Let me give you permission to release the shame. Family is messy. Love is nonlinear. You can cherish your father-in-law as a rock while still working on your marriage to his son. These two truths can coexist.
Society tells us there is a distinct hierarchy of love. At the very top sits your spouse—the "love of your life," your "other half." Below that are parents, in-laws, and extended family. We are conditioned to believe that the romantic bond is always the strongest, the most vital, and the most irreplaceable. I love my father-in-law more than my husband......
What is the in the husband? (Is he mean, or just "checked out"?) Let me give you permission to release the shame