I’d always sent my parents part of my paycheck. After my wife gave birth and money got tight, I told them we needed to pause. They said they understood.
The next day, my wife—four days postpartum—was crying over a message from my mother calling her a “gold-digging parasite” who “trapped” me and “turned me against them.”
I drove straight to my parents’ house and confronted them. That’s when the truth came out: they didn’t need the money for bills.
My mother had been gambling every penny for years.
When I said she wasn’t entitled to my money, she replied, “Maybe we shouldn’t be in your life.”
I said, “Okay,” and left.
Weeks later, my father came alone with bank statements, apologizing and admitting he’d finally left her. My mother never apologized—she only sent one smug message, which I blocked.
Months later, she finally hit rock bottom and checked herself into addiction treatment.
Not because I begged—
but because she ran out of people to blame.
My wife and baby came first.
Exactly as they should.
