On the Day of the Proposal, I Found Out My Girlfriend Was Cheating – Instead of Calling Off the Plans, I Came Up with a Better Idea

Caleb plans the perfect proposal for his girlfriend, Bianca. When they go away for the weekend, he secretly makes sure that her family will be on the trip, too. But when they're away, Bianca starts acting differently. She's constantly sneaking away and always on the phone. It's only when Caleb overhears a conversation that he discovers Bianca has been cheating, changing the entire course of the weekend.

Planning the perfect proposal takes time, effort, and a lot of love.

I'd spent months organizing a trip for our families, dreaming about the perfect moment when I would pop the question to my girlfriend, Bianca.

"You're sure, Caleb?" my mother asked me when I initially told her about the trip. "Bianca is the one?"

"I think she is," I smiled.

My mother slid her old ring box across the table. It was her wedding ring. Since my father had upgraded her wedding ring on their 30th anniversary, I knew that when the time came, I would want to propose with her original ring.

"If you're happy, we're happy," she said.

I booked my family's tickets and left the ring with my mother because I was certain that if I had it anywhere on me, Bianca would find it.

The morning we were flying out, I was actually nervous. I was excited, of course, but deeper than that, my nerves were all over the place.

Bianca and I had been together for four years, and I knew that we were meant to be together, but there was still that possibility that she could say no.

I had arranged for our families to take a later flight so as not to give the secret away.

"I'm so excited for this," she said. "I've been wanting to go on those trails for years now!"

We checked into our hotel and spent the first evening alone together. This was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime.

But something just felt off.

Bianca kept disappearing.

"What do you want for dinner?" I asked her. "Do you want to order in or shall we go out?"

"We can order in," she said. "Room service is always part of the experience. Surprise me!"

With that, she picked up her phone and went to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Recently, my girlfriend had been distracted. Even when she was supposed to be spending weekends with me, she would always sneak out, claiming that she had work calls to attend to.

It was one thing to do at home, but now we were on vacation.

It was supposed to be all about us.

That night, she fell asleep curled up next to me, her phone right next to her.

I wanted to let it slide. I didn't want to have a confrontation with her.

But then, she did the same thing the following day, too. We were at the hotel's buffet for breakfast and Bianca kept sneaking off between courses.

I was starting to get frustrated.

"Remember why we're all here," my mother said when I called to tell her about it. I needed her to make sure that I wasn't going to say anything that would spoil the entire reason we were there.

"Right," I said. "Okay. It's going to be fine."

We were yet to see our parents. I had planned other activities for them and only wanted them to appear at the end of the hiking trail where I was going to propose.

On our second evening, just as we got back from dinner, I told Bianca that I was going to the hotel's reception to get our supplies for the hike the next day.

Bianca said that she would take out our hiking clothes from our suitcases.

"It's going to be an early start, babe," she said. "I'd rather we have everything ready to go."

On my way back to our hotel room, I stopped at my parents' room to get the ring. I wanted everything to be perfect. And I needed to have it with me.

I found that despite Bianca's sneaky behavior, I still wanted to be with her. I couldn't imagine not spending my life with her.

"Are you nervous?" my mother asked as I sat on the couch in their room.

"A little bit," I admitted to her. "But I think that it's just because I'm worried she'll say no."

"I was nervous about that, too, Caleb," my father said from the balcony where he was smoking a cigarette. "I think that's when you know how much it means to you. The relationship, the woman, all of it."

I nodded. It made perfect sense to me. And even after all this time, my parents were still the happiest couple I had ever come across.

When I went back to our room, Bianca was on the balcony, talking on the phone. She didn't notice me as I quietly got in and shut the door behind me. The room was dark and she was looking out over the balcony.

I wasn't prepared for what I was about to overhear.

"Goodness, Tyler," she said, her voice almost cracking with emotion. "I miss you so much. This trip is so boring without you. I should have just stayed at home and we could have had the entire weekend together."

I felt deflated.

Of course, my girlfriend wasn't talking to a colleague, she was talking to a lover. Feeling the weight of betrayal heavy in my heart, I left the room immediately.

I wandered around the hotel, looking for the bar. I needed a moment to clear my head. I could barely comprehend the feelings that were taking over me.

But I knew that I needed to handle this carefully. I found the bar and sat down with a whiskey.

I watched people walk through the bar. Everyone was caught up in their own world, oblivious to what the next person was going through.

That's when I had an idea.

I went to the reception and asked to use a computer. Thereafter, I bought Bianca a one-way ticket home for the following evening. I printed it out and was ready to teach her a lesson.

I knew I could have just confronted and broken up with her at the hotel. But I needed more than that. I wanted to embarrass her. Humiliate her.

When I got back to the room, Bianca was asleep.

We started our hike to one of the most scenic spots in the area. The view was spectacular, but my mind was focused on the confrontation ahead.

As we reached the top, our families gathered around, waiting for the big moment. I took a deep breath and got down on one knee.

Bianca's eyes lit up, a smile plastered across her face.

But I wasn't going to pull out the ring. I had left it at the hotel, anyway.

Instead, I pulled out the plane ticket.

"Bianca," I said, my voice steady. "There's no place in this family for someone who betrays our trust. I heard your conversation last night. I knew that you're seeing someone else. Please, pack your bags and leave. There's no future for us."

The color drained from Bianca's face.

"You think you can leave me like this? After all these years? You're going to let a small romance with another person ruin years of our relationship? You're the one who ruined everything! But it's fine, I will leave. I want to go home. And when you come home, to your apartment, and see what I've done to it, you will regret it."

She stormed off, back down the trail, leaving the rest of us in stunned silence.

"I took the house key out of her purse. She can't get into my apartment," I said.

I watched as Bianca's parents tried to figure out whether they should go after their daughter or sit down at the picnic that we had planned.

Eventually, Bianca's mom sat down and opened the tub of strawberries.

"I think she needs to learn a lesson by herself," she said.

"Look, son," my father said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "We're here for you."

We sat down and ate our way through the picnic. Both sets of parents didn't say much, and I knew they were just giving me some space to gather my thoughts.

And I knew it would take some time, but I would be just fine eventually.

What would you have done?

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Ever since Nicole began planning her wedding, her mother had gotten very involved. When Nicole asks her to take a step back, she does so. But on the big day, her mother shows up in a wedding dress after mysteriously receiving a call instructing her to. Nicole is left fuming when she discovers who has preyed on her mother's feelings, ensuring she will destroy them. Read the full story here.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.