Reddit Stories - Alone No More_ From Loss to REUNION with My CHILDHOOD CONFIDANT_

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #loss #reunion #childhood #friendship #emotionalSummary:A touching story about finding a childhood confidant after years of loss and separation. Discover the emotional journey of reuniting with a long-lost friend and the impact it has on their lives.Tags:redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, loss, reunion, childhood, friendship, emotionalBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Spouses passing rendered me a solo parent until my childhood companion relocated to the area with her partner. However, she revealed her emotions to me four weeks prior to her wedding. Wedding My point 35M, friend Bree 35F, just told me she loves me four weeks before our marriage, and I am not sure what I am supposed to do here. I want to know if I am doing the right thing. To give some context, I lost my wife two years ago.

I have a five-year-old daughter. I have not dated in the last two years because I have major trauma from losing my wife. I still love her a lot and don't think I am ready to move on. I invested all my time in my daughter, who looks exactly like her mother and my work to keep my sanity for the last two years. I have been friends with Bree since we were in elementary school. We lived in the same neighborhood growing up and were best friends. She is an awesome person, and we were inseparable growing up. The weirdest part was we had completely different personalities.

She was very outgoing and always had a lot of friends. I am a big introvert and Bree along with a few friends was all I needed. Bree was a serial dater and I don't remember any time since middle school since she was single. Brie and I never dated though. Bree and I also went to the same college. She never had a stable boyfriend, but just jumped from one relationship to another. I, on the other hand, did not date seriously until I was in my junior year. When I met my wife, she was a freshman and we hit it off instantly.

We fell for each other and spent all our time with each other. This strained my relationship with Bree as I would generally hang out with my wife instead. instead of her. That was the time Bree and I slowly started drifting apart. After college, I moved to a different town for my job, and Bree and I occasionally messaged each other, but nothing beyond that. Bree attended my wedding and that was the last time I saw her. We kept in touch, but mostly by commenting on each other's pictures or keeping each other updated on significant life events. Bree did reach out to me when my wife passed away and we talked on a phone call. Last year, Brie and her fiancé moved to my city.

I was still grieving, and both have been amazing support for me and my daughter. My daughter loves dancing, and Brie helped me enroll her in dancing in gymnastics classes and sometimes takes her to them. I also became good friends with her fiancé, who is indeed an incredibly good man. My daughter also loves Auntie Bree and Bree sometimes helps me babysit. Last week, Bree came to my house and asked if we could talk. Her tone sounded serious. She told me that over the last few months, she feels like she has started to develop feelings

for me and is not sure anymore if she wants to go ahead with the wedding. She felt I also had started developing feelings for her. I told her that I am not ready for any relationship before I can deal with my mental health, for which I go to a therapist regularly. She tried to convince me that she loved me, we are soulmates, and she felt that we were meant to be together. However, I do not have the same feelings for her. I love her as a friend, but nothing beyond that. We were both emotional, but she said she was glad we talked about this.

She left after that. Bree called me that night and told me not to talk about our conversation to anyone. I thought a lot about it and decided that I would not tell her fee-euf. about me and my conversation from last week. I feel it's their relationship, and I do not have the right to ruin their moment if Brie decides to go ahead with the wedding. However, I feel guilty that her fiancé does not know anything about this and is going into a marriage where Brie might not be fully ready for it.

Can you guys give suggestions on what I should do in this case? Am I wrong for not telling her fiancé about our conversation? Update 1. The last month has been crazy, and my whole world has turned upside down. Again for context, I lost my wife two years ago and we have a five-year-old daughter. Brie and her fiancé Jason, 33M, moved to our town a year ago, and we have reconnected as friends and they have done a lot to cheer me up during this year and bring my life to normalcy. After Bree told me that she loved me, I told her that I was still not ready to move on as I

still miss my wife. She said she understood, and I did not hear from her or Jason for a few days. The guilt was killing me, as I was not sure if I should tell Jason about what she told me. Thanks to everyone who commented on the post, it helped me think the situation through. I finally called Bree after a few days and asked her to meet me for lunch. I talked to her and asked her if she was going ahead with her wedding. She broke down and told me she was not sure. I told her that she should at least talk to Jason regarding her feelings and not be dishonest with him. I also assured her that I would not say anything to Jay, but I just wanted her to be happy. She said she understood and left. That night I put my daughter to sleep and was watching TV.

Around 9.30 p.m., I heard a loud knock on my door, and it was Jason. I opened the door, and he was in tears. He started yelling at me and asking me why I had to steal Bree out of all the people. I tried to calm him down, but he just kept on shouting. I was trying to get him to sit down on the bench on our porch. I told him my daughter was sleeping upstairs, but he slowly was getting more and more physical. He punched me in the face, and I was able to push him off. I told him to get out of my house, and he sat in his truck and drove away. I immediately called Bree, and she was crying and did not sound well on the phone.

She told Jason that she could not marry him, because she had feelings for me. I was really scared for her, after the physical altercation with Jason, and told her to gather some clothes and get out of the house. She did that and came to my place. I just didn't feel she was safe with Jason. I consoled her for almost two hours and was able to get her to sleep. The next morning, we had to call her parents to let them know about what had happened. Brie kept a brave face, but I could see how much she was hurting.

Her parents asked her to take a few days off, and immediately come back home, and she did take a flight in the evening to go home. Over the next two weeks, the wedding was called off. Bree and I were talking every day and she was just very exhausted. She talked to Jason a few times and kept on asking her to take more time. to think. However, I think Bree just wanted to get out of it and decided to just break it off with Jason. Currently, Bree is staying with us for the last two weeks. She still has a job here and started going back to work last week. I have talked to Bree in detail about what happened.

Bree told me that Jason and her were dating on and off for the last four years. Jason is not very career-oriented, and Bree is very good at her job. She felt he was a nice and reliable person, but was unsure about him from the start. She felt that she was not getting any younger, and hence they decided to get married. When she heard about my wife passing away, she just felt really bad and wanted to be around me to comfort me. When she got her big promotion, which meant she could work in a corporate office, she immediately chose my city and moved here. Jason also moved here and got a new job. She never had any romantic feelings for me back then. As she started hanging out with my daughter and me, she started feeling the bond we shared

when we were growing up. Except, I was the broken one and she was taking care of me. She said that she realized that she was enjoying her time with us, more than with Jason. She realized she made a mistake with Jason, and what she wanted was right in front of her. Since, she slowly started thinking about me in that way and finally told me about it. She knew her relationship with Jason was over the moment she confessed to me. It's a shitty situation, but I am glad that she realized that before getting married versus. After. As for Jason, I feel bad for him. He is moving back to our hometown closer to his family. He is currently in their apartment and will move sometime next month. I know a lot of you would be curious if we were dating. We are not dating. I don't think I can

date anyone right now and neither should Bree. She is my friend and I am happy that she is staying with us and plans to be here until everything is sorted out. My daughter loves having Auntie Bree around too, so that's a bonus. Plus, it's really nice to see her slowly get back to normal. Thanks again for helping me during my last post. Cheers. Additional information from OOP. One of the comments from the post really stuck out to me when I was trying to decide if I wanted to tell Jason myself about what Brie told me. Following is the comment. I would not share your conversation. I'd also find a way to pull away from spending any time with her that also does not tear her out of your daughter's life.

Not that she is or ever will replace your dear wife and your daughter's mother because that is impossible. But your daughter at a young age had already lost her mom and I'd hate to see her traumatized by having another woman in her life abruptly leave. My daughter really loves having her around and I also do not want her to lose Brie. I have thought about the pros and cons, and I feel I'm happy she is staying with us at this point. Update 2. November 8, 2024 I wrote a post nine months ago about my friend Brie telling me that she loved me a few weeks before she. was supposed to get married. For context, I lost my wife three years ago, and we have a six-year-old daughter. Brie and her fiancé, Jason, moved to our town a year ago, and Bree confessed her

feelings for me just weeks before her wedding. Things went south quickly, and Bree ended up breaking up with Jason in canceling the wedding. She was staying with us when I last shared an update. The family members didn't know that Jason had assaulted me, and I had to assure everyone that we were safe and okay. I'm feeling particularly happy this week, so I thought I would share an update. Firstly, the reason Bree moved in with us while Jason was still in town was because I had a temporary restraining order, Tiaro, against him. Bree also filed for one but was denied, as he had never directly threatened her safety. She said she felt secure with us because of the TRO, and I agreed. Jason didn't cause any issues after that, though he continued texting Brie, asking her to work on their relationship.

Eventually, he moved back to our hometown in February, and we haven't heard from him since. Brie got her own apartment once Jason left town, but she remained very much a part of our daily lives. I enjoyed having her around, and my daughter loves her. In April, Brie brought up the idea of us dating again. I explained that I wasn't over my wife's death and didn't want to be unfair to her because I still love my late wife deeply. Bree told me she knew she could never replace my wife, nor did she want to. She shared a beautiful analogy, she said my heart is like a big pot. It holds a lot of love for my late wife, but it also made room for more love when my daughter was born.

Loving her wouldn't erase my love for my wife or daughter, it would simply mean there's more room in my heart than I realized. I took a month to think it over, talking to my mom and mother-in-law, late wife's mom, who both encouraged me to give a relationship with Bree a chance. We officially started dating in May, and it's been surprising how quickly we fell in love. I think the strong foundation of our friendship helped a lot. The last six months have been amazing, and I've never seen me. my daughter so happy. She's a big chatterbox now and insists that Bree comes to all her school events and recitals. Sometimes, I feel a little jealous of their bond and even a bit left out of their little chats. The reason I'm writing this update is because I'm planning to propose to Bree this

Christmas. It's not a surprise proposal, we went engagement ring shopping last weekend and finalized the ring. We also have wedding plans for next summer. I know it seems quick. I know it seems but I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. Bree deserves to officially be part of our family. My daughter is thrilled, and she and Bree are already shopping for dresses for the engagement photo shoot. Our families couldn't be happier, and we planned to get engaged at a small gathering of family and friends over Christmas weekend in our hometown.

I know some people judged me for taking Bree in after she left Jason, and others judged her for leaving him at the altar. Life isn't easy, trust me, and things don't always go as planned. But I'm grateful Bree found the courage to tell me how she felt back then. Thank you all again for your support on my last post. Comments where OPP has replied, Commenter 1, downvoted. Thanks for the update. Glad things worked out and wish you both a great future.

OOP, thanks. We are excited for the next chapter. Comment her two, wait, so why didn't she end her relationship before ever sharing with you that she had feelings for you? O-op, it was such a crazy time, for weeks before the wedding. I know the right thing should have been the right thing to do. However, I am also glad she did not go through with the wedding when her heart was not at the right place. I feel bad for Jason too, but I think it's better for him it happened, instead of learning about it after getting married. I did initially blame myself for all the pain that I caused Bree.

I know she would have been married, happily, to Jason, if I did not exist, but through therapy, I have learned to let go of the guilt. It was something I could not control. Commenter three, so you explained to her that you were still grieving your wife, and she gave you some stupid analogy to pressure you into dating her. She sounds desperate and dumb, and not a good influence for your child. I feel bad for your daughter. I seriously doubt your wife would approve of this for her. Commenter 4. Her analogy was pure manipulation and you are too stupid, or too horny, to see it. It's been less than a year.

Good luck, dear horny man, you are going to need it. Your wife would be ashamed of the damage you are going to end up doing to your daughter and all this. You let a manipulative woman con her way into your bed and home. Next story, dying father finally told me why he hated me entire life. He never wanted a son, and wanted me to give me up for adoption, but my mother wouldn't let him. I have three sisters that I love and a mother I adore, not always though. I hated them when I was younger because while my father would yell at me or belittle me for everything possible, they were the apples of his eyes.

I did my best at school in karate, nothing impressed him, not when I earned a full scholarship, to a prestigious university, not when I was the valedictorian of my year group, not even at 26 when I managed to start my own small company that has grown considerably since. No matter what I did, I was made to feel worthless, less than a person, good for nothing, useless, a failure. I have lingering issues about it to this day. When I was younger, all I wanted just once was for my father to say I'm proud of you, nothing even close. He doted on my sisters and mother though and I'm not proud to say I hated them for it as much as I hated him. How dare they get away so lightly, how dare they get his smiles and laughter and kind words when all I had to get was cruelty.

It took me a long time to finally begin a relationship with my sisters or mom that wasn't the jealous, angry son. Today we are all very close, I love them to death and would do anything for them. Some time ago my father was diagnosed with cancer, he's had other issues as well, suffered through two heart attacks and a stroke and it seems as if his body can't carry on anymore. He's dying and I don't care, I don't have it in me to care and if he died I could live the rest of my life having never seen him before he passed or knowing that I won't attend his funeral. He wasn't present at my wedding either, I did not invite him which was very noticeable to many of my family members but I didn't care. I'd found a woman who loved me and that I

loved and I wanted to share that day with people in my life that I love or strongly like. My uncle was always sympathetic to my cases growing up, my father, his older brother was an asshole to him and he understood why I wouldn't want my father there even while other family members thought I should have still invited him. Here's the thing he wants to see me, he probably has only a few months left and now wishes to see me. My wife, mother and sisters all want me to pay a visit to him, while my wife thinks I should go just once, she isn't pressuring me, she knows my history with him and says if I decide not to go. That's it then, my mother and sisters however do think I should go and have all spoken to me several times in the past month about this. The only person who's laid off bugging me about it is my older sister. I'm the second child, she's 34 and she was the one who say my father be a dick to me from as far back as she or I can remember. My two other sisters are several years younger, 26, 25.

We met recently to talk about it, my older sister and I and for the first time in years I broke down my. crying, I literally just let it out. I told her I can't do it, I tried to put everything in the past, but I can't, I hate that man and what he did to me mentally. I can't forgive him and she says she understands, she said she'd speak to my mother and sisters however my mother and sisters tend to be very pushy. Anyway, do you all think I should go at least once? Update, so I went to see my dad and it basically went like shit. I caved, I fucking caved and decided fuck it, I'll see what he wants. Maybe this is something worth hearing. I visited the hospital by myself. No wife. No mom. No sisters. Just him and I. He looked old and tired and just as I

predicted I didn't find it in me to be angry. This wasn't the man I remembered. This was just some old broken man. It would have been a waste of my time to feel angry and yet I did. I was so pissed off because I couldn't stand across from him eye to eye and let him see that the son he treated like dogs hit had built a wonderful life for himself. We didn't say anything to each other for around an hour. Then eventually I found my voice and said, you know, this is the last time we'll ever see each other right. No response. Then he replied, I know. So I asked him why now? Why did he want to see me so badly that he had to send a message through my mother for me? And here is where I learned that my existence was fuck all to him. He admitted that he did it just to give my mom closure,

she didn't ask him to do it, but he knew she wanted it. So I asked him why he treated me the way he did my whole life and he replied, I never wanted a son, never had any interest in one. It fucking hurt, but I kept listening and he kept speaking. He said that in the first few years of my life he tried his best to care about me but eventually he realized he couldn't. Then came the final nail in the coffin of my relationship with that man. I never loved you, but I didn't hate you either. I just didn't care for you because I never wanted a son, I wanted to give you up for adoption when you were younger but your mother would never have forgiven me, so I did my best to push you aside and you would always try and get my approval for stuff. I felt bad at times, but I just didn't

care for you by that time I was crying. Me, a 31-year-old man, left my dying father in his hospital room and went to my car crying. I could have gone my whole life not knowing that. Fuck my mom, my sisters, my wife and my dad. I'm just so pissed right now. There was a part of me that hoped we would bury the hatchet, nope, I just learned he never gave a fuck. I will never speak of my father again. I will not attend his funeral or visit his grave. When he dies I'll be at the bar drinking because the fucker is gone from this world and I will I can to be the father he never was. Edit, I just want to say thanks to everyone for your kind words, both in comments and PMS,

they really helped a lot. Particularly while I was hung over this morning and laying in bed thinking about life. Also to the stranger who gave me gold, thank you. Never had that before and it was quite unexpected. I've got a ways to go still, I feel like yesterday opened up wounds I didn't even realize had never really healed and I'll be talking to my wife about it and most likely a professional as well. I won't cut my mom or sisters out. I am not angry at them. Their experiences with my father were different from my own and I do not fault them for that, however, right now, the best thing

for me is just to not be around them as much. So I don't think they'll be seeing slash hearing from me for some time. Once again, I sincerely thank everybody, it was your comments and PMS that made me realize, yeah, it hurts like shit, but I can't let him have any more power over me, I'm in the prime of my life and I've built a nice life for myself. I don't need a dying man's approval anymore because I've done the best I could for so long without it anyway, so here's hoping things will get better soon.