspective.
“NTA. Call the cops and press charges for her theft.” — WholeAd2742
“NTA – You called your sister out for LITERAL THEFT. She needs to bring those items back immediately (or replacement value for any/all items), or you file a police report for robbery and let the courts sort it out.”
“How dare she betray you and your family like that.” — Sneaky__Fox85
“NTA. It’s a special type of evil to steal from a cancer patient. If you had done this privately she may not have learned her lesson.”
“She should be thankful you didn’t bring in the police. Where I am 19 is legally an adult.” — Changecat2
Others launched into full-on, vicarious rants.
“NTA. HELL NO you did not go too far. This is some sick behavior, selling a sick family members possessions, denying it, and then saying she needs the money? She couldn’t have asked a family member for some help?”
“If she’s such a kid as the family claims, why didn’t she ask for help from the adults in her life? She did you wrong, OP.”
“I hope your husband gets better, my grandmother died of cancer and it broke my dad for a long time. Hope things get better for you and I am sorry your trashy sister did that. Virtual hugs.” — GitPullDie
“NTA. She’s not a f***in’ kid, she’s 19 f***in’ years old!! She knows what’s up. She’s a liar and a theif and should be treated like an adult and have charges pressed against her.”
“It doesn’t matter if she ‘is family’ because if ‘family’ meant anything then she wouldn’t have stolen from you and your husband.”
“That ‘but family’ argument is BS because why is family only important when they do you wrong and want their actions to be forgiven and forgotten but they didn’t consider ‘family’ when they f***ed you over.” — Careful-Listen2277
With the help of all this feedback, OP can hold her head high despite all the anger she might feel these days.