I Decided to Leave My Best Friend After She Crossed the Line

Friendships may start in different scenarios and are built on various foundations for each person. Having a best friend who is your closest and most special person is a bond that’s deep and strong. However, our Bright Side reader had the opposite experience, as she shares how devastated she was by what happened between her and her best friend.

Our dear reader shared her situation.

Hello Bright Side! I am deeply hurt as I am writing this, and am hoping to receive some advice to help with my situation.

I (23F) have been friends with Ann (22F) for a decade now. She’s my best friend, and we’ve seen all the phases of our lives since middle school. We knew about each other so well that we could name each other’s exes when asked.

She is currently dating a guy, and to my shock, she pays for everything: dinner, rent, utilities, as soon as they started living together. I was concerned about this setup, so I asked why they didn’t split the costs. She got nervous and went silent for a moment. I was bothered by her silence, so I asked again.

She then burst out and said it was my fault, because I was the one who introduced them, and now she felt stuck with him. Since she had promised to support him until he got a job. It turns out that her boyfriend is lazy and dependent.

Apparently, Ann believed I did it just to make her suffer, as payback for not supporting my last relationship, for pushing me to break up with my ex. I was stunned. How could she think I’d sabotage her life like that?

I never thought of her or what she did that time negatively. I left, hurt and confused. I was hoping that if I gave her time to calm down, we could have a proper conversation.

A few days later, she showed up uninvited at a hangout and publicly accused me, saying that I made her suffer by introducing her BF out of spite. I was shocked by her statement, but I refused to argue.

Then, I found out that she started texting our friends to take sides, unfriended me online, and posted passive-aggressive things about me. A common friend told me that she also changed her narrative by saying that I planned it all out.

She said that I knew the personality of the guy and knew that he was still in love with his ex, but insisted on making him date Ann just to ruin her life, all because “I couldn’t forgive her for ruining my past relationship.”

At that point, I broke down. This issue has been tormenting me for a while.

I didn’t expect that this would be this big and would be an ongoing issue for her. She didn’t even give me a chance to talk it out and clarify everything. I was taken aback by this abrupt change in my best friend, she was not like this.

I feel like I don’t know her at all. It has been affecting me negatively, so I decided to block her on all platforms and just cut her off completely. What she did is taking a toll on my mental health, and I don’t want to expose myself to further destruction.

I felt disappointed and found it a waste for our friendship to end in a terrible way. Never in my life did I expect that things would go like this. I feel hurt and lost, I am now left wondering if I made the right decision for myself and our friendship.

Thank you for sharing your story. It’s incredibly painful when someone you’ve trusted for years suddenly turns against you, especially without giving you a fair chance to explain yourself. In situations like this, it’s important to remember that protecting your mental health isn’t selfish—it’s necessary. Here is some advice to help you process and heal from this situation.

Protect your mental health.

It’s completely normal to feel hurt, confused, and betrayed. A decade-long friendship ending like this is a real emotional loss—allow yourself to grieve it. You may prioritize your peace by distancing when someone repeatedly disrespects your boundaries and manipulates the narrative is not harsh—it’s self-preservation.

Even if you once considered her family, it’s okay to walk away when a relationship starts to harm your mental well-being.

Understand the dynamics.

Recognize emotional projection, as Ann might be projecting her dissatisfaction with her relationship onto you. That doesn’t justify her actions, but understanding it may help you emotionally detach from the blame.

By recognizing and understanding that factor, it might help you prevent internalizing the false accusations. As her statements are not your truth. Keep in mind that you are not responsible for her choices.

Process the break and move forward.

Consider sharing it with someone safe. Confide in a therapist, trusted friend, or journal your thoughts. Bottling it in may deepen the wound. Expressing it in whichever means you’re comfortable may help you process it.

It’s healthy to reflect on what happened, but try not to spiral into guilt or self-blame. Use this as an opportunity to reassess the kind of friendships you want moving forward.

Focus on healing and rebuilding.

While it’s natural to mourn the loss of a long-term friendship, try to focus on what this experience taught you about boundaries, trust, and self-worth. Reflect and heal. Give yourself grace, practice self-care, surround yourself with supportive people, and trust that stepping away was an act of self-respect, not failure. Pour your energy into people who make you feel valued and supported.

Not every long friendship is meant to last forever, and that’s okay. You may never get the apology or explanation you deserve. But peace can come from choosing to let go and move forward for your own health.

In another story, people have shared their unpleasant experiences with their friends, or should they be called former friends. Check their stories on this link.