My Husband Made Me Take Out a $15K Loan for His Mom, Saying She’d Pay Me Back in a Month – But She Later Said, ‘I Never Borrowed a Cent’

My husband pleaded with me to get his mother a $15K loan, saying she would repay it in a month. My MIL, however, denied ever borrowing a dime weeks later. The lies are only now coming to light, and the debt is now mine.

Some marriages appear flawless from the outside, such as the Instagram couples who share pictures of sunsets and anniversary tributes that make you feel unworthy of your partner.

However, sometimes that seemingly ideal connection is a front.

That’s how my marriage used to be, so I know.

After 16 years of marriage, Andrew and I had a 14-year-old daughter who excelled in both academics and athletics.

A lovely home in a pleasant area? Verify.

A relationship that works without the spark? Check as well.

Although our marriage appeared to be going well on paper, I had long since discovered that Andrew’s mother would always take precedence over me in private.

I’ll give you an example.

Susan’s birthday was celebrated by Andrew as though it were his favorite holiday. He would send her flowers—not store-bought ones, but a dozen or so peonies in a crystal vase—and purchase jewelry for her.

Hours would pass during phone chats that sounded more like love letters than mother-son exchanges.

I typically received a hurried “Happy Birthday” along with a cup of coffee and a peck on the cheek on my birthday.

if he could recall it. I usually reminded him the following day.

It wasn’t acceptable. I was aware of that, but it wasn’t severe enough to warrant a divorce. Because Andrew was a mama’s boy, I didn’t want to completely upend my daughter’s world.

Therefore, I remained silent, concentrated on my daughter, and continued to act like the understanding wife.

Up until the night he returned home with that expression on his face, that worked perfectly.

Do you recognize the expression I’m referring to? “I’m going to ask you for something you won’t want to give,” they say.

Like an animal in a cage, he walked our kitchen, avoiding eye contact, checking his phone, and raking his hands over his hair.

As I waited for him to drop whatever bomb he was carrying, I simply continued loading the dishwasher.

At last, he paused his pacing and turned to face me. “Honey, I need you to take out a loan.”

I blinked. “All right. For what purpose?

“My mom needs $15,000.”

I nearly dropped the platter in my hand. “Fifteen thousand? For what purpose does she require that much money?

After giving me a look and biting his lip, he said something that felt like a kick to the face.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Don’t give it any thought? I felt like a toddler who couldn’t handle adult conversations after hearing those four words.

I looked at the dishwasher once more. “Why can’t you take out the loan yourself, Andrew?”

since I’m employed at a bank. My employment may be impacted if this appears on my record.

A casserole dish made me roll my eyes.

As a loan officer, Andrew had to follow a lot of guidelines to keep his financial situation in order to do his job, but something about his explanation seemed strange.

The words “it’s just a quick, temporary thing, babe” were spoken by Andrew. “Mom will reimburse you the next month. By then, you will hardly have any interest left. You’re merely passing through, not actually taking on debt.

“I don’t know…” Shutting the dishwasher, I mumbled.

I’m not embarrassed to admit that I didn’t want to give Susan fifteen thousand dollars, especially because I had no idea why she needed the money.

However, he persisted, speaking in a tone that indicated the discussion was done whether I agreed with it or not.

Saying, “This is for my family,” “For us.”

So I gave in. Every time, I gave in. My gut warned me not to, but I disregarded it as if I had been doing so for sixteen years.

I drove to the bank and took out the $15,000 the day after my loan was authorized. Another warning sign was Andrew’s insistence on receiving the money in cash, but I again disregarded it.

The teller’s eyebrows went up a little as she counted it twice.

I folded the hefty package, saved the receipt, and shook my hands on the driving wheel as I drove home.

Andrew asked me if I received the money as soon as he got home that night.

I moved to the bookcase and put the big envelope inside.

I held that envelope for a long time in front of our bookcase. It was heavier than it ought to have been.

My train of thinking was interrupted when my phone rang with a message notice. I pulled it out of my pocket.

“What’s taking so long?” Behind me, Andrew snapped.

I turned and held out the envelope after gently placing my phone on the bookcase.

“Here’s the $15,000 from my loan,” I replied.

Andrew tucked the envelope inside his jacket pocket and said, “Thanks. I’ll take it to Mom tonight.”

That was it. No handshake, no kiss, no recognition of what I had just done for him.

The following month was a torment. My gut tightened with each bank warning.

Neither my husband nor his mother mentioned repayment at all as the due date drew nearer like a rain cloud.

I had reached a breaking point.

I texted his mom in a courteous manner: “Hey! Just checking in regarding loan payback. Tell me when it’s most convenient for you.

My head was spinning from how quickly she responded:

“I don’t know what you’re discussing. I didn’t borrow any money from you. I’m also not making any repayments.”

I gazed at the screen of my phone until the words became hazy.

After that, I showed my husband the message as he was having cereal in the kitchen.

I anticipated shock, indignation, denial, and a barrage of justifications and assurances that Susan would be contacted.

Rather, he shrugged after giving the phone a fleeting glance. “I don’t think she ever planned to pay you back.”

The world swayed. “What? You assured me that she would reimburse me within a month.

“There was nothing I could do. If I didn’t assist her, she threatened to cut me off.

“Cut you off from what?”

“Her will. Her home. Everything.” He regarded me as though I were being irrational. “You don’t understand how much she’s done for me.”

She had done so much for him. He, not us.

“Andrew, what did Susan use that money for?”

He glanced in the direction of the door.

“Don’t even think about it!” I moved ahead of him. “Tell me the truth.”

I was stunned when Andrew told me everything at that point.

Do you know what Susan bought with my $15,000 loan? a trip to Turkey, along with the breast implants and facelift she received there.

“Your mother used my credit to finance a makeover?” I lost my temper.

He said, “She’s dating again,” as if that clarified everything.

Additionally, the funds had paid for high-end clothing and a professional photo session.

It turned out that she was sharing pictures of her new D-cup existence on Instagram with hashtags like #Ageless and #HotGirlSummer, which I had unwittingly funded, while I was having trouble sleeping over loan payments.

I hid my head in my hands and slumped into the nearest chair.

Andrew remarked, “Look on the bright side, babe. Making the loan payments is going to improve your credit score.”

I didn’t even give him a glance.

The fact that he and Susan had deceived me in this way was unbelievable, but what was worse was how foolish I felt.

Since the loan was in my name, I continued to make the installments.

However, I also contacted a lawyer.

You see, I didn’t ignore the warning flags entirely. I had also hit record before putting my phone down on the bookcase that night after giving Andrew the cash.

It was evident from the video that he took the envelope and said, “I’ll take it to Mom tonight.”

When I showed my lawyer the video, the money receipts, and the note from his mother rejecting the loan, her eyes glowed.

She began questioning him about the home his mother had allegedly used to control him.

As it happens, it wasn’t even hers legally.

Her late husband’s name was still attached to the property. Neither an ownership transfer nor an upgrade had occurred.

Everything was already up for my husband to inherit. The threat of “cut-off” was nothing more than manipulation.

Then I did something that I ought to have done long ago.

I requested full custody when I filed for divorce.

I could not allow Emma to grow up believing that emotional coercion of this nature was typical of the family.

Fraud accusations were also brought by my attorney. We had video evidence that Andrew had tricked me into taking out a loan.

He attempted to backtrack by saying he had returned the money to his mother, but the evidence was overwhelming.

He was forced into a tight spot, and really? I didn’t feel bad about it.

I moved on and rebuilt with my kid as he spiraled. It was challenging, but in a positive way.

I checked his mother’s Instagram account one morning because I was so curious.

They had barred me. Apparently, lawsuits are not part of #HotGirlSummer.

Another story: I assumed it was a dream until my five-year-old daughter woke me up by talking about weird scratching beneath the floor. However, the noises were genuine. They took me to the basement, where my life was completely upended by a missing padlock and a menacing creature that appeared out of the shadows.