'I was jealous of my friend's relationship so I made her boyfriend dump her'

"Chloe* and I have been friends since childhood. Growing up, our parents always compared us to each other, which I wouldn't have minded if Chloe didn't excel at everything. From schoolwork to sports, my best friend simply couldn't be faulted. Our relatives would even compare our looks, telling me that I wasn't as slim or as attractive as Chloe. To hear that during my teenage years was absolutely painful and as a result, I didn't think very much of myself.

"When it came to relationships, Chloe also seemed to have better luck. She got her first boyfriend at 16, and all throughout university she was never short of admirers. Even though I had my fair share of relationships and dated a fair bit in secondary school and university, Chloe's boyfriends all seemed to be better than mine - they were usually smarter, more athletic and came from wealthier families.

"A couple of years ago, Chloe got involved with a handsome banker, Chris. Their relationship grew serious pretty quickly and she even talked about wanting to marry him. Out of all of Chloe's boyfriends, Chris was probably the most special to her. She was so in love with him and couldn't imagine doing anything without him. After many years of hearing how amazing life was for Chloe, I must admit that I felt jealous."

The green-eyed monster rears its ugly head

"I heard through one of Chloe's and my mutual friends that Chris liked Chloe a lot but wasn't 100 per cent sure about her. His parents didn't exactly approve of their relationship, plus, he felt that Chloe was only with him for his wealth and social standing. However, he was willing to give her a chance. I don't know what came over me when I heard this - I was so filled with jealousy towards Chloe that I told myself I had to end this relationship for her.

"Almost instantly, my mind started thinking up ways to ruin things between Chloe and Chris. There was no way that I could change Chloe's mind about her sweetheart, but, knowing that Chris doubted his feelings for my friend, I figured that I could work on him.

"The following week, Chris, Chloe, and a few other friends and I went clubbing. While Chloe was dancing, I casually told Chris that he and my friend would make great parents some day. Before he had a chance to respond, I mentioned that Chloe had told me that she was hoping to fall pregnant soon. Chris' facial reaction was priceless. He struggled to contain himself and almost spat out his drink. I then walked away, leaving him with the scary thought of Chloe trying to have his baby.

"A few days later, Chris was at Chloe's birthday barbecue when I dropped more 'bombshells'. This time, I joked that Chloe was already planning their wedding and urged him to propose to her soon. Chris laughed nervously and said that they hadn't talked about that yet. 'Really?' I asked. 'Chloe talks about marriage all the time. She really wants to spend her life with you, she knows you're The One'. When I said this, I could feel Chris tense up. He obviously wasn't comfortable with the idea of Chloe making plans for something he wasn't ready for."

Trouble in paradise

"It wasn't long before problems started brewing between Chris and Chloe. The more annoyed and distant Chris got towards his girlfriend, the clingier she became. I heard through friends that Chris had told Chloe that he was re-thinking their relationship. This made Chloe feel even more insecure and she tried even harder to make it work. The harder she tried the more desperate she came across to Chris.

"One day, Chris told one of our mutual friends that he was starting to feel stifled in the relationship. Knowing that this friend is a gossip, I casually remarked that Chloe was emotionally unstable and probably needed to get professional help. I also added that she 'Daddy issues', which made her feel insecure about her relationships with men.

"Whenever I said these things about Chloe, I was careful not to sound mean. Instead, there was always concern and sympathy in my voice. I also knew that Chris and our mutual friend wouldn't carry these stories back to Chloe, so Chloe would never know that I was saying such horrible things about her behind her back.

"Needless to say, Chloe was soon coming to me with her relationship problems. Instead of advising her to pull away or dump Chris, I urged her to continue bugging him for a stronger commitment, which I knew would irritate Chris even more. Worse, I told her to give him an ultimatum to propose to her. 'He should know by now if he wants to spend his life with you', I told her. 'If he still can't make up his mind about where you stand with him, that probably means that he's not serious about you'. Chloe took my words to heart.

"The ultimatum didn't go down too well with Chris, who complained to Chloe that he no longer felt like he had any freedom in the relationship. He felt pressured to do something that she was ready to and he was not, and he couldn't continue dating her. Chloe was devastated. What hurt her more was when Chris told her that she was emotionally unstable, clingy and desperate - words that I had used to describe her!"

The end of Chris and Chloe

"After Chris broke up with her, Chloe cried for weeks. She believed that she was to blame for pushing her man away. I didn't tell her what I thought, I just listened to her and comforted her the way any friend would. Chris, who was convinced that Chloe was emotionally needy and desperate to marry him, never contacted her again. According to a mutual friend, Chris wanted a woman who was emotionally secure and did not have any ulterior motives or hidden agendas for being with him. Chloe, according to him, was the opposite of those things.

"Chloe never really got over the breakup. She is single to this day because she doesn't believe that she can find anyone better than Chris. She also claims that her relationship with Chris ruined her for other guys.

"Sometimes I feel terrible for breaking them up, but I don't regret what I did. In time, I'm sure that Chris would have allowed himself to get closer to Chloe and seen what a beautiful woman she was, but my rumours scared him and put him off getting to know her more intimately.

"I do admit that I'm childish and insecure for not wanting to see my best friend happy, but all her life Chloe's had everything go her way. Just this once, I wanted to see what it was like for her to experience the same kind of rejection and sadness that I did growing up. Even now, I can't say that I ever want to see her happy."

*Names have been changed.

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