Navigating a friendship can be as complicated and rewarding as any relationship. The stories shared here from various individuals highlight a sobering aspect of human connection: betrayal. These stories of broken trust serve as poignant reminders of the profound impact our social interactions have on our lives.
The betrayal of a close friend is uniquely painful because it breaks one of the fundamental elements of trust and loyalty we expect in relationships. From friends turning into strangers due to unresolved issues to sudden betrayals that leave emotional scars to acts of deceit that destroy friendships, each story shows how deep the cuts of betrayal can run.
Let’s dive into some of these personal accounts, each highlighting different aspects of friendship and betrayal. Through these narratives, we explore the complex tapestry of human relationships and the resilience required to move forward from such deep disappointments.
While some find it difficult to make friends, others effortlessly strike up conversations with complete strangers whenever they walk.
Anyway, have you ever trusted someone and felt safe and accepted in their company only to have them betray you? These cuts often hurt for a very long time.
Two women are having fun by the water
Friendship betrayal is especially painful because it is rare for people to expect their closest friends or family to misbehave. On Reddit, some users discussed how their closest friends unexpectedly betrayed them.
Grammar and clarity have been improved in the comments.
1. My friend has decided on his sweetheart
A man with a lady draped over his back
u/KMApok: I moved in with a friend from my youth (10 years ago). We put down a deposit to rent his parents’ property.
After five months of renting, he meets a girl and pops the question within two weeks. She agrees. With four months left on our lease, they decided to tie the knot. I hate her to the point of extreme hatred.
My friend told me that if I broke the contract there would be no fines; if they moved out with four months of rent I would have to move out when mine was up.
I couldn’t go anywhere else. I managed to arrange it, but the problem was that I thought I had almost six months to find a new living situation, but in reality, I only had five weeks. Our friendship never really healed.
2. She had second thoughts
Top view of pedestrians crossing the bridge
u/tapirsaurusrex: I was invited to see my best friend who recently moved to Prague from the United States. We had been planning this for months so it was really important.
I wanted to stay at her place and hang out with her. After two days, she told me that she had changed her mind and threw me into town with my suitcase.
I couldn’t read the signs and I didn’t know anyone.
My cell phone died. It was terrifying and heartbreaking.
I eventually found a cheap motel and used the next six days of my trip to do some exploring of my own. It was fine in the end, but I will never speak to her again.
3. My closest friend left me
Boy engaged in playing video games
u/RevenanceSLC: I went everywhere with a friend. We went out to dinner or to the movies, played video games, and supported each other through good times and bad.
I went above and beyond to support him in his transition to a single life after supporting him through his divorce. Everything was fantastic! I told him he was my brother whom I always wanted but never had.
He was the guy I wanted to be my best man when I got engaged. I put together a groomsman box full of all his favorite items because I was so excited to ask him. He took the box and its contents.
He told me he couldn’t do it the next day. He sounded so melancholy. I assured him that even if I got married, he would always be my brother and that our relationship would never deteriorate. He seemed to be in much better health.
He didn’t show up on my wedding day. I gave him a dozen phone calls and sent him numerous texts. No answer.
Our friends stopped by and asked where he was. I made up a convenient lie and covered it up. He didn’t arrive.
Besides, he left me. It was over a year before I heard from him again. I can’t quite put into words how this broke my heart. It’s hard for me to forgive him.
I feel like hooking up with him and making out. I wonder why he couldn’t attend and what he was doing on the day that was so important.
Not to insult him, but to let him know how hurtful his absence was, I want to let him know how deceived I felt.
So far he has only replied to a handful of my texts. It’s been almost five years since I last saw him in person. I still miss you.
4. Things changed in an unexpected way
Women holding glasses and conversing
u/Hristix: I’m posting this in honor of my friend who sits next to me but lacks a Reddit account and reliable internet access.
One night I went to a bar with my best friend and some girls we worked with. We drank, the waiter was cute and he was obviously interested in men, so I started flirting with him a bit.
Although he informed us of his sexual orientation the last time we were there, my best friend didn’t notice. He and his friend were also spotted at a nearby club.
He then goes on to say that I am always attracted to attractive men. jokingly at first, but as time went on I began to suspect that maybe he wasn’t.
He performs a five-minute monologue. The other tables begin to calm down and turn to stare at how much he raises his voice. When it’s over, people don’t pay much attention because things like that happen in bars sometimes.
The monologue is coming to an end. I am sorry; I take a close look at what I did to make sure I didn’t attract all the men’s attention or something.
Even though I wasn’t, I was trying to think things through and I was a little teary-eyed at that point. My closest friend goes to the bar for another drink. He wants to leave. It’s alright.
When she’s angry, she acts like that. He takes a step back, sorts things out in his mind, and everything is fine. I didn’t know she went to the bar to get a cup which she then used against me.
Then, before anyone could catch her, she stormed out of the pub. According to eyewitnesses, it only took her a few seconds to go from hurting me to leaving the pub.
I suffered a severe concussion and woke up in the hospital. My ex-best friend was still nowhere to be found, but my family and other friends were wonderful.
After several hours of crying, I was released from the hospital the next day. I was informed that in the event of a blackout, seizure, etc., I would have to return.
Upon arrival, officers collected the report. I gave them all the information they requested.
I found out that my car was virtually totaled and stolen, leading to its impoundment.
It was wrecked by someone who also left dents, painted the engine, bent all the rims, smashed all the tires, and smashed the transmission.
The police agency demanded payment for the removal of the wrecked car. My closest friend continued her education for another two weeks until the end of the semester before returning to Florida.
The police did not even attempt an arrest until she returned to Florida; at that point, they stated that there was nothing they could do and she could be anywhere.
She was finally apprehended two years later after being discovered at her parents’ home in Florida.
Her father practiced law, so she was only sentenced to probation.
I am aware of this because I was subpoenaed to testify in Florida a few days before the finals started. No charges were filed against her because I could not attend without failing every class, so none of the charges were pursued.
The only thing I did against her was to make her pay for my car and all my medical bills.
5. My best friend showed no concern
Man operating a vehicle
u/Mymothersmokes: I was kind enough to lend my car to my roommate who has been a friend of almost fifteen years. They moved out without warning, destroyed it, and got lovers. I haven’t heard much from them since then.
Not that I care. They made it very clear that they didn’t care at all that I was being stepped on. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of them, but I never look them in the eye.
6. Advertising
Two co-workers engaged in conversation
u/vurplesun: We both applied for the same job. She started having an affair with a member of the selection committee for the aforementioned promotion.
Since our organization is fairly tech-savvy and uses an Excel spreadsheet, it wasn’t difficult for them to break into the files that recorded our performance. She then altered my records to make it look like I was a bad employee with lots of mistakes.
Then she would go around telling all our mutual acquaintances how much I hated them and was so good at it that I suddenly stopped hanging out with them.
She lied to get a promotion and then got another one inside the company causing my career to stall. She even told absurd lies, such as claiming that I threatened her or that I was mentally unstable, which of course is not true.
The most frustrating part was that I wasn’t prepared for all of this. It was too late before I realized that was what he was doing.
I had no idea that she had betrayed all of our friends, and I didn’t understand why I was suddenly fired from several job boards despite my innocence.
Looking back, I’m pretty sure he’s a bit of a psychopath. He now lives in another state, which is fortunate, but the damage was done.
I recently got a promotion, but it was after a change in management and after about three years.
7. My best friend from high school
Two young girls use a laptop
u/halpiee: My best friend (Alex, let’s call her) and I were inseparable as freshmen in high school.
We slept at each other’s places every weekend. We agreed to be bridesmaids etc. Then when she was taking her driver’s ed she ran into a girl named Becca.
Becca and I became close and we had a great relationship for a while, we even went on dates alone.
Subsequently, Becca confided in Alex about me, saying absurd things like I had sex with her boyfriend and called her names behind her back.
Alex was furious, but Becca told her it would be best to use my allergy to my disadvantage and warned her not to talk about it with me.
The next time Alex comes over for a sleepover, Becca advises her to put peanut oil on my pillow.
By the time her boyfriend, who I was also very close with, told me everything, Alex was ready to put her plan into action.
8. Watch our dog, please!
Dog curled up on the couch
u/lil_bit: I moved to Miami with my ex and stayed there for three weeks. We hired a friend to watch our dog and our home.
Three weeks later our dog was covered in feces and pee in his cage and our house was also covered in it when we got home.
In addition, there were two random turtles in a bowl on the counter. We tried to reach the friend for days but never got a reply. Ten years later, I have two strange turtles and my dog is quite worried about the cage!
9. Our separation
Anxious man lounging on the couch
When u/jack_skellington: | was going through a divorce, everyone in my Bible study decided to support my ex-husband.
They initially sided with me and I begged them to change their ways and treat us both fairly. Yet they had to hold someone accountable because they saw divorce as sinful.
First, they accused my ex of having extramarital affairs.
They then declared, “As the head of the home, your leadership has been morally corrupt. This is just the fruit of your corruption. Go, you sinner,” after learning that we willingly had intimate relationships with other people.
After that, I lost my husband, my house, and my job and no one I’d known for ten years would return my calls.
I died for them. The idea that a ten-year friendship with several people can suddenly end is staggering.
My friends are better today. I’m actually enjoying my recent job announcement sitting at a friend’s house.
I have individuals who will host me until I get paid the first time. I don’t have any friends from when I was with my ex. It’s not what I expected to have to start all over again at the age of 38.
10. I assisted a friend.
Two women are talking in a cafe.
u/ihaveapurpose: One of my friends got divorced and started seeing a woman he had an extramarital affair with. He no longer wanted to associate with her because she became hysterical and bossy.
He asked me for help in convincing her that she would be better off with someone else since we are friends.
I almost made her go on a date with the other guy she was talking to when we met for lunch one day in a public square and told her that my boyfriend wasn’t worth it if he didn’t reciprocate the feelings.
Once my boyfriend found out I had lunch with her, he accused me of trying to court her. She claimed she said horrible things about him when he confronted her.
He understood that in an effort to get her off my back, I would try to convince her that she was no longer worth it.
He calls me drunk at two in the morning saying he doesn’t know what to believe and that he’s going to end our relationship. Since then we have not communicated.
So it happened, and even though I tried to support him, he betrayed me by “unfriending” me in real life. I’m sure his story would have been different and he called me a traitor. except for Facebook.
Our last conversation was about eighteen months ago. However, I eventually tracked him down on Facebook and he is now happily dating the girl he asked me to transfer.
11. This was not what I expected
walks on the beach together
u/MistressLiliana: I went on vacation with some friends, along with my husband. Back then, we had a lot of animals—four cats, a dog, a ferret, two hamsters, a chinchilla, a cockatiel, and two doves—so one friend couldn’t visit.
We paid him a lot of money to supply oil as we were having problems with our heating. Instead of saving this money, he spent it on himself.
When the oil ran out, he used kerosene space heaters. He accidentally poured gasoline into the kerosene tank he had filled earlier.
He set our whole house on fire. Of all the animals, only a dog, a chinchilla, and two cats escaped alive.
We had three days of vacation left when we found out while we were at Disney World. It was hard to have fun, but there was nothing you could do about it and it would be expensive to come home early.
12. My friends from third grade
A young woman sits with her hands on her face
u/SmoochyDaisy52: This third-grade occurrence has been bothering me for a very long time. (I’m currently 23.)
I was a lonely child all my life. I felt awkward in social situations and had trouble making friends.
I was a lonely child all my life. I felt awkward in social situations and had trouble making friends.
I had low self-esteem because my brothers teased me a lot and my parents did nothing to stop them.
I somehow managed to join a group of four girls. I believed we were the best of friends. One of my friends lived in the house behind mine while the rest of us shared the general living area.
I remember calling my boyfriend in the house behind me every day after school and asking to hang out, being the socially awkward and ignorant third grader that I was. Yes, I was a little too attached to people, but I believed that’s what friends do.
We went to school together and then we met at a friend’s place behind my house.
When she and her sister were ready to go, we waited outside before going on our merry way.
I arrived one morning and was waiting on the porch. I tried to greet my other friend who had come to wait. She just smiled smugly and turned her head away from me without answering.
I mistakenly believed that we were playing a
I happily engaged in a game of “Who can stay the quietest, the longest game”.
Other friends soon followed. We left as soon as the girl and her sister said they were ready to go.
Then a strange thing happened. Everyone else started chatting and joking around and always ignored me when I spoke.
I tried to get their attention, but no one even looked at me, let alone said anything. I was quite upset. I knew they were ignoring me on purpose, but I couldn’t figure out why.
I chased them all the way to school and begged them to tell me what I had done to deserve their hatred. They finally provided an explanation.
It appears that I wrote a negative comment about a friend who lived in the house behind mine the day before. Nothing like this has ever happened! My friends were dear to me. How could I offend one of them in such a way?
They didn’t believe me when I told them I didn’t do anything. Despite knowing I’d never done anything like that, I changed my strategy and started apologizing profusely, saying it was a mistake and that I didn’t mean to!
The hardest part of today is apologizing for something I didn’t do because I needed human contact so badly.
When I heard everything, my friend’s sister defended me. “Maybe she really didn’t! She looks so angry!”
She didn’t know what she was saying so my friends advised her to stop talking. When we arrived at the school, all the kids were waiting outside until the doors were unlocked and it was time to go inside for class.
They exposed my transgressions and my corrupt nature to all. So from third to sixth grade I had no friends.
Everyone was hostile towards me and made fun of me. No one thought I wasn’t responsible. Even those who didn’t go to that school until the third grade hated me.
Even as an adult, I get scared when a friend, lover, or family member acts strange because I assume they’re trying to get me down, just like little girls did in third grade.
13. She called 911 about me.
Police car lights
u/ OriginalZombie: I had a good friend who was moving to New York, which I felt was a rash decision.
I tried to be honest with her when she asked what I thought about the matter and told her I didn’t think it was a good idea. She yelled at me and forbade me to discuss it further.
I foolishly tried to continue the conversation then. My friend started to rush away and told me that she would never talk to me again.
I went to see her and wanted to show her that I was a kind, kind friend who cared about her. I sat on the hood of the car to stop her from leaving when she got in.
I had my heart in the right place even though I was unfair. She reported me to the police. When they arrived they basically informed us that we were both stupid. She was terrible even though I was stupid and I learned a lot from the experience.
14. I sent my friend money
close-up of an individual holding cash
u/spojka_944:| he was ticketed while traveling to his girlfriend’s place overnight. At sixteen I was still breaking the law, out of state and on a student permit.
Fortunately, New Jersey allows online ticket purchases, so I was able to sell some things, including an Xbox and other expensive items for the kids.
I provided the money to a friend from church so he could make the purchase using my debit card. After receiving the money, he paid for his belongings. While not the worst, this experience made me question humanity.
15. Warrior
Male fist in detail
u/questionator514: A close friend of mine in high school had a reputation for fighting with all of his close friends and was known to get into fights a lot.
I was one of the few friends he didn’t argue with until then.
He got into a one-on-one battle with another guy after we had an argument at the club (on the same side).
During their fight, he is destroyed by several hits.
After everyone breaks it down, we’ll go our separate ways. As soon as we get into his car, he starts blaming me for allowing him to be attacked.
He tried to hurt me by making up as many lies as possible and calling his “gangster” friends.
All for the purpose of saving face.
16. The girl I preferred
A girl in the middle of a dancing crowd
u/turkeypants: I met this chick at a concert when I was on tour. You know the style: short miniskirt, long hair. I asked her name, but I was so distracted by her appearance that I couldn’t even focus on what she was saying.
When I asked if she had a boyfriend, she said she only had a “friend”. Whatever, it’s fine. I just believed what she said. I didn’t let a friend who wasn’t my partner stand in my way because I genuinely liked her.
That being said, what’s her name, she loved me. We became closer by spending a lot of time together. Everything was just amazing. I had no idea what was going to happen.
After the inspection, she returned to school and I checked in with her by phone every day. However, every time I called her there seemed to be a problem.
When I called once, a man answered. Frightened, I simply hung up but called them again. This time she answered and I asked her who had called before. She identified it as the “friend” she had mentioned earlier. As? Just a companion, huh?
Being skeptical and wanting to see her, I decided to surprise her with a little visit. I asked someone to take me to her dorm room because I knew she was there.
To surprise her, I walked over and simply opened the door. What did I see you ask? My girlfriend had sex with this guy. My heart sank and I was shocked to learn that it was a “friend”.
So guys take my advice. She said he was just a friend and that he had everything I needed, but never trusted a woman who said she only had a “friend.”
17. My best friend is gone
Team vehicle
u/eose: I was a prolific writer and “graffiti artist” when I was fourteen. Since he was French, let’s name my best friend at the time Pieur.
We were rather active at this point because I introduced him to graffiti years ago. One evening we decided to catch a movie downtown.
When we returned, this building was abandoned, awaiting a new canvas on the main thoroughfare. I was always cautious and didn’t want to take any chances yet.
It was barely ten o’clock at night. Pieur insisted we try this new pen he had made, although we could come back later and strike. He then throws up, so do I, and a police car arrives.
Unfortunately, we got separated and I was the one being chased by the police. I hoped no one would notice me as I turned the corner and entered the store.
Yes, they did. I was summoned and interviewed by the police. They put handcuffs on, etc. After about twenty minutes of “investigation,” the policeman pulled Pieuro in front of me and asked if he was the child I was with.
I claimed I had never seen him before because we had agreed not to tell each other years ago. They released him.
They didn’t arrest me when I was little; they called my parents instead. They offered to imprison me or punish me.
I thought about it a bit and I wasn’t arrested.
I was lucky I didn’t ruin my life because I was a magnet school student with a 4.0 GPA. In any case, Pieur told his mother that it was my fault and that I had made him write even though he didn’t want to.
When they got involved he filed the same bill with the police while I got him home safely and lied to everyone about how it was all my fault.
My longtime best friend turned into someone I hated that day.
18. My sixteenth birthday
Two satisfied women standing next to each other
u/withtheking: When I was sixteen, I was trying to invite people to activities. They spent about sixty minutes with me.
I later discovered their Snapchat stories where they were seen visiting another acquaintance. This friend had a hot tub party without me and didn’t come to hang out with me.
Oh, and my partner at the time got a text from my best friend who claimed she was hotter in bed than me. That was terrible too.
19. My wedding
Couple enjoying cupcakes together
u/jasminea12: After my wedding, a friend sent me an email expressing her disappointment that she couldn’t prepare with me for my wedding day.
Not that I had bridesmaids or anything. My family and friends from college—those I’d known for over a decade as opposed to this “friend” I’d only known for four years—were the only ones preparing with me.
Additionally, this friend declined my request to speak at my wedding.
After my wedding pictures, only her
only one of them was “liked”.
A picture of me getting ready with women. She was petty and I know it looks silly. I broke up with you.
20. My friends at church
A female patron of the church
u/aubreyrg: I was raised in the church and had a large social circle. It didn’t really matter that I wasn’t popular at school.
I didn’t get married when I was 19 (OMG I know how awful \thick sarcasm}). And indeed, my group of church friends completely turned their backs on me. They wouldn’t have fun, they wouldn’t talk and they wouldn’t offer me any help.
My “supposed best friend” came one day when I was still living with my family and I spent all my time with my BROTHER in my room!
My dad used to ask me why my boyfriend didn’t make out with me when I was relaxing in my room, reading, or doing something else. She didn’t come to me, I said.
He then went to my brother’s room and threatened to kick her out of our house if she didn’t come visit me. My dad was my hero that day!
It goes without saying that we were no longer friends after that. One person from my “church” days is the only one I have remained friends with.
We remain best friends even though we were 38 when we first met. Nothing can ever break the bond between us – we are like-minded souls. I thank God for her every day!
21. I felt left out.
A woman carrying bags sitting in the waiting room
u/Wanderlustskies: I realized that my extreme feelings of sadness, anger, and self-isolation were mostly caused by my friends. I’ve always been an outsider.
Some never told me anything about dating because they believed I was some kind of prude. I was never invited to any party.
At one particular point in our lives, we were at the airport just before returning home to high school. While I was watching someone’s bags, they were looking around to see who was where.
He wasn’t the only person who left their bags with me. They came back just in time for boarding and I sat there the whole time thinking I couldn’t go. They finished their dinner. I was furious.
Another time we were all in a marching band and my friend had a thing with this man. She always sat with me on the way to competitions, but now she always sat with him.
All I wanted was for her to accompany me to the state finals. She doesn’t. It was the worst bus ride I’ve ever been on. She kept information about him from me too, but I know six months later she hated him.
22. “Best Friend”
Amusement park
u/[deleted]: My best friend was my six-year-old son’s godmother. She was the only survivor of the accident when they went with him to the amusement park that day.
After being accused of being everything, my wife left. I married this “best friend” a year later. She supported me during my loss and once remarked:
“We can always make one of our own.”
Twenty years later I froze when we were packing up our daughter’s things. I was wearing my son’s clothes from that day. Me: Tell me how you managed to survive.
Her: I stayed in the car like I told you. Then you could explain why this is my son’s outfit from that day, I said furiously.
She was silent for a moment before the truth came out, her face was colorless. My son’s death was not her fault, but she withheld certain important information regarding the collision.
She admitted that she had secretly loved me for years and saw the upheaval as an opportunity to get closer to me. She had an ulterior motive, twisted by loss and unfulfilled love, to marry me afterward.
I stood there, devastated and betrayed, the shards of life-based on lies shattering around me as her confession came to a conclusion.
These individuals talked about what it was like to be betrayed by their closest friends. Many were surprised to learn that they would eventually have to part ways with their closest friends. Have you ever lost your best friend to betrayal? Was it a childhood friend or a stranger you met as an adult? We’d love to hear your story.
The stories of these individuals highlight a harsh reality: even those we consider closest can sometimes betray us in the most unexpected and painful ways. Whether it was due to misunderstandings, jealousy, or outright deception, each story reveals the deep emotional impact of such betrayals. These experiences, while undoubtedly painful, often teach invaluable lessons about trust, forgiveness, and the importance of setting boundaries.
Moreover, these stories highlight the resilience of the human spirit. Despite the pain of betrayal, many have found ways to heal and move forward, often with a greater understanding of themselves and the relationships they choose to cultivate. It serves as a reminder that while betrayal can leave deep scars, it also provides opportunities for growth and renewal.
As we navigate relationships, these stories encourage us to be more discerning about who we trust and remind us that sometimes the most important relationship we can foster is the relationship we have with ourselves. By staying true to our values and being alert to signs of betrayal, we can hope to build stronger and more genuine connections with those around us.