Last month, this woman was fast asleep one night when her mother-in-law, Diane, snuck into her bedroom and chopped off her hair while she was asleep.
Apparently, Diane was under the impression she was cheating on her husband, Tim, after Diane saw her having lunch one day with her gay coworker.
Diane didn’t say anything about her false impression to her. Instead, Diane jumped right into doing something that she felt would teach her a lesson, which was giving her a terrible haircut.
Within the last month, she’s reported Diane to the police and filed for divorce from Tim. None of this was easy for her to do, but she has no regrets for how she handled things.
“After I left, I cut all contact with Tim and Diane, except through my lawyer. Diane hasn’t tried to reach out (thankfully), but Tim has sent letters and messages begging for forgiveness, saying he’s in therapy and that he was manipulated by his mother,” she explained.
“At first, I felt conflicted—after all, this was someone I once loved—but then I remembered: he made his choice. He let her into our home, stood by as she violated me, and then hid the truth.”
When she reported Diane to the police, they charged Diane with assault and trespassing. Tim hasn’t been charged for being an accomplice, but she did give them text messages where Tim admitted to letting Diane into their home in the middle of the night.
She’s since been doing her best to build a new life for herself without Tim or Diane in it. She styled the awful hack job Diane gave her into a pixie cut that she likes and feels empowered by.
She’s currently seeing a therapist, which is helping her more than she ever thought it could. She’s come to realize that beyond the embarrassment and shame of what Diane did to her and the hurt she feels for Tim stabbing her in the back and destroying her trust, filing for divorce and telling the authorities made her learn how to stand up for herself.
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She will only tolerate being treated in a loving and respectful way from here on out.
“The future feels uncertain, but it also feels like mine for the first time in a long time. I’ve reconnected with friends I’d drifted from, poured myself into work, and even started thinking about traveling—something I’ve always dreamed of doing but put off for “someday,” she said.
“To anyone reading this who might feel trapped or betrayed: please know that you are stronger than you think. Walking away from people who hurt you isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. A month ago, I felt broken. Now, I feel free.”
“Here’s to healing, growth, and new beginnings.”
