I took it, but it didn’t matter at all.
“Ben, I’ve thought about it, and this isn’t just about the gift. It’s about how little you thought of me,” I said.
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking confused.
“I’ve been putting in so much effort, trying to make this work, but I can’t keep pretending that everything is fine.”
“What are you saying?” he asked.
“I’m calling off the engagement.”
Ben was stunned. He stammered, trying to talk me out of it, but I had made up my mind.
The disrespect, the childish behavior, the disregard for my feelings… it was all too much. I needed more than that.
A few days later, the situation took a turn.
Ben had been promised a new job. Head of Pediatrics at a well-known hospital, thanks to my father’s best friend, who was the chief of the hospital.
But soon after I ended our engagement, I found out that he had lost his position.
Turns out, a malpractice lawsuit had come down on Ben from a patient’s parents. With that, his entire reputation came crumbling down around him.
I hadn’t asked for any of this to happen, of course. But karma has her way of showing up when you least expect it.
A week after the breakup, Ben and his family showed up at my door, yelling at me for being “vindictive.” They accused me of sabotaging his career.
“I didn’t do anything,” I said simply.
When they wouldn’t leave, I called the police, who kindly escorted them off my property.
As I watched them go, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time.
Relief.
The weight of the relationship, the hurt, the disrespect. It was all gone.
What would you have done?
Source: amomma
