A woman named Lilly wrote to us, feeling very troubled about her once happy family. Lilly explained that she and her husband, George, had been happily married for over ten years, and she had never seen him behave disrespectfully.

She shared, “Our marriage has always been built on strong feelings, deep love for each other, mutual respect, and trust. I’ve always thought my relationship with George was perfect for me, and he’s always been a loving and caring husband.”

However, there was one problem that made things less perfect, and it had to do with Lilly’s relationship with her mother-in-law (MIL). Lilly said, “I’ve always had a difficult relationship with my MIL because I didn’t like her personality. She’s very bossy and thinks her opinion is the only one that matters in everything. She loves to interfere in other people’s lives.”

Despite this, Lilly tried to get along with her MIL and acted politely, especially since they didn’t see each other often. Lilly and George lived in another country, so there weren’t many opportunities for her MIL to interfere in their lives. Lilly accepted that her MIL would never be like a second mother to her.

Lilly continues her letter, explaining that about a year ago, her husband’s behavior completely changed. She said, “George began making mean comments about my body odor. There was no clear reason for it; my health and lifestyle hadn’t changed. But one day, George started doing it. Every single day, he would tell me that I stink and smell bad.”

Looking back on their relationship, Lilly recalled that when they first met, she showered every day, used deodorant in the morning, and brushed her teeth three times a day. Her hygiene habits hadn’t changed since then, but George continued to make hurtful comments.

Lilly admitted, “I became really worried that my body smelled bad. I started showering three times a day, applying strong deodorant every hour (I even set reminders on my phone), using perfume, and brushing my teeth five times a day, after every meal or drink that wasn’t water.”

George’s comments took a toll on Lilly’s mental state.

Hearing that you smell bad can be really upsetting, especially if it’s said by someone important to you, and in a mean way, every day. Lilly felt just like that, and it made her really sad.

She said, “I felt like I was going crazy. I didn’t think I smelled bad before, but it seemed like I did to my husband. I’ve always been the type to check if I smell okay. I even went to the doctor, but he said I was fine. It got so bad that I started asking my friends and family to smell me and tell me honestly if I smelled bad. They all said I didn’t smell bad at all. One even said I smelled really nice, like a fancy store!”

One day, Lilly discovered the reason why she was smelling bad for her husband.

One day, Lilly discovered the truth behind her husband’s strange behavior. By then, she was really worried and didn’t even want to hug or kiss George when he said she smelled bad.

One morning, Lilly went for a walk while George stayed home. She planned to visit her sister but felt sick and returned home after only 30 minutes instead of the planned three hours. George didn’t expect her back so soon.

When Lilly got home, she heard George and his mom talking loudly on a video call. They seemed to be arguing, and Lilly wanted to ask George to use headphones. But then she realized they were talking about her.

George was saying he was tired of dealing with Lilly’s “smelly” problem and that they weren’t intimate anymore because of it. His mom told him to be patient and explained that his dad used the same trick to keep her around.

Lilly was shocked and angry that George would use such a disgusting tactic on her. She decided she wanted a divorce and revenge. She couldn’t imagine spending her life with someone who would do that to her.

George doesn’t know that Lilly knows everything yet. She wants to get back at him before they split up.