My fiancé cheated on me two months before our wedding, and with my best friend no less. They have both been lying to my face for months while all I did was support them financially and give them all my love. However, I gathered the strength to compose myself and plan my next steps.
Last month, I left for a business trip to another city. I was just settling into my hotel when my phone buzzed. It was a message from my sister, Emily. I thought it would be a message checking in on me, not something that would make me reconsider my entire relationship.
It was a photo of my fiancé, Mike, and my best friend, Liz, shamelessly making out outside a café. Not just any café, but the one where Mike and I had our first date. The sight of them together like that so blatantly disrespectful was a punch to the gut.
I was absolutely heartbroken. Mike and I had been together for three years, and our wedding was in two months. And Liz? She has been by my side since we were in diapers. I sat there, staring at the photo, my mind racing.
I just couldn’t understand how they could backstab me like that. I was the one paying for Liz’s college, rent, and car because her parents couldn’t afford it. I’ve been financially supporting her for the last three years. Liz was also helping me plan the wedding, all while having an affair with my future husband.
And Mike? He lives in my apartment free of charge because I wanted him to save his paychecks to start his own business like he always dreamed of. I do 90% of the chores so he can relax after work, and I’m 100% responsible for our four dogs.
I felt so stupid… How could I be so stupid?
But the moment I saw that photo, I knew it was enough. I couldn’t just let it slide. They had to pay for what they did, and just causing a scandal would be too light. I quickly composed myself and shut off my emotions.
The heartache was too much to handle that I might have broken down. Instead, I fueled my energy with anger. I came up with a plan and secretly started making arrangements.
First, I called our family lawyer and explained the situation. We needed to ensure Mike had no claim to my apartment or any of my belongings. Luckily, he hadn’t lived there long enough to establish any rights.
Second, I made sure he had no rights to our four dogs. They were all mine, and I am the rightful owner on paper. Besides, it’s not like he grew some emotional attachment to them.
I also worked with my lawyer to make sure Mike received nothing from our bank accounts that I funded wholly. I moved all the money from our shared account into my personal account and confirmed with the bank that if either Mike or Liz called, they wouldn’t get any information because it was in my name.
I guess it was a blessing that I was the primary account holder and had a longstanding relationship with the bank manager. I knew Mike and Liz may end up calling the bank should their cards be declined. So, I texted them both, lying that the bank called me regarding an issue with the accounts I had that resulted in a temporarily disabled account.
I was still in my hotel room by the time I made all the calls, and before I knew it, the sun had already set. I knew I wasn’t in the right headspace to focus on my business meetings, so I rescheduled them for the following week. My boss was kind enough to understand my situation.
I stayed the night and planned my next days. The following morning, I drove home while Mike was at work. I asked my mom and sister to help pack all my belongings from the apartment Mike and I shared as I was temporarily moving into a rented apartment that same day.
We also cleaned up Mike’s things and put them in plastic bags outside the apartment. I made sure to take with me the Xbox that I gifted him, our shared iPad that I paid for, and everything else that came from my pocket. I also changed the locks to make sure he couldn’t enter.
It was a little before four in the afternoon by the time we were through. We drove to my last-minute rented apartment soon after, where I decided that it was time to take steps to give Liz her punishment.
She had been using a car under my name for the past year since I was paying for it monthly. So, I reported the car stolen. I also called Liz’s landlord to remove my name as a guarantor. “Please ask for the rent directly from Liz,” I added.
Happy to say, Liz got arrested for stealing a vehicle. I also heard that when she got home, her landlord asked her to provide documents to prove she could afford rent. Sadly, she couldn’t produce them as much of her money went to material items.
I also asked my lawyer to draft a letter, asking Liz to pay me back for her college tuition. Fortunately, she had left a message for me before claiming she would return all expenses I made for her education.
Then, I had to face the hardest part. I had to cancel our wedding. My emotions came rushing back as I called our venue, caterer, and other wedding vendors to cancel. Most of them could no longer refund me as the wedding was too near.
I decided it would be a waste of money to simply let go of the already paid-for items. So, I threw a party. I told my guests that I would celebrate a painful blessing that saved me from making the worst decision of my life.
Up until that point, Mike and Liz had no clue of what I knew. So, I posted the photo of them locking lips on our “Save the Date” Facebook event with all of our family, friends, and colleagues, including Mike’s boss. I blocked the two traitors from all social media and means of communication.
All but Mike’s parents were shocked because I had already given them a heads-up prior. I visited them on what would be the last time I would likely see them and told them what had happened. They hugged me and apologized for their son’s behavior.
I later learned that they shut their doors to Mike when he tried returning to their home. They told him that he had lost the best thing that had ever happened to him. They also refused to speak to him for disrespecting them through his actions.
Liz’s family all reached out to me as well to apologize. They decided to teach her a lesson as well and refused to talk to her.
Mike has been trying to reach me by creating different Facebook accounts to send me message requests and texting my phone using different numbers. While I didn’t read his messages, the notification preview had several apologies.
Mike and Liz may have gotten what they deserved, but I was still too broken. I needed a fresh start, so I asked my company if there was a possibility of relocating me and they said yes.
I moved to a different city and purchased a house with a backyard for my fur babies. I also invested more in my well-being by enrolling in different fitness classes and activities. It’s been a rollercoaster, but I’m doing much better now. I love my new house and have been happy focusing on myself. I haven’t seen or spoken to Mike or Liz since all this went down, and I’d be happy to keep it that way.
In another wedding setting, a mother almost got kicked out of her daughter’s own event.
A bride’s mother also realized a valuable lesson after her daughter tied the knot.