In 2022, I followed my friend Erica to Accra to attend her cousin’s wedding. I didn’t know Accra, though I’d visited the city a few times. We got to Accra on Friday evening and attended the bachelor’s party. We stopped at a supermarket to get a few drinks, and while shopping, this gentleman walked up to me and asked for my name. I told him. He later said he was going our direction and agreed to give us a lift. His name was Joe, short for Joseph.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP CHANNEL TO RECEIVE ALL STORIES IN YOUR INBOX

Erica was sitting next to him in front while I sat behind. Most of the conversation was between them, though I was the reason he offered to give us a ride. When we got home, he took our numbers, but later, I was the one he called. I told him I was visiting Accra because of a wedding. He asked where the wedding was happening, and I told him.

The next morning, when we got to the church premises, he called and told me he was around. “Around where?” I asked. He asked me to look back, and he was right behind us. I told Erica. She was equally surprised that he came to the wedding. He was with us until the wedding ended, and he drove us to the wedding reception.

By this time, it was clear I was the reason for his coming, so he kept close to me and talked to me whenever Erica excused us. He wanted us to go out that Saturday night because I said I was leaving Accra the next day. I asked, “With Erica?” He answered, “No, just the two of us.”

I didn’t know how that was going to be possible, so I declined, but that night, we were on the phone until we dozed off. The next day, we left Accra, but a few weeks later, I traveled to Accra alone to meet him because he had proposed and I had accepted.

I didn’t inform Erica about my trip to Accra, but I posted a photo on my status, and she asked where I was. I had no reason to lie, so I told her everything. She said, “You’re in Accra because of a guy we met not long ago?”

I explained how far we’d gotten over the weeks and how I’d developed love for him, how he was a lovely person. I didn’t convince her, but it was fine. As far as she knew he was the one I was dating, I was OK with it.

We dated distantly for over a year. Joe came to visit often, and whenever he was around, we took Erica around with us. He became family very quickly, more than I anticipated. Just less than a year into our relationship, he asked us to get married. He told my mom about the marriage first before he spoke to me about it.

Eventually, we got married in early 2024. Erica was my maid of honor and also the chief organizer of our wedding. Nothing passed her. Even our intimate decisions were run by her before we carried them out. She did a marvelous job ensuring we had a beautiful wedding. Her name was written all over our love story. It started because of her, and she ensured we landed smoothly.

Two years after marriage, I discovered a secret that shook my spirit to the core. I was shaking while reading the messages. I kept screaming, “What!” and kept asking myself, “Where was I when all this was happening?”

My husband switched to an iPhone and discarded his Samsung phone, the phone he was using when we met. One day, I saw the phone in a drawer and turned it on. I was just checking if it worked, and it did. I keyed in the password, and it quickly opened. The phone was working perfectly; I was surprised he didn’t give it away.

I went to WhatsApp and started reading our chats from the beginning, reminiscing about the day we met and what love was like between us. The photos we exchanged—everything was still there. Then I saw Erica’s name there. I wasn’t surprised at all because that girl was at the center of our love story. I started reading their messages too, and that was when the shock started running through my veins.

Erica visited Joe twice in Accra while we were dating. They talked about outings. He sent Erica money because she asked for it, and there were a few times they went out while Erica was in Accra. Clearly, Erica was pushing herself on him, looking at the constant messaging and the kind of photos she sent him. The photos were not totally explicit but very suggestive. I would only send that kind of photos to a man I was dating.

Then, at some point, she asked my husband if she could spend the night before she left Accra. My husband responded, “Your friend is on her way coming. If that wouldn’t be a problem, talk to her so she comes with you.”

That’s when I noticed Joe used my name often to deflect her flirty intentions. But I was still hurt that he didn’t tell me about it. I was still hurt that he went on dates with her without my knowledge. I was broken to know Erica, whom I’d credited as the author of our love story, was the same person destroying the foundation of that same love story.

I took the phone to my husband and asked him to explain. He laughed at my anger and questioned why I was angry about something that didn’t happen. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked him. “What difference would it make if I did?” he replied. I screamed, “A lot of difference. Do you think she would have been my maid of honor? Do you think I would still keep her this close? A lot of difference, and I’m surprised you don’t know.”

He said Erica was a good person, but even good people fall sometimes, so I shouldn’t allow what I’d seen to break the friendship. He asked me not to talk about it with her because nothing was destroyed and everything was OK. I asked, “Or did you do something with her and don’t want me to discover it? Confess before I find out.”

What Will Make You Leave Me After Forty Years Of Marriage?

Eventually, he left everything in my hands to handle it in a way that would bring peace to my heart. I haven’t spoken to Erica about it because that’s what my husband wants. I talk to her, but anytime I hear her voice, the only thing that comes to my mind is betrayal. If she was paying attention, she would notice the silence in my voice, and the perpetual excuses should have given her a clue that I know something and I’m holding grudges because of it.

I’m respecting my husband’s wish, but I will never see her in the same light again. The gap between us will widen until there’s nothing left between us. I know she’ll blame it on marriage—that her best friend got married and discarded her. That’s fine. As long as she’s not close to me, it helps me forget her treacherous act. It calms my heart knowing she’s no longer in my life because of what she nearly did to my marriage.

—Gladys  

This story you just read was sent to us by someone just like you. We know you have a story too. Email it to us at [email protected]. You can also drop your number and we will call you so you tell us your story.

******