When I first met my girlfriend, I didn’t waste time telling her how I felt about her; I was bold and direct. She accepted but gave a warning: "Don’t disappear like my exes. If you have a problem with me, break up with me properly." I wondered about her history and asked, but she brushed it off, only saying she valued honesty.

She had a best friend, Sara, who was stunning. They were inseparable, like sisters, and spent nearly all their time together. One Saturday, while Tilly was out running errands, I got an unexpected visit from Sara. Confused, I asked why she was there without Tilly.

“Hi, Ato! What’s up?” Sara greeted me casually as if it was perfectly normal to visit alone.
“Not much. What are you doing here?” I asked. “Running an errand nearby?”

“Yeah,” she responded. “I delivered some items around here and thought I’d drop by to say hi.”
“Seems like you and your friend are both running errands today,” I noted.

"Tilly is out on errands?" she asked, surprised, and chuckled, “That girl.”

That night, I got a text from Sara saying, “Be careful. She’s manipulative and has another man in her life. I don’t want to see your heart broken.” Right after I read it, Sara deleted the message. Frustrated, I called her, demanding, “What are you saying?”

She replied, “Be vigilant. Tilly’s manipulative. She has a boyfriend abroad, Melvin. They even had an abortion once, and she plans on marrying him eventually. Right now, she’s just filling time with other men—including you.” She even claimed to have seen their texts.

Insecure and paranoid, I overanalyzed Tilly’s every word and action. One day, unable to hold it in, I asked her directly, “Am I the only one?” She laughed, “Who else if not you?” She looked sincere, but Sara’s accusations kept haunting me.

Later that day, I confronted Sara, who reiterated her claims, “She’s lying. She’ll vanish to the U.S. and marry Melvin, leaving you without a word.” My frustration boiled over, and I decided to ghost Tilly—just like her exes had. As I prepared to do so, I recalled her initial warning and wondered if Sara had been involved in driving her other relationships to ruin, too.

So, I asked Tilly about her exes. She shrugged, “They would get insecure and one day just ghost me.” I pressed further, “Did you have an ex who made you have an abortion?” She looked shocked. “Yes. Afterward, he left, and it took me ages to recover.” When I told her Sara had revealed everything, she shook her head.

“Who needs enemies when they have friends like Sara?” I muttered, realizing Sara’s deceitful intentions. That’s why, when the time came, Sara wasn’t at the wedding, though she’d been slated as maid of honor. Some friends just don’t deserve a place in your life, and Tilly deserves better.