What’s the most twisted “romantic” gesture you’ve ever witnessed?

Betrayal and Ashes

“My boyfriend put my late father’s ashes into brownies and fed them to me”. “When I begged him why, he smirked and said,

I’m just helping you grow out of it “.

“That was four months ago”. “This morning, he was staring at me helplessly from the defendant’s chair”.

“My boyfriend always told me that he would do anything for me”. “And I never truly realized what he meant until I saw it because we were 6 months into our relationship when my dad died of cancer”. “Stage 4 progressed faster than anyone saw coming”.

“Couldn’t afford chemotherapy”. “I was 23, so I expected my friends to know how to be there for me”. “But for the first few months, I couldn’t hang out with someone for more than an hour without breaking down into tears”.

“At first, everyone was understanding”. “They’d let me talk about it for as long as I needed, holding my hand while I cried”. “But after just the first month, things changed”.

“My best friends were making up excuses for why they had to cancel on me”. “Take three days to reply”. “No one answering my calls”. “That’s what I get for bonding with people over our shared love for clubbing and nights out”.

“Meanwhile, my boyfriend Tommy was my lifeline”. “He would bring me fresh flowers every day, and if he was ever too busy, then he would have them delivered over Door Dash”. “I had no idea that he was going to ruin my life because he was the only reason that I wasn’t visiting my dad’s grave completely alone”.

“He never tried to shove my grief away and tell me that it was time to move on”. “never guilted me into forcing a smile and tell me that my happiness is what he would have wanted”. “So, on his one-year anniversary, I decided to volunteer for a 16- hour shift at the local hospice for cancer patients”.

“I also made sure to play Scrabble with at least three of the patients since that was my dad’s favorite game”. “It’s simple but deeply meaningful to me”. “Sometimes it was the only thing that would get me through the year, especially when I felt guilty for not being a better daughter, or when my brain tried to convince me that I could have saved him if I tried harder”.

“Well, a few months before the 2-year anniversary, Tommy asked if I wanted to visit Miami with his family”. “I agreed until he told me the date would overlap the 2-year anniversary”. “I figured he just forgot”.

“But when I reminded him of my tradition, he snapped”. ”

You’re being really selfish right now “. ”

Can you please just put me first for once? “.

“I furrowed my eyebrows”. “Up to this point, I had canceled dozens of therapy sessions because Tommy really wanted to hang out”. “Used money that was for my dad’s gravestone upkeep to shower him in gifts”.

Baby, I love you, but Sasha, your dad is dead “. ”

My family is still alive “. ”

The choice is very simple “.

“I swear I thought it was some kind of dark humor, but then he just stared at me like he expected me to make a decision right then and there”. “My heart dropped”. “I calmly explained that it was the only day of the year that I used to remember my dad, that it was the only day that I could grieve without feeling guilty, but he just sighed and rolled his eyes”.

Okay, I guess it’s my fault for thinking that you would have grown out of this by now ” he said before driving home”.

“That night, I decided to play him and abuse his trust”. “I told him I would go on the trip with him and his family, but what he didn’t know is that at 5:00 a.m. on the day of my dad’s anniversary, I plan to organize a 3-hour video call with the patients of the hospice and play Scrabble with them on FaceTime”. “I would have told him, but well, you saw how he reacted”.

“Fast forward to the day his parents booked us our own room together”. “And since he was a deep sleeper, sneaking out of bed was a piece of cake until it was 7:00 a.m.”. “because that’s when I was in the lobby and got the text from him asking where I was”. “Adrenaline pumped through my body and I instantly told him the truth”.

“He was typing for almost a full 20 minutes and ended up not sending anything”. “When the call was over and I came back into the hotel room, he lunged at me for a hug”.

Hey baby, I missed you “.

“His tone was romantic and comforting”. “I went along with it and we both acted like nothing had happened”. “Well, that was good enough for me”.

“The rest of the holiday was smooth sailing”. “I got my tan lines, my freckles came back, and his parents practically treated me like royalty”. “The real kurfuffle happened when I got home”.

“He decided to spend the night at mine because he didn’t want to say goodbye yet”. “At the time, I thought it was sweet, so I agreed”. “But when I woke up, Tommy wasn’t beside me, and I could smell fresh brownies downstairs, so I practically jumped out of bed”. “They were my favorite”.

“I had already eaten a square when Tommy asked me to guess what they were made of”. “His tone was daring and he had a boyish smile plastered on his face, so I played along thinking it was one of his playful skits”.

Um, is it Cary Gold butter? “. ”

No “. ”

Is it tea made with love? “.

“By this point, his face fell and he turned super serious”.

No “.

“An awful gut feeling washed over me”.

Check your little ern “.

“I staggered over, feeling my pulse in my temples”. “The earn was empty”.

Since you love your dad so much, I’m letting him live in you forever “. ”

You’re welcome “.

“I froze”. “My brain couldn’t process what was happening”.

Did he just say what I think he said? “.

“I ran to the bathroom and stuck my fingers down my throat, trying to throw up what I just eaten”. “Nothing came up”. “I was hyperventilating, tears streaming down my face, the bathroom tiles cold against my knees”. “Tommy just stood there watching me, arms crossed with this satisfied smirk on his face”.

“I grabbed my phone to call 911, but he snatched it from my hand, his fingers digging into my wrist”.

What are you doing? “. ”

It’s just ash “. ”

It’s not like it’s going to hurt you “.

“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing”. “This person I trusted, who I thought understood my grief, had just violated something sacred to me in the most disgusting way possible”.

Get out ” I whispered, my voice shaking, barely audible over the ringing in my ears”.

Oh, come on “. ”

Don’t be so dramatic “. ”

I was just trying to help you move on “.

“I screamed at him to leave, and he finally did, but not before telling me I was overreacting and that I’d call him when I calmed down”. “As if this was just a minor disagreement, not the most horrific betrayal imaginable”.

“I spent the next 3 hours crying on my bathroom floor”. “I called my mom, who rushed over immediately, her face going pale when I told her what happened”.

“We contacted the police, who initially seemed concerned, but ultimately said that while desecration of remains was serious, they needed more evidence to pursue criminal charges since the earn remained in my possession”. “They took a report, but suggested it might become a civil matter regarding the remains, as if there was anything civil about what he’d done”.