'AITA for exposing my sister's affair to her husband and ruining our family?'

The internet is overwhelmingly siding with the woman who revealed her sister’s affair to her brother-in-law, despite backlash from her family.

The story was shared by the Original Poster (OP), on Reddit’s popular forum 'Am I The A**hole' (AITA) and quickly sparked heated debate. The post has garnered over 1.2K upvotes and 651 comments.

AITA for telling my sister’s husband she cheated, despite knowing it could ruin our family?

In the post titled "AITA for Telling My Sister’s Husband About Her Affair?," OP begins by explaining the background of her family. She is 29 years old, and her sister, Emma, is 32. The two have always been close, but OP’s relationship with Emma took a dramatic turn after a night out.

The OP stated, "I (29F) recently discovered something that has completely torn my family apart. My sister, “Emma” (32F), has been married to her husband, “Tom” (34M), for five years. They have two kids together, and from the outside, their marriage looked perfect. Tom is a great guy—kind, hardworking, and an amazing father."

She added, "A few weeks ago, Emma and I went out for drinks, and after a few too many cocktails, she let it slip that she’s been seeing someone else for months. She told me it was "just harmless fun" and swore it wasn’t serious. She begged me not to tell anyone, especially Tom, because she claimed it would "ruin everything."

"I was stunned. I couldn’t believe my sister would do this. I didn’t confront her that night because I was too shocked, but over the next few days, the guilt started eating at me. I know how much Tom loves her, and I felt like he deserved to know the truth," she explained.

OP details how her guilt consumed her over the next few days. 

She continued, "So, I made the tough decision to tell him. I reached out and asked to meet up, and when we did, I told him everything Emma had told me. He was devastated. He thanked me for being honest but said he needed some time to process it all."

The fallout from OP’s decision was immediate and severe and she said, "When Emma found out I told him, she absolutely lost it. She screamed at me, calling me a backstabber and saying I’ve ruined her life. My parents are furious with me too, claiming I’ve "destroyed" our family and that it wasn’t my place to interfere in Emma’s marriage."

While OP acknowledges the pain caused by her actions, she defends her decision, asserting that Tom deserved to know the truth. "They’re all saying I’m the a^*&ole for betraying her trust. But I couldn’t just sit back and watch Tom live a lie. I feel terrible for the pain this has caused, but I also feel like I did the right thing by being honest. AITA?" OP asked.

Internet supports woman who exposed sister’s affair to her husband

The Reddit community whole-heartedly supported the OP for revealing her sister's affair to her husband.

One user commented, “Throw the whole family away. OP NTA. If your sister didn't want anyone to find out, then she just shouldn't have done it in the first place. This is heartbreaking," while another user noted, "NTA - you're right, he deserved to know. We all live only one short life and no one deserves to live it with someone who is supposed to be their partner actually betraying them. Now he can begin the process of moving on with his life. You did the right thing and your family is bunch of hypocritical jacka**es because I'm POSITIVE if your sister was the one being cheated on they would have reacted the exact opposite."

Another user wrote, "It’s REALLY LAME when a family prioritizes image management over honesty and fidelity. It was the harder thing but you did the right thing. Honestly, your sister didn’t deserve him."

"NTA. Emma didn’t just shoot herself in the foot... she handed you the gun and then got mad when you didn’t hide it," one commenter said.

Another wrote, "NTA, although I would have given her a choice. Either she tells him herself or you will. Now you're the bad guy. Your sister and parents are delusional. The only one who ruined the marriage is your sister."

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