The article presents personal anecdotes about proposals that led to complicated emotional experiences. One woman shares her story of being confronted with a surprise proposal that left her feeling trapped and ultimately led to a difficult breakup. Another story recounts a relationship filled with manipulation and gaslighting, where the partner's insecurities culminated in a questionable marriage proposal. These narratives highlight the profound impact these experiences can have on individuals, shaping their perspectives on love, relationships, and self-worth.
I briefly dated a guy at 19, then we remained good friends after breaking up. Several years later, he jokingly (I thought) proposed at his mom's birthday party. While I was laughing along with the 'joke,' he whispered in my ear, 'I'm not kidding. I love you.' I was mortified, but trapped in front of all these people, so I said yes. A week later, I finally got the courage to break it off. He didn't speak to me for years, but eventually, we became friends again, and he apologized for putting me in that awful position. He's a fantastic single dad now, and I've been happily married for 18 years.
My ex and I met in nursing school. We were both entering the same year of the RN program. It was good at first; he was just what I needed as I had walked away from a hard relationship just prior, so at that time, he felt like he was 'Mr. Right.' That honeymoon phase ended when I continued to move on in the program, but he was failing-and eventually exceeded his attempts. He hated me when I begged him to switch to a different nursing program. I could tell it made him feel inferior next to me. I graduated as an RN with honors, and he was still 'figuring it out.' One night, we were eating pizza at his parents' craphole of a place, and he 'asked' me to marry him. I lost it on him because he had nothing to his name-it was straight-up manipulation.
He continued to pick fights with me, gaslight me, and guilt-trip me. Once he graduated, he asked my best friend if he should propose, and I'm beyond thankful that she talked him out of it. We then went on our final trip together and broke up the day after returning. I regret staying so long with him and being forced to feel like I was the problem and that something was wrong with me. He is now married, got everything he wanted, and acts like he did it all himself. I hate him.
I saved myself from the proposal. We had been together for 3.5 years and living together, but I always had reservations about the relationship.
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