As we decide to marry and start a family, we usually want to be completely sure about our partner. But sometimes, we can be surprised by unexpected revelations from their past. This happened to our protagonist, deeply in love and ready to propose, when he learned something unexpected about his girlfriend’s history.
A man wrote us a letter and he sounded absolutely desperate.
William, a 30-year-old man, recently wrote to us to share his story. He’s feeling lost and wants to hear what our readers think.
He started his letter by telling us about his girlfriend, Hally. They’ve been together for 5 years, and William has always wanted to marry her. He fell in love with her from the moment they met at a friend’s wedding. He was head over heels for her, thinking about her all the time and smiling whenever he did. William described their relationship as being able to be together in the same room, doing their own things but still feeling close.
He thought he knew everything about Hally, from how she reacts when she’s deep in thought to her childhood stories. But recently, something happened that made him question how well he really knows her.
William was going to propose to Hally and went ring shopping.
William shared that he and Hally had grown even closer after she lost her best friend to cancer. He was there for her during her grief, comforting her and being her rock. When she got better, she told him that he wasn’t just her boyfriend, but also her best friend who supported her through tough times. This made him feel like it was the right time to propose.
He explained that he hadn’t proposed earlier because he wanted to show Hally that he’d always be there for her, no matter what. But now that she knew he was committed, he felt ready to take the next step.
So, he was out shopping for an engagement ring, dropping hints that made Hally smile. They’d even talked about their future together, imagining a life in the suburbs with a deck, a grill, and a puppy. They’d even joked about baby names, vetoing some and laughing at others like Trevor and Trevina.
A sudden revelation hit William right in his heart.
William shared that he was feeling completely confident about proposing to Hally, but he hadn’t picked out a ring yet. Then, out of the blue, he received a Facebook message from someone claiming to be Hally’s brother-in-law. This person said that Hally had blocked him on Facebook and asked William to pass along a wedding invitation because it would mean a lot to her if she attended.
Shocked, William asked for more information, and that’s when he learned the truth. Hally had been married before to a man named Oliver, and they had a son named Sam. Unfortunately, Sam had passed away in a car accident. Hally never mentioned any of this to William before. They had a messy divorce, and Hally cut ties with him completely. It was a side of Hally that William never knew existed, and he wondered if she would ever have told him.
William has many feelings about his sudden discovery.
The man admitted, “I’ve been feeling awful about this all day. I even faked being sick because I needed time alone to process everything. Now, I just feel completely shocked and shattered. Until that morning, I thought I knew her, but now it’s like she’s a different person altogether.
Right now, I’m lost. I don’t know how to talk to her about it or how to deal with this new information. I can’t just go buy her the ring and act like everything’s okay. But at the same time, I still love her and want to be with her.
I’m hurting. I understand she went through something terrible, but I’m unsure what it means for us. Am I just a distraction? Can she keep secrets from me? I just don’t know.”