8月23日更新：给Stripe发邮件后，我的账户恢复了，但我还是不敢掉以轻心，因为付款日期又被推迟到了8月26日。客户们都在待命，准备发起争议，然后我再通过Easy Pay Direct账户重新收费——这都是拜这次的噩梦所赐。我的律师也在待命，准备提起侵权干涉诉讼。这次毫无必要的业务中断真是让我气炸了。 Stripe删除了我在他们子版块发的帖子，所以我就来这里发了。我不想斤斤计较或者不讲道理，我只是希望他们能跟我沟通。 事实： * 公司成立2年，做管理咨询和营销。 * 所有交易都通过发票和合同进行。 * 去年处理了超过75.3万美元的交易。 * 只有一笔欺诈性的退款，来自一个仍然在合同期内的糟糕客户。 情况： 一个客户在12个月合同的第6个月欺诈性地退款了1.6万美元。Stripe关闭了我的账户，但奇怪的是还在继续处理交易，只是我的钱要被hold住60-90天。 我用同一个LLC注册了另一个账户。经过业务审查后，Stripe设置了30%的准备金（这完全可以理解）。我签了一个2.4万美元的客户，然后收了2.4万美元。 问题： Stripe完全关闭了那个账户，既不收费也不付款。他们要我提交EIN、银行对账单和合同，我都提交了。 然后我收到一封来自客服的邮件，说我的申诉失败了，交易款项将会退还给客户，他们也不再支持我的业务。 但是，旧账户没有同样的问题，只是付款要hold住60-90天。客服一点用都没有，我甚至给Patrick发了邮件，结果毫无回应。 现在他们没有关闭我的账户，也没有像他们说的那样退还交易款项（我希望他们退还）。我账户里那27139美元的付款日期一直在往后推迟2天。 他们不告诉我哪些交易符合退款条件，还说他们会把所有没被退款的钱都据为己有。 我觉得自己被抢劫了。 我会等5天，然后让我的所有客户都发起争议。这让我很生气，因为下周我还要自掏腰包出差去服务客户，而那个客户的付款还被卡在Stripe这里。 我不想走到这一步，因为我讨厌律师，更讨厌威胁......但是如果争议不起作用，Stripe又不采取正确行动，立即退还他们关闭账户的所有款项，我的律师就会在佛罗里达州提起诉讼，控告他们侵权干涉有效合同。 2.7万美元不算很多钱，但我越深入调查，就越发现Stripe的滥用行为。 我不认为只有我一个人遇到这种情况，可能需要集体诉讼才能阻止这些滥用行为继续下去，因为我们的政府不会像对待银行那样监管他们，但他们实际上就是银行。 Stripe，告诉我到底发生了什么。我理解商业和风险，但这种缺乏沟通是不可接受的。

嘿，我之前在其他版块发了个评论，有人私信我说你们可能想听这个故事，希望它适合这里。 简单来说，我的一个好朋友巧妙地钻了空子，白拿了19个月的工资，基本上啥也没干。 不出所料，这是个政府部门的工作。她和她的同事在一个州政府办公室工作，负责追踪草原犬鼠群中的鼠疫病例。夏天的时候，他们忙得不可开交，到处捕捉和检测。但到了冬天，草原犬鼠冬眠了，他们就没事可做了。 第一个秋天，他们通过邮件告诉老板，这个季节没什么可做的了。老板回复说让他们待命，等待重新分配任务。于是……他们就真的待命了。一连几个月。 他们不想被人指责光打卡不上班，所以一开始还象征性地整理了一下储物空间（动作非常慢），把办公室打扫了好几遍，整理文件之类的。后来实在没啥可干的了，他们就开始睡觉、做功课、玩数独，等等。 最初，他们还轮流睡觉，确保有人值班，以防有人来检查。但后来发现根本没人来，他们也懒得装样子了。 第二年夏天，草原犬鼠结束冬眠，她以为可以复工了。结果整个办公室（所有部门的员工）都收到了一封高层发来的邮件，通知大家这个部门被裁掉了。我不知道是因为没钱了，还是他们去年夏天已经收集了足够的数据，或者是因为某个政客的个人项目被遗忘了。总之，州渔猎管理部门出于某种原因取消了这个项目。 邮件里没有提到她的工作状态，所以她和同事继续去上班，继续啥也不干。 她告诉我，他们用橡皮筋做了一条巨大的链子，把两把办公椅绑在一起，面对面，这样就能在椅子上睡觉了（她只有1米5，所以勉强能睡下）。她还说他们在办公桌底下搭了个“窝”，把那台比较大的复印机从柜子里搬出来，睡在里面。 他们会确保保安时不时看到他们，而且摄像头也拍得到。只要有人稍微注意一下，肯定会发现他们在混日子，但就是没人管。他们尽量避开其他部门的人，怕被人告发，就只管自己的事（反正他们平时也很少和其他员工互动）。 最后，她在一次展览上碰到了她的“老板”。老板问她找到新工作了吗。她也没撒谎，说还在那儿上班。老板当时就傻眼了，终于意识到发生了什么事。 事情败露后，第二天早上，他们还没去上班就收到了解雇邮件。因为他们已经在那里工作了很长时间（好像是两年），所以他们都拿到了一笔遣散费。 你们肯定想知道他们能不能拿到工资吧？答案是能，因为： 1. 他们有证据表明他们已经通知老板没事可做了，而且老板也看到了邮件并作出了回应。 2. 他们每天都去上班。 3. 他们完全按照指示“待命”。 4. 确保他们有工作可做不是他们的责任。 而且他们还有资格领取失业救济金。 不过，他们都没领，因为他们一直觉得这种白拿钱的日子迟早会结束，所以早就找好了新工作。 编辑补充：谢谢大家分享的故事！我没想到“遗忘”员工并继续给他们发工资的情况这么普遍。你们让我大开眼界。请继续分享！ 读着你们的评论，我脑海中浮现出《独立日》里的一句台词： “你不会真的以为他们会花一万美元买一把锤子，三万美元买一个马桶座吧？” 这些钱不是进了51区，而是给了那些被遗忘和多余的政府雇员！ 再次编辑：我征得了我朋友的同意，可以讲讲她“待命”期间做的其他事情（她不玩Reddit）： * 有一个秋天，她和同事用迷你万圣节装饰品装饰了他们一起午睡的秘密场所（一个步入式储物柜），然后重演了《女巫也疯狂》里的场景。 * 她花了很多时间编辑维基百科的语法。 * 她学会了编织，然后发现自己不喜欢编织。 * 她的同事从网上下载了关于如何制作个人飞行器（比如喷气背包）的图纸，并尝试用办公室用品以1/16的比例制作。他们知道这东西飞不起来，只是想看看能不能把它的样子做出来。 * 圣诞节期间，他们创作了一系列关于他们有多无聊的全新歌曲。总共完成了14首，并用她现在还保存的一个迷你录音机录了下来。 * 她的同事去夜校学习（其实是晚间学校），白天做作业。当他们最终被解雇时，他离成为一名律师助理只差一步之遥。他最终完成了学业，并很快找到了一份工作。多年后的今天，他成了一名房地产律师。真棒！ * “我们发明了Uber和Lyft。” 也就是说，他们制定了一个完善的非出租车乘车服务计划，可以通过互联网订车（当时还没有智能手机）。 * 她给监狱里的一群连环杀手写信，告诉他们自己对他们有多失望。她从未收到过回复。 再次感谢大家分享的故事！你们都是杰出的人，祝你们有个美好的一天！:) 最新编辑：有人私信问我现在她在做什么。她拿到了州政府工作的一份闪闪发光的推荐信，然后去了我们市里的动物园工作，后来获得了野生动物康复认证。现在她在一个大型猫科动物保护区担任公共外联协调员。不，她不怀念以前的工作，无论是与感染鼠疫的草原犬鼠打交道，还是无聊得要命。她说，谢谢你们的关心！ 总结：我朋友的工作变得多余了。当她告诉老板她和同事没事可做时，她被告知待命，等待重新分配任务。我朋友“待命”了19个月，白拿工资，直到她在一次展览上碰到了她的老板，她的老板才终于意识到发生了什么事。我朋友和她的同事悄悄地被解雇了，还拿到了一笔遣散费。

OK， 这是关于有人雇了第三方服务来割草，结果草坪工把他的新割草机偷了的故事。 **事情经过：** * 楼主用了一个app找人割草，以前都没问题。 * 这次发现放在后院的割草机（TORO牌）不见了。 * 监控显示，草坪工把割草机偷走了，还想从邻居家院子推走。 **后续：** * 第三方公司说是盗窃，让楼主报警。他们退了割草的钱，但其他事情要走法律途径。 * 楼主联系了草坪工，对方一开始说以为割草机坏了，就拿走了。后来又改口说割草机在他的拖车里，拖车被偷了。 * 警察介入，告诉草坪工限期归还割草机或赔钱，否则就以重罪盗窃罪逮捕他。 * 有人在Nextdoor上发了这件事，有人认出了这个草坪工，还找到了他的Instagram。 * 大家开始在Facebook上嘲笑他，因为他在社交媒体上把自己包装成成功人士。 * 草坪工的妈妈联系楼主，求他删帖，说影响她儿子的生意。楼主没同意，让她让儿子自己解决。 * 草坪工删除了所有社交媒体账号。 **第二天：** * 楼主早上醒来，发现有36个未接来电，都是凌晨1-4点打来的。 * 他用其他号码联系草坪工，对方接了，但之前那个号码已经被拉黑。 * 草坪工的妈妈也联系不上他了，让楼主看着办。 * 草坪工通过他姐姐联系楼主，说没钱赔偿，能不能让警察给他两周时间筹钱。楼主没同意。 * 草坪工甚至提出免费给楼主割草来弥补，这等于承认自己偷了东西。 **警察介入：** * 警察到楼主家调查，并从第三方公司那里拿到了文件。 * 警察发现这个草坪工在其他地方也有盗窃案底，决定直接逮捕他。 **草坪工的狡辩：** * 草坪工发短信给楼主，说他没有恶意，只是以为割草机坏了，帮他处理掉。他还说自己有很多客户让他处理旧设备。 * 他还说割草机启动不了，是楼主自己把它丢在院子里，不应该让他赔偿。 * 最后，草坪工恼羞成怒，开始骂楼主，说自己有钱，能买10个割草机，还说楼主是“螃蟹心态”，见不得别人成功。 **结局：** * 楼主觉得草坪工已经疯了，停止了和他联系，并把短信发给了他的妈妈和姐姐。 * 楼主买了新的电动割草机，可以放在家里。 * 律师朋友说可以起诉第三方公司，而且胜算很大。 * 警察已经发布了逮捕令，只要扫描到草坪工的车牌，或者警察拦下他，就会逮捕他。 **楼主对Reddit的感谢：** * 感谢Reddit网友的关注和支持，让他在这个糟糕的经历中保持乐观。

旧金山治安太差了！我们Kraken的员工和合作伙伴都被袭击抢劫了，实在没法待下去了，只能关掉旧金山的全球总部。说实话，现在旧金山的犯罪和毒品问题已经失控了。这一切都得怪地方检察官Chesa Boudin，他的政策根本不管老百姓的死活，只保护那些街头混混！旧金山现在根本不安全，除非换个靠谱的检察官，真正保护守法公民的权益，不然没戏！

Okay, so my dad is losing it because my mom is sleeping with other people, which is exactly what he wanted when he suggested an open marriage. Basically, my parents got hitched super young because my mom got pregnant with me. My grandpa set my dad up with a business in the city, so we moved. My mom grew up in a super conservative town and was raised to be a totally submissive wife. Even after the move, she didn't really socialize or have any friends. My dad was always working and traveling, so he wasn't really present as a husband or a father. We always had money, so I became my mom's best friend growing up. I encouraged her to make friends and get hobbies. Eventually, she started going to the park and made a friend who was a gym trainer. She ended up joining the gym. She met more people and started having a social life, but she still told me everything. My dad's secretary gave him the idea, I guess, because he asked my mom for an open marriage about a year ago. He said he wasn't happy and that she wasn't giving him what he wanted. My mom, being all "Christian wife," was shocked and told me about it in tears. I told her to just get a divorce, but she's against it. I knew things would get messy if she agreed. Eventually, her friend and I talked her into it, but only if they were completely honest with each other. My dad's a middle-aged dude with a gut, and my mom is a fit woman who works out. I'm 22, by the way. I don't know what my dad was thinking. I helped my mom set up dating profiles, and she got tons of matches. After chatting with guys for months, she started hooking up with a few. It's been a huge confidence boost for her. My dad hooked up with his secretary right away but hasn't had much luck otherwise. Because of the whole transparency thing, my mom tells him about her hookups. A few weeks ago, he yelled at her over something small. Usually, she would have apologized, but she stood her ground. They've been fighting constantly. My dad makes snide comments about what she wears or how she looks. He almost called her a whore once. I think the whole "open marriage" thing finally hit him. My mom told me he tried to call it off, but she said no way. I think they're going to split up. My dad was never really there for us, so the thought of them divorcing is still weird. I don't feel bad for him, but I wish he had tried harder with his family. I'm happy for my mom, though. **Update (April 18, 2022):** A few days after my last post, my dad moved out and served my mom with divorce papers. He told my grandparents, who didn't know anything about this, and implied that my mom was cheating on him. Both sets of grandparents came over and started yelling at my mom. My mom showed them screenshots of all the conversations she had with my dad, and things got even worse. The grandparents started fighting each other, blaming each other's kids. Then, my mom's old "church friends" came over. They used to look down on her for being from a small town. My mom's always been caring and non-judgmental, so she stopped going to church after she disagreed with their bigotry. These "friends" called her a slut, and she kicked them out. My mom's been working out, so she's got defined abs and arms. On top of everything else, my grandparents accused her of having a "man's body" and were being transphobic. Her trainer friend has been a huge support, and my mom's been spending a lot of time at her house. Turns out, the business my dad runs is actually owned by my mom! Her dad set it up in her name. I didn't know that. My dad's living in a hotel, and my grandparents left after a week of fighting and trying to get my parents back together. I know there's more divorce drama to come, but I hope things calm down soon.

Yesterday, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, declaring "democracy has prevailed." He's taking office at a tough time, facing a deeply divided country and a bunch of major crises, maybe more than any president before him.

我和前夫是因为各自最好的朋友结婚认识的。他当时是伴郎，我是伴娘。 几年后，我们都住在同一个社区，而且几乎同时有了四个孩子。后来，我们想做加盟生意，就雇了我的朋友，就叫她“霍巴格”吧，当我们的律师。 霍巴格和我前夫，就叫他“道格”，经常一起熬夜，解决合同上的各种难题……以及其他的事。 七月份的时候，他们要去纽约一周，“面试潜在的加盟商”。霍巴格的前夫打电话给我，说他雇了侦探跟踪他们，发现他们举止亲密，而且只开了一间酒店房。 既然这样，七月天这么热，她那辆小货车的右前窗还开了一条两英寸的缝。我就自己动手，把几只生虾和鸡汤一起打成浆，然后过滤掉固体。我找了一根长管子，把管子伸到她后排乘客座位的地毯上，尽可能地往座位底下塞。（我没选前排座位，因为那里有可拆卸的垫子。） 然后，我慢慢地把大约半杯我调的“药水”通过管子灌了进去。 那一周，每天都超过90华氏度。那味道简直太可怕了！真是大获全胜！在她和道格的事情上，我和她丈夫都装作不知道，直到我们各自咨询了我们城市里所有最好的律师，把财务状况都安排妥当了才算完。 这招报复可能有点小家子气，但真的很有效，而且我一点也不后悔。

Okay, so this guy's sister and niece came to visit, and he told them to stay out of his office because he's a lawyer and keeps confidential stuff in there. Well, the niece, who's 13 and wants to be a lawyer, went into his office anyway and started taking selfies. He freaked out and yelled at her, calling her names. His sister got mad at him for yelling at a kid. A lot of people online said he was an ass for the way he reacted, but also that he should have secured his office better. He admitted he messed up, apologized to his sister and niece, and is now taking steps to secure his office. He even had a good conversation with his niece about being a lawyer and let her take a picture in his office after putting away the sensitive stuff.

Okay, so this is a crazy story about my ex, Natalie, and her daughter Emma, who might be mine but who knows because Natalie refuses to take a paternity test. Basically, 15 years ago, I was about to break up with Natalie after being together for three years. I came back from a work trip and she told me she was pregnant. I did the math and knew it wasn't mine since I was gone for two months. But she insisted it was, so I told her I'd take a paternity test and, if it was mine, we could talk about support and custody. She refused and told everyone I was a deadbeat. I talked to a lawyer who said if I gave her any money or support, it could look like I was admitting the kid was mine. So I told our friends that, and most backed off, except for one guy. He thought I should still help her, so I told him he could house her instead. That shut him up. Emma was born, and Natalie kept sending me pictures, trying to guilt me into being a dad. I filed a restraining order because she wouldn't stop bothering me. But in my state, those only last two years! So, every two years, Natalie would show up again with Emma. I eventually met my wife, Kim, and we have a son named Henry. Kim knows all about Natalie and Emma. Every time Natalie starts up again, I offer a paternity test, and promise to take responsibility if Emma is mine. But Natalie always refuses. Recently, Emma approached my son at a school event and told him she was his big sister. Henry ran to a teacher, and I had to explain the whole messed-up situation to the school. I even called Emma my "Naughter" a few times. One of the other moms said that was wrong, since Emma probably believes I'm her dad. I get it, but honestly, joking about it is the only way I can cope with this whole crazy situation. **Here's where it gets more complicated:** * In my state, the **mom has to request the paternity test**, not the dad, unless I did it within a month of Emma's birth. * I **can't just get custody** to force a DNA test because the court sees me as a random person since I was never on Emma's birth certificate, and Natalie never claimed I was the father. Some people suggested getting a DNA sample without her permission, but my lawyer said it wouldn't be admissible in court. Someone asked how Emma found Henry at the zoo. We think Natalie befriended a mom at the school and got the class schedule. **Here's an update:** I talked to my lawyer, and we have a hearing for a new restraining order this week. Also, CPS is investigating Natalie and Emma's living situation. My lawyer thinks this could finally end things. In family court, there's a temporary guardian ad litem (a legal guardian). If one is appointed for Emma, we can ask them to order a DNA test. **More about my relationship with Natalie:** I was already planning to break up with her when she told me she was pregnant. She was jealous, controlling, and I realized I didn't miss her when I was away for work. When I said I would take care of the child and split custody she just wanted me to marry her. She insisted the test was insulting, so I refused any further contact. **Court Update!** The hearing went well. Emma and Natalie were there, and we found out Emma is living with her great-grandmother and has a guardian ad litem. My lawyer thinks that this may be because Natalie's home situation may not be safe. My lawyer offered to do a DNA test, and Natalie freaked out. Emma's guardian accepted, and we both swabbed our cheeks right there in the courthouse! We have a temporary order in place, and a second hearing is scheduled. We'll have the test results back in about four weeks. P.S. That "charity as a cudgel" guy? That was Jim. He's gay, hates Natalie, but is just a nice, naive guy.

好吧，事情是这样的：我妈和我姐想把我送进精神病院，这样她们就能获得我的授权，帮我办假离婚，然后偷我老婆的钱。 先说说背景：我老婆要出差，我就想着趁她不在，去看看我家人。他们住在俄克拉荷马州，那可是美国有名的“瘾君子之都”，我知道这次回去肯定会鸡飞狗跳，但没想到会这么离谱。 我把回家的日期告诉我妈后，她就开始发一些奇奇怪怪的消息。 平时我家人发的消息是这样的：“我网上看到说吸双氧水对身体好。”或者“我们贷款买了个城堡，因为刚买的按摩浴缸家里放不下。” 你们要知道，我爸妈都穷得叮当响，也不找工作，基本靠我兄弟姐妹养活。 但这次，他们却发来一堆短信，指责我老婆偷偷虐待我。这些消息太奇怪了，我家人认识我老婆十几年了，她简直是世界上最好的人。讽刺的是，我爸妈才是虐待孩子的惯犯，语言上、情感上、身体上、经济上，没一样放过。而我老婆就像天使一样，一直爱我、支持我，陪我度过童年阴影造成的创伤后遗症。 我再三向我妈保证，我老婆还是那个善良、不虐待人的好人，她就开始说她掌握了什么“秘密”，但就是不肯告诉我。最后我只能认为她闲得无聊，想搞点事情来打发时间。 好了，时间快进到我回家那天。我醒来后感觉很累，就想去附近的咖啡店喝杯咖啡。那家店离我爸妈家大概有五英里。但我一直被家里那些争吵和精神操控搞得很崩溃，结果开车的时候精神恍惚，一下子开到了半小时路程之外的地方。意识到还得开半小时才能回去，我就打电话告诉我妈一声，免得她担心。 没过多久，我姐就给我打电话了。她开始说我开车走神是因为我“精神失常”、“妄想”。她说我脑子肯定有问题，需要马上去急诊看看。但不是去离我最近的急诊，而是去离她最近的急诊（她住的地方离我爸妈家有两个小时的路程）。她说我必须去看X医生，让他签字把我送到精神病院，这样才安全。我说她反应过激了，我没事，只是开车的时候走神了而已，她就说她和我妈早就发现我的认知能力越来越差了。我问她发现了什么，她却含糊其辞，说不清楚。 反正我回到我爸妈家，走进他们家的客房，想喝完咖啡，发几封邮件，再开始新的一天。结果我听到我妈办公室（就在我住的房间旁边）里有动静，就好奇地过去看看。结果是她家的猫把她桌上的一堆文件碰掉了。 我去捡文件的时候，看到了我的名字。在一张又一张纸上，都写着我的名字。上面有非自愿的公民承诺书（需要医生签字才能无限期收容），授权书（一旦我被非自愿收容，我妈就成为我的代理人），还有以我的名义提交的离婚协议书，以及我家人写的声明，说我老婆虐待我，所以他们要求每年支付赡养费给我妈（也就是我未来的代理人），直到我被解除收容为止。 我当时就吓傻了。他们想敲诈我老婆的钱，竟然想把我关进精神病院一辈子！ 我给我老婆打了电话，收拾好行李，一声不吭地走了。 更新： 谢谢大家的建议和鼓励！我想补充几点： 我之所以放心地把猫留下，是因为我爸妈把她当成猫神一样供着。很多自恋型人格的人都这样，他们可以无条件地爱宠物/植物，但就是不爱自己的孩子。 这已经不是他们第一次想把我送进精神病院了。十年前，我还在上高中，有一次我们吵得很厉害，我爸妈想强行把我塞进车里，送我去急诊。当时我吵架的时候想上厕所，他们也跟着我进了厕所，继续和我吵，最后还硬生生把我从马桶上拽了下来。我知道大部分家庭都不是这样的，我早该和他们断绝关系了。被自恋型人格的人虐待会让人精神错乱，我到现在还会感到内疚，觉得自己做错了，应该和他们和好。 我正在申请新的社安号，还要改名字。我的社安号一直都不能用，可能根本就是假的。谢谢大家提醒我那些我没想到的事情！感谢大家！也希望所有有相同遭遇的人都能过上幸福、没有压力的生活！

天啊，我收到邮件了，整个人都崩溃了。这可是我梦寐以求的工作啊！

我的侄女去年12月拿到了社区大学的副学士学位，之后一直在一家税务会计小公司做秘书和接待员，也负责准备一些基础表格。最近她跟我抱怨工作上的事，主要是管理层和同事的问题，他们大多是40到65岁的男性。圣诞节晚餐的时候，我们都在聊这个。 她在晚餐上说，她已经跟人力资源部投诉过好几次了，但他们每次都说“我们会调查”，然后就没下文了。 管理层经常因为她的外貌对她评头论足，说些负面的话。比如让她去做隆胸手术，说这样能“提高她在接待台的工作表现”，或者让她穿“紧身一点的裙子”，好“展现身材”。我侄女平时穿着很保守，所以这些话让她觉得非常不舒服。 她的老板（50多岁）经常叫错她的名字，因为不喜欢她“少数族裔”的名字，总是叫她的名字的“白人版本”。她抱怨的时候，她老板的态度就是“我就是你老板，爱咋咋地”。 她还发现管理层没给她加班费，但她明明是拿时薪的，法律规定加班必须付1.5倍的工资。 老板还提出，如果她愿意跟他出去吃饭，就给她升职。她拒绝了，然后她老板就在办公室里到处说她工作表现不好，因为没能得逞。 她老板还经常发表性别歧视言论，说女人不能担任领导职位，只能做“好助手和秘书”，因为女人“天生就应该服务和服从”。他还说她应该感谢“能在我们公司工作的机会”。 最终爆发是在一次团队建设的办公室会议上。公司高层、CEO、她老板和办公室里的很多人都参加了。会议上，她老板把手放在她肩膀上，当时她正坐在桌边，他站在她身后，然后开始说她工作表现不好。他说她应该“在生活中更顺从，在工作中永远不要说不”，还说她应该以他听话的泰国全职太太为榜样，这样明年才有机会拿到奖金或加薪（今年她没拿到加薪）。 我侄女站起来，狠狠地扇了她老板一巴掌，骂他是性别歧视的变态，然后大喊“我不干了！”就冲了出去。 **最新进展：** 我看了大家的回复，很多人都说得很有道理，下次跟侄女聊天的时候我会告诉她。首先，扇老板耳光可能会让她面临人身伤害的诉讼，其次，她应该尽快咨询俄克拉荷马州的律师（她住在那里），咨询关于性骚扰和拖欠加班费的问题。希望律师能告诉她可以采取哪些法律途径。我不知道她有没有留下任何证据。

嘿，大家好。我不是发帖人，这是转发的。 这是2020年2月26日的原帖：我要求丈夫承担更多房租，我错了吗？ 我是29岁的女性，我丈夫30岁。我们从我20岁开始在一起，26岁结婚。25岁同居时，我们平分房租。当时我年薪6.5万，他8万，我们住在美国一个大城市。平分每月2600美元的房租，对我的预算和他相比，其实没太大影响。 后来情况变了。结婚几个月后我怀孕了（我们都很高兴，也想要孩子）。我不想完全不工作，但又想在家带孩子，所以找了一份全职远程工作，但工资从6.5万降到了5万。我们还是平分公寓的房租。 我丈夫从26岁到30岁，加薪了好几次，也换了工作。现在他是高级商业分析师，年薪大约19.5万。因为有了孩子，我们需要更大的公寓。我们找到了一套三居室，每月4000美元。尽管我反对，也想找一套更小更便宜的，但他还是坚持平分房租。最后，我有点被他说服了，因为他真的很会说话，而且我爱他。 快进到两年半后，我们的房租涨到了4400美元。我税后月收入大概是3600美元。每个月要交2200美元的房租。我还要照顾孩子和家，每天做家务和做饭。我丈夫早上8点上班，下午6点下班，但通常要7点才到家。我感觉自己快累垮了。我几乎没有足够的钱做自己喜欢的事情。我觉得自己经济拮据，而我丈夫却过着奢侈的生活。是的，他会带我出去约会和度假，但他似乎不明白这些对我来说还不够。 两天前，我和他认真地谈了一次，问他能不能按照收入比例来分摊房租，这样更公平。他的反应让我震惊。他问我，每个月多出1600美元还不够我花吗。我说我根本存不了钱。他说我应该减少课外活动——这让我觉得好笑，我哪有什么课外活动？我所做的就是工作、做饭、打扫、为家里购物和带孩子。我告诉他，我基本上同时做着两份全职工作，我需要帮助。然后他问我是不是暗示他应该付钱给我，让我做母亲，这让我震惊了——我真的无言以对。 总之，他说这是我们很久以前同居时就同意的生活方式。但他似乎不明白，或者说是不想明白。 现在他生我的气，因为他觉得我自私，这几天对我很冷淡。我开始想道歉，像往常一样收回我说的话，但我真的觉得自己是对的。 我是个混蛋吗？ **编辑：**感谢大家的回复。说实话，我没想到会得到这样的反馈。 我真的不知所措，无法回复所有人，尤其是在我工作的时候，但我想在这里更新一些事情。 我全心全意地爱我的丈夫，看到这些评论，意识到我正在被利用，这让我很伤心。我需要找到解决这个问题的最佳方法，并在它变得太糟糕之前解决它。我想解决这个问题，对孤独的恐惧一直困扰着我。 是的，我签了一份婚前协议，由他家的律师监督。我丈夫来自一个非常富有的家庭，我当时又年轻又蠢，就同意了。就像我妈妈常说的那样，我爱得昏头转向。 至于他的家人——我们相处得很好，他们爱我。这很令人困惑，因为他们都是非常慷慨的人，而且他们是家人。但他们不知道我们的财务状况，因为我和我丈夫都认为我们的婚姻是私事。如果我告诉他们，我会觉得自己背叛了他。 我很抱歉不能回复所有人，但请知道我正在阅读所有的评论，并根据这些评论制定一个行动计划。 **编辑2：**对于那些谈论他支付约会和度假费用的人——我已经多次要求他减轻我的经济负担，而不是去旅行和约会，但他拒绝了。他说他可以用他的钱做他想做的事，如果他想带我们去度假，他就会付钱。如果我负担得起度假，我也会付钱。事实上，当我们的经济状况更平衡，未婚，没有孩子的时候——我几乎支付了我们所有的假期和约会费用，因为我喜欢款待别人。但我现在做不到了。 **编辑3：**我也没有不良的消费习惯。我毕业后两年内还清了学生贷款。我们在结婚时存了6万，我把这些钱都放在了退休金里，我很感激，因为我现在已经不能再往里面存钱了。这和我的消费方式无关。我其实在购物方面很节俭，尤其是我喜欢买便宜的东西来控制预算。 判决：NTA（你不是混蛋） 2022年10月29日更新： 我真心为这么久才回到Reddit并更新这件事道歉。自从那以后发生了很多事。对于那些不知道的人来说，这篇文章最初写于2020年2月底。之后，世界崩溃了。 当时我和我丈夫的关系……不太好。我想先说清楚，直到今天我们仍然在一起——而且我们迎来了一个新的孩子——这次在一个更健康的环境中。 新冠疫情改变了我很多，以及之前那篇文章的病毒式传播。我和我丈夫都没有被解雇或休假（我们当时和现在都很感激），但我丈夫开始在家工作。这种视角的转变改变了他很多，当他看到我每天要处理的事情——我永远无法正确地表达在工作的同时抚养孩子有多困难，以及我带来了他永远看不到的价值。尽管他对我有了新的理解，但我仍然发现自己怨恨他。 6月份，在从3月份开始接受自己的虚拟治疗（从中我了解到为什么我总是让人欺负我，以及如何克服这个问题）之后，我终于提出我们去做夫妻咨询。 令我惊讶的是，我丈夫同意了，所以我们从那时起一直每周都去做咨询——直到今天。这帮助他找到了恐惧的根源，并解决了为什么他很难在经济上信任我——这与我无关，更多的是与他从小被灌输的观念有关。在告诉他我不想继续和他建立家庭或生活，眼睁睁地看着我从奢华中挣扎（在我们的优秀咨询师的帮助下）之后，我丈夫愿意调整我们的生活方式，使其更加平等。 我不是说一切都奇迹般地完美了。我知道人们想要看到我离开我邪恶的丈夫，带着我的孩子开始新生活的更新，但我嫁给这个人是有原因的——我看到了他的优点——并且在克服了这段挣扎之后，他已经成为了我当初知道我会嫁给的那个男人。 我们现在有一个共同的银行账户，以及我们自己的额外账户。我们每个人将收入的2/3放入共享账户，并保留1/3供自己使用。我现在换了一份新工作，收入比最初的帖子中高得多（但这并不影响我们的关系，只是为了让大家知道我的1/3足够我享受了）。 这仍然是一条复苏之路，但我们之间有了更多的信任，也不再过着50/50的生活方式了。 再次，我很抱歉没有更早地更新，但过去的几年对我们（和所有人）来说都很多。 感谢大家的支持和建议——我保证如果没有这些，我就不会坐在这里打字了。

美国司法部和多个州的总检察长起诉了苹果，说他们利用iPhone生态系统搞垄断，为了追求高额利润，损害了消费者、开发者以及其他手机厂商的利益。 他们认为，苹果的垄断行为不只在iPhone和Apple Watch上，还包括广告、浏览器、FaceTime和新闻服务。 司法部说，为了让大家继续买iPhone，苹果故意阻止跨平台消息应用，限制第三方钱包和智能手表的兼容性，还阻挠非App Store的应用和云游戏服务。 这下苹果的“围墙花园”商业模式危险了。苹果自己也说，如果遵守这些规定，会花很多钱，可能没法推出新产品，还会影响客户需求。 如果败诉，苹果可能要改变他们最赚钱的业务，比如iPhone、Apple Watch和各种服务。 司法部长梅里克·加兰说，如果不阻止苹果，他们只会继续加强智能手机垄断。 苹果回应说，他们不同意司法部的说法，会积极应诉。苹果的发言人表示，这次诉讼威胁到了苹果的根本，以及苹果产品在激烈市场竞争中脱颖而出的原则。如果司法部赢了，苹果就没法创造人们期待的那种软硬件和服务结合的技术了，而且还会开一个危险的先例，让政府过度干预科技产品的设计。 这次起诉之前，政府已经调查苹果好几年了，之前还因为电子书价格和压低工资的问题告过苹果。 起诉书里还引用了库克和其他高管的评论。有人让苹果改进iPhone和安卓手机之间的消息互通，开发者甚至开发出能绕过平台限制的应用，结果都被苹果给封杀了。 司法部还提到了库克和用户之间的一个对话。有人抱怨说，没法给妈妈发特定的视频，库克直接说：“给你妈买个iPhone。” 司法部还关注了Apple Watch，说它只能和iPhone配对，这意味着如果用户想用Apple Watch，就只能继续买iPhone。 另外，司法部还说苹果一直在App Store上打压云游戏服务，不让用户在iPhone上玩高质量的视频游戏。 最近，苹果面临了不少反垄断的挑战，主要集中在对App Store的控制上。之前和Epic Games的诉讼，苹果虽然赢了，但也做出了一些让步，根据加州法律修改了一些政策。 司法部助理部长乔纳森·坎特说，这次诉讼是为了追究苹果的责任，确保他们不能在其他重要市场使用同样的非法手段。 苹果还和欧盟委员会就《数字市场法案》的问题争论不休。这个法案要求苹果向竞争对手开放iPhone应用商店。苹果计划对那些不使用其应用商店的大公司，每次下载收取50美分。 之前，苹果因为与Spotify的纠纷被欧盟罚款20亿美元，原因是Spotify想在自己的应用里链接到自己的网站和账户系统。 数据显示，2023年最后一个季度，苹果在美国iPhone市场占有64%的份额，三星占18%。 当然，苹果不是唯一一家面临政府审查的科技巨头。司法部在2020年和2021年分别对谷歌提起了反垄断诉讼，指控其在搜索和广告业务中占据主导地位。上世纪90年代，司法部还起诉了微软，最终迫使微软允许用户将Internet Explorer浏览器从Windows操作系统中分离出来。

Okay, here's the story, cleaned up and told like I'm talking to you: Five years ago, I won the lottery. I'm talking nearly $4 million after taxes. I paid off my debts, got a good accountant, fixed up my truck, and stashed the rest away. The crazy part? I didn't tell a soul. My family's a mess – a meth-head brother, a spiteful sister, and a mom who blames everything on my dead dad. I didn't want them crawling out of the woodwork for the cash. Fast forward to now, I'm engaged to an amazing woman. I bought a decent ring, but nothing that screamed "lottery winner." I've been waiting to tell her about the money so I'd know she was with me for me. I finally told her. I explained how I kept it secret to protect myself from my family and how it spiraled into a "does she really like me?" thing. She was shocked, of course. We talked about prenups and how we're both financially independent. I even offered to cover her legal fees for the prenup. I've helped out a few friends here and there, but that's it. For those of you who think you're entitled to know everything about your partner's finances while dating, that's your business. We're adults and never needed to get into the specifics of our accounts. I enjoy my job and the people I work with, so I've been sticking around. Plus, my investments bring in about double my salary, so I've been saving even more. I plan to buy a new car, maybe one for her too. I want to buy a house, pay off a friend's student loan, and travel. This friend let me crash at his place for two years while I was kicking a drinking habit, so he deserves it. I'm setting up a college fund for his newborn daughter, paying off his debts, and helping him with his house. **Update:** So, I laid it all out for my fiancee. We went to our favorite little Italian place and saw Star Wars. After the movie, we relaxed at home, and I told her I wanted to be completely open with her before we got married. That's when I dropped the bomb: we'd never have to worry about money because I had over $3 million in the bank. She started crying and looked terrified. I thought I'd screwed everything up! I explained why I kept it a secret – my family, not wanting people to change, the fear of losing my friends. Then she apologized. She had about $40,000 in student loan and credit card debt and was afraid it would break us up. She thought I was too responsible to take on that kind of debt, which is why she never talked about money and was okay with a prenup. After a long talk about trust and honesty, we figured out the prenup. My winnings stay mine, but any interest or dividends we earn during the marriage will be shared. I'm really happy with how it turned out. We're working with lawyers and my accountant this week, and I'm putting in my two weeks' notice at work. She's keeping her job for now, but we're planning a vacation to celebrate. I offered to pay off my friend's house, but he refused. He was grateful for the college fund for his daughter, though. I'm going to keep trying to help him out – maybe a vacation, at least. Someone asked why I was quitting my job. I actually have an offer from a company that pays less but is more in line with my interests, so it's all good.

事情是这样的，我爸妈很年轻就结婚了，因为我妈意外怀孕，他们就被双方父母安排结婚了。外公帮我爸在大城市里安排了个生意，所以我们一家在我出生后不久就搬到了这里。 我妈在一个保守的南方小镇长大，从小就被教育要当一个顺从的妻子。即使搬到了大城市，她也不怎么社交，没什么朋友，也不出门。我爸呢，就只管赚钱养家，经常出差，对家庭不管不顾，根本不像个丈夫或父亲。 不过，我爸确实赚了很多钱，我们家什么都不缺。我从小就成了我妈最好的朋友，我们什么都聊。我一直鼓励她去交朋友，找点爱好。终于，在我的不断鼓励下，她开始去附近的公园，交了第一个朋友，是个健身教练。在朋友和我的鼓励下，她决定去健身房。 在那里，她又认识了一些人，开始有了一些社交生活，但她还是什么都跟我说。 我觉得是我爸的新秘书给他出的馊主意，大概一年前，他跟我妈提出了“开放式婚姻”。他说他对婚姻不满意，我妈给不了他想要的一切。我妈是个“虔诚的基督徒妻子”，听到这话都吓坏了，哭着跟我说了这件事。我建议她离婚，但她说她不相信离婚，而且她不会主动结束这段婚姻。 但我知道，如果我妈同意了，事情肯定会变得更糟。我和她朋友一起说服了她。她一开始很犹豫，但最后还是同意了，条件是双方必须完全坦诚。 我爸当时41岁，身材发福，而我妈39岁，身材很好， নিয়মিত健身。我今年22岁。我真不知道我爸是怎么想的，他怎么会这么蠢呢？大概半年前，我帮我妈注册了约会软件账号。她收到了无数的配对，经过几个月的筛选和聊天，她开始和一些人约会。这些经历大大提升了她的自信，她现在状态好多了。 我爸呢，几乎立刻就和他的秘书搞上了。但他在其他女人那里就没那么走运了。因为他们之间要坦诚，所以我妈会把她约会的事情都告诉他。几周前，我爸因为一件小事对我妈大吼大叫。以前，我妈肯定会道歉，但现在她有了自信，根本不退让。 最近几周他们一直在吵架。我爸总是找茬，嘲讽我妈的穿着打扮。他甚至差点骂我妈是荡妇，但及时止住了。我想他终于意识到“开放式婚姻”是怎么回事了。我妈告诉我，他想和我妈谈谈结束“开放式婚姻”的事情，但她直接拒绝了。我觉得他们肯定要离婚了。 我爸从来没有真正关心过我们，但想到他们要离婚，我还是觉得怪怪的。我一点也不可怜他，我只是希望他能对家庭多付出一点。但我为我妈感到高兴。 **更新 (2022年4月18日)** 在我上次发帖后的几天，我爸就搬出了家，一周后就向我妈提出了离婚。我的外公外婆对此一无所知，但我爸在提出离婚时告诉了他们，还暗示是我妈出轨。两家的老人一起来到我们家，开始指责我妈。我妈给他们看了我爸妈所有的聊天记录截图，结果情况更糟了。老人们开始互相指责，怪对方的孩子造成了这一切。 几天后，我妈以前的“教会朋友”也来了。那时候，她们总是因为我妈来自小镇而看不起她。我妈一直是个很善良、不会评判别人的人，所以她不认同她们的偏见，她们就开始排斥她。自从我妈认识了健身房的朋友后，她就完全不去教堂了。这些“教会朋友”开始骂我妈是荡妇，我妈就把她们赶走了。 我妈现在在减脂期，腹肌和手臂线条都很明显。所以，除了那些常见的指责，我的外公外婆还指责她有“男人身材”，甚至还冒出了一些莫名其妙的恐跨言论。幸好她的教练朋友一直支持她。教练朋友联系了她离婚时用的律师，我妈现在经常在她家待着。 结果 выяснилось，我爸经营的公司实际上是我妈的。 это было создано моим маминым папой на ее имя, таким образом, оно принадлежит ей. 直到现在我才知道这件事，之前我一直以为公司是我爸的。现在的情况一团糟。我爸住在酒店里，我的外公外婆在吵了一周，试图强迫我爸妈复合后，昨天离开了。我知道接下来还会有很多离婚闹剧，但我希望事情能平静下来。

别误会，我虽然是律师，但不是你的律师，这可不是法律建议。 最近我看到本地一家律所招研究员，要求有处理取证争议的经验。这让我觉得很奇怪，一般本地律所案子类型都差不多，很少需要专门的研究员。而且，这家律所之前也坑过我朋友，说得好听招进去培养，结果榨干了几个月就辞退了。 我还是抱着试试看的心态投了简历，很快就收到了面试通知。面试的时候，我狮子大开口要了个高工资，他们居然立马答应了（感觉有诈）。然后，合伙人突然说要我提供一份写作样本。 我说没问题，问能不能按小时收费。他们说其他候选人没提过这种要求，觉得我不合群，还说如果不想干就直说。 回家后，我查了下本地法院的案件记录，发现这家律所正好有个案子，要处理的取证问题跟他们要我写的“写作样本”一模一样！ 我回邮件说可以提供写作样本，但必须保证能进入下一轮面试。他们同意了。于是我认真写了一份备忘录发给他们。 结果等了几个星期，我发邮件问面试安排，没人理我。然后我查了下法院的案件记录，发现他们居然直接把我写的备忘录复制粘贴上去了！ 我发了律师函要求他们支付费用，还是没回应。一气之下，我直接起诉他们欺诈。这下他们终于有反应了，气急败坏地骂我，还威胁说我肯定会输，输了还要反诉我。 我回怼说，那就法庭见咯，反正我等着输。不过，他们肯定没想到吧，为了省钱最后还是得花钱雇一个全职研究员。如果他们没招人，或者至少没进行最后一轮面试，我可能还真没法赢。 30天后，我收到了支票。

Okay, so this all started because a rendering plant moved into my small town in Iowa and started stinking the place up with the worst smells imaginable – think rotten blood, dead animals, and old beer. It was awful, especially in the summer. I lived right across the street from the plant, so I decided to put my web developer skills to use. I created a website to criticize the town government for not doing anything about it. At the bottom, I put a little note saying the town was still being polluted. For a couple of years, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the site got a ton of traffic, and the city started to pay attention. They held a town hall, asked for complaints, and even printed the city attorney's contact info in the newspaper. They started fining the plant, but the plant didn't care and never paid. Eventually, the city sued the plant, and the plant countersued. I kept updating the website with the latest news. The last thing that happened was that both sides dropped their lawsuits, but the smell was still an issue. I forgot to update the site to reflect that. The website's name was something like "Is [Town Name] a Good Place to Live?" and the first thing you saw was a big "NOT YET" sign. It used to say "NO" before the city started fining the plant. Things had been quiet for months, but the smell still popped up once or twice a month. Then, I got a letter from a law firm representing the city. They had screenshots of my website and proof that I owned it. They said that I was understandably frustrated with the plant, but the issues had been resolved through litigation. They also said that I hadn't updated the website, and it made it seem like the information was current. The letter claimed that because of my website, a clinic lost a potential doctor, and it was hurting the town's reputation, interfering with attracting businesses and residents, and lowering property values. They said it was probably my intention since I renewed the domain name. They asked me to take down the site and not replace it with anything similar. If I didn't, they'd sue me. My gut feeling was that this was a violation of my First Amendment rights, but I knew there was a difference between federal, state, and local governments. I scheduled a consultation with a lawyer. **Update:** I saw a lawyer who agreed it seemed like a First Amendment issue and that you can't libel a city. But he couldn't take the case because he was a real estate lawyer. He recommended some lawyers outside of town and I also contacted the ACLU in Iowa. I felt pretty confident the letter was just a scare tactic, but I was running out of time to respond. **Update (Months Later):** So, I did what everyone said and contacted a lawyer. He agreed it was a First Amendment issue but couldn't represent me. He suggested someone outside the city's "sphere of influence." I met with another lawyer, but couldn't afford representation at the time. I updated my website to be a bit fairer, but still took some shots at the city council. After the city realized I wasn't going to take the site down, a different attorney from the same law firm contacted me and wanted to chat over coffee. I went, which I probably shouldn't have done. He was very friendly and said the whole thing had been handled badly. But he thought I should take down the website because it was hurting the town. He also told me a reporter was trying to contact me and I shouldn't talk to them because it would damage the town. I declined the interview because I was afraid of being sued if I said something the city didn't like. Of course, the city talked to the reporter themselves. The story made me out to be the bad guy. City officials denied sending me a letter and said there might be "legal stuff coming down the road." A few weeks later, I got another letter from the law firm. This one was weird. The attorney from the first letter was writing "on his own time" to explain why he thought he could sue me. He said I was making stupid arguments and attributing legal arguments to him. He ended by saying it wasn't a threat of litigation and wasn't intended to deter me from exercising my legal rights. Then, out of the blue, I got an email from the legal director at the ACLU of Iowa. I had emailed them and the EFF a while back, but figured they were too busy. The ACLU director thought what the city was doing was a serious violation of my civil rights, and they wanted to represent me in a lawsuit against the city. We filed suit in federal court, and by March 29th, we settled the case. The city agreed to: * A permanent injunction where they can't threaten to sue me for any website content I create about the town. * Pay me legal damages. * Pay the ACLU's attorney fees. * Write me an apology letter. * Have the city's staff and attorneys take First Amendment training. I'm incredibly grateful to the ACLU. I know it's not typical to file a lawsuit and win a month later. It just shows how blatant their attempts to censor me were. I wouldn't have been able to afford an attorney, and the city would have gotten away with it. **Update (Years Later):** I updated my website with my current opinion on the town: **Should you move to [Town Name], Iowa?** I think it's a good place to live. But, like any town, it has its problems. One of those problems was a business that many of us in town had taken to calling the "Blood Plant". It was an agricultural processing plant located smack dab in the heart of downtown. This "Blood Plant" got its name from a particular type of processing they did there; they'd take pig blood, dry it, and turn it into pet food. Needless to say, the scent from drying tons of pig blood isn't going to smell like roses and sunshine. The "Blood Plant" used to emit downright noxious fumes and odors every day -- odors that you could smell no matter where you live in [Town Name]. It was like walking into a wall of the worst, most pungent and offensive smells you could imagine. That business, its emissions, and our local government's dealings with them were the reasons I built this website to begin with. I'm happy to report that the Blood Plant has shut down and a new business has moved in. Where before you could walk into a miasma of noxious vapors four to five days every week, it's happily no longer a problem in [Town Name] and the residents can breathe easily.

Okay, here's the gist of what happened, told from my perspective: So, I was married for five years, and about a year ago, this new woman, Jess, started at my husband's work. He would constantly complain about her – how she acted, what she wore, everything. It was always Jess this, Jess that. It got so bad that when we were shopping, he randomly brought her up. He even followed her on Instagram, which I found super weird since he supposedly hated her. When I asked him about it, he brushed me off and said I was being insecure. Turns out, my gut was right. They were having an emotional affair. I found out by looking at his phone (yeah, I know, privacy, whatever). He admitted he had a thing for her, even took a day off to hang out with her. He swore they didn't sleep together, but he admitted to having a crush. His reason? She made him feel alive and made him want to do crazy things. I was heartbroken. I had been asking him to go to Italy with me, something we always talked about, but he always made excuses. I left and stayed with a friend. I wasn't sure about divorce because starting over at 32 is scary, especially when I wanted to have kids. He kept calling and texting, wanting to work things out, even offering to quit his job. But I didn't think that would fix anything. Ultimately, I decided to go through with the divorce. Then, he dropped another bomb: he confessed that they had, in fact, masturbated in front of each other in his car. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He still insisted that was the only sexual thing they did and begged me to come back. I served him the divorce papers. My parents were surprisingly supportive. My mom said I shouldn't have to beg someone to love or respect me. But a lot of my other relatives and friends didn't understand why I was leaving him. It was "just" an emotional affair. My brother was particularly harsh, saying I was giving up too easily and needed to fix it. But why was it all on me? Things got even messier. We were still legally married, and he started dating Jess. He was flooding his social media with pictures of them together, calling her his "work wife." I know it's immature, but it hurt. I still loved him and had dreams about our future together. It was hard seeing him move on so quickly. Then, things took another turn. He called me out of the blue and asked how I was. The next day, I found out that he and Jess were in an open relationship. She identified as polyamorous, and he was suddenly okay with it. I was so confused. Who had I even married? Fast forward a bit, and I'm officially divorced. I didn't take the house; I didn't even want it. I'm living with my parents, which isn't ideal, but it's a fresh start. He's still with Jess. It's all a bit crazy, but I'm focusing on myself now and taking a break from dating. It's been a tough ride, but I'm finally free.

Okay, so this whole thing started when my cousin Tanya basically stole my cat, Midge. Midge is my baby, I found her as a tiny stray, and we've been inseparable ever since. Tanya, being a cat person who can't have one because of her dad's allergies, loves visiting Midge. I was working crazy hours to save up money, so I asked Tanya to help out with Midge. Then, one day, Midge vanished. Turns out, Tanya blocked me on Instagram, posted a picture with Midge, and basically claimed her as her own! I was furious. I went to their house and took Midge back while they weren't home. All hell broke loose. Tanya and her parents were screaming about me breaking in and stealing *their* cat. They even tried to get my mom involved, lying and saying I abuse Midge! My own mom threatened to disown me! They kept threatening to press charges and take Midge. I was terrified they'd snatch her again. My brother and dad thought I was in the wrong for breaking into their house, but come on! It's my cat! Eventually, I got Midge microchipped and even installed a security camera. Tanya and her friends tried to "cancel" me online, but I didn't really care. Things escalated when they actually stole Midge *again*. The police couldn't do anything without a warrant, and I was devastated. I hired a lawyer, and the whole family group chat turned against Tanya and her parents. They even got written out of my grandma's will! The good news is, I took them to small claims court and *won*! My lawyer was amazing. I had tons of evidence, including vet bills, baby pictures of Midge, and the microchip info. Even my landlord came through with security footage of Tanya's parents stealing Midge. Now, Midge is home where she belongs, and Tanya and her family are radio silent. I wish I could have seen Tanya's face when she had to give Midge back! Thanks for listening to my story!