We never have the choice of picking our blood relatives, but since friends are the family we choose, we should obviously treasure them. That’s why I wholeheartedly agree with Carrie Bradshaw, who once famously said, “Friendships don’t magically last 40 years. You have to invest in them.”
Speaking of friendships, these women were scandalized that their childhood friend had been feeding them serious lies. His tales were so grave that they never thought it was fiction, so the realization hit them hard. Read on to uncover his web of deception that he built for many years!
More info: Reddit
Trust is important for every bond, whether it be a romantic relationship or a friendship
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The poster had a best friend that she had known for 20 years, but she slowly uncovered that he had lied about everything in his life
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One of their other friends reached out to her, and the two uncovered that his work, violent husband, and even cancer diagnosis were all fake
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They were left speechless, but they reached out to his family, as they were concerned that there was something horribly wrong with him
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A relative assured them that they were going to look out for him; meanwhile, the two women decided to go low-contact with the guy
In today’s shocking tale, the original poster (OP) shares how she discovered the truth about her best friend (Dylan) of 20 years. He had always said things that didn’t add up, but OP just brushed them off as misunderstandings. However, one of their other friends (Sam) reached out to her. When the two got talking, they realized that his whole life had been a complete lie.
It was a big shock for the two women as they had known him since school. The sad part was that Dylan had even spun stories about serious things. Some of them included where he stayed, his work, his physically violent “husband,” and even his terminal cancer diagnosis. When they reached out to some of his friends, they had all gone no-contact with him because of all these lies.
First, they were under the impression that his violent relationship or cancer must have led him to lie. However, OP reached out to his so-called husband on Instagram, and the guy didn’t even know Dylan. Moreover, even his cancer diagnosis seemed to be fake. The two friends were at a complete loss, but realized there was something seriously wrong with him and that he needed help.
The poster soon gave an update that they reached out to his relative, who confirmed that everything was fake. His family knew about his lying, but they were shocked to find out that it had gone to this extent. Well, OP and Sam realized that they couldn’t really do anything. They agreed to let his family take over and decided to go low-contact with him.
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An expert argues that pathological liars lie for the same reasons that all of us do. “They see it as beneficial, they can accept the potential negative consequences of lying, and any internal feelings of shame or guilt don’t seem to be enough to stop them. The difference between them and the rest of us seems to be that they meet these three criteria much more often than the rest of us,” he adds.
On the other hand, some researchers believe that pathological lying should be classified as a mental health disorder because, for some people, it’s a way of life. They believe that such people also fib for attention, and might tell anywhere between 5 and 20 lies on average every day. Well, Dylan definitely needs help, and netizens were glad his family was stepping in.
Folks online sided with the poster and could also empathize with her and Sam's decision to slowly end their friendship with him. After all, even studies show that over time, consistent deception leads to feelings of frustration, anger, hurt, and confusion. Moreover, it can evoke a sense of being gaslit, where one constantly questions the reality of the situation.
Persistently feeling this way would definitely take a toll on anyone. Besides, OP and Sam’s whole lives were shaken, and they also “lost” a friend, in a sense. Obviously, that was not an easy thing to handle when they had known Dylan for 20 years. Well, I really hope he got treated. Don’t you agree? We would love to hear your thoughts, so drop them in the comments below!
Netizens were aghast at their situation, and many empathized with why the two decided to go low-contact with the guy
