People often talk about the heartbreak from romantic love, but nobody really talks about how much it hurts when you lose a friend. In fact, I think that it pains even more because we can say anything to them, even complain about our partners freely, without being judged.
Sadly, the original poster OP was already suffering after breaking up with her violent ex, but things just worsened when she moved in with her friend of over 10 years. However, when she found out the truth, it completely shook her, and here’s how she took her revenge…
More info: Reddit
When a best friend breaks your heart, sometimes, it can be more painful than a breakup with your partner
Image credits: standret / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster has been friends with Taylor for over a decade, and they were so close that her mom called the poster her "second daughter"
Image credits: Ill_Kaleidoscope_165
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
When she broke with her violent boyfriend, Taylor immediately took her in, but she suddenly flipped, started acting nastily, and spread lies about the poster
Image credits: Ill_Kaleidoscope_165
Image credits: benzoix / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Despite her trying, the poster wasn't able to get a straight answer for her strange behavior, so she just blocked Taylor and started her healing journey
Image credits: Ill_Kaleidoscope_165
Image credits: jet-po / Freepik (not the actual photo)
However, Taylor suddenly reached out to her one day, but the poster soon found out that she had been dating her violent ex, hence her rude behavior
Image credits: Ill_Kaleidoscope_165
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
She was utterly devastated that Taylor would do something like this, and decided to take revenge by giving her a taste of her own medicine
Image credits: Ill_Kaleidoscope_165
She agreed to meet Taylor, then stood her up, and had her mom text her to "stop harassing her daughter", just as Taylor's mom had done
In today’s story, we dive into the life of Reddit user Ill_Kaleidoscope_165, who experienced a series of unfortunate events, all because of her ex and “best friend” (Taylor). The thing is, she was in a toxic relationship, as her ex was physically violent, and when she broke up, Taylor took her in. The 2 were friends for over a decade; even her mom called OP her second daughter.
However, when the poster moved in with Taylor, she suddenly flipped and started arguing over the most trivial things. While OP found it odd, she tried her best to resolve the issues that arose until one day at a mutual friend’s birthday outing. The poster noticed how people were cold towards her because Taylor had been feeding them lies.
Apparently, she told them that OP was a mess, failed to pay rent, and even played the victim of her violent ex. That’s pretty harsh, right? To understand what effect this might have on someone, Bored Panda reached out to Gazala Khan, a mental health counselor at an NGO called New Morning.
She claimed that such social rejection from friends can deeply impact a person's self-esteem and increase feelings of loneliness. As per her, it may cause someone to feel unworthy or invisible, and can even lead to anxiety and depression. As humans, Gazala added, we are wired to seek connection, so being cut off or isolated can feel very destabilizing.
The poor poster confronted Taylor, but things just erupted more, and she said she would move out. However, when the poster was at a friend’s house, Taylor put all her stuff in the garage and even damaged a few things. She also had her mom tell OP about it, and when she texted her, again, her mom asked the poster to “stop harassing her daughter.”
Image credits: garetsvisual / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The traumatized poster blocked them both and moved on with her life, but Taylor popped up again, asking to meet up. Upon further investigation, OP found out that the reason she had treated her so miserably was because she had started dating her aggressive ex! The poster was completely shattered by this news.
Gazala explained that when someone is already recovering from physical cruelty, a friend's betrayal can feel like a second wound. “It shakes their ability to trust, increases emotional pain, and may even trigger past trauma. The safety and support they were starting to rebuild is suddenly lost again,” she added. That sounds awful, doesn’t it?
Our expert also spoke about the impact it can have when someone discovers that a trusted friend was secretly involved with their violent partner. She claimed that it can lead to intense feelings of confusion, anger, and self-doubt. Gazala also noted that people may question their own judgment, feel manipulated, or even slip into a self-blaming mode.
“It can also worsen trust issues and lead to symptoms like anxiety or emotional numbness,” she further elaborated. Maybe all this was too much to bear for the poster who took revenge on Taylor by agreeing to meet her, standing her up, and then getting her mom to text her “friend” to “stop harassing her daughter”!
Gazala believes that it’s common to feel a short-term sense of power or justice after revenge, especially when someone feels that they were wronged or unheard. “But over time, those feelings often fade, and unresolved pain or guilt may surface. I feel that healing tends to come more from closure and forgiveness than retaliation,” she concluded.
However, netizens felt that the poster was actually too kind to Taylor after she caused so much trauma. If you were in her shoes, what would you do? Let us know in the comments!
Folks were aghast at how miserably Taylor treated the poster when she was already suffering, and said that she was too kind in her revenge
