Sunken Ships is a Zikoko weekly series that explores the how and why of the end of all relationships — familial, romantic or just good old friendships.

Jane* (28) was delighted when her older brother introduced her to his fiancée. However, Jane’s close relationship with her brother became misinterpreted by her sister-in-law, leading to tension.

For Sunken Ships, she shares how a sordid accusation from her sister-in-law strained their relationship and how she handled it.

How did you meet your sister-in-law?

I met her in April 2022 when my older brother introduced us. They had been dating for a few months by then, and my brother wanted to include her in our friendship. I thought she was cool. She was beautiful, had a great job, and my brother really liked her. She was also quite nice when we met, so I had no complaints.

Did she join your friendship like you hoped?

Not really. My brother and I live in the same city, and we’d hang out at least once a week. Sometimes, she joined us when she was free.

Okay. Was there any friction between you before the wedding?

Not at all. We were very friendly throughout the time my brother and she were dating. By the time their wedding came around in 2024, I had already come to see her as a part of our family. 

Are you and your brother close?

Yes, we’re like best friends. We’ve been close since we were kids. We don’t have any other siblings, and we share many interests, so aside from respecting him as my older brother, I have always viewed him as one of my closest friends. 

Where did the cracks in your relationship with your sister-in-law start to appear?

After their marriage, I would visit my brother and his wife at home at least once a week. I tried not to visit more than that, even though my brother encouraged it because his wife didn’t seem comfortable with it. 

How did you mean?

She would say things like “You’re here again? You like your brother, o”. But I thought she was just joking around.

Did you have any idea why?

Not at the time. I thought she just wanted more alone time with him, which I understood. After all, their marriage was still new. But then, soon after, she blew things out of proportion.

What happened?

I got laid off from my job in early 2025, and it took a toll on me. When I told my brother, he told me to come over for a movie night at his house to take my mind off things. That evening, we were snuggled together on the couch with a blanket, watching a movie. I was resting my head on his shoulder when his wife came in shouting.

What did she say?

She said what we were doing was inappropriate. She accused us of incest and said no siblings she knew would be comfortable being under a blanket together unless there was something else involved.

Ah! That’s crazy.

My brother and I immediately became upset. She even went further and cited times when my brother kissed my forehead as examples of us crossing the line of proper sexual behaviour between siblings. I was so irritated. My brother also kisses our mum on the cheek and forehead. Does that mean he’s sleeping with our mother, too?

Omo. What did you do after that?

I was so livid.  told my brother I was too upset to spend the night and went back home. I called my mum and told her everything that had happened. She also got upset and told me she’d talk to her about it.

How did the talk go?

She didn’t get a chance to speak to her because my brother called our in-laws and our family for a meeting. Since my sister-in-law had made the incest accusation, there was a lot of tension between her and my brother. 

How did the family meeting go?

I’m not sure. We weren’t able to resolve much. She insisted that she was uncomfortable with how close my brother and I were to each other. My family insisted that she was projecting weird stuff on my friendship with my brother. For peace to reign, I agreed to keep my distance from them.

Wow. How did this incident affect your relationship with your brother?

It didn’t really affect my relationship with my brother. We’re still close, and we still hang out often, but I hardly ever visit him at home now. And when I do, I make sure I’m always with a family member before I start to hear nonsense again.

What about your sister-in-law?

That whole experience made me see her differently. I go out of my way to avoid her now. I don’t want anything to do with her. I don’t even greet her if I can help it.

Do you know if this affected your brother’s marriage?

Yes, it did. It put a strain on their relationship, and my brother tells me they argue more often now. They’re trying to work through it, but I try not to get involved because I don’t want anybody to accuse me of anything.

Would you consider being close to your sister-in-law if she apologised sincerely?

Probably not. I think it was very odd to project onto my brother and me in the first place. Just because we have a good relationship doesn’t mean anything sinister is going on. It‘s too weird for me to look past.

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