Say What Now?
My father married my step-sister’s mother when I was four and she was three. We’ve lived together most of our lives and are a family. She and I were extremely close. She developed cancer when she was 14 and was sick for about two years. She’s since made a full recovery. During that time, my parents became understandably over-protective.
They also asked a lot of me. I quit my extracurriculars so I could get a job (the money went towards her medical bills) and so I could drive her to appointments. I didn’t go to dances, and any fun activities I did needed to include her. I did almost all of this willingly, the exception being having to quit my high school volleyball team—I did throw a bit of a tantrum about that, but was swiftly punished.
Personally, I think having one emotional breakdown was pretty chill given the circumstances. Anyhow, I go to college and meet my ex, we’ll call him Ben, when I’m a junior. We fall in love, blah blah blah. He and I move in together when we graduate, so we’ve been living together for about three years. We were serious until July. That’s when I walked into my bedroom at witnessed a horrific sight.
He was mid-act with my sister. I broke it off, tears were shed, he moved out, etc. My sister apologized at first but then backed off. I thought she was giving me space, but last week she called and asked if we could meet up. She told me that she and Ben were in love and were just telling me as a courtesy before they started posting photos online.
Distraught, I left her in the restaurant by herself and did not pay my portion of the bill. She later venmo’ed me asking for the money. She told my parents, who then called me to their house, telling me how disappointed in me they are for not supporting my sister’s relationship with Ben. They brought up the fact that because she had cancer as a teenager, she never learned proper social etiquette, and has a hard time meeting people.
I don’t buy this, in part because I’ve seen her socialize just fine and since we spent a good chunk of the time she was sick together, that would also mean that I should have bad social skills as well, by that logic. They then told me that if I don’t accept my sister and Ben’s relationship, they may have to go no contact with me. I reminded them that I’m also their daughter and they should understand my point of view, but they are adamant that this is about me being jealous of her.
For the record: I’m not jealous of her. I’m not upset that Ben picked her over me. I’m sad about the end of the relationship and do feel betrayed, but Lord knows that I don’t want to be with a cheater. What I’m upset about is the fact that my sister chose Ben over me. That she slept with Ben knowing he and I were in a long-term, committed relationship, and continues to be with him knowing how much it hurts me.
Now no one in my immediate family is talking to me and I’m getting messages from aunts and uncles and cousins telling me that I’m a selfish witch.