Sister Backed for Exposing 'Workaholic' Brother-in-Law Who Skipped Funeral

Internet commenters were quick to speculate after one 25-year-old woman found her sister's husband somewhere he wasn't supposed to be.

In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/throwparking3245 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said her brother-in-law was supposed to have missed her father's funeral due to a conflicting business trip and detailed her shock upon discovering he never left town at all.

Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for taking a picture of my sister's husband's car outside of his workplace and sending to her?" the post has received over 6,500 upvotes and nearly 700 comments in the last 10 hours.

"My...dad passed away days ago," OP wrote. "My sister's husband...said he couldn't be present for the funeral because he had to go on a business trip, which made my sister more devastated."

Continuing to explain that her sister is currently pregnant, OP described her brother-in-law as a "grade A workaholic" and said his dedication to business has severely affected his social life.

OP also said that, on the day of her father's funeral, she drove past her brother-in-law's office and received the shock of a lifetime.

"We drove past my BIL's workplace at 8 pm and saw his car in the parking lot," OP wrote. "I couldn't believe it.

"I took a picture of it and sent it to my sister. [She] was losing it," OP continued. "Later I found out that my sister found that her husband was in town the entire time but lied so he didn't have to skip work for the funeral.

"There was a huge blow up and he called me yelling saying I had no business 'stalking' him," OP added. "My family [is] mad at him but also at me because they said I stirred s**t and cause my sister more [stress]."

Grief, in any form, can be devastating for couples and their loved ones.

But while supporting a spouse in mourning can be difficult, it is imperative that partners go the emotional extra mile for the duration of the grieving process.

"Grief may affect your spouse's brain, including their emotional regulation, memory, attention, organization, and ability to multitask," psychotherapist and Psychology Today contributor Erin Leyba, Ph.D., asserts. "Grief will likely impact your spouse emotionally by causing them to feel sad, depressed, irritable, or in despair.

"If ignored, grief can cause a couple's emotional intimacy and stability to plummet," she continued. "If you intentionally support your spouse while they are grieving, it can strengthen and grow your connection."

From simple gestures, like flowers or a handwritten card, to more hands-on efforts, like taking care of extra housework and increased physical affection, a supportive spouse can be the difference between prolonged grief and the ability to move forward.

However, an absent spouse can have the exact opposite effect, especially when a partner mourning the end of a loved one's life is preparing to welcome a child of their own.

Throughout the comment section of the viral Reddit post, Redditors commended OP for bringing her brother-in-law's dodgy behavior to light and speculated about his actual whereabouts on the day of her father's funeral.

"[Not the a**hole]," Redditor u/ParticularReview4129 wrote in the post's top comment, which has received nearly 11,000 upvotes. "[Brother-in-law] was lying and got caught.

"Also, if he was supposedly 'out of town' where was he spending the nights?" they questioned. "WHO was he spending the night with?"

"I'm calling it now," Redditor u/Dry_Egg_4098 chimed in, receiving more than 2,000 upvotes. "He's cheating."

Redditor u/cheechie64, whose comment has received nearly 3,500 upvotes, proposed an alternate possibility.

"My guess is a hotel near his work so that when he went to [work] he wouldn't have to be on the road long enough to be spotted," they wrote. "My dad did this a lot around family reunion times."

In a separate comment, which has received nearly 2,000 upvotes, Redditor u/Jumbee1234 cut straight to the point.

"Of course [not the a**hole]," they wrote. "Is everyone forgetting not only is he lying, but he's not there to support his wife during this difficult time when she needs him.

"He should be home, not in [some] hotel pretending to be out of town," they added.

"Your [brother-in-law] lied and he was caught," Redditor u/Huge_Industry_1259 echoed. "He doesn't sound like a great [brother-in-law] anyway; I mean leaving his pregnant [and] grieving wife with a small child [because] he doesn't want to miss work? Is he trying to cure cancer?"

Newsweek reached out to u/throwparking3245 for comment.