Woman's Insecure Boyfriend Orchestrates a Fake Love Triangle to Make Her Jealous, Raising Massive Red Flag: 'I like how you look when you're upset'

Author image for Ely Bulnes
Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Sep 17, 2024 5:00 PM EDT

Welcome, hot tea-loving ladies. Some of the best and most amusing villains in books, movies, and TV shows are best described as "Machiavellian." These characters use their charm and wit to manipulate others to do their bidding. They are constantly scheming, taking a behind-the-scenes approach to villainy while maintaining a likeable and endearing facade. Examples of such characters include Little Finger from The Game of Thrones series, Tony from The Sopranos, and Iago from Shakespeare's Othello. While these antagonists are entertaining to watch on screen or read about in books, meeting someone with Machiavellian tendencies in real life would undoubtedly lead to drama and hurt - especially if that person turns out to be your boyfriend.

In our story today, a young woman finds out that her boyfriend has orchestrated a fake love triangle by convincing his best female friend to openly flirt with him in an attempt to make her jealous. The ruse goes on long enough until he confesses his intentions to our protagonist, stating that he needs to see her upset to feel validated. Read the full details below. 

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    BO r/BORUpdates RU u/Front Needleworker253 • 23h AITAH for breaking up with my boyfriend because I had a bad feeling about his bestfriend and him and decided to avoid DRAMA? AITA AITAH for breaking up with my boyfriend because I had a bad feeling about his bestfriend and him and decided to avoid DRAMA?
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 02
    AITAH for breaking up with my boyfriend because I had a bad feeling about his bestfriend and him and decided to avoid DRAMA? 1(22f) was always a really chill person, I've always gotten along with everyone and I really appreciate my mental peace. I hate unnecessary drama. I've been dating Zack for three years, he's always had his best friend, Mia, who was studying in another country. They always talked via text or video call. That never interested me at all because I also have male friends.
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 03
    Mia was always disinterested when Zack was by my side on his video calls, and I wasn't interested in her either, to be honest, but Zack wanted us to be friends so I tried. Mia listens to the same music as me, so once three years ago I texted her on WhatsApp to try to have a friendly conversation, but she saw the message and never answered me and blocked my number. I thought "what a rude II but I let it go and never talked about it to Zack so I wouldn't make trouble, I just think that maybe she d
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 04
    Not long ago she returned to the country, now to stay and live here again. Zack asked me if she could stay in our apartment and I said no (I don't feel comfortable with people staying there), Apparently, Zack told her that I was the one who refused to let her be with us because Mia has been doing EVERYTHING to criticize me since that day.
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 05
    She has criticized my work, my studies, my hair, my clothes, etc. Zack always says that's how Mia is and I should be her friend because she's really funny (hat ha). Many times she tried to make me jealous with comments like 'You know that I used to take baths with Zack when we were little kids?' and she would get upset when I just said 'Alright at those random comments because tf, Why should I be jealous of that?
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 06
    She sits on Zack's lap (he doesn't say anything to her about that even if he knows I don't like it), he cuddle with her everytime they have the chance, they whisper to each other and go out together sometimes and I obviously can't help but think that in any moment I will comeback to the apartment and she will be wearing one of his shirt and I don't want to deal with that tbh. The WORST thing is that Zack
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 07
    really seems to like seeing me jealous, when I tell him something is bothering me, he laughs saying 'awww you're jelly' and stuff like that without taking me seriously. It's pretty annoying to know that he likes me to feel that way and Mia has been REALLY irritable lately like if she's competing with me. It feels like they're trying to make a novela with me.
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 08
    She always tries to make me jealous with stupid things like when she said she knows Zack's favorite sushi and I don't, to which I replied 'then buy sushi for everyone 'because I don't care at all. I've told Zack on several occasions that his friend is an idiot and he just says Mia is like that and I should just ignore her comments but honestly? I don't have the energy to deal with that girl and not be@t her up at the end of the month so I told Zack I'm going to move out and it's better to give o
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 09
    I haven't moved yet so he's been coming to my room to tell me that I'm letting my insecurity speak for me and he doesn't feel anything for Mia, I told him I'm not insecure, I just want to protect my mental peace and avoid DRAMA, he got angry saying I should fight for him and not be so. apathetic. He said that if I love him I would be fighting for him but I have always had the philosophy that if someone wants to cheat on you, they will do it even if you say no.
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 10
    I don't know if I'm being too cold about this but I'm not the kind of person who enjoys drama, I was always the 'cold' type of person, I hate it and I know Zack and Mia are enjoying this love triangle. I really care about Zack and we had a great relationship but I care much more about my mental health. AITAH?
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 11
    Edit: I haven't moved out yet because we pay rent together, the whole month of the rent is already paid by me because he couldn't come up with the money to pay for this month, but he's supposed to pay for the next month (Guys, I don't have any problem with this, He didn't take advantage of me or anything, something happened and he ran out of money for rent, nothing about this) + I have to wait for my parents to fix my room again so for now I have to leave my things here. At the beginning of
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 12
    have to leave my things here. At the beginning of the year the lease was updated so I spent a lot of money on that as well as rent went up by 40% so It's money wasted now I'm pretty sad about that since my father was the one who helped me pay for my part of the expenses of that apartment (No sé si lo expliqué bien en inglés pero ya cerramos contrato del alquiler y las expensas están pagas así que perdí plata en eso y ya pagué por este mes también, él no llegó con la plata para el alquiler de est
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 13
    *UPDATE* AITAH for breaking up with my boyfriend because I had a bad feeling about his bestfriend and him and decided to avoid DRAMA? I discovered Mia was sleeping with Zack, she's expecting his baby and they kicked me out from the apartament but I'm pregnant too... Nah, that didn't happened. ?
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 14
    I spoke with Zack to ask him to have a good coexistence because I'm going to stay a few more months here because talking a little bit with him and my father we came to the conclusion that it is better for both of us to continue living together in a healthy way. We both have our bedrooms after all (he promised me that he wouldn't enter to my bedroom without an invitation and apologized for doing that before). There are many reasons why we should continue to live together at least until the lease
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 15
    We both cried and I asked Zack what he expected to happen when I saw him treat Mia that way. He admitted that he likes the way I look when I'm upset, he said it's a self-esteem issue he has but he needs me to show him all the time that I love him and the fact I never reacted affected him a lot. Honestly, he's attractive, I know he's always been pretty conceited, but I used to think that was the way he was but now I see that it's actually a problem he has... Narcissism.
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 16
    Zack said that when he sees that I don't get jealous (in the way he likes) he feels annoyed and even more insecure because he thinks I don't love him because he doe always shows me when he's jealous. He said he doesn't have feelings for Mia at all but he likes to see MY face when she talks to me that way, Zack knows Mia likes him but he said she's like that with all her male friends too and at first he tought it was funny to see my annoyed face but then it started to bother him the fact I never
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 17
    Zack even mentioned other times he wanted me to be jealous about other girls but honestly I had no idea he did that because I think if someone is going to cheat on you they're going to do it even if you tell them not to, I'm not going to fight for a
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 18
    Our conversation was pretty calm after that, Zack admitted that he ruined our relationship and I made it clear to him that we won't be a couple again, I'm a little uncomfortable but surely as the days go by we can be friends or at least be civil with each other. At the end of the day, we both look for different things in a couple. He wants a passionate woman who feels things just as intensely as he does (his words) and I want a mature and focused man to live in peace, I think I'm too cold for hi
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 19
    Anyway, just know that NO, I'm not going to be in a relationship with Zack again, that boat is already gone. For now I just want to try to make this coexistence work since we both know that it is what is convenient for us and at least for my part I am not going to screw it up.
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 20
    Some of OOP answers about Mia "Zack told me he made it clear to Mia that he's not going to sleep with her but he also said that 'Mia is flirtatious with everyone' And he kind of justified her behavior. So yeah, according to Zack, Mia knows everything everything But that's what Zack said so who knows if it's true or not, for my part they can both off and I don't plan on talking to Mia again "Mia knows, I think they both just like the attention" I am not the OOP. Please do not harass the OOP 1,751
    via u/FrontNeedleworker253
  • 21
    Cultural_Shape3518 • 23h Ugh. I hope OOP blocks Zach the instant the lease is up and never gives him another thought. Jealous insecurity is not passion. Reply 11.7k
    via u/Cultural_Shape3518
  • 22
    ravynwave 22h • If she dates before she moves out that idiot is going to lose the 3 marbles rattling around his head ... 611
    via u/ravynwave
  • 23
    Acrobatic_Shelter881 ⚫ 23h This is probably the healthiest way OOP could have handled the situation. that she's locked in the lease tho, but honestly, the bus fare might have been worth it to avoid the drama. Reply 311
    via u/Acrobatic_Shelter881
  • 24
    ZeOzherVon • 23h For how dramatic that situation could have been, OP waltzed through the war zone and came out unscathed. She's pretty great at squashing brewing drama and not engaging in existing drama. I'm quite impressed 154 3
    via u/ZeOzherVon
  • 25
    Dis1sM1ne 6h . Yeah, and that's what scares me, OOP herself he has narcissism. So how much can you trust him to not enter OOPs room without permission? I hope OOP can keep herself safe. ← a 8 4
    via u/Dis1sM1ne
  • 26
    pcnauta 23h • He completely lost me at "[you] should fight for me". It's doubly worse (to me) that he was deliberately doing this KNOWING that nothing was going to happen between him and Mia. That said, I give it about a 50% chance that he sleeps with Mia (since he's not getting anything from OOP). ... ← Reply 189
    via u/pcnauta
  • 27
    Blackberry_Lonely ⚫ 23h I remember one of the guys I dated in college tried a similar thing on me (not this crazy lol). We would be texting, and he'd always find a way to mention how HOT this actress or that model was. Like out of the blue, unprompted, insistent even when I moved on with the conversation. His desperation to see me jealous was so pathetic... In hindsight, I started seeing him in a different light since the first comment, and never recovered. Needless to say, the relationship didn
    via u/Blackberry_Lonely

Tags

boyfriend insecure jealous toxic Female Empowerment reddit story relationships girlfriend jealousy cheating couples love breakup reddit thread red flag Reddit dating
Scroll Down For The Next Article