I’m at a loss here and I need some perspective. I’m (27F) very close to my sister, “Anna” (32F). She’s been married to her husband, “Mark” (34M), for four years, and I’ve always admired their relationship. Mark is charming, funny, and everyone in the family loves him. But I’ve always had this nagging feeling that something was off.
It started with small things—Mark making subtle, suggestive comments about my appearance when Anna wasn’t around or messaging me late at night to “talk” about random stuff. I brushed it off as him just being friendly or maybe a bit tipsy. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it and potentially ruin my sister’s happiness over something that could just be my paranoia.
Last month, things escalated. Mark texted me, asking if I wanted to meet up for drinks, without Anna knowing. That was the last straw. I didn’t want to confront him directly because I knew he’d deny it, and I’d end up looking like the bad guy. So, I came up with a plan—one that I’m regretting now.
I created a fake social media profile of a girl I’ll call “Emma.” She was a typical, attractive girl with interests that I knew Mark was into. I followed him, and he followed back immediately. I started liking his posts, commenting casually, and within a few days, he slid into “Emma’s” DMs.
Long story short, over the span of a few weeks, Mark was flirting heavily with “Emma.” He was sending explicit messages, telling her how unhappy he was in his marriage, and even suggested they meet up. I was disgusted but also heartbroken for my sister. I screenshotted everything and saved it as proof.
I debated for days on what to do, but eventually, I decided I couldn’t keep this from Anna. I showed her the messages. At first, she was in disbelief, accusing me of trying to sabotage her marriage. But once she calmed down and really looked at the screenshots, she broke down.
Anna confronted Mark, who denied everything at first, saying someone must have hacked his account. But when Anna mentioned “Emma” by name, he went pale and admitted to everything. He said he was just “bored” and “curious” but swore he’d never actually cheat on her.
Now, Anna is staying with me, and she’s filed for a divorce. My family is in chaos. My parents are furious at me for “meddling” and blame me for breaking up their marriage. They say I should have just minded my own business and let Anna figure things out on her own.
Even Anna, despite being grateful I told her, sometimes looks at me with this sadness, like I’m the one who brought all this pain into her life. Mark has been sending me angry messages, blaming me for ruining his life and calling me a manipulative b.
Part of me feels guilty, like I shouldn’t have gone as far as I did. But the other part of me is relieved that Anna knows the truth. So, AITA for creating a fake profile to expose my sister’s husband?
Rich_Ad_1642 said:
NTA. You didn’t force him to take the bait, that’s on him.
Lombreuse said:
NTA, like was said, he's the one that took the bait, he's trash. But seriously, what's wrong with your parents? Like you should have let your sister be led on by this b? Seriously? As for your sister, sad as it is, you were the bearer of bad news, so even if objectively she knows it's not your fault, it will still be painful for her for a while.
fruitylittlelo said:
Your sister deserves better, and now she knows it. If anyone’s mad at you, they’re just deflecting because the truth hurts. You didn’t cause the problem—you revealed it.
thecutieviolet said:
He got busted because he was doing dirt behind your sister’s back. If he respected her, there wouldn’t have been anything for you to catch. You’re NTA for protecting her.
Red-Scarf-7346 said:
NTA, if it weren't for "Emma", how many other people was he going to dm to?
Carina_Nebula89 said:
NTA, if you were my sister and would have done this, of course I would be sad about the entire situation at first but eventually I'd be grateful to you. Who knows how long before he would have cheated with someone else, maybe he already has.
And who knows how long he would have fooled your sister. She probably would have found out eventually, better now than years later. You did not destroy their marriage, Mark did.