My parents’ marriage ended just over a year ago when my mom found out my dad had been having an affair for six years. At that point, my older siblings had already moved out, and I (18F) was almost an adult. It seemed like my dad didn’t care about keeping it a secret anymore—if anything, it felt like he wanted my mom to know. From the way he spoke, it seemed like he resented her for ever being happy with him.
When we learned about the affair, my siblings and I cut him off completely. He tried to fight it, telling us he still loved us and wanted the best for us, but none of us wanted the best for him. My brother even told him he hoped the rest of his life would be miserable.
A few weeks after my mom filed for divorce, my dad texted us that his mistress was pregnant. He even sent us a scan photo, but none of us were moved. None of us wanted him or his new family in our lives.
I still live with my mom while attending community college, and my siblings visit when they can, though they’ve moved out of state.
A couple of weeks ago, my dad’s mistress showed up at the coffee shop where I work and tried to talk to me. I stayed professional and told her I wouldn’t have a personal conversation with her at work. She left but returned when my shift was ending, trying to talk to me again as I walked home. I told her I had nothing to say to her. She tried to introduce me to her baby, but I walked away before she could take the baby out of the stroller.
A few days later, she came back, this time without the baby. She told me life was short and that my dad could die tomorrow, and I’d regret shutting him out for no reason. That’s when I snapped. I told her I didn’t care if they died. I said they were both sick and twisted, and I was done with them. I told her I didn’t care about my dad, her, or the baby, and if she wanted to protect her child from the truth, she’d better keep them away from me and my siblings. I made it clear that we would never pretend to care just to make them happy. Then I warned her to leave me alone or I’d go to the police for stalking.
Later that day, I got a DM from a random account calling me heartless for saying I didn’t care about their deaths. Since the mistress was the only person I said that to, I assumed it was her and deleted the message. But then she told my dad’s side of the family, and some of them reached out, saying I should still care—especially about my dad and the baby because they’re family. Another relative defended the mistress, saying she didn’t owe my mom anything and didn’t deserve to be treated that way.
I ignored them because I don’t feel bad, but now I wonder if I was wrong to say what I did. I still won’t apologize, but if my dad or his mistress try again, I’ll just ignore them.
AITA?
