My sister has been through a lot. A tough childhood, trauma, and a previous divorce that our own grandmother blamed her for—saying it caused our dad and uncle (both diabetic) to fall sick due to "stress." She's lived with that guilt for years.

Eventually, she found love again through a freelance client—let’s call him Joe. He became her friend, then partner. My dad didn’t like him from the start because he seemed lazy and disrespectful, but my sister wanted to marry him and was confident in her choice. So despite tension, we supported her.

They got married, had a child, and everything seemed okay—on the surface. Behind the scenes, it was far from fine.

One night, my sister called us at 11 PM saying she was coming home with her baby and pet. My parents rushed over, and she returned with all her belongings. That’s when she broke down and told us everything.

Apparently, the relationship had turned physically abusive. She said his constant apologies meant nothing anymore. She told us about multiple red flags she’d kept hidden:

When she was 7 months pregnant, he screamed “F*** off! Drop the baby, I don’t care” when they were stranded near a temple because she was trying to figure out how to get home.

He mocked our dad for helping them find a rental, and during a fight at his family home, she insisted on leaving at 1 AM to escape the verbal abuse.

He regularly yells at her, often calling her during work demanding she come home immediately, even though she works far from home and he refuses to help with the baby.

He constantly questions her financial contribution, even though she pays for baby supplies, her own essentials, and pet care. He’s never bought her or the baby anything meaningful.

Now comes the worst part: he’s been demanding ₹2 crores (approx. $240,000) from her to buy a ₹4 crore house, saying they should "split it 50/50" and insists she take a loan. When she refused, he began pressuring her even more.

Recently, he came to our house while no one was home except my mom, pointed at her and said, “I won’t take your daughter back until she gives ₹2 crores.” My dad reached at that moment and, fearing he might get aggressive, pushed him out and told him to leave. He packed his things and walked out.

Now both families are in chaos. His brother is supporting him, we’re supporting my sister. We haven’t told his bedridden father because he’s already unwell, and Joe doesn’t get along with him anyway—so it wouldn’t make a difference.

I suggested they go to a marriage counselor, because honestly, we’re too emotionally involved to be neutral, and his family clearly won’t take her side either. But ultimately, it’s her call.

She’s torn—because she keeps thinking of her daughter, saying she’ll need a father figure growing up. But we’ve seen her break her back trying to keep things together her entire life, always thinking of others before herself.

So AITA for supporting her decision to stay away from him, and encouraging her to think about herself and her daughter’s peace over just keeping the family “together”?