My Sister Moved In To _Help_ After My Surgery But Slept With My Husband... - Reddit Family Tales

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
My sister moved into help after my surgery, but slept
with my husband instead. After hiring an investigator, I exposed
their affair to my family. My twenty eight year old
female world has been turned upside down over the last
few months, and I'm still trying to understand all that
has transpired. My husband, Brian thirty one, is a male,

(00:20):
and my younger sister, Sabrina twenty five, is female. Brian
and I have been married for four years. We met
in college, and I always believed we had a good relationship.
We purchased our first home two years ago in a
quiet community outside of the city. Brian works in it
and I am a nurse at the local hospital. Sabrina
has always been our family's golden child. She is the

(00:40):
youngest of three children, and our parents, Helen fifty five
female and Noah fifty eight male, have always treated her differently.
Sabrina got away with everything while we were growing up.
If something went missing, she was never to blame. Someone
else must have caused the mess. Our eldest brother, Isaac
thirty two, moved to another state after graduation and now
barely comes which I better understand. The problem began three

(01:03):
months ago when I had to have emergency gall bladder surgery.
The rehabilitation was expected to last a few weeks, but
complications kept me bed ridden for about six weeks. I
couldn't lift large objects, couldn't drive, and required assistance with
basic domestic duties. Brian originally took time off from work,
but after a week, his employer began urging him to return.

(01:24):
That's when our parents suggested Sabrina come stay with us
and help out. She had recently finished her marketing degree
and was between jobs, so the timing looked ideal. I
was concerned at first because Sabrina and I had never
been close, but Brian felt it was a fantastic idea.
He explained that it would relieve him of stress and
provide me with someone to chat to during the day.
Sabrina arrived carrying two enormous luggage and quickly took over

(01:47):
our guest room. She transformed it with her own images
and plants, making herself entirely at home. At first, I
felt grateful. She prepared meals, did laundry, and kept me
company while Brian was at work. She would sit on
my bed and tell me about her college pals and
her dreams for a career in marketing. After the second week, however,
things began to seem strange. Sabrina started wearing my clothes

(02:10):
without asking. She'd shower with my costly shampoo and skin
care goods. When I addressed it, she smiled and said,
what's the big deal, We're sisters. She also began rearranging
items in the kitchen and living area, stating she was
simply attempting to make things more orderly for me. Brian
appeared to like her company more than I expected. He
would come home from work and immediately start talking to

(02:33):
Sabrina about his day. They would cook dinner together while
I rested upstairs, and I could hear them laughing and conversing.
When I joined them for meals, the discussion seemed awkward,
like if I was interrupting something. One evening, around three
weeks into Sabrina's visit, I went downstairs to get some
water and discovered them watching a movie together on the couch.
They were sitting closer than was necessary, with Brian's arms

(02:55):
spread across the back of the couch behind Sabrina. When
Brian noticed me, he hastily moved his arm and Sabrina
scooted to the opposite end of the couch. They both
pretended nothing had happened, but the discomfort in the atmosphere
was undeniable. I began to pay greater attention after that.
Sabrina would always volunteer to deliver Brian's coffee in the
morning before he left for work. She would text him

(03:16):
throughout the day, ostensibly to keep him up to date
on my condition, but their conversation seemed to go on
for much too long. She began washing his laundry alongside mine,
and I saw she was handling his things with apparent care,
folding everything properly. The breaking point occurred during my fifth
week of rehabilitation. I was now feeling better and began
to move around the home more. One afternoon, I decided

(03:38):
to snooze and walked upstairs at two pm. I couldn't sleep,
so I came down an hour later for tea. As
I entered the kitchen, I could hear conversations coming from
the laundry room. I paused in the hall and listened.
Sabrina said quietly, commenting on how difficult it must be
for Brian to deal with everything. Then I heard Brian's
voice speak quietly emphasizing how much he loved everything was

(04:00):
doing and how she made things simpler. There was a
long silence, followed by what sounded like movement, as if
someone was approaching someone else. I entered the kitchen and
shouted out to see if anyone wanted tea. They both
emerged from the washing room quickly, but Sabrina's face was
flushed and Brian appeared guilty about something. Sabrina claimed she
was merely assisting Brian in troubleshooting a washing machine, but

(04:22):
when I examined, it was functioning normally. That evening, Brian
was especially attentive to me, bringing me food in bed
and repeatedly asking if I needed anything. It felt forced
like he was trying to make up for something. Sabrina
stayed in her room for most of the night, which
was uncommon given that she usually spent her evenings in
the living room watching TV. I started feeling like a

(04:42):
stranger in my own home. Brian and Sabrina had created
inside jokes and shared illusions that I wasn't aware of.
They would start talking and then abruptly stop as I
entered the room. Sabrina started cleaning the house incessantly, reorganizing
everything to her liking and acting as if she was
doing me a tremendous service. The final straw occurred on
a Thursday evening, during my sixth week of rehabilitation. I

(05:05):
was feeling considerably better, and I proposed that Sabrina returned
to our parents place soon as I was almost back
to normal. Brian and Sabrina quickly objected, claiming that I
still needed assistance and that it was too soon for
her to depart. Later that night, I awoke about midnight
and discovered Brian was not in bed. I got up
to look for him, assuming he couldn't sleep and was
watching television. I searched the living room and kitchen, but

(05:27):
couldn't find him. Then I observed that the guest room
door was locked, which was unusual because Sabrina generally slept
with it slightly open due to her concern about being
in strange locations. I remained in the corridor for a
few minutes listening. I could hear low voices behind the door,
followed by what I recognized as Brian's laugh. My stomach sank.
I returned to our bedroom and claimed to be asleep.

(05:49):
When Brian arrived about an hour later, he crept gingerly
into bed, hoping not to wake me. The next morning,
I told Sabrina that I felt much better and that
she should probably go home for the weekend. She appeared
worried and stated that she believed I still required additional assistance.
Brian agreed with her, stating that we should not rush
my recovery, but I persisted, and they both grudgingly agreed

(06:11):
that she would leave on Sunday. That's when I decided
to check Brian's phone. I'd never done anything like that before,
but something told me I wanted to understand what was
going on. On Saturday morning, as Brian was showering, I
checked his messages. What I discovered made me sick to
my stomach. Brian and Sabrina exchanged dozens of text messages
within a few days of her arrival. They started out

(06:33):
innocently enough, but rapidly became increasingly personal. Sabrina had been
sending Brian photos of herself all day, not inappropriate ones,
but selfies and shots of her cooking or cleaning. Brian
had been complimenting her on how beautiful she looked and
how much he valued everything she did. The messages increased
from there. Sabrina wrote about how she had always thought
Brian was too good for me, and she could see

(06:55):
he wasn't happy in our marriage. Brian answered by claiming
Sabrina understood him in ways I never did. They discussed
how natural it felt to spend time together and how
they wished things were different. The most recent messages came
from the night prior after I went to bed. They
exchanged texts about how much they would miss each other
when Sabrina left. Brian had wrote that the previous several

(07:15):
weeks had been the happiest he had felt in years.
Sabrina responded that she had been preparing to tell him
how she felt for a long time, and that my
operation provided the perfect occasion. I took screenshots of everything
and emailed them to my phone. Then I sat on
our bed trying to decide what to do next. My
sister had planned to seduce my husband and took advantage
of my medical issue. Brian had betrayed me with my

(07:38):
own sister while I was recovering from surgery at our home.
I chose not to address them immediately. Instead, I pretended
that everything was fine. For the rest of Saturday, I
helped Sabrina pack her belongings and thanked her for all
she had done. She hugged me farewell on Sunday morning
and promised to see me again soon. Brian drove her
to our parents place, and when he returned, he appeared

(07:58):
calm and distracted. It's been a week since Sabrina departed,
and I'm trying to determine what to do with the
knowledge I have. Brian has been seeming guilty and distant,
and he is always messaging someone, but he is being
more careful to hide his phone. I'm sure they are
still in touch. I haven't informed anyone what I discovered,
since I am unsure who I can trust. Our parents
adore Sabrina and have always supported her in every argument.

(08:21):
My brother lives too far away to be of any assistance.
I feel absolutely alone in this position. I'm not sure
if I should face Brian directly, speak with Sabrina first,
or tell our parents what occurred. Part of me wants
to pretend I never read those messages and attempt to
preserve my marriage, but I don't think I can live
with the truth. I kept thinking about how they continued
their emotional affair although I was bedridden and reliant on

(08:44):
their assistance. Has anyone else faced a similar situation? I'm
not sure what my next move should be. Update one.
I never expected such a large response to my original post.
Thank you to everyone who provided advice and support. A
lot has transpired since my first post, and I wanted
to give you all an update. After I first blogged,
I spent approximately a week gathering additional proof. I realized

(09:07):
that simply having screenshots of text exchanges wouldn't be enough,
especially because Sabrina has always been adept at manipulating events
to make herself appear innocent. I needed to be totally
certain of what was going on before making any judgments.
I began by generating a Google voice number and a
false social media profile. I utilized this to contact some
of Sabrina's college pals and seemed to be organizing a

(09:29):
surprise for her. These chats taught me a lot about
my sister's history. Apparently this wasn't her first time pursuing
another person's partner or husband. One girl told me how
Sabrina systematically ruined her relationship with her long term boyfriend
during their junior year by continually contacting him and showing
up at his apartment with food and academic help. I

(09:49):
also decided to conduct a more thorough inspection of our
home security system. We have cameras at both the front
and back entrances that record footage for thirty days. I
reviewed the recordings from Sabrina's time with us. What I
discovered was disturbing. On several times I noticed Brian and
Sabrina standing close together on our back patio, talking in
an intimate manner. In one late night video, I could

(10:11):
plainly see them hugging for far longer than is suitable
for a brother in law and sister in law. Meanwhile,
Brian's actions became increasingly clear. He was continually checking his
phone and smiling at the texts. He began working late
more frequently, stating that his supervisor was assigning him extra projects.
He also started criticizing me in ways he hadn't previously,

(10:32):
commenting on my cooking, attractiveness and energy level. It seemed
like he was attempting to justify something to himself. Two
weeks after my original article, I decided to drive past
our parents' house to see if Brian's car was still there.
I had told him I was going to see a
business acquaintance, but I ended myself parking down the street
from my boyhood home. Sure enough, Brian's car was in

(10:53):
the driveway. I waited for two hours, and when he
eventually emerged, Sabrina led him to his car. They stood
there conversing for a few minutes before she hugged him Farewell.
It was not a casual family hug. She placed her
arms around his neck and hugged for at least thirty seconds.
I confronted Brian that evening when he returned home. I
informed him I knew he had been at our parents

(11:15):
place and questioned why he had lied about working late.
He quickly grew defensive, accusing me of being paranoid and controlling.
He explained that Sabrina had phoned him because she was
having problems with her automobile, and he had come over
to assist her with some technical concerns. When I mentioned
that our father is fully capable of assisting with automotive problems,
Brian stated that Noah was preoccupied with work and Sabrina

(11:36):
had explicitly requested his help. I knew he was lying,
but I didn't admit I had read the text messages
yet instead, I informed him that his conduct had altered
during Sabrina's time with us, and I was concerned about
our relationship. Brian became enraged and claimed that I was
being unreasonable and that my recovery from surgery had made
me wary of everybody. He said Sabrina had been nothing

(11:57):
but helpful, and I was ungrateful and anxious. The debate
became heated, and Brian ended up staying in the guest
room that night. He apologized the next morning, saying he
was worried about work and didn't want to lose his temper.
But his explanation about helping Sabrina with her car didn't
make sense, especially since I knew from the camera tape
that they had been spending time together on a daily basis.

(12:17):
I've decided to hire a private investigator. I understand that
sounds excessive, but I needed to know the entire extent
of what was going on. I hired a PI that
specializes in marriage investigations and comes highly recommended. I provided
him all of the information I had and requested him
to record Brian and Sabrina's actions for two weeks. The
results were disastrous. The PI furnished me with images and
comprehensive reports from Brian and Sabrina's meetings at several sites

(12:40):
throughout town. They ate lunch together at restaurants, met at
a park near our parents' house, and spend hours at
a downtown coffee shop. The photographs show them holding hands, kissing,
and acting like a couple. The most devastating evidence came
from a motel parking lot. The PI had followed them
there on a Tuesday afternoon, when I assumed Brian was
at work. He had images of them entering the hotel

(13:01):
together and exiting three hours later. In the images from
their departure, they appeared relaxed and cheerful, walking close together,
with Brian's arm around Sabrina's waist. I also noticed that
Brian was lying about his job schedule. The PI contacted
his office and confirmed that Brian had been taking half
days and long lunch breaks on a regular basis over
the previous month. His boss had expressed worry about his

(13:23):
performance and spoken with him about his attendance concerns. When
I received the pi's report, I spent an hour crying
in my car in the hospital parking lot during my
lunch break. For more than a month, my four year
old husband and my sister had been having an open affair.
They had used my medical emergency and recovery to cover
up their connection, and they had been lying to me
every day. I resolved to inform our parents before facing

(13:45):
Brian and Sabrina. I drove to their house on a
Saturday morning, knowing Sabrina would be there. I brought printed
copies of the pi's photographs and thorough report. When I
stepped into our parents' living room, Sabrina was sitting on
the couch in her pajamas watching television. Our mother was
in the kitchen preparing breakfast, while our father read the newspaper.
It appeared to be a normal family situation, which made

(14:07):
what I was about to do feel much worse. I
asked everyone to sit down because I had something important
to say. I began by recounting how I found Brian
and Sabrina were having an affair. Sabrina instantly began crying
and denied everything, claiming I was insane and paranoid. Our
parents appeared bewildered and concerned. Then I showed them the photographs.
The evidence was undeniable. Pictures showed Brian and Sabrina holding hands, kissing,

(14:32):
and entering the hotel together. Sabrina's denials got increasingly frenzied,
but the images spoke for themselves. Our father grew enraged,
not at Sabrina but at me for having them followed.
He accused me of violating their privacy and claimed that
hiring a private investigator was an extreme and unacceptable solution
to marital issues. Our mother began crying, claiming that there

(14:53):
must have been a misunderstanding. The most unexpected reaction came
from Sabrina herself. After approximately ten ten minutes of denying everything,
she stopped crying and looked straight at me. She claimed
Brian told her that our marriage had been finished for
years and that he was going to divorce me anyhow.
She stated that Brian had described me as frigid and
unapproachable and that he had never been truly satisfied with me.

(15:15):
She went on to claim that she and Brian had
a genuine connection and understood one other in ways that
he and I couldn't. She stated that Brian had confided
in her about how lonely he felt in our marriage
and had considered leaving me long before my surgery. Our
parents sat in startled silence. As Sabrina continued to speak.
She stated that she would not apologize for finding happiness
with someone who genuinely liked her. She stated that Brian

(15:38):
was the one who started their relationship, and she attempted
to resist at first, but their love for each other
were too powerful. In that moment, I realized I'd never
seen this side of my sister before. The sweet, innocent,
younger sister I thought I knew was vanished, replaced by
someone who could betray her own family without remorse. Our
folks weren't sure what to say. Our mother started crying,

(15:58):
claiming she couldn't believe what was occurring. Our father appeared
more concerned about the family's reputation than with the real betrayal.
Neither of them protected me nor criticized Sabrina's actions. I
left their place and headed home to wait for Brian.
I had resolved to face him with everything I knew
and inform him that I wanted a divorce. I was
tired of trying to rescue a marriage that he had

(16:19):
already shattered. Update two. The confrontation with Brian did not
go as intended, and what occurred next made me doubt
all I thought I knew about my family. Brian went
into the house that Saturday evening, after I had shown
my parents the evidence, as if nothing had occurred. I
was seated at our kitchen table with all of the
pie images spread out in front of me. When he

(16:40):
saw them, his face turned absolutely white. I told him
I knew everything and asked him to go. Brian stood
there for a long time, staring at the photographs. Then
he sat down across from me and began speaking. What
he told me altered everything. According to Brian, the affair
did not begin as I expected. He said that Sabrina
had been contacting and texting him for months prior to

(17:01):
my operation. Frequently, when she knew I wouldn't be present,
she would interrogate him about our connection and make comments
about how I didn't seem to value him enough. He
said he initially thought she was just a concerned sister,
but her texts became more intimate and sexual over time.
Brian stated that he should have warned me about Sabrina's actions,
but he didn't want to cause difficulties for me or
my family. He understood how difficult my relationship with my

(17:24):
parents might be, and he didn't want to further matters
by whining about their favorite daughter. When my operation was set,
Brian stated that Sabrina quickly offered to come stay with us.
She told our parents that she was concerned about my
rehabilitation and wanted to assist, but she had been privately
texting Brian about how this would be an excellent opportunity
for them to spend more time together. Brian claimed that

(17:44):
he tried to make things proper while Sabrina was staying
with us, but she was always looking for chances to
be alone with him. She'd wait until I was napping
or resting to start talking about how miserable she felt
I was, and how she believed Brian deserved someone who
valued him more. According to Brian, Sabrina initiated their first kiss.
He claimed it happened in the laundry room the day
I overheard them conversing. Sabrina had approached him and informed

(18:08):
him she had been in love with him when they
first met. Brian admitted that he didn't stop her from
kissing him, which is when their physical relationship began. Brian
stated he never told Sabrina that our marriage had ended
or that he intended to leave me. He claimed those
were lies she told to excuse her actions to my parents.
He stated that her attention had puzzled and impressed him,
particularly during a tough period when I was healing and

(18:29):
our house was chaotic. I asked Brian why he continued
the affair after Sabrina left our home, if he truly
wanted to save our marriage. He claimed. Sabrina had threatened
to tell me that he had seduced her if he
attempted to terminate things. She also threatened to inform our
parents that Brian had taken advantage of her while she
was staying at our house to assist with my rehabilitation.
Brian gave me text texts from Sabrina that corroborated his

(18:52):
account of events. Sabrina was definitely the one seeking the
relationship and making plans to meet. There were further messages
in which she expressed just how she had always wanted
Brian for herself, and how she deserved to be happy,
even if it meant hurting me. However, the most disturbing
messages were those in which Sabrina outlined her long term ambitions.
She had written to Brian about how she believed they

(19:13):
should wait until after the holidays to tell everyone about
their relationship, allowing people to adjust to the concept. She
had also sent him texts on how she believed they
should divide our assets and whether Brian thought I would
agree to let them take the house. Brian told me
that he had begun to suspect Sabrina had been arranging
the situation for far longer than he had previously believed.
He stated that some of her comments during her visit

(19:34):
to our house made more sense now, such as when
she mentioned that our guest room would make an excellent
office space or advised improvements to our kitchen arrangement. I
wasn't sure whether to believe Brian's version of events. On
the one hand, the text messages he showed me corroborated
his story. On the other hand, he had continued to
participate in the affair and lied to me for weeks.
I told him I needed some time to consider and

(19:56):
requested him to wait someplace else while I determined what
to do. Brian left to stay with his brother, and
I spent the next week mentally reviewing our entire relationship.
I recognized there were symptoms of Sabrina's inappropriate interest in
Brian that I had overlooked or rejected. She insisted on
sitting close to him during family dinners. She would make
excuses to touch him while talking, placing her hand on

(20:17):
his arm or shoulder. She always inquired about his profession
and interests in greater detail than one might expect from
a sister in law. I also remembered Sabrina making subtle
comments about our relationship that I assumed were merely sisterly worry.
She'd inquire if Brian and I were pleased, or comment
that Brian was worried. She had also made various comments
over the years about how she believed Brian was too

(20:39):
good for me, which I had taken his compliments, but
suddenly appeared menacing. While Brian was staying with his brother,
I decided to conduct my own investigation. I contacted Sabrina's
college roommate, whose name I discovered in some old social
media posts. What this woman said disturbed me. Sabrina's roommate
claimed she had a tendency to become enamored with other
people's guise. She would investigate their relationships, learn about their interests,

(21:02):
and then find ways to involve herself in their life.
The roommate told me about at least three cases in
which Sabrina successfully ended relationships by convincing the man that
his partner did not appreciate him enough. The roommate also
informed me that Sabrina had explicitly addressed me and Brian
in college. She had shown her roommate images of Brian
and discussed how she thought he was ideal for her

(21:23):
rather than for me. The roommate stated that she had
always found Sabrina's statements regarding my relationship disturbing, but she
didn't know how to respond at the time. I also
discovered that Sabrina had been questioning our parents about my
marriage for years. She would express concern about Brian's happiness
or say she thought I took him for granted. Our
parents had rejected Sabrina's comments as a concerned sister, but

(21:45):
now I could see that she had been sowing seeds
of doubt about my relationship for a long time. Armed
with this new information, I resolved to address Sabrina directly.
I drove to our parents house on a Thursday evening,
knowing she would be there. Sabrina was in her former bedroom,
where she had been living since we moved out. I
told Sabrina that I was aware of her history of
targeting other people's relationships and had spoken with her college roommate.

(22:08):
Sabrina initially tried to deny everything, but when I showed
her the text conversations Brian had shared with me, her
tone changed dramatically. Sabrina gave up pretending to be the
innocent victim and became aggressive and defensive. She told me
she had never understood what Brian saw in me, but
she had always knew she was better for him. She
explained that Brian had been unhappy in our marriage for years,

(22:28):
and she had just recently given him the guts to
admit it. Most shockingly, Sabrina said that she had been
preparing to pursue Brian for a long time. She claimed
my operation had been an excellent chance, but she would
have found another way soon. She said that Brian had
suppressed affections for her and that she had simply helped
him recognize what he actually wanted. Our parents walked in
during this talk and overheard Sabrina's confessions. Our father quickly

(22:51):
began making excuses for her actions, claiming that she was
young and made a mistake. Our mother began crying again,
pleading with both of us to find a way to
work things out as a family, but I was tired
of preserving unhealthy family relationships. I informed my parents that
Sabrina had purposefully targeted my marriage and that Brian and
I were divorcing as a result of her actions. I

(23:11):
stated that I would not be attending any family parties
or gatherings where Sabrina was present. Our father became unhappy
with me for issuing ultimatums, accusing me of being dramatic.
Our mother accused me of attempting to break the family
over a mistake that could be forgiven. Neither of them
appeared to see that this wasn't a mistake or a
lapse in judgment, but a deliberate attempt to destroy my marriage.

(23:32):
I left my parents' house that night, knowing that my
connection with them was definitely ended. Sabrina had taken not
only my husband, but also my parents and my sense
of belonging within my own family. Update three. I'm posting
this final update because several individuals have asked about my
divorce and family status. The last two months have been rough,
but I wanted to relate how things ended Brian and

(23:53):
I went through with our divorce despite his assertions that
Sabrina had manipulated him. I couldn't get over the fact
that he had deceived me at one of my most
vulnerable moments. Our divorce was finalized last week, and Brian
has already moved in with Sabrina at our parents' home.
While I was at work, Our father helped him move
his possessions out of our house, which I thought was
cowardly but not unusual. We had been married for less

(24:15):
than five years and did not have children, so the
property division was uncomplicated. I kept the house since I
could afford the mortgage payments on my own, while Brian
stole the majority of our savings. He also accepted responsibility
for his school, loan and credit card problems. What struck
me was how rapidly Brian and Sabrina's relationship deteriorated once
they no longer needed to sneak around. Brian and Sabrina

(24:38):
have been fighting continuously since he moved into our parents' house.
According to my brother Isaac, who still speaks with our
parents on occasion, Apparently the reality of their situation differs
significantly from the ideal they built throughout their romance. Sabrina
expected Brian to be thankful and romantic, but he appears
disgruntled of how the scenario happened. Brian appears to blame

(24:58):
Sabrina for driving him into relationship he wasn't ready for,
and for losing his marriage before he knew what he
really wanted. Sabrina, on the other hand, expected Brian to
be entirely committed to her, but he has been reclusive
and grumpy since moving in. Our parents are struggling with
having both Brian and Sabrina residing in their home. Our
father has been moaning to Isaac about the tension and drama,

(25:19):
and our mother is fatigued from attempting to maintain the piece.
What they assumed would be a temporary arrangement until Brian
and Sabrina found their own homes, lasted weeks with no
end in sight. I've had no contact with Sabrina or
our parents, and my interactions with Brian have been limited
to divorce paperwork. Brian has attempted to contact me several times,
stating he wants to apologize and explain his behavior, but

(25:41):
I have not responded to his messages. I've also blocked
Sabrina from all social media platforms and altered my phone number.
The most difficult thing has been losing contact with our parents.
My mother periodically calls my new number, but I do
not answer. She leaves voicemails begging me to come home
for supper or to call her back, but I am
not prepared to have that. Our father has made no

(26:01):
attempt to contact me, which both hurts and does not
surprise me. I've been working on restoring my life and job.
The hospital where I work has been really supportive throughout
this scenario, and my boss even helped me switch to
a different shift so I wouldn't have to worry about
running into Brian while he was picking up Sabrina from somewhere.
I've also been working to enhance my relationship with Isaac.
He and his wife Camilla have been quite supportive, and

(26:23):
they have invited me to join them for the holidays.
Isaac acknowledged that he relocated across the nation to get
away from our family's dysfunction, and he's been instrumental in
validating my decision to cut off communication with our parents
and Sabrina. I learned from Isaac that Sabrina had lost
the marketing job she had finally acquired. Apparently, her employer
learned about her role in breaking up my marriage through

(26:44):
mutual contacts, and they determined she wasn't a suitable fit
for their workplace culture. Our parents are currently financially supporting
her while she hunts for a new job. I've also
learned that numerous members of our extended family have taken
sides in the situation. The majority of our aunts and
uncles have been supportive of me, particularly after understanding the
circumstances of what transpired. Our grandma on our mother's side,

(27:06):
has been particularly vocal about her dissatisfaction with Sabrina's behavior
and our parents' reaction to the matter. Brian is no
longer present in the house, therefore it feels more tranquil.
I redecorated numerous rooms and converted Brian's office into a
reading space for myself. I've also started asking friends around
more frequently, which I rarely did when Brian and I
were married. I'm not sure I'll ever be ready to

(27:28):
reconcile with either our parents or Sabrina. The betrayal feels
too deep, and their reaction to the circumstance demonstrated how
little they valued me in comparison to Sabrina. Our father's
instant support of Sabrina, as well as our mother's attempts
to minimize what happened, demonstrated that they will always place
Sabrina's comfort over my well being. Some have urged that
I contemplate forgiveness for my own peace of mind, but

(27:51):
I'm not ready just yet. Right now, I'm focusing on
creating a life that does not revolve around attempting to
gain acceptance from individuals who have never truly valued me.
I have been dating someone new for the past month.
Lucas is an instructor whom I met through a mutual
body at work. He is aware of my divorce and
family situation, and he has been patient and compassionate regarding

(28:11):
my trust difficulties. It's good to be with someone that
values me without any games or manipulation. Looking back, I
can see that my marriage to Brian would not have
survived even without Sabrina's intervention. We had drifted apart over
the years, and neither of us had made an effort
to continue our relationship. But I'll always be bitter about
how it ended and the role my own sister played
in destroying everything we'd worked for together. I have no

(28:33):
regrets about hiring a private investigator or addressing everyone with
the evidence I acquired. Some may think it was extreme,
but I needed to know the truth and have proof
that couldn't be disputed or manipulated. Without that evidence, Sabrina
would have continued to play the victim, and our parents
would have made excuses for her actions. I'm sharing this
tale to let other individuals who may be in similar

(28:53):
situations realize that they're not crazy to suspect betrayal, especially
if it includes family members. Just your instincts and don't
allow others tell you that you're being paranoid when something
feels strange. I also want people to understand that cutting
off communication with toxic family members is sometimes the healthiest option,
even if it is painful and lonely. I'd rather be
alone than spend my life attempting to gain love and

(29:16):
respect from individuals who would never offer it to me.
That is where things stand right now. I'm going on
in my life, and I'm finally beginning to feel optimistic
about the future.