When control goes too far, even the smallest demand can become the last straw.

What would you do if a family member held your ID hostage to force you into applying for jobs you didn’t want, even though you were already working full-time?

Would you go along and see what happens?

Or would you come up with a plan of your own?

In the following story, one young man finds himself in this exact predicament with his aunt.

Here’s what’s going on.

Want to force me to give out resumes when I already have a job? Fine then.

I (22M) am the primary caretaker of one of my family members.

Among other chronic illnesses, she is a diagnosed narcissist with early dementia.

As per my family’s request, I moved with her and took an online job as a trilingual translator to ensure I would be there 24/7 should she have an emergency.

Somehow, she has interpreted my constant presence as me not having a job, despite me explaining several times that I did, in fact, work.

She went to the point of stealing my ID and debit card, saying she would not be giving them back to me unless I gave out resumes where she told me to.

I have searched the whole house and couldn’t find them so I was forced to comply.

He added a few lines to the cover letter.

I have a huge amount of respect for people who work in these fields, but I am not taking a job as a cleaner or a cashier when I work in my field of choice.

That’s when I noticed all the places she was forcing me to send out resumes to were requesting a cover letter.

This is where the malicious compliance takes place.

I took an already written cover letter and changed some details so it’d be like I wrote it myself.

I made her read it and approve it as per her request, then added the following sentences in my second paragraph:

“If this letter arrives on your desk, please know that this application has been sent without my consent. Already having an online full-time job, please do not take it into consideration.”

As you can imagine, I didn’t get called back much.

Only one place sent me an email, and once I explained the situation their HR team wished me luck with my situation and told me this motivated them to read cover letters more carefully.

Then, he contacted his boss and made a request.

At the same time, I contacted my boss.

I knew they sometimes open in-office positions, and my boss is one of the nicest people I know, so I contacted her and asked if there was any way I could get the next in-office position, telling her why exactly I was asking that.

I’ve been working there for 6 months, and she has never had any complaints about me, so she sent me a permanent contract starting in January 2025 for their office.

It’s overseas, in a country where I’m legally allowed to work without a work visa.

I won’t specify which country since I intend to disappear there.

My flight is already booked, and only my best friend knows what is going on.

I have a letter already written out in which I tell my family not to warn the authorities.

After landing, his new life will begin.

As soon as I land, my bank account will be closed, and my phone subscription cancelled.

After five years, I will ask to become a citizen in that country and won’t renew the paperwork necessary to prove my citizenship in my birth country.

I have three younger siblings, all of whom are still in middle school.

They have their own email addresses that our parents don’t know about, so I will send them an email telling them this is not their fault and that they’re the only ones in the family who are allowed to contact me.

I’ll also add that I will answer any questions they have once they turn 18.

I’m excited. I’m excited to start a new life, I’m excited to get out of this family, which has been the source of most of my problems for my whole life.

I’m excited to finally escape toxic people in a toxic environment that was destroying my mental health.

Only two months left, and after 22 long years of waiting, I’ll finally be free.

All of this was because she forced me to send out job applications.

Wow! That’s a lot to unpack.

Let’s see what Reddit readers have to say about this story.

This person thinks he handled it well.

Here are some nice words of encouragement.

He didn’t even mention what would happen with her.

Here’s some great advice.

He’s making a great move!

There’s no doubt that this will help kickstart his life in ways he can’t anticipate.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.