When a spouse cheats, it's as heartbreaking as it is mortifying. One woman on Reddit graced her husband with a second chance after a one-night stand not only broke their wedding vows but also resulted in a son. She's accepted the boy as a stepson and just hoped to put the whole horrible mess behind them. But her in-laws' recent family portrait is a stinging reminder of her husband's infidelity. Is she wrong for asking them to keep it out of sight?
Two years into their marriage, her husband had a one-night stand.
In a post on Reddit, the wife explained that the fling was a "drunken one-time thing" with his work colleague, and he said they both regretted it.
"We were having a rough patch in our relationship at that time, because of the stress of being unable to conceive, so I tried to understand him and gave our relationship another chance," she explained.
She was "gutted" when she learned her husband was about to be a father -- because it wouldn't be with her.
But she chose to accept it, rather than punish her husband even moreso. Years later, she now has a stepson who is beloved by her in-laws.
"I don’t begrudge them for that and I myself care about [him] like a stepson because none of any of this is his fault," she explained.
But for Mother's Day this year, she received a crushing reminder of her husband's mistake.
Her father-in-law had an artist draw "a Disney-style family portrait" of the family to mark the occasion. And her MIL, who wanted to place the finished drawing in the living room of their house, sent her a photo of it.
All of the family members were in the portrait -- including her husband's one-night stand.
The original poster (OP) wrote that her "heart sank" when she saw the woman in the momento.
"I have nothing against [my stepston] being in the picture, and I know that my in-laws are close to [his mom] too, but to have her in the portrait with [my husband] between me and her … that just broke my heart."
She tried to reason with her MIL -- was there any way they could keep the painting out of sight?
Basically anywhere where the OP wouldn't have to face it every time she paid them a visit "because it reminds me that I will always share my husband with the woman he cheated on me with because she gave birth to the child that I don’t have with him."
Her MIL apologized, explaining that they only wanted her stepson to know that his mother was considered family.
Frankly, as long as they moved the portrait, the OP was fine with the apology.
"And that’s the end of the issue for me," she wrote.
Or so she thought. Then her sister-in-law called and was furious.
She told the OP that her mother was crying, and her father is upset that his portrait "caused so much drama." She added that the OP had no right to tell her parents what they can or can't put in their living room "and that in reality [my stepson's mother] is part of their family because she is [his] mom."
But the OP argues that this isn't about accepting her stepson's mom. "Is it too much to ask them not to rub it in my face with a portrait showing my husband between me and [his mistress]?" the Redditor asked.
The comment section to the OP: Ex-squeeze me?
More than a couple of people thought it was strange that her in-laws included her husband's mistress in the portrait.
"The whole family just accepts his mistress as family, disregards the cheating," one commenter wrote. "And OP struggles with fertility. Yikes."
Someone else agreed. "I get the impression that the in-laws are sending a message: 'He should dump his barren wife and be with the woman who gave him a son/gave them a precious grandchild and probably could give them more."
"You should consider leaving your husband," someone else wrote in. "You’re never going to be free from the reminder of his infidelities. Either accept it, all of it, or get a divorce. You can’t expect the rest of the family to walk on eggshells because your husband betrayed everything marriage is supposed to stand for."
Although the response was mostly unanimous, the OP wasn't ready to hear it.
In an update to her post, she expressed regret about posting her story in the first place.
"There are comments that made me realize many things, but most just jump into conclusions and talk like they know things better than I do and everyone including me who don't agree with them is wrong," she wrote. "I already have enough toxicity in my life, I don't need more, thanks."
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