Alright, buckle up, because this is a rollercoaster.

So, my brother (let’s call him Ben) and I have always been close growing up, but things got weird about a year ago when he married Samantha (not her real name). Samantha is... let’s say, eccentric. And by eccentric, I mean, she’s super controlling and likes to manipulate situations to get what she wants. I’m not a fan, but I figured Ben was an adult, and if he liked her, that was his business.

Things started getting strange after their wedding. Ben, who used to be independent, became super distant and would cancel plans with me and our parents whenever Samantha wanted something. I thought that was weird, but again, I figured they were just in the honeymoon phase. Then it got weirder.

A couple of months ago, I accidentally stumbled upon something on Ben’s laptop—something that made my stomach drop. I found a bunch of emails between Samantha and a lawyer discussing the annulment of their marriage. The emails were from just after their wedding. Confused, I kept digging, and it turns out that Samantha had secretly gotten a fake marriage certificate for them. Ben’s “real” marriage wasn’t legal. The whole thing was staged. The “wedding” was just for show. The annulment was planned for a year in advance.

I know this sounds insane, but that’s what I found. Samantha had been pretending to be Ben’s wife for real while he thought it was just a symbolic thing to please her. In the emails, it was clear that she was planning to cut ties once she’d gotten some things from Ben. Apparently, she wanted him for his family’s money, but the marriage itself was just a tool to get him to give her control of his life. I know this sounds like some soap opera stuff, but the evidence was right there.

I confronted Ben. I showed him the emails, and he was completely shocked. Apparently, he had no idea that the marriage was fake and that Samantha had been pulling the strings the whole time. I couldn’t believe it. Ben was devastated. I told him he needed to go straight to Samantha and confront her about it. Instead, he ended up confiding in his friends, who then started pressuring him to “do what makes him happy” and “move on from the marriage.” But here’s the twist: Samantha knew exactly what was going on, and now she’s furious with me for telling Ben the truth.

So, Ben called me later that night, and long story short, he’s now demanding I apologize to Samantha for “ruining their relationship” and "sowing discord." And now I’m stuck in the middle, with everyone telling me I should’ve stayed out of it. The worst part? Ben is still in the marriage with her, trying to “figure things out,” but he won’t talk to me directly anymore.

AITAH for telling Ben that his wife isnt reallllyyyy his wife?