A painful problem has been bothering me, and I don’t know where to turn. Rachel is my best friend, and we’ve had a strong bond for twenty years. Life has been up and down for both of us, and I think of her as more than just a friend—she’s like a sister to me.
But recently, something happened that made me doubt them. Rachel and my fiancé, Tom, watched a movie after a night out, while I went to bed early. Tom later told me that Rachel made out with him and said it was because she was drunk after he pulled away.
This news has really shocked me. There is a deep hurt in this if it is true. But if I talk to Rachel about it and get it wrong, I could lose her forever. There are two things that I really want to do: give her the benefit of the doubt and protect my friendship with Tom.
Rachel’s actions since then have made me feel even worse. She avoids eye contact and changes the subject every time we talk, making her seem distant and secretive. Tom or Rachel haven’t talked about what happened, which makes me wonder what really happened.
Was there something I missed that told me Rachel liked Tom? Should I talk about the problem directly, even if the result could be terrible? Should I let it go, even though it might mean ignoring a threat to my relationship?
Fear stops me every time I get up the nerve to talk to Rachel. Can I ever forgive her if she says she did what she did on purpose? Will I still have questions if she says she didn’t do it? I’m dying for answers because the uncertainty is killing me.
As I try to find my way through this dangerous mental landscape, I have to rethink the very basis of our friendship. Can I connect the Rachel I thought I knew with the things Tom said she did? You know what? Only the truth will set me free. But getting the guts to look for it is the hardest part.
