People Ask Us To Carefully Evaluate Their Equivocal "Am I The Jerk" Stories

"I (32 f) used to have this really cool Uncle 'Bill.' He and my aunt 'Sarah' (55 f) started going out when I was 3 and we just had this type of instant bond. I loved this guy and he spoiled me to pieces. It was a constant joke that the only reason he married my aunt was so I'd officially be his niece. He was ecstatic when my aunt Sarah became pregnant because being a dad was something that he always wanted and adored my cousin 'Julie' (24 f) for the first few years of her life. Then one day while Bill was out of town, I was sleeping over and in the middle of the night I woke up to use the bathroom and heard the backdoor slam (it had a very distinct sound). I was curious and peeked out the window from the room that I was in that was overlooking the backyard. There was a man there talking to my aunt, laughing and hugging before we went away and the way that he left was not circling around to the front where the other cars would be going over the fence and I thought that was weird. I went back to sleep and when I woke up Bill was back and without thinking I mentioned what I saw during breakfast. Sarah tried playing it off but she was weird about it. Unfortunately, that began an avalanche of mess and not only did it come out that Sarah was having an affair and Julie wasn't his, but my mom and (maternal) grandparents knew and said nothing. There was a divorce and while Bill let Sarah have the house he knew she couldn't afford to maintain it, left the country (he had dual citizenship), and never tried to stay in contact with Julie. It was heartbreaking, I missed Bill and I was sad for my cousin so I became a target for her and Sarah's anger. In their mind, if I hadn't said anything Bill would've stayed. I felt so guilty about it for years that I accepted their acts of wrath in silence but when Julie hacked my email to reject my offer of admission to my dream college and two scholarships, I just couldn't take it anymore. There was a huge blowout between my mom and Sarah we've all been in very low contact since. Fast forward to 2020 and I happen to see Bill on social media and I shoot him a message. Ironically, I was surprised that he responded and he asked about my life. We would talk for a while after that but never once brought up Julie or Sarah. Bill never married and found out he couldn't have bio kids and I knew that was tough for him. Unfortunately, Bill has passed away. I went to the funeral in secret just to pay my respects and then went back home. I expected nothing so I was surprised when Bill's lawyer called and told me that I was left an inheritance. I was surprised and so was Bill's ex because she tracked me down on social media and put me on blast where all of my extended family could see and word got back to Sarah and Julie. They think that I'm a witch and my grandparents want me to split it to keep the peace but I kinda don't want to given how they treated me. AITJ?" Another User Comments: "Sooo NTJ, firstly you were a child making innocuous statements about something you saw. YOU were not the one being dishonest and lying to your partner about the parentage of your child. On top of it, your aunt and cousin have been downright horrible to you, they deserve no redemption. Your cousin could've still been the innocent collateral damage if she hadn't partaken in the harassment inflicted on you AND MESSED WITH YOUR COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE AND SCHOLARSHIP! (OP, I'm very livid for you). You're obviously a very nice person to even feel guilty about getting the inheritance instead of your aunt (who was horrible to you and Uncle Bill) and cousin (who was horrible to you). I definitely wouldn't have. Think of it this way, I'm sure Uncle Bill was grateful to you for pointing that out and saving him from a lie and sham of a marriage. It's not the wildest thought that he left his inheritance to you, a child he was fond of, who reached out to him later as well and saved him from a terrible person her and her family's (coz your grandparents knew) web of lies. Enjoy the inheritance, you DEFINITELY deserve it after all you've been through." ConfusedThunderstorm Another User Comments: "NTJ. Do not split that inheritance. To do so would dishonor Bill’s wishes, he was the only one with a right to decide where the inheritance went. Not your grandparents, not your aunt, not your cousin, not his ex. Giving any of it to your aunt and cousin would be completely against your best interests. Not to mention an insult to Bill, as your aunt betrayed him in arguably one of the worst ways possible. These people are bullies who blame you for an adult’s inappropriate choices, as well as attempt to sabotage your future. They are not deserving of your good fortune or your consideration. You need to stand up for yourself, and you need to not allow people like them to have power over you. You have nothing to feel guilty for, and it is not your responsibility to 'keep the peace'. Your grandparents are out of line and need to teach their grown daughter accountability." SummerOracle