u/Bfdi_fan2

Hi, I’m a 19-year-old male and I’m currently preparing for a really important exam at the end of the year.

For some context, a few years ago I had a major exam, and during the second term my grades became really bad. I technically passed, but barely. Because of that, I had to stay at a family member’s house where I was constantly pressured about studying. I would get yelled at a lot and sometimes beaten over school-related things. Eventually I got through that period and managed to succeed academically.

Now this year, because I have another huge exam coming up, I’ve had to stay there again for the whole year (not by choice). The same things are still happening. My aunt’s husband teaches me sometimes, and when I don’t understand things fast enough or make mistakes, he yells at me and sometimes hits me.

Yesterday was especially bad and it genuinely hurt physically and emotionally. I felt angry, sad, confused, everything at once. After it happened, my aunt came to my room and helped put medicine on my injuries. She’s genuinely kind, but I still feel trapped in the situation.

My aunt and her husband have a 10-year-old son. He also gets yelled at and beaten by his father sometimes, especially over homework and lessons. We both take lessons together from the same people, so we relate to each other a lot. Since I don’t really have anyone else to vent to, we usually vent to each other and promised not to repeat each other’s secrets.

But after his father yelled at and hit me yesterday, his son told his mother one of my personal secrets. My aunt later brought it up to me, and I admitted it was true, but I felt really betrayed and angry. We spent so much time trusting each other and keeping each other’s secrets, and suddenly he told one of mine.

At the same time, he’s only 10, and I know he’s also dealing with pressure and fear from his dad, so I feel conflicted. Part of me is angry and another part of me feels guilty for even being mad at him. What should I do?