The Night I Thought He Would Propose, He Played a Joke Instead, So I Gave Him One Back!

A week of silence followed. I realized then that Ryan wasn’t waiting for an apology; he was waiting for me to accept my role as the punchline. So, I decided to give him a finale he’d never forget. I invited our mutual friends to a “Surprise Celebration” at my apartment. Ryan arrived with his usual arrogance, likely expecting a grand gesture of reconciliation.

Instead, he walked into a room draped in funeral-black decor. A massive banner hung across the wall: “Congrats on the Receding Hairline!” In the center of the room sat a cake topped with a plastic man clutching a toupee, inscribed with the words: “Manifesting the Baldness Early!”

The room went cold. Ryan, whose vanity regarding his hair was his only true vulnerability, turned a mottled red. When he hissed at me, asking if I thought this was funny, I mirrored his exact tone from the restaurant: “Positive vibes, Ryan! It’s just a joke, honey. Don’t be so sensitive.”

The irony was suffocating. His friends, finally seeing the cruelty he had directed at me reflected back at him, couldn’t hide their snickers. Unable to endure being the target of the mockery he so freely dispensed, Ryan stormed out.

As the guests left, I felt a profound sense of relief. I hadn’t received a diamond that night, but I had gained something far more permanent. I had spent years shrinking myself to fit into Ryan’s world. That night, I stopped waiting for a man to propose a future to me and decided to propose one to myself. I said “yes” to my own worth, and I knew that this was a commitment I would never break.