AITA for being relieved that my husband is dead?

by tudorwife

I know that sounds bad, but hear me out.

My husband and I had kind of a weird relationship. He’d been married several times, and actually his first wedding was before I was born. I was friends with his oldest daughter and used to teach his younger kids, and I was actually thinking about seeing someone else when he proposed. He’s the king, though, so I couldn’t really turn him down.

We got along all right and people say I did a good job as his queen – I helped him with his work, and I reunited him with his estranged daughters, which … let’s just say that they were *really* estranged. There was some conflict with some of his councillors trying to turn him against me and also get me arrested (lol – long story), but I managed to turn that around, too, and we were on good terms when he died.

But the thing is, I was never in love with him. Like I said, he’d been married several times before me and if I’m honest, he found it pretty easy to get his past wives out of the picture when he didn’t want to be with them anymore. (Some of them are *dead*, I mean.) That conflict I mentioned before could have – and I think was going to have – turned into getting rid of me so he could be with one of my friends. Now that he’s gone, the man I was falling in love with is back in the picture, too. I still can’t help but feel guilty, though. AITA?

sarcelle

INFO: Did you bear him any healthy, legitimate sons?

EnkaineerHere

NTA. The guy you’re falling in love with is a total creep though. Might want to rethink that relationship before you hypothetically die giving birth to his kid and he immediately starts trying to shack up with your stepdaughter.

Gankom

NTA. Heck no girl, sounds like you dodged a bullet there. Now you can just sit back, relax, and let the children deal with things. I'm sure they'll all be reasonable adults and things will go just fine.

mbelf

NTA

But whatever the case, my advice is don’t be obviously Catholic or Protestant for the next eleven years.

flamingoinghome

NTA--arranged marriages with monarchs/mafia leaders (your description was a little vague) can be weird like that. But maybe take a breather before starting things with your old-new boo? Like, we saw how that worked for your late husband, and no one wants to be like him!

Frona

Nta, you promised till death, not like you killed him.

TheHondoGod

NTA: That's what happens in arranged marriages. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But you held up your end of the bargain by staying married to the bitter, cutting end.

reesamarie

NTA, but definitely think about that next man. And DO NOT allow either of your stepdaughters to come stay with you, with the sweating sickness and all.

MelissaOfTroy

NTA. You don't need his love. No. No.

ms_munchkin

NTA, ms. Parr.

julieannie

NAH but be careful on the rebound. Do you still talk to your husband’s family? You might want to see how they’d react if they knew you were already eyeing someone. Is he okay with that kind of baggage?