'AITA for not sharing my inheritance with my cousin that her "father" left me?'
"AITA For Not Sharing My Inheritance With My Cousin That Her "Father" Left Me?"
I (32f) used to have this really cool Uncle "Bill." He and my aunt "Sarah" (55f) started dating when I was 3 and we just had this type of instant bond. I loved this guy and he spoiled me to pieces. It was a constant joke that the only reason he married my aunt was so I'd officially be his niece.
He was ecstatic when my aunt Sarah became pregnant because being a dad was something that he always wanted and adored my cousin "Julie" (24f) for the first few years of her life. Then one day while Bill was out of town, I was sleeping over and in the middle of the night I woke up to use the bathroom and heard the backdoor slam (it had a very distinct sound)
I was curious and peeked out the window from the room that I was in that was overlooking the backyard. There was a man there talking to my aunt, laughing and hugging before we went away and the way that he left was not circling around to the front where the other cars would be going over the fence and I thought that was weird.
I went back to sleep and when I woke up Bill was back and without thinking I mentioned what I saw during breakfast. Sarah tried playing it off but she was weird about it. Unfortunately, that began an avalanche of mess and not only did it come out that Sarah was having an affair and Julie wasn't his, but my mom and (maternal) grandparents knew and said nothing.
There was a divorce and while Bill let Sarah have the house he knew she couldn't afford to maintain it, left the country (he had dual citizenship), and never tried to stay in contact with Julie. It was heartbreaking, I missed Bill and I was sad for my cousin so I became a target for her and Sarah's anger. In their mind, if I hadn't of said anything Bill would've stayed.
I felt so guilty about it for years that I accepted their acts of wrath in silence but when Julie hacked my email to reject my offer of admissions to my dream college and two scholarships, I just couldn't take it anymore. There was a huge blowout between my mom and Sarah we've all beeb VLC since.
Fast forward a few years ago and I happen to see Bill on social media and I shoot him a message. Ironically, I was surprised that he responded and he asked about my life. We would talk for a while after that but never once brought up Julie or Sarah. Bill never married and found out he couldn't have bio kids and I knew that was tough for him.
Unfortunately, Bill has passed away. I went to the funeral in secret just to pay my respects and then went back home. I expected nothing so I was surprised when Bill's lawyer called and told me that I was left an inheritance.
I was surprised and so was Bill's ex girlfriend because she tracked me down on social media and put me on blast where all of my extended family could see and word got back to Sarah and Julie. They think that I'm a witch and my grandparents want me to split it to keep the peace but I kinda don't want to given how they treated me AITA?
What do you think? AITA? This is what top commenters had to say:
Sebscreen said:
Obviously NTA. Your grandparents are delusional. They did nothing to "keep the peace" when those two were trying their hardest to ruin your life, you don't owe anyone a damn thing. Don't dishonour Bill like this. He wanted YOU to have this inheritance, not the woman who betrayed him.
DoIwantToKnow6417 said:
< it come out that Sarah was having an affair and Julie wasn't his, but my mom and (maternal) grandparents knew and said nothing.>
Mom, aunt and grandparents didn't care about Bill, and about the hurt they (at different levels) caused him. Julie took her mother ruining their family out on you. NTA. You owe these people ABSOLUTELUY NOTHING. Bill left you that money because YOU were the one that DID bring joy to his life. Treasure your inheritance for that reason.
Consistent-Goat1267 said:
NTA. She should have thought about when she was having the affair. They brought this all on themselves and they should never have blamed you in the first place. You were just the scapegoat. He was bound to find out eventually. I’m guessing your grandparents knew they treated you like crap? Did they ever try to stop it?
Why didn’t they try to “keep the peace” during all the years of their abuse? You don’t owe them a penny. In fact, you’re probably the only person that deserves it.
OP replied:
I didn't really say anything about it for years it was when Julie took away my dream school for me that I ended up blurting out the whole truth.
lmmontes said:
NTA in any way! Keep the money! I hope you were able to get your college acceptance and scholarship back! Regardless, do NOT share a dime of it. Especially not after what they did. They can ONLY blame your aunt. You are NTA for anything as described.
And slendermanismydad said:
NTA. Julie isn't his kid and he left a long time ago. Sarah took advantage of him and then let her kid try to ruin your life. Where the hell was your mother? "when Julie hacked my email to reject my offer of admissions to my dream college and two scholarships, I just couldn't take it anymore." Please explain what happened here because why did this person even know about your offer or scholarships?
OP replied:
There was a celebratory dinner at my grandparents house after I told everyone that i got in. I was so excited. My phone was linked to my email so when I wasn't looking Julie swiped it and told the admission’s department that I changed my mind.