Sorry, this is going to be a long one, and I apologize for any spelling mistakes—English isn’t my first language.
Four months ago, I (31F) and my husband, “Mark” (32M), welcomed our first child, our daughter “Sophia.” Mark and I have been together for 10 years, married for six, and having Sophia was a long and challenging journey. It took us two years of trying and enduring four heartbreaking miscarriages before we finally had her.
My parents passed away when I was 15, and I lived with my grandparents until I went to college at 18. My MIL has always been like a mother to me, offering incredible support since Mark and I got together. After my miscarriages, she would make dinners and check on me daily. When Sophia was born, the first thing MIL did when she visited was to see how I was doing before focusing on Sophia. I thought I had hit the jackpot with her.
We told her about our pregnancy at 18 weeks, and she was over the moon. When we brought Sophia home, MIL moved in with us for four weeks to help. She was supportive, never overstepped, and always raved about how Sophia looked just like me.
Mark was equally ecstatic about Sophia, doing everything he could to help. He even made a photo collage of baby pictures of me and Sophia, marveling at how much she looked like me. Everything seemed perfect.
After MIL moved back home, I noticed she became less communicative, but I was too busy with Sophia to dwell on it. Two months in, Mark started coming home late, saying he was helping MIL with house renovations. I didn’t complain because of all the help she had given us, even though I was running on empty.
Then, just after Sophia turned three months old, Mark dropped a bombshell. He told me he wanted a paternity test because his mother thought Sophia looked “too much like me” and nothing like him. My heart shattered. He explained that MIL had convinced him I must have cheated with someone who shared similar features to me. She claimed their “family genes” were so strong that Sophia would have shown some of Mark’s traits if she were his.
I couldn’t believe it. My husband and MIL were accusing me of cheating—based on how our baby looks? Mark admitted he couldn’t stop thinking about it and apologized, but I was devastated. I agreed to the test but told him that if it confirmed Sophia was his, I would cut MIL out of our lives and we’d need counseling to salvage our marriage.
Fast forward to now. The test results came back a week ago, and surprise, surprise—Sophia is his daughter. Mark was relieved but quickly became overwhelmed with guilt. He apologized profusely and called his mother to tell her the results. He yelled at her, saying she had poisoned his mind and that we needed a break from her.
Mark blocked MIL’s number, but she started blowing up my phone instead. Her messages swung between apologizing and blaming me for “taking away her family.” I blocked her too, but extended family members have since reached out, calling us cold-hearted for cutting her off.
Now I’m doubting my decision. Was I too harsh? She was an amazing MIL before this, and maybe she was just trying to protect her son.
So, Reddit, AITA?