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A worried woman sitting with her head in her hands | Source: Shutterstock
A worried woman sitting with her head in her hands | Source: Shutterstock

My Husband Made Me Take Out a $15K Loan for His Mom, Saying She'd Pay Me Back in a Month – But She Later Said, 'I Never Borrowed a Cent'

Caitlin Farley
Jul 03, 2025
06:25 A.M.

When my husband begged me to take out a $15K loan for his mother, he claimed she'd pay it back in a month. But weeks later, my MIL denied ever borrowing a dime. Now the debt is mine, and the lies are only just beginning to unravel.

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Some marriages look perfect from the outside, like those Instagram couples who post sunset photos and anniversary tributes that make you feel inadequate about your relationship.

A woman scrolling on social media | Source: Pexels

A woman scrolling on social media | Source: Pexels

But sometimes that perfect-looking relationship is just a facade.

I know, because my marriage used to be like that.

Andrew and I had been married for 16 years and had a 14-year-old daughter who did well in school and sports.

A teen girl lacing up ice skates | Source: Pexels

A teen girl lacing up ice skates | Source: Pexels

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Nice house in a nice neighborhood? Check.

Functional relationship without the spark? Also, check.

On paper, our marriage looked great, but behind closed doors, I'd learned long ago that I'd forever be playing second fiddle to Andrew's mother.

A woman lying on a sofa with a book | Source: Pexels

A woman lying on a sofa with a book | Source: Pexels

Let me paint you a picture.

Andrew treated Susan's birthday like it was his favorite holiday. He'd buy her jewelry and send her flowers (not supermarket flowers either, but a couple dozen peonies in a crystal vase).

They'd spend hours on phone calls that sounded more like love letters than mother-son conversations.

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A man speaking on his phone | Source: Pexels

A man speaking on his phone | Source: Pexels

For my birthday, I usually got a rushed "Happy Birthday" with a cup of coffee and a kiss on the cheek.

If he remembered it. Most years, I reminded him the day after.

It wasn't okay. I knew that, but it also wasn't bad enough to file for divorce. I didn't want to turn my daughter's world upside down just because Andrew was a Mama's boy.

A woman lying awake in bed | Source: Pexels

A woman lying awake in bed | Source: Pexels

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So I stayed quiet, focused on my daughter, and kept playing the role of the understanding wife.

That worked fine until the night he came home with that look on his face.

You know the look I'm talking about? The one that says, "I'm about to ask you for something you won't want to give."

A nervous-looking man | Source: Unsplash

A nervous-looking man | Source: Unsplash

He paced around our kitchen like a caged animal, running his hands through his hair, checking his phone, and avoiding eye contact.

I just carried on loading the dishwasher while I waited for him to drop whatever bomb he was holding.

Finally, he stopped pacing and looked at me. "Honey, I need you to take out a loan."

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A man staring expectantly at someone | Source: Unsplash

A man staring expectantly at someone | Source: Unsplash

I blinked. "Okay. For what?"

"My mom needs $15,000."

I just about dropped the plate I was holding. "Fifteen thousand? What does she need that much money for?"

He looked at me, chewed his lip, then said something that hit me like a slap in the face.

A woman staring at someone in shock | Source: Pexels

A woman staring at someone in shock | Source: Pexels

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"Don't worry about it."

Don't worry about it? Those four words made it feel like I was some child who couldn't handle grown-up conversations.

I turned back to the dishwasher. "Why can't you take out the loan yourself, Andrew?"

"Because I work at a bank. If this shows up on my record, it could affect my job."

A woman loading a dishwasher | Source: Pexels

A woman loading a dishwasher | Source: Pexels

I rolled my eyes at a casserole dish.

Andrew's job as a loan officer came with all sorts of rules and requirements about maintaining his financial standing, but something felt off about his explanation.

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"It's just a quick, temporary thing, babe," Andrew said. "Mom will pay you back next month. You'll barely even owe interest by then. You're not really taking on debt, it's just a pass-through."

A man smiling at someone | Source: Unsplash

A man smiling at someone | Source: Unsplash

"I don't know…" I muttered, closing the dishwasher.

I'm not ashamed to say that I didn't want to do Susan a 15K favor, especially when I didn't even know why she needed the money.

But he kept pushing, using that tone that meant the conversation was over whether I liked it or not.

A couple having a tense conversation | Source: Pexels

A couple having a tense conversation | Source: Pexels

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"This is for my family," he said. "For us."

So I caved. I always caved. That rock in my gut told me not to, but I ignored it like I'd been ignoring my instincts for 16 years.

The day after my loan was approved, I drove to the bank and withdrew the $15,000. Andrew's insistence on getting the money in cash was another red flag, but I ignored it, too.

Bank notes fanned out on an envelope | Source: Pexels

Bank notes fanned out on an envelope | Source: Pexels

The teller counted it twice, her eyebrows raised slightly.

I kept the receipt, folded the thick envelope, and drove home with my hands shaking on the steering wheel.

When he came home that evening, the first thing Andrew did was ask if I got the money.

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A tense man rubbing his temples | Source: Unsplash

A tense man rubbing his temples | Source: Unsplash

I walked over to the bookcase, where I'd tucked the thick envelope away.

I stood in front of our bookcase for a long time, holding that envelope. It felt heavier than it should have.

My phone chimed with a message notification, breaking my train of thought. I took it from my pocket.

A woman holding a phone in one hand and an envelope in the other | Source: DALL-E

A woman holding a phone in one hand and an envelope in the other | Source: DALL-E

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"What's taking so long?" Andrew snapped behind me.

I carefully propped my phone up on the bookcase, then turned and held out the envelope.

"Here's the $15,000 from my loan," I said.

"Thanks," Andrew replied, tucking the envelope into his jacket pocket. "I'll take it to Mom tonight."

A man wearing a jacket | Source: Pexels

A man wearing a jacket | Source: Pexels

That was it. No kiss, no squeeze of my hand, no acknowledgment of what I'd just done for him.

The month that followed was torture. Every bank alert made my stomach clench.

The due date crept closer like a storm cloud, and neither my husband nor his mother said a single word about repayment.

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Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.

A woman sitting with her head in her hands | Source: Pexels

A woman sitting with her head in her hands | Source: Pexels

I sent his mother a polite text message: "Hi! Just checking in about the repayment for the loan. Let me know when works best for you."

Her response came back so fast it made my head spin:

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I never borrowed a cent from you. And I'm not paying anything back."

A woman holding a cell phone | Source: Pexels

A woman holding a cell phone | Source: Pexels

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I stared at my phone screen until the words blurred.

Then I walked to the kitchen where my husband was eating cereal and showed him the message.

I expected outrage, denial; some kind of shock followed by a stream of excuses and promises to talk to Susan.

A man staring at someone | Source: Unsplash

A man staring at someone | Source: Unsplash

Instead, he barely glanced at the phone before shrugging. "I don't think she ever planned to pay you back."

The world tilted. "What? You told me she'd pay me back in a month."

"I had no choice. She said she'd cut me off if I didn't help her."

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"Cut you off from what?"

A confused woman pulling a face | Source: Unsplash

A confused woman pulling a face | Source: Unsplash

"Her will. Her house. Everything." He looked at me like I was being unreasonable. "You don't understand how much she's done for me."

How much she'd done for him. Not us, him.

"Andrew, what did Susan use that money for?"

A woman speaking angrily to someone | Source: Unsplash

A woman speaking angrily to someone | Source: Unsplash

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His gaze slid toward the door.

"Don't even think about it!" I stepped in front of him. "Tell me the truth."

Andrew told me everything then, and it left me speechless.

A woman gasping with shock | Source: Pexels

A woman gasping with shock | Source: Pexels

You know what Susan spent my 15K loan money on? A flight to Turkey, plus the facelift and breast implants she got while she was there.

"Your mother used my credit to finance a makeover?" I snapped.

"She's dating again," he said, like that explained everything.

A man standing with his arms crossed | Source: Unsplash

A man standing with his arms crossed | Source: Unsplash

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The money had also covered a luxury wardrobe and a professional photoshoot.

Turned out that while I was losing sleep over loan payments, she was posting Instagram photos with hashtags like #Ageless and #HotGirlSummer, showing off her new D-cup life that I'd unknowingly financed.

I sank into the closest chair and buried my head in my hands.

A woman sitting with her head in her hands | Source: Pexels

A woman sitting with her head in her hands | Source: Pexels

"Look on the bright side, babe," Andrew said. "Making the loan payments is going to improve your credit score."

I didn't even look at him.

I couldn't believe he and Susan had betrayed me like this, but even worse than that was how stupid I felt.

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A furious woman | Source: Midjourney

A furious woman | Source: Midjourney

I kept making the loan payments because the debt was in my name.

See, I didn't completely dismiss the warning signs. That evening when I'd given Andrew the money, I'd also pressed record before setting my phone down on the bookcase.

The video clearly showed him taking the envelope and saying, "I'll take it to Mom tonight."

A woman holding a cell phone | Source: Unsplash

A woman holding a cell phone | Source: Unsplash

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My lawyer's eyes lit up when I showed her the video, the message from his mother denying the loan, and the payment receipts.

She started asking questions about the house his mother had supposedly used to manipulate him.

Turns out, it wasn't even legally hers.

A lawyer in her office | Source: Pexels

A lawyer in her office | Source: Pexels

The property was still under her late husband's name. There'd been no will update or transfer of ownership.

My husband already stood to inherit everything. The "cut-off" threat was pure manipulation.

And then I did something I should've done a long time ago.

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A smiling woman | Source: Unsplash

A smiling woman | Source: Unsplash

I filed for divorce with full custody.

No way was I letting Emma grow up thinking this kind of emotional blackmail was normal family behavior.

My lawyer also filed fraud charges. Andrew had coerced me into a loan under false pretenses, and we had video proof.

A lawyer conferring with her colleagues | Source: Pexels

A lawyer conferring with her colleagues | Source: Pexels

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He tried to backpedal, claiming he'd given the money back to his mother, but all the evidence was against him.

He was backed into a corner, and honestly? I wasn't sorry about it.

While he spiraled, I walked away and rebuilt with my daughter. It was hard but in a good way.

A woman and her teen daughter | Source: Unsplash

A woman and her teen daughter | Source: Unsplash

One morning, curiosity got the better of me, and I checked his mother's Instagram account.

I'd been blocked. Apparently, #HotGirlSummer doesn't include lawsuits.

Here's another story: When my five-year-old daughter woke me up whispering about strange scratching under the floor, I thought it was just a dream. But the sounds were real. They led me to the basement, where a missing padlock and an ominous figure emerging from the dark turned my life upside down.

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This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided "as is," and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

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