'AITA for being furious with my pregnant wife over a prank?' 'She was a theatre kid.'
"AITA for being furious with my pregnant wife over a prank?"
31M. I’ve been with my wife Lisa since college and she’s currently seven months pregnant with our first baby. My wife Lisa is witty and likes to play jokes on me. For example, she likes to pass of fake facts and stories as real and see if I’ll believe them. Lisa was a theatre kid, and so she’s great at acting and selling these stories.
I used to fall for her pranks all the time since I’m gullible and she’s so convincing. However, now that I’ve been with her for so many years, I can typically tell when she’s messing with me. She’s upped the antics over the years, and so she can occasionally get me to believe one of her jokes.
Today when I got home from work, Lisa had tears in her eyes and told me she needed to talk to me about something. I was seriously worried, and sat down with her immediately. I asked what was wrong several times, and she kept saying it was hard to talk about and she was terrified I’d leave her.
I kept pressing, and she told me she had an affair with her boss several months ago and wasn’t sure if the baby was mine. I asked if she was serious, and she said she was 100% serious and started crying even harder.
I got up, started pacing, and tried to gather my thoughts. After a few minutes, Lisa bursted into laughter and said she was just joking. I was furious. I said it wasn’t funny in the slightest to make jokes about cheating and the child not being mine. Lisa then said she was a bit offended that I believed that specific prank and not several others.
She said she couldn’t believe I actually thought she’d cheat on me. She then got teary, and asked why I didn't trust her. I asked why I would trust her after she pulled that prank on me, managed to cry telling me about it, and continued with the prank even though I was viably upset. Lisa said it was harmless, and I was blowing things way out of proportion.
She continued to ask why I didn’t trust her, and I told her I needed some space. I ended up going to a speak easy and have been away from the house ever since, even though Lisa has called several times. I know it was a prank, but I think this joke went way too far, especially with the tears.
I also was clearly upset (as anyone would be), and she should have stopped it as soon as she realized I was actually falling for it. Usually Lisa’s jokes are funny, but this one really got to me for some reason. AITA and am I overreacting? I feel badly because she’s very pregnant with my child and I don’t want to stress her out, but I need space right now.
Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:
Apart-Scene-9059 said:
NTA: The worst part about this to me isn't even the prank. It's after the prank she see you are upset and instead of apologizing she blames you for believing her and begin to question you. Also just remember she can make herself cry so don't let tears fool you anymore.
Equivalent-Bee6501 said:
NTA. Send her fake divorce papers and let her see how funny it is for her.
Ironyismylife28 said:
If this is even real, NTA. Pranks should be funny. Emotional distress is not funny.
star_b_nettor said:
NTA. That is not a harmless prank or joke and she knows this. Do not let her act like this is your fault.
kat61850 said:
NTA. Sorry but that wasn't a joke. She admitted to having an affair Then tried to brush over it like it was a joke.
yorgun_0073 said:
NTA. Pranks are meant to be light-hearted and fun, not emotionally scarring or devastating. The topic of infidelity, especially involving the paternity of a child, is far too sensitive to be joke material, particularly with the hormones and stress of a pregnancy in the mix.
It's understandable you needed space after such an intense situation. While it's great that your wife has a sense of humor, maybe it's time for a serious chat about boundaries in jokes going forward.