Dad Swindles Redditor Out Of Mom’s Will, Then Plays Victim — Are They Wrong For Cutting Him Off

Grief doesn’t just test the heart; it also tests trust. When someone dies, what’s left behind isn’t only memories and possessions, but the fragile expectation that the people closest to us will honor both.

Wills are more than legal documents; they are final expressions of intent. And when those intentions are altered, dismissed, or manipulated, the wound cuts deeper than money ever could.

In 1999, the OP lost his mother to liver cancer. He was young, inexperienced, and an only child trying to navigate adulthood through the fog of loss. Her will left roughly 80% of her modest estate—about $16,000—to the OP.

OP's father told him it was a mistake. He said her mental health had declined too quickly to update the paperwork and that the money was meant for him.

Of course, OP believed him because he was his dad and because he's supposed to. So the OP handed it over.

Years passed, and OP's dad remarried. The tone changed as OP's late mother became the villain in casual backyard conversations, while his new life was painted in glowing colors.

The OP moved away, built his own family, and contact faded into the distance. When his wife later died, his dad's response was cold and detached.

To make matters worse, he didn’t come to the funeral. Two decades later, the OP learned the truth: his aunt had helped his mother draft that will deliberately, knowing his father would likely challenge it.

Read the full story below to find out what happens next...

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The OP is not sure if he invested the house's money locally or if he moved it to Russia

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Eventually, the OP told him never to contact him again, and stopped answering his messages

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His sister is now asking the OP to forgive him for what he did and to free his soul

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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the AH:

I won't forgive my father because he stole from me. Why does it make me an AH, because family should be everything!

Let's head into the comments section and find out what other Redditors have to say about the story

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The OP lists the law degrees

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This Redditor is still doing okay without a single regret

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He took advantage of OP's vulnerable state

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He exploited OP's trust at his most vulnerable moment

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The OP is healed enough to recognize betrayal

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OP's father is a user who won't change

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The OP seems to have made peace with his decision

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Forgiveness is often framed as liberation—as if letting go automatically lightens the soul. But forgiveness without accountability can feel like rewriting history to make others comfortable.

Dementia may blur OP's dad's memory, but it doesn’t erase his. The betrayal happened, and the choices were deliberate as OP's grief was exploited.

Maybe peace doesn’t require reconciliation, and maybe closure isn’t about restoring a relationship, but accepting its truth. In the end, the OP was declared not the AH.