Inheritances can get tricky in blended families. Surveys show that 40% of parents in blended families have differing views on how to pass on their wealth. When different generations come into the picture, the situation gets even more complicated.
This woman thought it was unfair her stepdaughter would be getting an inheritance from her parents. Especially since she already was set to inherit a considerable amount from her biological grandparents. So, she voiced her concerns, which caused quite a rift between her and her husband. A rift that had some serious consequences in the end.
Bored Panda was able to get in touch with the author, u/Conscious_Tension491. She kindly agreed to give us the final major update, the culmination of all the family drama. Read the not-so-happy ending below!
Upon finding out her parents included her stepdaughter in their will, this woman asked them to reconsider
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Since the stepdaughter would have enough inheritance from her biological grandparents, she didn't think this would be wrong
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual image)
Image credits: freepik (not the atual image)
Image credits: Alexander Mils (not the actual image)
Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)
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The author later posted an update and some interesting details about the husband came to light
Image credits: Drazen Zigic (not the actual image)
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual image)
Image credits: Conscious_Tension491
In the very final update, the author detailed why she decided to leave her husband
Just after Bored Panda reached out to the author u/Conscious_Tension491 for comment, she posted another update. She began it with the words "I will be divorcing my husband." Turns out, the husband wasn't completely honest with her.
When she and the kids went to visit the author's brother, the husband arranged a post-Halloween party for the stepdaughter's mother to host without her knowledge. "He said he was just going to work around the house and relax. He assumed that I would be with them the whole time," the OP explained.
When the woman drove home to confront him, she found him, the stepdaughter, and her mother all sitting around the table like a family. When the two were finally alone, after some attempts at gaslighting, the husband said something that shook the OP to the core.
"I asked him if he even wanted to be married. He said 'Yes.' But that his priority is his daughter—who is now in college," the OP wrote. "I asked what that had to do with her mom and having parties in the home we share—especially now that she is a legal adult. He said that he will 'Always love her as the mother of his child.'"
This convinced the author to go for divorce. When she told her children, they weren't surprised. "They've been feeling some type of way towards him for a while and felt they couldn't tell me because they knew how important marriage was to me."
The woman also got some texts from the stepdaughter's mother. This also led her to believe that there still might be feelings between her husband and his ex. "[She said] that I was jealous that she had picked a good man who she conceived a baby with love with—a direct jab at the circumstances under which I had my kids (their dad is an addict and not in the picture). She said I'd never have what they have."
Image credits: Curated Lifestyle (not the actual image)
After all the drama, the grandparents will probably be enjoying the inheritance money themselves while they can
After finding out about the divorce, the woman's parents withdrew any plans to include the step-granddaughter in their will. Apparently, they've decided to enjoy their money now. "They want to move to my paternal grandparents' home country where we have some extended family," the OP wrote. "Moving will save them a lot of money as the COL is much lower and he can buy land since he is a dual citizen."
The author also still keeps in touch with her former FIL. "He's sorry for the circumstances but glad I stood up for myself," she says. "He told me he will help me in any way he can to make my transition easier. I said the best he can do for me is still be my friend."
For now, she and the kids are living in a rented three-bedroom apartment and even adopted a cat. "Something we all wanted but put off because ex hates them," she added. She's glad she never listened to her ex-husband and didn't become a housewife. "If I had, I wouldn't have been able to leave as quickly as I did."
When we asked u/Conscious_Tension491 how she's healing from this drama and what her plans for the future are, she still has no definite answer. "I'm seeing my therapist. The marriage counselor we were supposed to see together has also offered to help during this time."
"I'm also working on family therapy for my kids and I," she adds. "I don't really know what else to do from there for now. I want to try to keep things for my kids as easy as possible since it's their senior year."
Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)
The author received mixed reactions: some suggested she let the grandparents do what they want, while others pressed that this wasn't normal
