She married her Best Friend's Ex, and it changed Everything

In this story, Debbie narrates how she fell in love with her best friend's ex and how karma visited her earlier than she expected.

As Told To Aniekeme Bassey 

Linda and I met at the university in 2011, and we became best friends. She studied Microbiology, while I studied Chemistry. Linda was the outspoken one, funny, confident, and always welcoming, while I was the quiet one. 

We met at the faculty of science, and the very first day I had a conversation with her, I knew our friendship would last forever.

After our youth service, Linda secured a white-collar job through her uncle, who was a well-known politician in Uyo, where we both reside. I decided to go into fashion designing since I couldn't secure a job. 

Despite the fact that Linda was more financially stable than I was, our friendship continued to grow stronger by the day. It's funny how we had time for fun and hangouts despite our busy schedules.

It wasn't unusual for Linda to call me at midnight to discuss her health challenges, relationship and everyday life. She was in a relationship with Desmond, who was also residing in Uyo. 

Desmond was dark in complexion, tall and very handsome. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the same university as Linda and I. However, he and Linda never knew each other in school but met on one of their business trips in Abuja.

Linda and Desmond loved each other so dearly. Their bond was so strong that everyone around them knew they were in love. They started discussing marriage so early in the relationship that I was convinced that they were meant for each other. Most times, I will whisper to Linda, “This is how love should be, no wasting of time”.

Everything was perfect. Desmond was kind, caring, and polite. He would take us out on dates and include me in their plans. I was happy for my best friend; after all, what are friends for?

As years passed, I began to notice a change in my best friend's attitude towards Desmond. She no longer calls me at odd hours to discuss their plans, their dreams and how they want their marriage to be. 

Instead, she talks about how frustrating it was to be in a relationship with someone who never cared about her feelings in any way. Linda will always hang up with, “This is not what I want for myself and my unborn kids”. 

I knew my best friend enough to tell when she's no more interested. I watched her break up with Desmond in 2021, she cried for a while and swore never to give love a chance anymore. 

When I asked why she broke up with Desmond, she said; “Desmond is a serial cheat. He cheated on me again with his colleague at work. “I caught them red-handed”, she added. 

Well, as a friend, I was there in every step of the way to comfort, support and cheer her up until she totally forgot about Desmond and focused on her job and projects.

Though the breakup was messy, it wasn’t as dramatic as anyone may think. Desmond never begged Linda for a second chance instead, he claimed he wasn't the right one for her. My best friend, on the other hand, stopped talking about him. Though she claimed to totally forget about Desmond, I knew she was still holding onto the past. 

After the break-up, Desmond relocated to Abuja in search of greener pastures. 

Fast forward to 18th September, 2022, I went for a fashion event in Abuja. I had wanted to skip the event but my colleagues who were also in the fashion industry persuaded me to attend. 

When I got to the venue, the hall was filled to capacity. I was trying to locate the table where my colleagues were seated and then I saw a young guy, elegant and charming, standing just by the podium. Guess who he was? Desmond! I was surprised. 

It's a fashion event, for crying out loud; what is he doing here? Before I could walk away, he had already seen me. He walked close and exchanged pleasantries. 

“How are you?” he asked.

I could not help but reply with a fake smile “I'm doing great, Desmond. What are you doing here?” 

He replied with a smile, too, “I am here on behalf of my company. We are currently collaborating with designers to create prototypes for some engineering projects we are handling”. 

“That's impressive Desmond,” I nodded. He requested to text me later and I obliged. 

When he left, I felt something in the air between us. It wasn't love, it wasn't lust, but truth is, I couldn't really tell what it was. 

That evening, he texted me as he promised. I thought it was just a friendly text but I was wrong. That simple text turned into a dinner, then a date, and then more. 

I stayed in Abuja for almost two months, lodging in a hotel. Well, Desmond paid for it. Of course, he was rich enough. I kept deceiving myself that it wasn't something serious. “I will eventually laugh over this with Linda” so I told myself, but they were all lies.

Desmond later persuaded me to relocate to Abuja and I did. When Linda asked why I'm relocating to Abuja, I told her that I had gotten a lucrative job in Abuja and she was happy for me, not knowing it was a lie.

While in Abuja, I started spending weekends with Desmond and unfortunately for me, I took in. Desmond was very excited when I told him I was pregnant. We continued discussing the future and building a bond. 

I knew deep down that I had fallen in love with my best friend's ex but how do I tell my best friend about this? I was still on good terms with Linda; we chatted and made video calls and voice calls, but I was scared of telling her the truth. 

That faithful Sunday, I travelled all the way down to Uyo just to let my best friend know what has been going on between Desmond and me. However, it didn't go as I expected. 

Linda wasn't mad at me. She never cried. Instead, she kept mute for some minutes, looked at me as a total stranger, and then, with a soft and gentle voice, she muttered “Debbie, of all people, you chose him? You chose to hurt me? You knew how much I invested in that relationship, but you chose to take him away from me. No wonder you relocated to Abuja”

At this point, there was nothing I could say or do. I had already gone far with Desmond as I was already one month pregnant. 

I loved Desmond. He was rich, handsome, fun to be with, and caring. In fact, he had everything I needed in a man, so we had gone ahead to get married on 20th December, 2022. We didn't date for a long time because we thought we knew ourselves enough. Moreover, I was a month gone, so we had to rush everything.

My parents were not fully in support of the marriage but I was pregnant already, so they had no other option than to accept Desmond as their son-in-law. 

Marrying Desmond changed everything, not just my relationship with Linda, my best friend, but how I saw myself, how I saw him, and my definition of love. 

At first, everything was going on well. He was caring, loving, and kind as always. He gave me a baby girl’s treatment. I never lacked anything. Of course, he was rich enough to spoil me. 

However, everything changed after I gave birth to our daughter, Precious. He picked offense in every little thing I did; we fought almost every day. Beatings became part of my daily routine. 

Despite all these, I was still loyal and submissive. I tried to make our marriage work but I couldn't. So, I decided to walk out in May 2023.

I lost my marriage. I lost my best friend, who had always been there for me. I lost my confidence. Now, I am a single mother at 31 struggling to raise my daughter all by myself. 

Desmond isn't concerned about our welfare; it hurts. I never knew karma would visit this early.

I haven't checked on Linda for years now. I may reach out. Perhaps, she will forgive me—I can’t tell. But all I know is; the bad decision you make today can ruin your life tomorrow.