I dated my high school crush who is 26years male for five years. He was struggling with his career, and I supported him through everything. He always praised me as the most supportive girlfriend. But once he landed a high-paying job in an MNC, he started avoiding any clear commitment, saying his family wouldn’t agree to an inter-community marriage. A year into our live-in relationship, he cheated on me with a wealthy coworker from a different community and eventually married her.
After that, the guys I dated were all red flags. None of these relationships lasted more than a few months. Through every heartbreak, my best friend (28M) was my constant support. We’ve been friends since middle school and never had any romantic connection.
Three years ago, at his birthday party, he got drunk and confessed his feelings-the most heartfelt confession I’d ever received. He kissed me and asked me to be his girlfriend before passing out. The next morning, he barely remembered it but admitted his feelings-only to keep flipping, saying his conservative family wouldn’t approve of an inter-community relationship. Eventually, after a month of confusion, he decided we should stay friends and started dating someone from his community. We moved past it and even joked about it later.
Six months ago, I met my current boyfriend (24M). We’re from different countries, communities, and religions, but he accepted me completely-and so did his family. I kept our relationship private, wanting to wait for the right time to share it. When I finally told my best friend, he seemed happy for me. Though they hadn’t met in person, they’d spoken over video calls, and when my bestie visited for Christmas, they bonded really well. After the holidays, my bestie went back, and suddenly, he started ghosting me-no replies, no explanations.
Then I found out from a mutual friend that my bestie had been badmouthing me, spreading rumors about my current relationship and character. He claimed I’d used him, betrayed his trust, and left him behind. He even shared private secrets of mine with others and hung out with my ex-someone he was never even close with before.
Hearing all this broke my heart. I still want to believe it’s not true because it’s hard to accept that someone I’ve known for over two decades could betray me like this. But my self-respect is hurt, and after everything, I feel like cutting him off completely. Because of his credibility as my best friend, people believed him-and now I’ve been socially outcast from my circle. I don’t know where I stand anymore. ~ Anonymous
Question: What should I do in this situation?
Option 1: Confront my bestie
Option 2: Cut him off