📝 AITAH for having a breakdown 3 days before my sister's wedding?

By ExtremelyPleased • Score: 3 • April 15, 2025 2:49 AM


My oldest sister ghosted me right after her wedding. We had a pretty rough and unusual childhood. My parents are both narcissists and terrible people, they really did a number on us and it shattered the whole family. We barely speak to each other. My sister even became an alcoholic at some point, it was really bad. Somehow she got her shit together and moved to a new country, got a good job and finally started enjoying life. We were never close or anything but we tried our best to keep in touch even though we live in different countries. A few months ago she told us she met someone and was getting married. I told her I would be glad to attend the wedding and that it would also allow me to visit the country. She was thrilled about it. A few days later she told me our father had decided to come as well. She thought he was coming because of me: "as soon as I told him you were coming he said he was coming" she said. I wasn't on speaking terms with him then so I wasn't happy about the news and really didn't want to see him. While she has this thing where she seems "infatuated" with my dad and craves his attention in a "childish manner", I on the other hand cannot stand the man. Of all 4 sisters, the is the only one who hasn't "cut the cord". But I was looking forward to this trip because I wasn't doing ok myself and just needed the break. I was in the process of losing my job, my apartment and breaking up with a lover and my anxiety was high. I also happened to get sick during the trip and my luggage was lost. At the hotel I couldn't sleep at all.

One day we were out for lunch with my father and my sister and her fiancé (3 days before the wedding) and my father starts asking me about my personal life (that he knows nothing about) and as I was telling him I felt all the emotions of how my whole life was just a total mess and I felt a panic attack coming (I had one on the plane and it was a total embarrassment). I just burst out crying and left the table to go get some air. My father came to see me and just held my hand and sat there. My sister followed and immediately started berating me and asking me why I reacted this way. Then she said something about putting her marriage aside (while we were on a vacation for her to get married) to buy me medication or something like that which wasn't true since I bought my own medication, she just came with me to the pharmacy. I was supposed to be her witness the day of the wedding and she told me she didn't want me to be her witness anymore, that "she would never do that to her sister". I told her thanks a lot for shaming me and reminded her of the times she used to piss herself when she was an alcoholic and the times she used to steal all my money to buy alcohol. I feel super bad about it now of course but at some point my father suggested getting a doctor and she just remained silent: her lack of empathy truly shocked me.

My sister changes when my father is around. She's not usually like this but I noticed whenever he is around she becomes competitive with me, even though I want nothing to do with him. I remember at some point he asked if I wanted to stay with him for a while and she said absolutely not, that it would be "taking advantage of him". But when she had her addiction problems she stayed at his house for years and it never even occurred to me to be bothered by it.

Ever since I got back home she has ghosted me. I just have to accept this now I'm not even going to reply but it sure hurts.

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