My MIL Stole My Valuable Things and Sold Them to Buy Herself a New Phone

Oftentimes, the relationship with in-laws may get to a dramatic point. Some people have huge misunderstandings with their spouses’ parents, and this becomes a reason of many family troubles. But for one man, who posted on Reddit, his relationship with his MIL went far more than simply dramatic. His MIL appeared to be a genuinely vile person who would do anything to make herself pleased at the cost of others, and he fell the victim of her toxic behavior.

The man took to Reddit to tell his story that shocked many people.

An infuriated man came to Reddit and told people about his very complicated relationship with his MIL and the incidents that followed because of her personality.

The man started his post, saying, “My MIL is insanely entitled. And my wife’s enabling of her has made our marriage very hard at times. MIL has come to us for money a lot because she keeps spending herself into a hole, since she’s a hoarder and a shopaholic. Her house is full of garbage, junk, and unopened stuff she never uses. The house is rodent infested too.”

“She has one semi-clean room in the whole building. And it’s the master bedroom. She’s mocked it up like a little studio apartment with a futon to sleep on and use as a couch, an entertainment center with TV and streaming, and a makeshift kitchen consisting of the adjoining bathroom, a mini-fridge and a microwave. MIL’s also overweight because she eats out a lot.”

The man’s MIL went even further in her requests and demands. The man explained, “Recently, MIL came to us wanting me specifically to buy her a new smartphone as an unprompted gift. And she threw a massive fit when I refused. And I mean a child temper tantrum kind of fit. Why did she want a new phone so suddenly? Hers was two years old, that’s literally it. As far as I know, it still worked fine. Even my wife has confirmed this. But MIL was resolute that she deserved a new phone.”

She also expected a special attitude from her daughter and husband. The man wrote, “And before leaving, MIL yelled at us that we’re supposed to be pampering her now that she’s an old woman. She’s 53. My wife also didn’t want to buy her mother the phone because she gave her money not long before to make sure her bills were paid.”

One day, the man’s MIL went even further than before and shocked him to the core.

The man continues his story, saying, “I have quite a collection of vintage skeleton keys. And I mean good ones. Like ones to particular hotels, the large ornate Sargents, brass railroad keys, Reading Hardware, etc.”

“My collection as a whole should easily be worth two to three thousand dollars. Some of those keys are super rare. I kept them in a locked display cabinet. But a few days ago I came home to find my entire collection gone. The cabinet had been forced open.”

He discovered who the burglar was and just couldn’t believe his eyes. He said, “I checked the CCTV for the living room, and saw my MIL force open the cabinet with a small crowbar. She then put all the keys in a couple of boxes she’d brought with her and left with them.”

“I called MIL right away and demanded she return my collection. She nonchalantly told me she sold the entire collection at pawn already, and used the money for her new phone. Then said it was my fault, and she had to do it because I wouldn’t give her the money.”

The drama in the family developed at a speed of light.

The man goes on, saying that he had problems in relationship with his wife after this pity incident. He wrote, “My wife was seemingly on my side, until I said I was going to call the police. She begged me to just drop it. And even suggested I just start a new collection.”

“I refused to let it go, because a lot of those keys are not only expensive, they’re irreplaceable. I spent 10 years building that collection. But my wife kept blowing up at me and telling me to just let it go.”

Now the man is just desperate, so he even turned to social platforms. He wrote, “So I slept in the guest room that night and sought online help the next day when my best friend told me to try Reddit. I’d been a lurker before. But making an account wasn’t hard.”

“My MIL has been trouble in the past. But this was the first time I know of that she’d stolen from us. I needed help, so I asked here. The resounding advice finally made me pull my head on the surface to realize I was the only one keeping my marriage afloat. And it would likely never get any better if my wife wasn’t on my side when her own mother steals something irreplaceable from me.”

The man’s life is now totally ruined and he needs to start everything anew.

The man’s marriage literally fell apart because of his MIL’s behavior. The man confessed, “I already knew my marriage was pretty much over. But that night it really sank in. I had a long sit-down with some old video games and cola to think about my future.”

“The house is rented, so I’m not renewing my half of the lease, and will soon be apartment hunting. But I may leave sooner, depending on how soon I can find an apartment. We have no kids yet, thank god. So that’s another thing I currently have in my favor.”

The man decided to start a totally new life after that pity incident. He revealed, “The next day I changed the locks on the house and removed all of my money from the joint bank account, and stopped all automated payments to and from it. I made sure to take only the amount of money I’d put into the account. There was still more than enough in it for me to break even and still leave the minimum required balance on the account. Either way, the cost of MIL’s bail and paying back the pawn shop was now entirely out of my wife’s pocket now. And I don’t think she’s noticed yet. But it shouldn’t be long.”

And splitting up with his wife, who didn’t support him, was a logical decision for him. The man said, “I’ve been to a couple different divorce lawyers already, and I picked the second one since the first seemed like they were only there for a paycheck. I’ll have the divorce papers served soon. I loved my wife, but it’s clear she didn’t love me. So I can’t stay with her anymore.”

“She can have her thieving hoarder mommy all to herself now. We both have very comparable incomes, so I’ll be pushing for a clean split divorce. This woman didn’t deserve me, and I fell for her act. She didn’t want a husband, she wanted an insurance plan. I will pursue any charges still possible against her mother.”

And here’s yet another toxic MIL, who’s extremely possessive towards her son and doesn’t give a chance to her DIL live a normal life with him.