My Best Friend‘s Boyfriend Dumped Her For a Minor

#storytime #redditstories #redditaita
My best friend, let’s call her Emily (f, 23), was dating this guy, let’s call him Ryan (m, 29), who was the quintessential small-town heartthrob-a total 10 out of 10 by local standards. Ryan was also the lead singer of a band that’s extremely popular in our small town. Despite being an incredibly talented singer herself, Emily was relegated to background vocals in Ryan’s band. He rarely acknowledged her as a band member, and often had her mic turned so low that you could barely hear her, even though she was clearly the better singer.
Their relationship began under questionable circumstances. Initially, Ryan seemed totally uninterested in Emily, making it clear she wasn’t his type. But somehow, they ended up together, and Ryan pulled her into a whirlwind romance. They moved in together almost immediately, presenting a picture-perfect ‘happy family’ image to the outside world.
However, behind closed doors, Ryan was a real piece of work. He insisted on no public displays of affection, forbade Emily from posting about their relationship on social media, and made sure to keep her hidden away. He constantly belittled her and made her feel like she was unworthy of any public recognition or respect. The worst part? He was a master manipulator and a top-notch gaslighter. No one could say anything bad about him without being shut down or dismissed as the one in the wrong.
Ryan was also a youth pastor, constantly interacting with younger girls. It turned out he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor, let’s call her Chloe (f, 17). Although Ryan always claimed Chloe was like a “little sister” to him, many of us suspected there was more going on between them.
Then came New Year’s Eve. Emily, Ryan, and Chloe were all together when Ryan proposed to Emily in front of everyone, which at first seemed like a dream come true. But the situation quickly turned sour. Chloe ended up crying during the proposal, and instead of comforting his fiancée, Ryan spent the entire evening cuddling with Chloe on the couch. Emily, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, was left feeling heartbroken and jealous. But because Ryan was so good at manipulating her emotions, Emily felt like she had no right to be upset-everything Ryan did seemed to have an excuse, and she believed it.
The proposal itself wasn’t even sincere. Ryan only proposed because Chloe had started dating someone else, thinking Ryan was unavailable. The engagement was nothing more than a calculated move to make Chloe jealous. Sure enough, after Chloe turned 18, Ryan broke off the engagement, dumped Emily, and started dating Chloe publicly. To make matters worse, Ryan began spreading lies about Emily, saying that she was the one who ended things. He even lied to his pastor (who was also his boss), portraying himself as the heartbroken victim, abandoned at the altar, while Emily was left to pick up the pieces.
Now I’m left wondering if I could have done something sooner, considering I saw the red flags all along. But how do you change someone’s mind if they’re madly in love