I never imagined that the person who would hurt me the most would be my best friend. Emily and I had known each other for more than ten years. Shed stayed over at mine countless times, cried with me through heartache, knew all my fears, failures, and dreams. There wasnt a thing I wouldnt share with herI trusted her completely.
When I first met this man, I told Emily straight away. At first she pretended to be pleased for me, but there was always something off in her reactions. Instead of Im happy for you, shed say, Just be careful. Rather than telling me he seems nice, it was always, Dont get carried away. Every comment was a warning, draped in the guise of concern.
Within weeks, the comparisons began. Shed remind me he wasnt all that different from my exes, that I always seemed attracted to the same sort of men. If he messaged me often, she said it was all a bit much, dont you think? If he was quiet for an afternoon, shed say he was probably with someone else. There was no middle ground with her.
There was a moment that changed everything. The three of us went out for a drink in London. I nipped to the loo, and when I came back, I saw them talkingfar too close for comfort. Nothing was obviously amiss, but something in the scene unsettled me. Later that same night, she messaged to say hed been way too friendly with her, and that it felt odd. I didnt understand, but suddenly I couldnt shake off these doubts.
From that point, everything went downhill. Whenever I made plans with him, Emily would get annoyed. Shed accuse me of never having time for her anymore, claiming Id changed. Shed repeat that women shouldnt sacrifice their friends for a man. But, strangely, whenever I suggested we meet up, shed always turn me down.
Things reached their lowest when she showed me supposed comments from people who claimed theyd been involved with him. There was no real evidencejust rumours, snippets of out-of-context posts, and the odd I heard that She told me she hadnt shown me earlier as she didnt want to hurt me, but couldnt stay silent any longer.
Everything started to unravel. That week, I argued with him more than everover things that had never been issues before. I started questioning everything. For the first time in my life, I checked his phone. I demanded explanations he couldnt give. It wore him down. He told me he felt I didnt trust him anymore, and couldnt understand where all this suspicion had come from. Soon after, we split uparguments boiling over when it was all just too much.
But the worst was still to come. A month later, I found out that Emily had been speaking to him. First she said it was just to clear the air. Then she admitted theyd gone for a coffee, nothing more. Eventually she confessed theyd been seeing each other regularly. When I confronted her, she didnt apologise. She told me shed done nothing wrong, and that I only had myself to blame.
He once said something to me that echoes in my mind still:
I only did what you couldnt manage to hold on to.
Thats when it all became clear. This hadnt been about concern, or caution. It was rivalry. It bothered her to see me happy, moving forward, with something she herself didnt have. She couldnt stand to be left behind.
Now, I have neither the man nor the friend. But I do have clarity. Yes, two bonds are gone, but Ive gained something greaterthe certainty that not everyone who sits listening beside you wants the best for you. Some are simply waiting for the best moment to bring you down.
