My boyfriend (23M) and I (22F) have been dating for six months. Before that, we were friends for three years. I’m currently three months pregnant. While he’s been an amazing boyfriend overall, there are things about his relationship with his mother that deeply unsettle me.
I’ve been practically living with him at his mother’s house for four months. She’s a single mom in her 60s who has struggled with depression since her divorce when my boyfriend was around 7 years old. She hasn’t dated since, and she still cries over the divorce and her ex-husband’s remarriage. My boyfriend looks exactly like his father, and it seems like she’s never let go of her resentment, often comparing him to his dad during arguments, saying things like, “You’re just like your father—you don’t care about me.”
Early in our relationship, he mentioned that his mother tends to get “jealous” when he spends less time with her, and this has been an issue with all his past relationships. She’s polite to me but distant, and my gut tells me she doesn’t like me. She’ll stay locked in her room most of the time and occasionally makes passive-aggressive comments, like accusing us of being selfish if we bring food home without asking her first.
But things have taken a darker turn recently.
The Incident That Changed Everything
One morning, I was napping while my boyfriend went to make breakfast. I heard him go into his mother’s room, which wasn’t unusual. However, I woke up to loud banging on the walls and what sounded like gasps and mumbling—similar to how he talks to me during sex. The noises stopped abruptly when I muted the TV, almost as if they realized I was awake. I then heard his mother say something like “lie,” and he replied, “Yes, ma’am.”
When he came back with just a bowl of cereal (unusual since he usually makes a full breakfast), I asked him about the noise. He looked nervous, stuttered about arguing with his mom, and offered nonsensical explanations like arguing over a Christmas gift. He paced the room nervously and eventually muttered, “I am filled with regret.”
I dropped the subject but couldn’t shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong.
Other Red Flags
When I started thinking back, I realized there were other moments that felt odd:
- I once overheard him say to her, “I can still feel around,” followed by her laughing.
- I’ve heard clapping sounds from her room while he was in there “talking.”
- During a semi-argument in the kitchen, he told her, “I’m trying my best—how can I be better for you?”
- He mentioned that as a child, a doctor once questioned whether his mother was molesting him after finding her hair wrapped around his genitals.
Additionally, his mother texts him constantly, demanding to know where he is and when he’ll be home.
Recent Suspicion
The other day, he went downstairs to make me soup. I heard her door quietly open and close (unusual since her door creaks), followed by faint banging noises downstairs. He was gone for 30–40 minutes, even though the soup takes only five minutes to prepare. When he came back, he seemed nervous and dismissed my questions about what took so long. He accused me of being paranoid, which felt like projection.
My Dilemma
It’s been weeks since the loud banging incident, but I can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve pressed him about it multiple times, and he insists nothing inappropriate is going on. However, his explanations don’t add up, and my gut tells me otherwise.
I’m horrified and drained. I know this all sounds wild, but I can’t ignore the signs or explain away what I’ve heard. I’m terrified that if something incestuous is going on, it could extend to our child.
I’ve always wanted to avoid being a single mother, but I’m seriously considering terminating the pregnancy and breaking up with him.
Does this sound like I’m overreacting, or should I trust my instincts? What should I do?