Anika, 28, has always been someone her friends and family could rely on for good advice. Whether it was relationship issues, career choices, or everyday struggles, Anika was always there to help. But she never thought she’d be the one asking for advice, dealing with a situation that left her shaken.
Anika shared her story.
She started her letter saying, “Hello. I never thought I’d be in a situation like this, but I’m writing because I feel lost and confused. Recently, I discovered something about my family that has been keeping me up at night, and I need to share it to figure out if I’m overreacting or if my feelings are valid.
I come from a very traditional family. My parents raised me and my younger brother with values that focused on the idea that a girl’s role is to support her family, be a good wife, and take care of the home. I grew up accepting this because it was all I knew, and when I married my husband, Rohan, I naturally stepped into that role. My parents were happy that I had a stable home, and my father would often say, ‘Rohan will take care of you now; you don’t have to worry about anything.’ And I believed him.”
Life with Rohan has been good, but like everyone else, we’ve had our own financial challenges. We work hard to keep our household going, and while we’re not rich, we manage without needing much help from anyone. I never expected an inheritance from my parents, as I assumed everything they had would be shared equally between my brother and me. But that belief was shattered recently when I accidentally found their will.
Anika continued, “I was visiting my parents when I came across the will in a drawer. I wasn’t looking for it, just trying to find some old documents my mother asked for. When I saw the will, I got curious and read it, thinking it was no big deal. They’re my parents, after all, and I always thought everything would be split fairly between my brother and me. But when I read it, my heart broke.”
My parents had decided to leave everything—our family home, the land, the savings, and even some family heirlooms—to my brother. Nothing was mentioned for me. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but they had written that my brother, being the son, would get everything because “he will need to support his future family and provide for them.” They also wrote that since I’m married and Rohan supports me, I don’t need any inheritance. They felt that as a man, my brother deserved it all because he would have a family to care for. The will even said that as a daughter, my responsibility was now to my husband’s family, not my own.
Anika explained, “I was shocked. My parents have always been loving and supportive, but this made me feel like I was less important just because I’m a woman. They never even talked to me about this, and it hurt more than I can say. When I confronted them, they didn’t understand why I was upset. My mother said, ‘But you’re married, Anika. Rohan takes care of you. Your brother needs this to start his life when he marries. This is how our culture works.’ My father added, ‘You should be happy for your brother; he needs this more than you.'”
“I’m struggling with this,” Anika wrote, “because it feels like my worth to my parents is based only on the fact that I’m a woman. They see me as someone who doesn’t belong to their family anymore, just because I’m married. It feels like all the years I spent being their daughter, supporting them, and making them proud mean nothing now. I can’t help but feel betrayed and heartbroken. I’ve always done everything they asked of me, but now I wonder if they ever saw me as equal to my brother.”
“Now, I don’t know what to do. Part of me wants to fight for what I think is rightfully mine, but another part of me thinks I should just accept their decision since they’ve already made up their minds. I don’t want to cause a split in my family, but I also can’t ignore the pain this has caused me. What should I do?”
