The woman refuses to take in her husband’s orphaned niece who could be sent to a foster home. The 23-year-old woman explained how she and her 26-year-old husband live on the East Coast, while her family is all in California. 
“My husband’s only other family is his mother, who lives in her boyfriend’s small house. She is retired and doesn’t earn much. That is, they don’t have much space and can’t afford to have 2 children,” the OP wrote. The older of the two girls, Rose, plans to stay on her grandmother’s couch until she goes to college next year, leaving seven-year-old Lilly in need of a long-term solution. 
The husband, who serves in the military and has prolonged deployments, often works long hours and night shifts, causing the OP to fear that she will have to take on the primary responsibility of caring for Lilly, given her husband’s demanding work hours and frequent out-of-town commitments. Lilly’s additional challenges, such as ADHD and behavioral issues, further increase the OP’s anxiety.
Redditors were compassionate towards both Lilly and the OP, with one person stating: “Basically, her husband is voluntarily designating her as a single mother.” Someone else pointed out that the husband’s willingness to offer their home to Lilly was unfair to his wife, who would take on a large amount of additional work.
“It seems like the husband really doesn’t want to say no and be seen as the bad guy even though it’s really not feasible for them,” read the comment.
Sad Story: The woman refuses to take in her husband’s orphaned niece who could be sent to a foster home