A Twitter user took his followers on a rollercoaster of emotions when he shared a huge thread about how he discovered the man he was dating is actually a married father.
It’s easy to see why the storyteller, Dan, describes himself as a ‘modern day Bridget Jones’ on Twitter, because this series of unfortunate events could easily be a storyline from a disastrous rom-com.
Dan’s tumultuous ordeal began right at the beginning of Christmas Day, when he attended midnight mass with his mum. The event would have been a wholesome start to the festivities if it weren’t for the fact Dan spotted a familiar face in church.
Addressing his followers, the Twitter user began:
Just been to midnight mass with my mum and next to me was a man I hooked up with last summer… and next to him was his wife and children that I had no knowledge of.
Dan went on to explain he’d been on seven dates with the unnamed man before he told Dan he couldn’t be with him because ‘his job was too hectic’. The Twitter user pointed out the man never mentioned the fact he was a dad, or a husband, which is information it would have been useful for Dan to know before he got involved with him.
While the storyteller was shocked by the encounter at the church, things only went downhill from there as he ran into the man again immediately after mass, when they ended up in the same pub.
The pair hadn’t spoken at this point, but after ‘exchanging looks’ at the bar the ex had the nerve to slide into Dan’s DMs – despite the fact he was meant to be spending Christmas with his family.
The shocked storyteller shared a screenshot of his messages on Twitter, revealing the man had tried to win him over with the promise of giving Dan ‘a Christmas miracle’ if he joined him outside.
Dan’s Twitter updates captivated thousands of internet users, but one person who wasn’t so impressed was Dan’s mum, who had been following the story without her son’s knowledge.
The horrified storyteller explained:
Oh you thought this was over? I’ve just been downstairs all MERRY CHRISTMAS FAMILY WOOO and my mum is glaring at me because when I was a [blogger] she turned tweet notifications on and now she wants to know whose home I unintentionally wrecked xx
Dan added a visual to his storytelling with a short video showing him awkwardly sat in the car as he travelled with his angry mum to his brother’s house for Christmas breakfast. Though the tension was palpable, Dan kept things festive by wearing some colourful lights around his neck; after all, it was Christmas.
Though the ‘modern day Bridget Jones’ clearly didn’t want to talk to the man who’d lied to him, the persistent family man continued to hound Dan with messages asking him to hear him out.
When he received no response, the man sent three messages with a hashtag reading ‘hello please reply’. Dan used this to help his followers get involved with the storytelling and incredibly managed to get ‘#hellopleasereply’ trending in the UK, as thousands of Twitter users got caught up in the unbelievable tale.
While the shocking nature of the tweets kept many readers entertained, Dan made clear the story is a very sad one. Not only had the unnamed man lied to Dan, but it seems he also betrayed his family.
The Twitter user expressed his sorrow for the man’s wife and children and pointed out the husband had used Dan as his ‘dirty little secret’, before going on to describe him as ‘literal trash’.
Dan eventually confronted the man about his lies, asking why he never admitted he had a wife and kids.
If there was any shred of hope left for the husband’s morals, it all disappeared when he responded: ‘I forgot’.
After having a well-deserved glass of gin, Dan decided to go to his neighbour’s Christmas party, where he was once again met by his deceitful former partner.
Dan shared a video from what appeared to be a dark corner, or perhaps some sort of cupboard, where he hid from the party guests and explained he would sensitively discuss the issue with the man’s wife should it come down to it.
Watch the video here:
The Twitter user admitted he hadn’t expected the story to go viral, and made clear he had done his best to protect the identity of those involved to ensure no one was publicly humiliated.
In another video, he went on to say he wouldn’t wish on anyone the feeling he experienced after finding out he’d been lied to:
The lengthy thread racked up thousands of likes and shares, and hundreds of Twitter users rallied around Dan to tell him he deserves much better.
Dan later updated his followers to reveal he’d blocked the man and explained that going into 2020 he would ‘use that 20 20 vision to see through trash men’.
Hopefully Dan will find the partner he deserves!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.