I had a best friend—let’s call her Naya.
We’d been close since high school, the kind of closeness that made people think we were twins. We went everywhere together. Did assignments together. Took trips together. She even stayed over at my house so often that my family treated her like one of their own.
Then came that time. The time when I got a boyfriend. A guy I thought was genuine—turns out, he wasn’t. One day, with a calm expression, he confessed that he had cheated on me. But it wasn’t just that. He had cheated… with Naya.
I didn’t hear it from Naya. I heard it from him. And when I confronted her, she apologized. But I couldn’t forgive her. It felt like the two people closest to me had stabbed me from both sides. So, for thirteen years, we didn’t speak. Not a word. Not a text.
But life, as always, has a way of flipping things around.
Thirteen years later, I decided to make peace—with my pain, my past, and with Naya. We started talking again. Slowly. Until eventually, we became friends once more. I thought… maybe wounds can heal. Maybe I’d been too harsh before. Maybe everyone deserves a second chance.
Until a few weeks ago.
We were sitting together, relaxed, chatting as usual, when she suddenly said:
“I actually never wanted you to find out. I hoped you’d never know I cheated with him. But that jerk was just so proud to tell you.”
And right there… I froze.
I used to think my ex was being honest—gentle in his cruelty. But now I realized, he was just leaking the truth. And Naya? She never intended to be honest. She was only caught. If she hadn’t been, I would have lived in ignorance—standing at her wedding, playing with her kids, laughing with her—while she carried a secret that had stabbed me in the back.
Was I wrong to be friends with her again?
Was this a mistake?
I thought I’d healed. But it turns out, I’d only touched the surface of the wound. Her words ripped it open again—and worse, made me realize she still saw it as something worth hiding, if only my ex hadn’t “betrayed” their silent agreement.
I’m starting to feel this friendship shouldn’t continue. That honesty and integrity aren’t small matters in a friendship. Because it’s not just about a painful past—it’s about how someone chooses to face their mistakes, and how they choose to treat you.
Maybe… it’s time for it to truly end.
Not with anger. Not with hate.
But with the awareness that not everyone—no matter how close they once were—deserves a place in the life you have now.
Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash
