'I betrayed my best friend and took over her boyfriend'

If you ask any woman who her best friend is, she probably would mention a name. We all have best friends because of one reason or the other. But who do you really consider as a best friend?

When I tell people I don’t have friends, much less best friend, they think I am joking. Do you know why? I don’t want anyone to do to me what I did to my one-time best friend, Juliana, to me. So, I vowed to just have friends who I could talk generally with and not someone I will tell or share my secrets with. 

Before I proceed with my story, let me warn immediately unmarried ladies and also married women to be very careful what they tell their friends all in the name of friendship. I say this advisedly because you don’t know who seeks your down fall. You don’t know who wants to have or enjoy what you are enjoying with your man.

My name is Juliana and my best friend was Tessy. People who knew us called us four and five because we were inseparable. In fact, our family members used to call us ‘unidentical twins’ until I stabbed her at the back three years ago which ended our friendship of almost 10 years. We were friends right from our first year in the university; we also served in the same organisation during our National Youth service where we were as well retained after.

Tessy and I told each other about everything, I mean we do not hide anything from each other. We talked about dating or not dating, our ideal men, our boyfriends that is how good or bad they are in bed, how fat or thin their pocket is, how stingy or giving they are, whether we should milk them dry or not and many more which we saw as fun. And most times, we just do whatever we want with men and walk away when we are tired. It was just fun for us.

But, sadly, all this changed three years ago. Tessy and I became sworn enemies because of the lies I fed Ambrose, the man she was supposed to marry. Tessy met and fell in love with Ambrose who works in one of the multinational companies. Their love was so deep; you do not need a third person to tell you how much they loved each other. He spoilt her silly with gifts and money. However, I had no one to call my man. Well, once in a while he buys me gifts too and gives me some money as well.

Ambrose was every woman’s ideal husband. He was not only loving and caring; he was intelligent, charming, matured and also has a large heart. He goes the extra mile just to please my friend sometimes. He bought her a RAV 4 on her birthday four years ago as a birthday gift. Nothing happens between them that I don’t know. She told me about the kind of wedding they would have, places to go to for their honeymoon, the kind of family they want to build together and what they would do to love each other until death do them part etc. If she refuses to tell me, I would tease her until she does. She told me the day they had their first kiss and how good a kisser Ambrose was. From that day, I began to imagine him kissing me. The day I vowed to get Ambrose by all means was when she told me how good he was in bed. What Tessy didn’t realise was that I was getting jealous of her wonderful relationship with Ambrose and wanted him to myself.

One day in the office she told me, “Juliana, I cannot afford to disappoint Ambrose because he is a good man. He confided in me that he had been hurt by many ladies and he would not hesitate to end this one if I ever messed up. I gave him my words that I will never do anything to hurt him and he too promised the same,” she said.  “I can see how happy you are. I am happy for both of you,” I told her.  “How can I destroy their relationship?” I murmured to myself.

The perfect opportunity presented itself when Tessy became ill in the office one Friday afternoon and asked me to inform Ambrose that she could not make it to their date that evening. It was that day I stole his mobile number from her phone and started my evil plans. To show you how desperate I wanted to destroy their relationship, I bought a new sim card and started sending damaging text messages about Tessy to him.

The first text message I sent to him two days later was, “Tessy is not the woman you think she is. She is just after your money.” “Who is this, please,” he replied. I simply replied, “Just a friend who cares.”  In a matter of days, they started having problems and she came complaining and crying to me. I told her everything would be alright.  “Juliana, I am finished ooo. Ambrose said I don’t love him that I am only after his money. He said he doesn’t want to see me anymore. He told me he thought I was different from other girls,” she cried. “Who told him that? How can he say that? Don’t worry everything will be fine,” I assured her. But each other day, I sent more damaging messages about Tessy and they drifted apart so fast.

The message that broke the camel’s back was this: “Did she tell you that she has committed three abortions? In fact, the doctor said her womb is damaged and she will never be able to conceive and have a baby. Please don’t allow her trick you into marrying her. Just forget about her because there is a woman out there patiently waiting for you.” About 30 minutes later, Tessy called to inform me that it was over. “Ambrose said it is over. He asked me why I didn’t tell him my womb was damaged. He called me a professional prostitute. I am finished. I tried to tell him they were all lies that someone was trying to separate us. But he would not listen,” she wept. I assured her that I would try and talk to him. “Don’t worry I will talk to him. Who is feeding him with such lies,” I asked mischievously. But on the other hand, I was so excited that my plans were working out perfectly well. “Hmmm … Ambrose will soon be mine,” I said to myself.

Anyway, I used that opportunity to visit Ambrose at home and pretended not to know about the text messages. He showed me all text messages he had received, instead of defending Tessy as a friend, I substantiated the allegations. “Well, I know that Tessy is my best friend but I want to say that all the allegations are true. Although, I didn’t want to tell you, she is not who she claims to be. Despite all you have been doing for her, do you know she has a sugar daddy. So, what do you want to do now?” I asked. He told me he would forget about her and start life afresh. “If you need to talk to someone, I want you to know that I am available anytime,” I emphasised 

That was how our relationship started. We tried to hide it from Tessy but for how long? The day she found out Ambrose and I were dating, she asked, “Juliana what did I do to you? So it has been you all these time. What is my offence? I trusted you and confided in you but I never knew you were jealous of my relationship with Ambrose. You have him, good luck,” she said.

I could still remember what she told me the day I took our wedding invitation to her. “Juliana, God will fight my battle. I took you as my best friend but you stabbed me when I had no evil intentions towards you,” she said in tears. We got married seven months later. Tessy did not attend our wedding.

Five months after our wedding, Ambrose was transferred to Port Harcourt. We have been married for three years now and I have not gotten pregnant even for a second. Ambrose lost his job a year later, not just that he was involved in an accident that has left him in the wheelchair. In fact, everything seems to be stagnant for us. He is even threatening to throw me out of our matrimonial home because he said I have been a curse rather than a blessing to him.

I went to seek solution and was told that I offended a close friend of mine years back. “You offended someone who was very close to you. If you remember, she told you God will fight for her and that is what is happening. You need to beg her.” The truth is that I don’t know where she is right now. She moved out of her apartment and also resigned from her job.

I want to use this medium to ask Tessy wherever she is to forgive me because I know she reads  a lot and I believe she would read this. “Please Tessy, tell God to pardon me. You asked Him to fight for you and He is truly fighting your cause. I am sorry. Nothing is working in my life. Please, forgive me.”