MY BF’S MOM ANNOUNCED OUR ENGAGEMENT—BUT HE NEVER PROPOSED. SO, I DECIDED TO PLAY ALONG.
The day started with a knock at my door and my best friend grinning like she had the juiciest gossip in the world. She shoved a cake box into my hands.
“Congrats on your engagement!” she squealed.
Except… I wasn’t engaged.
No proposal. No ring. No clue.
A cold wave of dread settled in as I opened my laptop. And there it was—a glowing Facebook post from my boyfriend’s mother, gushing about how her son had finally proposed to the love of his life.
The comments poured in.
“About time!”
“We knew it was coming!”
“So happy for you both!”
Meanwhile, I sat there. Stunned.
Ten years. A whole decade of waiting, enduring family jokes, swallowing “when the time is right” like a bitter pill.
Then, just as fast as it appeared… the post vanished. Deleted. Like it had never existed.
It wasn’t heartbreak. It wasn’t even shock.
It was clarity. And maybe… a warning.
And this time? I wasn’t waiting. I was playing along—on my own terms.
The Plot Twist
I took a deep breath and did the one thing he never saw coming.
I grabbed my phone, opened Instagram, and posted my own engagement announcement.
A stunning black-and-white photo of me—alone—holding up my hand.
The caption?
“Sometimes, you have to take matters into your own hands. #Engaged”
Vague enough to let people assume what they wanted.
And oh, did they assume.
The likes and comments exploded.
His mom was first.
“Oh, sweetheart! So happy for you two! Welcome to the family officially! ”
Then came the aunts. The cousins. The flood of FINALLY! and We were waiting for this!
And then?
My boyfriend called.
The Confrontation
I let it ring. Twice.
Then I picked up.
“Hey,” I said lightly, like I wasn’t holding back ten years of frustration.
“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” he exploded. “Why is everyone congratulating me?! Why did you POST that?!”
I smiled. Oh, he was panicking. Good.
“Oh? You mean the engagement post? The one YOUR MOTHER started?” I said sweetly. “I figured, why not go along with it?”
He stammered. “B-But I never proposed!”
I feigned confusion. “Oh? So you’re saying… your mom lied? She just made it up?”
Silence.
He knew he was trapped.
If he admitted it was fake, he’d have to tell his whole family.
If he went along with it, he’d have to actually propose.
After a long pause, he sighed.
“Look, I was going to do it soon, I swear! I just… needed time.”
I laughed. “Time? You’ve had TEN YEARS, Brandon.”
More silence.
And that’s when I knew.
He never planned to propose.
He just wanted me waiting forever.
The Final Move
I exhaled. And for the first time in a decade? I felt light. Free.
“You know what, Brandon?” I said, my voice cool and steady.
“Let’s just cancel the whole thing.”
“Cancel?” he echoed, like he couldn’t believe I was the one walking away.
“Yep. I’m un-engaging myself.”
Click.
I hung up.
Then?
I updated my caption.
“Update: Engaged… to myself. Turns out, waiting around for a man to decide your future just isn’t my style. Cheers to new beginnings! #HappilyUnengaged”
The internet went wild.
His mom called me five times.
Brandon scrambled to do damage control.
But me?
I booked a spa day, popped some champagne, and moved the hell on.
Because if he wouldn’t propose in ten years?
Then I’d propose something better—
FREEDOM.