Transcription
My girlfriend's best friend texted me. "I need to confess something to you before the proposal tomorrow."
I thought proposing to my girlfriend Natalie would be the happiest moment of my life until her best friend destroyed everything. I spent 6 months planning the perfect beach proposal at sunset. I booked the spot, told both our families to fly in and hide behind the dunes, and bought a ring that cost 3 months of my salary. My mom cried when I told her. Her dad got emotional and hugged me when I asked for permission months ago.
Her best friend Jess was the only other person who knew because I needed her to get Natalie to the beach without suspicion. Jess would tell Natalie they were going to dinner and surprise her at the beach instead. I told Jess 2 weeks ago and she seemed supportive.
The proposal was tomorrow evening. Everything was planned down to the minute. The families would hide. Natalie would walk up. I'd be on one knee, and everyone would come out to surprise her. I'd been working on this for half a year. I bought everyone plane tickets and made them promise not to tell. This was supposed to be perfect. Tomorrow night, everything would change. My whole future was one day away.
Then at midnight, my phone buzzed with a text from Jess saying, "I need to tell you something before the proposal tomorrow." My chest got tight. I called her immediately. Jess answered crying and said, "I'm so sorry, but you need to know before you do this." My throat closed up. She said, "Natalie's been cheating on you with a guy from her office." I couldn't breathe. I said, "That's impossible."
She said, "It's been 8 months since she started her new job. 8 months meant our entire last year was fake. I was planning a proposal while she was with someone else." Jess said, "I saw them at a restaurant 3 weeks ago and confronted her. She cried and promised to end it and begged me not to say anything." Then she said, "But yesterday I saw her phone and they're still together." He texted saying he can't wait to see her tomorrow, and she said she'd tell you she's working late. Tomorrow was my proposal day, and she was planning to see him instead. I felt sick.
I said, "Who is he?" Jess said his name is Vincent, and he's married with two kids. She was helping wreck a marriage. Jess started sending screenshots. The first one said I was boring. The second said she only stayed because I was stable and had money. I wasn't her boyfriend. I was just convenient. The third said I'd been acting weird, but she'd keep pretending. Everything between us was an act. The fourth said he probably bought me another boring gift for our anniversary. I remembered that anniversary. I'd saved for months to take her somewhere nice. She smiled and thanked me, but lied right to my face.
I sat there looking at those messages, and my hands stopped shaking because I wasn't sad anymore. I was pissed. I called Jess back and said, "What's Vincent's wife's name?" She said, "Why?" I said, "Because she needs to know." I found Laura in an hour and sent her every screenshot. I wrote, "Your husband is cheating with my girlfriend, and I'm proposing tomorrow, but thought you should know first." She wrote back fast saying, "I suspected but never had proof. Thank you." She said, "Where's the proposal?" I told her the beach at sunset tomorrow. She said, "I'm coming, and Vincent will be there, too." This was actually happening.
The next evening, I got to the beach early. My parents were already hiding. Natalie shows up at sunset wearing the white dress I told her to wear. She looks happy. Everyone comes out from hiding, and her face goes bright. She gasps and covers her mouth, already crying. I get down on one knee. She starts nodding, and then I pull out my phone. Her smile drops. I hold it up and say, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Before I do this, everyone needs to hear something." I read the first text saying, "He's so boring, and I only stay because he's stable." Natalie goes pale. I keep going with, "I'll just keep pretending everything is fine." Her mom gasps. I read the last one saying, "He probably bought me another boring gift, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow instead." Nobody moves. Natalie tries to grab my phone, but I step back.
Then Laura walks out from the parking lot with Vincent behind her. Laura walks right up to Natalie and says, "I'm Vincent's wife, and he told me everything this morning. I called a divorce lawyer 2 hours ago." Natalie breaks down crying. Her dad says, "Get in the car now." They walk away, leaving her standing there.
Laura texted me a week later. Her divorce went through. Vincent got fired. Natalie called 63 times. I never answered. The worst part wasn't losing her.