Explosive Conflict Erupts As Redditor Uses Stepbrother’s Inheritance To Buy House

“I can’t help but feel guilty.”

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• February 11, 2024

Growing up, the world seemed like a revolving door of uncertainty for our narrator (Original Poster). OP was bounced around between foster families, but nowhere felt even remotely home.

The truth was that no one wanted OP. He’d been mistreated for so long, so he lashed out in self-defense, unknowingly pushing away any chance of belonging.

At just nine, OP had already seen the insides of seventeen different foster homes. Each disappointment etched deeper scars until fate led them to what would become the perfect sanctuary.

This extraordinary couple became the beacon of love and stability OP had yearned for. They were caring without being overly smothering and respectful of his boundaries—exactly what OP needed. Their 17-year-old son, Tim, even stood as a brotherly figure for him.

As the days turned into months and the months into years, OP's defenses began to crumble—they’d finally found the family they had longed for. But life, ever unpredictable, had other plans.

Tim fell in hard with addiction, and OP’s foster dad was cruelly snatched away in a tragic car crash. But life wasn’t done throwing curveballs yet. OP’s foster mom succumbed to cancer shortly after. 

She left OP with one last dying wish—to withhold Tom’s inheritance till he sobered up. He also had five years to clean up his act, after which OP was free to use the money as he pleased.

Five years passed, but Tim was still elbows-deep in substance abuse, so OP followed her wishes and set up his own life. Now, three years later, a sobered-up Tim storms OP's life, demanding his inheritance. 

Guilt weighs heavy on OP’s conscience, and he’s considering selling his house to give Tim his share. Was this worth doing?

Let’s dig into the details

A bit of background

OP finally found a family that truly cared about him. After a year, he concluded that this was where he belonged

A few years later, the entire family started dropping like flies. Tim got addicted to dr*gs, while P and S passed away

OP’s foster mom put all the family’s money in his care before passing. She instructed him not to give Tim any money until he gets clean

Fiver years passed an OP went ahead to use Tim’s part of the inheritance. Now, Tim is sober and wants his money back

We gathered some reactions from the Reddit community:

“NTA. I understand what you did was hard but you followed your mom’s wishes.”

“NTA. Please respect your mom's wishes. You and she gave him time to get his crap together. He did not.”

“Consider having an open and honest conversation with Tim about the situation, the decisions you had to make, and how you can support each other moving forward.”

“Put yourself in Tim’s place. What will your refusal do to him emotionally and practically? What will this refusal do to you?”

“As an addict, the chances are extremely high for Tim to slip back into addiction if he gets a large sum of money.”

Redditors assured OP that honoring his mom’s wishes didn’t make him a bad person. 

Giving Tim the money before he was sober would've enabled his destructive behavior—who knows where he might’ve ended up with those resources at his disposal?

They advise OP not to sell the house out of guilt. The verdict was clear—he did what he had to do for Tim’s well-being.

What do you think about this story? Let us know in the comments.

Jesse