# MIL Demanded Half My Salary And Accused Me Of Trapping Her Son When I Announced...

An episode of [Reddit Stories](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1830891511), 12 Jan 2026, 17 min.

Audio: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/APO6441759445.mp3

MIL Demanded Half My Salary And Accused Me Of Trapping Her Son When I Announced...

## Transcript

[0:00] Mill demanded half my salary and accused me of trapping her son
[0:03] when I announced my pregnancy. Am I the asshole for calling off
[0:06] the wedding and leaving? Gary 30 million and I 28 feet.
[0:11] We're set to get married next week, but after an odd talk with
[0:14] his mother, Linda, 55 feet, everything changed.
[0:18] I need help regarding my current circumstances because I feel
[0:20] totally lost. Two years ago, Gary and I met at
[0:24] a birthday celebration through mutual acquaintances.
[0:27] Despite the fact that I was gregarious and extroverted and
[0:29] he was shy and introverted, we clicked right away.
[0:32] In contrast to my commercial profession, Gary was a kind high
[0:35] school teacher who cherished his kids.
[0:38] I like Gary's shyness and his tendency to keep to himself.
[0:40] Even though we met at a party. He was just being himself, in
[0:44] contrast to other guys who made an effort to impress me.
[0:47] After six months of dating, our relationship took a serious
[0:50] turn. After spending a lot of time
[0:52] together, we began discussing moving in together.
[0:55] At that point, Linda, Gary's mother, proposed that we move in
[0:59] with them in order to save money for the future.
[1:01] Gary, who had always lived with his parents and didn't see
[1:04] anything wrong with it, was totally on board.
[1:06] Although I appreciated my independence, I was
[1:08] apprehensive, but the financial consideration made sense.
[1:12] Linda claimed that it would be more cost effective for us to
[1:14] live in the large 5 bedroom home she and her husband Tom
[1:17] occupied. I moved in reluctantly, giving
[1:20] up my flat. Linda first came across as quite
[1:23] kind. She included me in family
[1:25] activities and prepared our favorite dishes every time.
[1:28] She was a mother who stayed at home and took delight in caring
[1:30] for her family. Tom, her spouse, was a
[1:33] construction worker, although he was seldom present and hardly
[1:36] talked. Linda was in charge of the home
[1:38] and made all the choices. In fact, the first few months of
[1:42] living there were enjoyable. Linda handled all of the
[1:44] cooking, cleaning and laundry. I worked hard at my job and
[1:48] needed to relax when I got home, so she wouldn't even let me
[1:51] help. Gary and I made a small
[1:53] contribution toward groceries and utilities, but it was
[1:55] insignificant in comparison to what I had previously spent.
[1:59] Gary and I became closer after we moved in together and we
[2:02] began discussing getting married.
[2:04] Gary used his grandmother's ring to pop the question on my
[2:06] birthday last year. Linda took up the wedding
[2:09] arrangements right away, seemingly ecstatic about the
[2:11] engagement. She seemed so happy that I
[2:14] agreed with all of her many suggestions.
[2:16] Everything appeared to be going according to plan until last
[2:19] Thursday when we decided to have the wedding the next week.
[2:22] Linda wanted to talk about something significant regarding
[2:24] the wedding, so she asked to have coffee with me alone.
[2:28] I thought it had to do with last minute plans or a custom in the
[2:30] family. During my lunch hour, we met at
[2:33] a cafe close to my workplace. Following a brief conversation
[2:36] about wedding planning, she abruptly made an odd request.
[2:40] She informed me that I would have to deposit half of my
[2:42] monthly income into her account after we were married.
[2:45] I was totally taken aback and perplexed.
[2:47] She explained that it was for Gary's and my financial
[2:50] stability. When I questioned why I've
[2:52] already talked to Gary about it and he agreed, she said what I
[2:56] was hearing was unbelievable. She decided to bring this up a
[2:59] week before the wedding, even though I had been living with
[3:01] them for over a year and had been organizing it for months.
[3:05] After telling her that I needed some time to consider it, I
[3:07] walked out of the cafe. I had so many questions running
[3:10] through my head. Why hadn't Gary brought this up
[3:13] earlier? Given that we were already
[3:15] helping with household expenses? Why would she want my money?
[3:18] I questioned Gary about it when I got home that night.
[3:21] After becoming somewhat anxious, he eventually acknowledged that
[3:24] his mother had discussed this with him a month prior.
[3:27] She had warned him that we would not be allowed to reside in her
[3:29] home after marriage if we didn't accept her conditions.
[3:32] Gary explained that he kept it from me because he was afraid we
[3:35] would have to move out and we weren't yet able to afford our
[3:37] own house after all the wedding related costs.
[3:40] The fact that Gary withheld this information from me for a month
[3:43] upset me. We had always told one other the
[3:45] truth about everything. We would speak things out even
[3:48] if we didn't agree. This seemed like a total breach
[3:51] of confidence. Gary said that his mother only
[3:54] had our best interests in mind, but I failed to see how
[3:56] withdrawing half of my pay was beneficial to us.
[3:59] I've been feeling anxious about the whole affair because Gary
[4:02] and I are the only ones who know that I'm two months pregnant.
[4:05] We were glad of it, even if it wasn't planned.
[4:07] After the baby was born, we had agreed that I would temporarily
[4:10] leave my job to care for our child.
[4:13] Gary had been in favor of this choice, and we had begun
[4:15] budgeting appropriately. He obviously hadn't discussed
[4:19] any of this with his mother. Though I haven't yet informed my
[4:22] parents about Linda's request because they reside in another
[4:24] state, I don't want to worry them because they had spent a
[4:27] lot of money on this wedding. My best buddy suggests that I
[4:31] speak with Linda once more in an effort to better comprehend her
[4:34] viewpoint, but I must admit that I'm afraid to confront her by
[4:36] myself. Seven days remain till the
[4:39] wedding and I'm at a loss. Gary continues telling me that I
[4:42] should just accept Linda's terms for the time being and that I'm
[4:45] overreacting. I think this is only the
[4:47] beginning, but he says we can work anything out later.
[4:50] What else will she demand if she is making these demands prior to
[4:53] marriage? And I start to doubt everything
[4:55] because Gary kept this from me for a month.
[4:58] I need guidance. Am I reacting too strongly to
[5:01] this circumstance? Since we need a place to live,
[5:04] should I just accept her requirements or should I refuse
[5:06] to back down and run the danger of destroying our relationship?
[5:10] First update, I made the decision to speak with Linda
[5:13] once again and inform her about the pregnancy.
[5:15] After reading all of your comments, some indicated that
[5:18] she might change her mind about the entire pay issue if she knew
[5:21] about her impending grandchild. In retrospect, I see how foolish
[5:25] I was to believe that Because I didn't feel comfortable talking
[5:28] to Linda by myself again, I wanted Gary to be there.
[5:31] He excused himself by saying he had extra lessons at school and
[5:34] had to stay back. When I told him this morning
[5:36] that I was going to notify Linda about the pregnancy since it's
[5:40] spring break, I thought it was strange, but I didn't press the
[5:43] issue. After Linda finished preparing
[5:45] dinner yesterday evening, I ended up meeting her by myself
[5:48] in her kitchen. As usual, Tom was in the living
[5:51] room watching TV, totally unaware of anything going on in
[5:54] the home. Despite my nervousness, I made
[5:57] the decision to end it now. I began by informing her that I
[6:00] had some significant news to share with her.
[6:02] I was expecting her granddaughter, who was two
[6:05] months along. I thought she would at least
[6:07] show a little excitement or joy, but she had the exact opposite
[6:10] reaction. She yelled so loudly that I'm
[6:12] sure the neighbors could hear her as her cheeks flushed with
[6:14] rage. She accused me of deceiving her
[6:17] son with this pregnancy and called me manipulative.
[6:20] She claimed that I had orchestrated the entire incident
[6:22] to damage their family's reputation.
[6:24] I was taken aback because Gary and I had lived in their home
[6:27] for two years together and were being married in less than a
[6:29] week. Was anyone being trapped by this
[6:31] pregnancy? She went utterly crazy when I
[6:34] told her that I was going to quit my job when the kid was
[6:36] delivered. She began to pace the kitchen
[6:39] and said that since they required my pay for household
[6:41] necessities, she would not allow me to resign.
[6:44] She dropped a bombshell when I reminded her that I had never
[6:47] committed to pay her my wage in the 1st place.
[6:49] She informed me that months prior to his proposal, Gary had
[6:52] already promised her my pay. I had the impression that I had
[6:55] been punched in the stomach. Gary had been cooperating with
[6:58] her intentions all along and was aware of them.
[7:01] But Linda wasn't finished. She continued to talk about how
[7:04] my unintended pregnancy had ruined everything.
[7:07] She claimed that she was only permitting our marriage because
[7:09] I made a nice living and that she saw no need in the wedding
[7:12] now that I intended to resign from my position.
[7:14] I immediately called Gary, but he didn't answer, despite my
[7:18] repeated attempts to call. The call went directly to
[7:20] voicemail when he eventually got home at around 9 PMI waited for
[7:24] him to do so, and Linda filled him in on everything.
[7:27] I thought he would defend me and our child, but he chose to
[7:30] support his mother. He suggested that I should have
[7:32] used birth control more carefully and that my desire to
[7:35] resign from my work was causing needless turmoil.
[7:38] It was unbelievable to me that this was the same Gary who only
[7:41] a few days prior had been thrilled about the baby, who had
[7:44] even begun researching baby names online and had helped me
[7:47] cope with morning sickness. He seemed to be a totally
[7:50] different person when his mother was there.
[7:52] Gary slept on the couch as I sobbed in our room all night.
[7:55] He never once came to see how I was doing, even at that point.
[7:58] When I tried to speak with him again this morning before he
[8:01] left for school, he suggested that I either accept his
[8:04] mother's demands or put off the wedding until we could work
[8:06] things out. He didn't even admit that his
[8:08] mother had treated me rudely or that because of our child, she
[8:12] had essentially threatened to call off our wedding.
[8:14] As I give it more thought, I see that Gary has never really
[8:17] challenged his mother on any issue.
[8:19] He advised me to dress more modestly.
[8:21] When she made comments about my attire, he said she was merely
[8:24] attempting to assist. When she rearranged our room
[8:26] without asking, he suggested I should be thankful she was doing
[8:30] all the work. When she altered our wedding
[8:31] arrangements without telling me, he constantly told me to change
[8:35] or offer justifications for her actions.
[8:38] I contacted my mother and told her everything since I was at my
[8:40] breaking point. She was so angry that she
[8:43] promised to get me a plane home right away.
[8:45] I pleaded with her not to exacerbate the situation by
[8:48] coming here herself to confront Linda to help me decompress.
[8:51] She invited me to come stay with her for a few days and pack some
[8:54] clothing. This is being typed from my
[8:56] mother's home. Gary claims that I'm being
[8:58] dramatic and hormonal due to the pregnancy and he has been
[9:01] phoning and messaging me non-stop.
[9:03] He argues that by departing in this manner, I'm embarrassing
[9:06] him and that I should return home to make amends with his
[9:09] mother for causing her distress. My mother believes that I should
[9:12] give this marriage a lot more thought.
[9:14] She claims that if Linda is making such demands prior to
[9:17] marriage and Gary is unable to resist her at this time, things
[9:20] will only worsen once they are married.
[9:22] She is concerned about how they will handle the baby and me.
[9:25] I'm not sure if the wedding should take place at all and
[9:27] it's in five days. I can't help but think of how
[9:30] fast Gary changed when he had to decide between me and his
[9:33] mother. When she starts making more
[9:35] demands after marriage, what will happen?
[9:37] Will my child witness their father consistently picking
[9:40] their grandmother above their mother as they grow up?
[9:43] Second update. I canceled the wedding.
[9:45] I eventually found the strength to make this tough choice.
[9:48] After spending two days at my mom's house contemplating
[9:50] everything, Gary unexpectedly came up at my mom's place the
[9:54] night after I posted my last update.
[9:56] My mother had gone to fetch groceries, so she wasn't home.
[9:59] At first, I believed he had come to express regret, or at the at
[10:03] least to try to comprehend my perspective.
[10:05] Rather, he began scolding me about how staying at my mom's
[10:08] house was embarrassing him and his family.
[10:11] He claimed that family members had begun to phone and inquire
[10:14] as to why I wasn't home, and he wasn't sure how to respond.
[10:17] His demeanor only exacerbated the morning nausea I was already
[10:20] experiencing. I informed him up front that
[10:23] unless he defied his mother and agreed with my choice about the
[10:26] child, I would not marry him. I saw his true colors in his
[10:29] remark. We needed a place to live so he
[10:32] suggested that if I truly cared about our child, I would
[10:35] continue working and give his mother what she desired.
[10:38] He said he wasn't going to leave his parents house because I was
[10:40] being difficult when I proposed that we rent a tiny apartment
[10:43] instead. I realized then that Gary would
[10:46] never change. He would be his mother's puppet
[10:48] forever. I returned my engagement ring to
[10:51] him after taking it off. He became irate and accused me
[10:54] of selfishness and self centeredness.
[10:56] I understood the irony of what he was saying.
[10:59] I questioned him about how he could allow his mother to treat
[11:01] his child's mother in such a disrespectful manner.
[11:04] He insisted that I was overreacting, even though he had
[11:07] no response. I began phoning all of our
[11:09] guests to cancel things the following morning, my hands
[11:12] shaking. Three days before the wedding
[11:14] was scheduled. It was embarrassing to have to
[11:16] tell everyone why it was cancelled.
[11:18] While some were judgmental, others were understanding.
[11:21] My parents helped me deal with all the vendors and
[11:24] cancellations and were really encouraging.
[11:26] The actual drama began at that point.
[11:28] Linda, the head of Gary's family, began circulating rumors
[11:31] among our acquaintances. I called off the wedding because
[11:34] they told everyone I had cheated on Gary.
[11:37] They claimed that I was deceiving Gary about the
[11:39] pregnancy. In fact, some common
[11:41] acquaintances who had known us for years took them at face
[11:44] value and ceased communicating with me.
[11:46] I started getting angry messages from Linda.
[11:49] She claimed that I had destroyed her son's life and that she
[11:51] would see to it that I felt bad about my choice.
[11:54] She started making up new social media profiles to torment me,
[11:58] and I blocked her number when she threatened to report my
[12:00] unstable behavior to my employer.
[12:02] In the end, I blocked their whole family.
[12:05] Gary kept attempting to reach me at several numbers.
[12:07] Occasionally when he was upset, he would accuse me of being
[12:10] selfish. At other times he would beg
[12:13] stating we could resolve the issue, but he never confronted
[12:16] his mother or expressed regret for keeping things from me.
[12:19] While Gary and Linda were at a family gathering, my mother
[12:22] assisted me in moving all of my belongings out of their home.
[12:25] Tom was present, but he did nothing but observe in silence
[12:28] while we packed everything. However, his assistance in
[12:31] carrying several boxes to the car was perhaps the most
[12:34] involvement he had ever showed in a family matter.
[12:37] I feel like I can breathe for the first time in weeks now that
[12:39] I'm back at my mom's house. Although some people are
[12:42] criticizing me for being unmarried and pregnant, I would
[12:45] much rather be a single mother than be forced to live in a
[12:47] marriage where my husband and his mother run my entire life.
[12:51] Surprisingly, my employer has been sympathetic to my plight.
[12:54] After I told my manager about it, she made arrangements for me
[12:57] to work from home because I've been experiencing severe morning
[13:00] sickness. At least I haven't yet had to
[13:02] deal with my Co workers inquiries.
[13:04] I squandered 2 years with someone who couldn't decide
[13:06] between his mother and his unborn child, and that's the
[13:09] only thing that hurts. Even though it was a tough
[13:12] choice, I know it was the right one.
[13:14] My child deserves better than a grandmother who treats them like
[13:17] a bother and a father who is incapable of advocating for
[13:19] them. Third Update Since my last
[13:23] update, everything in my life has changed drastically.
[13:26] Last month, I gave birth to Emma, my gorgeous baby girl.
[13:30] Both physically and emotionally, the pregnancy was challenging.
[13:34] During the last trimester, I experienced high blood pressure
[13:37] and terrible morning sickness. My mother was incredible.
[13:40] In order to support me during the last few months of my
[13:42] pregnancy and the initial weeks following delivery, she took a
[13:45] three month leave of absence from her employment.
[13:48] Through some mutual connections, Gary learned of Emma's birth.
[13:52] The day after I gave birth, he and Linda arrived at the
[13:54] hospital. Only my family was permitted to
[13:57] visit. As I had made clear on my
[13:59] admissions paperwork, Linda made quite a commotion in the
[14:01] hospital lobby when the nurses intervened.
[14:04] She was yelling about my deprivation of her son's child
[14:07] and her rights as a grandma. They had to be escorted out by
[14:10] hospital security. After this episode, my doctor
[14:13] was worried about my blood pressure and kept me under
[14:15] monitoring for an additional day.
[14:17] Gary's attorney called me regarding custody arrangements a
[14:20] week after we returned home from the hospital.
[14:22] Linda had been writing on Facebook about filing a lawsuit,
[14:25] so I wasn't shocked. We're now working out the
[14:28] custody details and I have my own lawyer.
[14:30] According to my lawyer, Gary's petition for 5050 custody is
[14:34] improbable because he never offered any support during my
[14:36] pregnancy. I benefit from the fact that we
[14:39] have records of Linda's hospital harassment and all of her
[14:41] threatening texts. Two months ago, something
[14:44] unexpected happened. Gary's calm father, Tom, paid me
[14:48] a secret visit. He claimed to have wanted to
[14:50] speak with me for months, yet he appeared anxious.
[14:53] He told me something startling and expressed regret for not
[14:56] speaking up sooner. Five years prior, Linda had done
[14:59] similar things to Gary's ex-girlfriend, Sarah.
[15:02] Although Sarah left Gary before to the engagement, she had
[15:05] insisted on receiving a portion of her inheritance.
[15:08] Tom claimed that although Linda had threatened to divorce him if
[15:10] he meddled in family affairs, he had wished to warn me.
[15:13] Last week I started a new job with a 30% pay increase.
[15:18] It's actually a better job than the 1 I had before.
[15:21] Emma's management is greatly aided by the company's excellent
[15:23] maternity benefits and flexible scheduling.
[15:26] While I'm at work. My mom has been fantastic with
[15:28] the baby. It offers her something to look
[15:30] forward to each day. She claims Linda hasn't given up
[15:34] yet. She makes fictitious social
[15:36] media profiles in order to reach me and make offensive remarks
[15:39] about me. She even made an attempt to get
[15:41] in touch with my new employer, but fortunately my manager was
[15:45] sympathetic to the circumstance. After hearing Tom's side of the
[15:48] story, a few of our mutual acquaintances who had first
[15:51] accepted their lies apologized, but I'm avoiding contact with
[15:54] anyone associated with that family.
[15:56] I return every gift that Gary sends Emma.
[15:59] He sent us a giant teddy bear last week along with a statement
[16:02] expressing how much he missed us.
[16:04] I sent it with a message requesting that he only speak
[16:06] with our attorneys. I refuse to allow him or his
[16:09] mother to use presents and kind words to re enter our life.
[16:12] Emma deserves better than a father who was unable to defend
[16:15] her before she was even born and a grandmother who views her as a
[16:18] problem. Unless there is a significant
[16:20] development in the custody case, I doubt I will be updating
[16:23] again. In retrospect, I'm so happy I
[16:26] followed my gut and called off the wedding.
[16:28] Sometimes breaking up with someone right before marriage is
[16:31] preferable to being in a dominating marriage where you
[16:33] lose your independence and dignity.
[16:35] Emma is currently waking up from her slumber.
[16:38] I want to express my gratitude to everyone for clearing my
[16:40] confusion 6 months ago. Even when life isn't perfect,
[16:44] what matters most is that we're happy.

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