THE MOTHER'S MAZE

Tanya's "one night" in a one-bedroom apartment turned into a week of chaos, and now her boyfriend's mother is asking for more help while the couple is already drowning in missed sleep, missed meals, and missed school.

A 25-year-old woman says her boyfriend Liam, 24, has been pulled into caring for his mother after Tanya began claiming she was dying of cancer about a month ago. The problem: no diagnosis has been confirmed. Every hospital visit, the poster says, ended the same way, Tanya was sent home. At one point, a nurse allegedly told Liam that Tanya might be faking. The poster put it bluntly: "I call bullshit."

The whole mess started with what was supposed to be a short stay in the couple's apartment. Tanya arrived for "one night," then stayed for a week. She wanted the place dark and silent, refused the AC and fans because they supposedly hurt her skin, yet blow-dried her hair every day. She came into their bedroom at 3 a.m. asking Liam for massages. She criticized their Buddhist souvenirs and insisted they hang a cross. She complained constantly, demanded constant help, and never said "please or thank you."

Then came the shifting medical story. One update was an MRI. Then surgery was canceled. Then chemo was postponed because of an infection. Then it was E. coli. The poster says there was never clear paperwork, only a growing pile of excuses and new emergencies.

Liam switched to remote work to help, and his boss hated it. The poster, meanwhile, is a full-time student with two jobs and a 4.0 GPA, and says she was falling behind fast. Tanya even suggested they move in with her, an hour away from both their jobs and school.

The worst night came when Tanya's husband David was out of town. Tanya made them drive to her house to pick up jewelry because she believed he would steal it when she died. They were supposed to take her to the ER afterward, but instead they spent 16 hours doing chores. The poster says she folded 420 clothing items and cleaned the whole house, feeling like "an unpaid maid."

When they finally got Tanya to the ER at 5 a.m., she said she'd check herself in and sent them home. Three hours later, she called sobbing, saying the ER had rejected her. The poster doubted it then too.

Now Tanya is calling again, and this time wants the poster specifically, because David is jealous of Liam. But the poster had already said she needed that weekend to study for final exams, and going alone to Tanya's house felt sketchy.

On top of that, she's planning a 2-3 week trip to Europe to see her mother, whom she hasn't seen in over a year. Liam says he supports it, but called it "a little selfish." He also asked, "If I were dying, would you quit your job to be with me?" and "If it were your mom, would you help her?" The poster says she felt pushed into saying yes.

"I love Liam and want to be there for him," she said. "I don't trust his mom."