Woman Sees Family Portrait in Living Room of Husband’s Parents & Demands to Remove It

A couple of years into their marriage, one woman's husband had a relationship with his female colleague. He initially assured his wife that the whole thing happened while they were drunk, but that night resulted in something more.

A Redditor with the name Nice-Adagio took to the platform to relay her story, hoping to get advice. She said two years into a childless marriage with her husband Kyle, she discovered he was having an affair with a colleague named Madison.

It was a heartbreaking situation for the woman, especially since she and Kyle were distraught that they couldn't bear a child. Kyle admitted the drunken one-night affair with Madison meant nothing to him, and he ultimately regretted it.

The woman tried to understand why her husband had to stray, especially since they hit a rough patch. She gave their marriage another chance and began to heal from the trauma it brought. However, she soon realized the one-night stand wouldn't be something she could just simply forget.

Years later, her father-in-law commissioned an artist to create a Disney-style family portrait as a gift to his wife on Mother's Day. The woman's mother-in-law couldn't be more proud of the present and displayed it in their living room.

The woman looked at the portrait and noticed something peculiar. There were two women, one on each side of her husband—one was her, and the other, Madison. "That just broke my heart," the woman confessed, and the reason behind Madison's inclusion blew her mind!

Why Did They Include the Mistress in the Family Portrait?

"My heart sank when I saw Madison," the woman admitted. She called her mother-in-law to request that the portrait be removed and kept inside their bedroom so she wouldn't be reminded of her husband's philandering. Not that the son it conceived wasn't a reminder enough.

The woman had dealt with the fact that what was supposed to be a one-night stand resulted in the birth of Madison's son with her husband. She accepted his illegitimate child, Kit, and she still dared to fight for their relationship.

Hours later, her sister-in-law, Karla, called to say she made her mother-in-law cry on Mother's Day.

Through the years, she helped raise Kit whenever he was around. He was as much part of the family as she was, and that wasn't an issue to her. Her in-laws adore their grandson. Kit spends one day a week with them, and she never holds it against them because she believes Kyle and Madison's mistakes weren't his.

When the woman told her mother-in-law (MIL) about her grievances concerning the family portrait, her MIL said she only intended to assure Kit that they considered his mother a part of the family. The woman also revealed:

"My MIL apologized for hurting my feelings but said that they didn't mean to upset me; they were just thinking of Kit and how they don’t want him to feel that her mother isn’t family to them."

How Could the Family Think of the Child but Not Her?

Still hurt, the woman couldn't understand how they thought about Kit's feelings but not hers. It was uncomfortable for her to share her husband with his mistress, and to add insult to injury, she was beside him in their family portrait.

However, since her mother-in-law agreed to move the portrait out of the living room, she accepted the apology and left the issue at that. Hours later, her sister-in-law, Karla, called to say she made her mother-in-law cry on Mother's Day.

She added that her father-in-law was upset that a gift meant to spark happiness now caused so much drama because of her sudden request. The woman was stunned. Now she was being blamed for causing drama when the portrait was insensitive to her feelings.

The Redditor explained how Karla told her she was "out of line" for telling her in-laws what they could and couldn't display in their own living room. Her sister-in-law further noted how Madison was part of the family because she is Kit's mother.

Her sister-in-law added that she needed to deal with the fact that Madison would always be in the picture because of Kit, as long as she was married to Kyle. That was a no-brainer to the woman, but she felt it wasn't too much to ask the family not to rub it in her face. Readers shared opinions on the matter.

How Some Reddit Users Sided with Kyle’s Wife

Reddit users couldn't help but feel for the poor woman. One of them slammed her husband for facing zero consequences for the affair and the illegitimate child he now raises. "You should consider leaving your husband. You’re never going to be free from the reminder of his infidelities," one person commented, adding:

"Either accept it, all of it, or get a divorce. You can’t expect the rest of the family to walk on eggshells because your husband betrayed everything marriage is supposed to stand for."

Another person said Madison was some woman the in-laws' son cheated with behind his wife's back, "not someone who has been around his family for years." The reader believed the in-laws were extremely rude.

Someone else couldn't understand why the woman was doing that to herself and accepted the pain her husband brought. The Redditor asked why the woman wanted to "suffer so badly," while many others echoed the sentiment, wondering why she stayed with Kyle at all.

A reader looked for Kyle's stance in all the drama, saying he needed to stand up for her. The person felt his silence said a lot about their marriage and how he didn't value his wife. Meanwhile, a Redditor addressed Karla's comments to her brother's wife, saying:

"When Karla's husband cheats on her and makes a baby with another woman who is then also included in a family portrait, she can tell you how you should feel."

Someone else said they understood how heartbreaking the whole thing was for Kyle's wife. However, they believed the portrait was done solely for Kit's benefit and that her in-laws were trying to include his mother as part of their family and not trying to "rub it in your face."

The woman never responded to any of the comments under her story. However, people made it clear to her that she was not at fault in the situation, and she was even a martyr for having to go through so much, all in the name of love.

In a similar story, a woman couldn't contain her rage when she discovered her boyfriend was having an affair with one of her closest friends. Click here to see what she did after seeing the other woman driving her boyfriend's car.