'AITA for walking away from my wife after she cheated and blamed postpartum depression for her behavior?'

A 28-year-old man, known as senivell104, shared his painful experience on Reddit's r/AITAH. He explained that after having their first baby 14 months ago, his wife became emotionally abusive.

He was the sole breadwinner and took on all responsibilities at home, while she spent most of her time holding the baby and scrolling through her phone. He noted that their sex life deteriorated, and when he addressed the issue, she lashed out, calling him “insensitive” despite him doing all the work.

Man ends marriage after enduring emotional abuse and discovering wife’s infidelity

"I was basically her emotional punching bag. I tried to get her to therapy, I tried to address her behavior but all I get is more verbal abuse,” he wrote. He also tried to encourage therapy, but his efforts were met with more verbal abuse.

After discovering that his wife had cheated on him, he took a DNA test to confirm that the child was his, and then ended the marriage. "The first thing I did was take a DNA test for the baby (he is mine), as soon as the results came back I informed my wife that I'm aware of her infidelity and our marriage is over," the OP wrote.

His wife begged for forgiveness, blaming her actions on postpartum depression, trauma, and alcohol. Despite her pleas, he had already made up his mind.

He explained, "She broke down crying, she begged for my forgiveness, she tried to use every excuse in the book, postpartum depression, past trauma, alcohol, she promised to make it up to me, she said she would do whatever I want, said that she doesn’t want our family to break."

"I have already hated this marriage and the infidelity was just the nail in the coffin,” he went on to say. They still live together, but he has made it clear he wants no further contact. “I told her she is not allowed to speak to me anymore."

Reddit community supports OP's decision to end marriage amid abuse and infidelity

The Reddit community largely supported the OP, affirming that his decision to end the marriage was justified. Many users expressed sympathy for his situation, acknowledging the emotional toll of his wife's abusive behavior and infidelity.

A user said, "I completely agree! OP, I would be running to the divorce attorney quick smart! The absolute audacity of this woman putting on a chastity belt on for OP, but has a welcome sign for a rando from the bar. She's gonna have to go back to work now!"

Another added, "Spot on. Mental health struggles aren't her fault, but they are her responsibility to manage. OP should not be a casualty of her diagnosis."

A third commentator remarked, "First I thought she was going through a hard postpartum depression. But then you mentioned the cheating. Hell no, NTA."

"NTA. Postpartum can be rough, but that’s no excuse for her behavior. Cheating is a dealbreaker. You don’t owe her anything. Focus on yourself and your son," said a supporter of OP.

A person said, "NTA. You were basically her emotional punching bag for over a year. It sounds like she had some serious issues she needed to address, but instead of seeking help, she took it out on you and cheated."

Other chimed in, "NTA bro she treated you like garbage for over a year then cheated you don’t owe her anything."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.