The heartbreaking struggle of infertility is something no one can truly understand unless they've experienced it. As the months turn into years, merely getting a children's birthday party invite in the mail can be emotionally triggering. But for one woman struggling with infertility, she likely never expected to be asked to throw a baby shower for her sister — especially when the baby's father is none other than the woman's ex-boyfriend.
In case you're lost, let's back up for a moment, shall we?
In a Reddit post, an anonymous 20-year-old woman explained that she never intended to date her sister's ex, but it just sort of "happened."
Her sister "Lucy" is 28 and had been dating her now 29-year-old boyfriend "Josh" for about three years before they broke up. The reason, the poster shared, was largely because Lucy learned she couldn't have children and was devastated by the news. So much so, that she fell into a deep depression, which caused an unsalvageable rift between her and Josh — who by then had proposed to her.
When the pair broke up, it was mutual, according to the poster. But because they're from a small village with few residents, relationship dynamics changed over time.
The Reddit poster began seeing Josh a lot more around the farm, and before they knew it, they were dating.
"It just kind of happened naturally, we grew closer together and went on some dates," she explained. "[T]hen I fell unexpectedly pregnant, but I kept it secret from Lucy because she is still very down and depressed."
She kept the pregnancy news to herself for two months, until she ultimately realized she couldn't anymore. After all, she figured, "soon I'll start to show and I'm planning on moving in with Josh before the baby arrives."
As one might imagine, coming clean to Lucy did not go well.
"She's living back at home now and has been since the break up, and she looks awful, she mostly slouches around in her PJs," the poster wrote.
When it came time to tell her, she sat her sister down and told her she had some news.
"I told her I was with josh and that I'm expecting," she recalled. "I told her it would mean the world to be if she would be godmother to the baby and asked if she would like to plan the shower for me, as I know she absolutely thrives on parties."
In response, Lucy asked her to leave.
To that, the poster apparently reminded her that it was their parents' house. (Which … yikes.)
"I know on paper this sounds bad," the woman admitted to Reddit, "but i should be allowed to live my life and so should Josh."
"The baby was unplanned and something we couldn't have foreseen," she continued. "I know that is probably a bit of salt in the wound, but I couldn't have helped a complete surprise."
The poster says she loves her sister and hoped she could smooth things over ... until she got a DOOZY of a text the next day.
The text read:
"Thanks for letting me know your dating Josh, oh and that your pregnant with his child. Congratulations you achieved what I could not, I am in such a bad place and you will never understand, Josh and I agreed I needed time and medication and then we would try again, but I guess he never told you that did he. As for your baby shower, all I can say is well done, you always were good at telling jokes. I hope you rot in h–l you evil b—h."
Turns out, she was right. The poster confronted Josh, who admitted that was their original agreement.
Still, he insisted that once he started dating the poster, he fell in love with her.
It's now been six months since Josh and Lucy split, and although the poster seemed to say she empathizes with her sister's situation, the fact is she's got a baby on the way and "desperately" needs Lucy's support.
A lot of Redditors thought this story was so nuts, they couldn't believe it was real.
"I hope this is fake," wrote one person. "If it is not you are one of the biggest AH I have seen on this site."
And if it is real? Well, then the poster is DEFINITELY in the wrong.
"YTA ALL THE WAY," wrote one commenter. "This is so bad I hope it's not real. How could anyone be so terrible?"
Most of all, people were just floored to think a person could really betray her sister this badly.
"You're a terrible person and betrayed your sister in the most terrible way ever," one person snapped. "Obviously you must have liked each other or deep down have issues with your sister to ever have considered dating her a–hole fiancé who left her because she couldn't have kids."
Others chastised her for dismissing her sister's relationship with Josh by saying they "briefly dated" and acting as though he should be able to move on so quickly.
"You started dating your sister's ex within 4 months of them breaking up, and without talking to her about it," one commenter wrote. "They'd been together three years, were engaged and were trying for a baby. That's a serious relationship (not just 'briefly dating'). Having her sister dive in to pick up the pieces within a few months of it falling apart is obviously going to hurt. In any case, you knew she wouldn't have been okay with this, otherwise you would have told her about it."
"You have to be one of the worst people I have ever heard of," someone else wrote. "You are petty and gross."
Others had particular trouble with how the poster could ask her sister to be a godmother and throw the baby shower after dropping such a bomb.
"You ask your depressed sister to throw you a baby shower?" someone asked. "When her infertility that led to her breaking up with the father of your child has played a major factor in her depression? I don't understand how you don't see how selfish you're being here. Your sister is still really struggling with an event that altered her whole life, and you're throwing it in her face before she has even had time to try moving on from it."
Yeah, that about sums it up.
Interestingly, the poster never responded to any commenters on the thread or issue a follow-up to explain herself. (Then again, that might be because she's just now realizing how wrong she truly was.)
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
