For many people, a wedding is the best day of their lives, full of happy memories. But for Lily, it was unforgettable for a different reason. She shared her heart-wrenching story of friendship and betrayal with Bright Side.
After 8 years together, Lily and her boyfriend decided to get married.
The main person in our story is Lily, a 28-year-old woman (editor’s note: names changed). She met her boyfriend, Josh, in college, and they fell in love right away. They bonded over shared interests and felt like they had known each other forever.
After being together for 8 years, Josh proposed to Lily. She was overjoyed and quickly started planning their wedding. But then, Josh’s behavior changed; he became distant and cold. Lily noticed he wasn’t excited about their upcoming wedding. It wasn’t until months later that she realized this was the first warning sign.
The day of the ceremony arrived.
The woman wrote, “The big day finally arrived. I was in my room, all dressed up for what I thought would be the greatest day of my life, making final adjustments to my outfit and makeup.”
“At that moment, my maid of honor, Emma, rushed into the room and hugged me. I was surprised because she wasn’t usually so touchy-feely, even at emotional events. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. She quickly slid a note into my hand and whispered, ’I’m sorry.’ My heart skipped a beat, as if sensing that something was wrong.”
Lily continued her story, “I peeked at the note. It simply said, ’Go to the restroom.’ My heart sank when I walked in and saw Emma standing with my parents; they looked like they’d seen a ghost. ’We need to tell you something, but you must stay strong. The courier brought this an hour ago. We didn’t know what to do, but we simply couldn’t let you marry this man,’ said my mom, handing me a large envelope. When I opened it, my world just stopped.”
“It turned out that all this time, Josh had been cheating on me with someone named Kristy. The woman decided to expose the deception as soon as she learned that Josh was engaged. They had been together for six months, right after our engagement. At that moment, the puzzle pieces fell into place, and I understood why he had been acting so strangely all this time. It wasn’t about pre-wedding jitters, it was just a simple affair.”
Before Lily lay a difficult choice: to call off the wedding or to forgive Josh.
The woman was shocked. She wrote, “I felt numb and betrayed. I couldn’t understand why the person I had spent 8 years with could betray me so harshly. ’It’s not too late to cancel everything. We will always support you,’ said Dad.”
“But I needed time to think and make a decision. I asked everyone to leave so I could be alone with my thoughts. One part of me desperately wanted to forgive Josh, hoping it was just a terrible mistake and we could still build a strong family. But the other side realized that I couldn’t forgive such betrayal.”
“I don’t remember how long I took to gather my thoughts, but at one point, the wedding coordinator entered the room, saying we couldn’t delay any longer. I made a decision. As I walked down the aisle, anger and adrenaline surged through me, knowing what was about to happen. I confronted my fiancé in front of everyone and canceled the wedding. At that moment, I felt a little bit better, as I was desperate for some justice.”
“It wasn’t the wedding day I’d dreamed of, but it was the biggest day of my life. That day marked the start of my journey towards healing and a future built on honesty and trust.”
