Angela, 33, is happily married to her husband Alex, and their relationship is strong and loving. However, there is one issue that is affecting their marriage to the point where Angela is even thinking about divorce. She wrote to us asking for advice, as her husband’s odd relationship with his sister-in-law is making her uncomfortable. Angela shared her story and is hoping for advice from others about her difficult situation.

Angela and Alex have a great relationship.

Angela, 33, shared her story about her difficult family situation. She doesn’t have anyone to talk to and is worried her friends and family won’t understand. So she decided to seek advice from people online. Angela hopes to get some helpful advice, and here is her story.

She wrote, “Hi! My husband and I have been happy together for 8 years. This is the best relationship I’ve ever been in. Alex is an amazing partner, and we’ve never had any issues or arguments, except for his brother’s wife. Her name is Ashley, and my husband’s brother, Sam, recently remarried her after they had divorced.

Their relationship has been rocky. Nine years ago, Ashley cheated on Sam. He tried to forgive her, and they stayed together for a year after that, but even counseling didn’t help, and they eventually broke up and stopped talking.

I never met Ashley before they divorced. But recently, they reconnected, felt a spark again, and Sam decided to give their relationship another try, so they got remarried.

I first met her just before their second wedding. I really wanted us to be friends, but things didn’t go that way.

Angela continues, “The first time I met Ashley, I immediately felt embarrassed. She was wearing a revealing dress. Alex and I were at their house, and she came out of the bathroom, only half-dressed, and asked my husband to zip her dress up.

I thought it was inappropriate, but since we had just met, I didn’t say anything. Before I met Ashley, my husband had called her his ‘relationship guru.’ He said he had talked to her a lot about me and our perfect relationship.”

 

Angela goes on, “Since that first meeting, the relationship between Alex and Ashley has been strange. Ashley often makes me uncomfortable. She regularly pulls my husband aside for private conversations, touches him a lot, and they have inside jokes that make me feel left out. She even makes silly voices to Alex, and they both laugh, while she completely ignores me, even though I’m always friendly to her.

This situation is wearing me out. Recently, she even complained that in the ‘good old days’ she and Alex used to talk every day and were best friends. She said they don’t talk as much now because Alex is married and ‘has obligations.’”

Angela’s husband doesn’t think his relationship with his sister-in-law is a problem.

Angela wrote, “I’ve confronted Alex about his weird relationship with Ashley many times. He always says I’m overthinking it and that he’s just ‘being friendly’ with her. He explained that he knows how much Sam loves Ashley and just wants to make her feel welcome in the family again. He says that by being friendly, he’s showing her that he doesn’t hold a grudge for her hurting his brother in the past, and that everything is forgiven.

When I asked Alex if he and Ashley were ever close in the past, he said they weren’t really friends, and that Ashley was exaggerating when she said they used to talk a lot. He said she helped him get over a bad breakup once, and that’s all.

But I feel like something is wrong between Alex and me, especially with the way he acts around Ashley. I’ve even thought it might be emotional cheating, and now I’m considering taking a break from our marriage. Sometimes I even think about divorce. What should I do?”