Cheating is probably one of the few things that can instantly kill a relationship. That’s because finding that your partner was disloyal to you can cause a whirlwind of emotions and leave you with an aching heart.
A similar incident has happened with a woman who found out that her fiancé was having an affair just a few weeks before tying the knot.
“It isn’t my problem you took out a loan you can’t pay back,” her former partner said, not planning to help her out. The woman turned to the AITA community to ask if she was in the wrong for selling her ex’s great-grandmother’s ring—a family heirloom—to cover the costs of their canceled wedding. Read on for the full story.
This woman shared the drama-filled argument with her cheating ex-fiancé after she sold his family heirloom ring to cover the canceled wedding costs
Some Redditors commented that the author is NTA, saying that “if you don’t want to lose a valuable family heirloom, don’t give it to someone and then cheat on them.”
As per FindLaw, the world’s leading provider of online legal information for consumers and small businesses, there are generally three ways that courts can classify engagement rings. The first would be to see it as an outright gift that cannot be recovered.
For that, there needs to be proof of the giver’s intent to give the item as a gift, the actual giving process, and the receiver’s acceptance of the ring. “In most cases involving revoked gifts (where all three requirements were shown), courts have held that the item involved was a gift, and the receiver got to keep the item,” they stated.
“If the event doesn’t occur, then the gift-giver has the right to get the gift back. Most courts classify engagement rings as a conditional gift and award the engagement ring to the giver in broken engagement cases.”
Lastly, there are times when an engagement ring can qualify as compensation. “For example, in one case, a woman had given her fiancé money and even labor to improve his business. In exchange for her money and labor, he gave her a valuable diamond ring and proposed marriage.”
When it comes to family heirlooms, they are much more than just pretty knick-knacks. Giving back anything that holds special sentimental value is generally the right thing to do. “Family heirlooms don’t grow on trees,” etiquette expert Lisa Grotts said. “They’re not given lightly and pose a whole different meaning to a traditional engagement ring.”
Nick Leighton, also an etiquette expert, added: “There’s not a world in which it’s okay to keep an heirloom.” Even if the bride-to-be wasn’t at fault for ending the relationship, the ring was in her ex’s family for generations—this item was important not only to the cheating fiancé but also to other members of the family.
Some Redditors were very supportive of the woman, thinking she’s NTA in this situation
However, others were on the fence, saying that both partners acted like jerks
What do you think about this story? Do you think that the bride was right or do you think that she has taken the matter too far? Don’t forget to share your opinion in the comment section.
