It’s not just that Kody Brown doesn’t seem to want a relationship with Meri.

The really painful part is how obvious it is … and how obvious it has been for so many years.

Christine has left Kody. Now, Janelle has left him, too. Meri could live her best life. She could follow their footsteps.

But something is stopping her: an “unusual hold” that Kody has on his first wife keep her from taking that step.

 An inside source spoke to In Touch Weekly about Meri Brown and why she hasn’t left Kody in the dust.

According to the insider, Kody “has this unusual hold” on her.

“It’s no secret that she’s been to hell and back in that relationship,” the source acknowledged.

“It wouldn’t surprise anyone if she bolted,” the insider pointed out of Meri.

“But for some strange reason,” the source sadly confirmed, “she’s still loyal to him.”

The insider then characterized that “They have the most dysfunctional relationship ever.”

If Meri and Kody’s sad, unhappy dynamic leaves you scratching your head, you are not alone.

The source admitted that “nobody really understands” the bond that she has with Kody.

And, similarly, they don’t understand why she doesn’t cut ties and pursue her own happiness.

“It certainly feels like Kody’s wives are abandoning ship,” the insider pointed out.

The source added that “Everyone wants to know if Meri will leave him next.”

So, no, it’s not just all of us who are wondering.

Kody and Meri married in 1990. Theirs was not only a spiritual union, but also a legal one.

As we have noted in our coverage in the past, government recognition does not make a marriage — but it does confer key rights and allow partners to enjoy legal benefits.

Kody’s marriage to Janelle in 1993 and to Christine in 1994 were both purely spiritual. Polygamy, and other forms of plural marriage, are illegal in the United States.

In 2014, Kody wanted to marry Robyn Brown legally and adopt her children. A noble desire.

To do this, he had to legally (but not spiritually) divorce Meri.

Despite bringing in his shiny new wife, Kody and Meri remain spiritually married. In many ways, however, they have not lived as spouses for a very long time.

As we previously reported, Meri has apparently been “calling out” some “red flags” in the relationship.

“She admitted that his treatment of her has been disturbing,” a previous source shared.

The insider noted that Kody too often “turns a blind eye” towards his various “issues” in his first marriage.

Now that Janelle and Christine have both broken away, Kody seems to be in a panic.

He feels like he “is losing the hold” that he once held over his “once-perfect life.” Well, maybe it felt perfect to him.

But what is really happening is that not everyone is pretending that things are fine when they are so deeply dysfunctional.

“It’s interesting hearing him talking about this, and the parallels that [are] happening with him and Christine and me and him,” Meri told the confessional camera.

“It’s kind of disturbing because, like, some of the things he’s frustrated about with Christine, he did to me,” she admitted.

Meri commented: “Oh, he wants to work on it with Christine, but not me.” Yeah.

Why is Meri Brown Still with Kody? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip .