My French-Speaking Friend Uncovered The Truth About The Emails My Fiancé Claimed Were From 'Distant Relatives In France'

The wedding was just a few weeks away, and I could feel the weight of it settling over me.

But it wasn’t in the "I'm so excited I could burst" kind of way. It was more like the "I'm so exhausted I could collapse" kind of way—the kind that drained me to my core.

Daniel, my fiancé, was supposed to be in this with me, planning our big day together. But lately, it felt like I was carrying it all on my own.

He was constantly away on business trips, leaving me to juggle the endless list of wedding details—dealing with the florist, coordinating the caterer, and handling all the last-minute guest list drama.

A woman at a kitchen table planning a wedding Source: Midjourney

We had only been together for nine months. I knew that sounded fast to some people, but when you know, you know, right?

At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. Daniel was everything I had wanted in a partner—steady, responsible, dependable. But if I was being honest, he wasn’t the most romantic guy in the world.

I had mentioned it to him a few times, telling him I wished he’d do little things, like bringing me flowers or leaving me sweet notes. But he would just give a small shrug and say, "Love isn't about grand gestures, Emma. It's about being there."

A woman planning a wedding Source: Midjourney

I tried to take his words to heart, to believe that love wasn’t measured by big, extravagant gestures.

But deep down, I couldn’t shake the thought—was he just saying that because grand gestures weren’t his thing?

Take his proposal, for example. It was sweet, but predictable. A nice dinner at our favorite restaurant, a ring in his pocket, and a question I had already seen coming.

I had said yes, of course, because I loved him. But in the back of my mind, I had hoped for something… more.

A man relaxing on a sofa Source: Midjourney

The night Daniel was supposed to come back from his latest business trip, I invited my best friend, Sophie, over for dinner.

I needed a break, a distraction—anything to pull me away from the nagging feeling that had been sitting in my chest for weeks.

Sure, wedding planning was stressful. But this wasn’t just stress. It was something else, something I couldn’t quite put into words.

A disappointed woman in a restaurant Source: Midjourney

As always, Sophie arrived like a whirlwind, bringing the exact energy I needed.

We had been inseparable since high school, and she had a gift for making life feel lighter, even when it felt unbearably heavy.

She practically kicked the front door open, a bottle of wine in one hand and a box of cupcakes in the other.

"Emergency carbs," she announced, setting them down dramatically. "Figured you could use them."

An anxious woman Source: Midjourney

I laughed, feeling some of the tension in my shoulders ease. "You figured right."

We settled at the kitchen table, plates full of pasta, talking and reminiscing. It was exactly what I needed—easy, familiar, a reminder of who I was outside of wedding planning.

At some point, Sophie pulled out her phone and started scrolling through old pictures.

"Oh my God," she giggled, holding up the screen. "Remember this?"

Cupcakes decorated with pink frosting Source: Pexels

She turned the phone toward me, and there it was—a picture of us at prom. Me in a ridiculous, over-the-top baby blue dress, her in a sequined disaster that somehow managed to be even worse.

I groaned, covering my face. "Why did we think those dresses were a good idea?"

Sophie smirked. "Because we were 16 and idiots," She tapped the screen, then looked at me expectantly. "Wait, don't you have more of these? Let's check your laptop."

A laughing woman seated at a kitchen table Source: Midjourney

Rolling my eyes, I got up, grabbed my laptop from the living room, and flipped it open.

The screen lit up, and an open email tab appeared instantly. Daniel had used my laptop before he left, and it looked like he had forgotten to log out.

That was strange. He was always so careful about logging out. Almost paranoid about it.

A woman smiling while speaking to someone Source: Midjourney

My stomach twisted. I wasn’t trying to snoop—I had no reason to. I trusted him.

But something about this didn’t sit right.

"What's up?" Sophie asked, noticing my hesitation.

"Nothing," I replied quickly, reaching for the mouse to close the tab. But before I could, Sophie’s gaze flicked to the screen.

"Wait." She leaned in, eyebrows knitting together as she pointed at the screen. "What's that email that starts with 'My love, we'll be together soon'?"

A woman frowning at a laptop Source: Midjourney

My stomach dropped.

The subject line was in French. Just like the other emails I had seen before. Daniel had told me they were from distant relatives, catching up on family matters. I had never questioned it.

Now, staring at that single line, my pulse pounded. "It's supposed to be from his relatives in France. What did you say it means?"

AN incredulous woman pointing her finger at a laptop Source: Midjourney

"It says 'My love, we'll be together soon,'" Sophie repeated, her expression shifting.

She looked at me, then back at the screen. "Emma… do you want me to translate it?"

My throat went dry. Every part of me wanted to shut the laptop and pretend I had never seen it.

But another part—the part that had been whispering doubts for months—refused to let it go.

Swallowing hard, I whispered, "Please."

A woman speaking to someone Source: Midjourney

Sophie’s face drained of color as she read. Slowly, she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Emma… this isn't from a relative," she murmured, voice barely above a whisper. "It's from another woman."

My breath caught. No. That couldn’t be right.

My hands trembled. "What does it say?"

A worried woman Source: Midjourney

Sophie hesitated, scanning the message again as if she was hoping she had misread something. But there was no mistake.

Her lips parted, and she exhaled sharply before reading aloud:

"My love, we'll be together soon. Once the wedding is over and I have access to her father's money, I'll leave her. I promise. I just need to gain his trust so he won't suspect a thing when I start scamming him."

A woman staring at someone in shock Source: Midjourney

My chest tightened, my breath coming in short, shallow gasps.

For a moment, my brain refused to accept what I was seeing. It couldn't be real. Daniel wouldn't—he couldn't—

But the words were right there, glowing on the screen in stark, undeniable truth.

Everything—the whirlwind romance, the rushed engagement, the frequent business trips—it all suddenly made sense in a way I wished it didn’t.

A woman glancing uncertainly at someone while speaking Source: Midjourney

Daniel wasn’t marrying me because he loved me.

He was marrying me for my father’s money.

My mind felt like it was splintering apart. I couldn't remember when the tears started, only that Sophie was suddenly at my side, holding me, whispering that it was going to be okay.

But how could it be? Nothing about this was okay.

A woman with her head in her hands Source: Midjourney

My body felt disconnected from me, as though I were floating above the scene, watching it all play out like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

Sophie was speaking, her voice urgent, but I couldn’t process the words. All I could hear was Daniel’s betrayal echoing in my mind.

"Once the wedding is over and I have access to her father's money, I'll leave her."

Bile rose in my throat.

Two women hugging Source: Midjourney

Sophie reached out, her voice softer now. "Emma, breathe."

I sucked in a shaky breath, forcing myself to focus. Breathing. Right. I could do that.

"I have to call my parents." My voice barely came out.

Sophie gave a firm nod and grabbed her phone. "I'll stay with you."

A distressed woman Source: Midjourney

The next few minutes were a blur. My mother’s sharp inhale on the phone, my father’s immediate "We're coming over."

I should have felt relief knowing they were on my side. But I didn’t feel anything except the crushing weight of betrayal.

Time passed in a fog. I sat motionless on the couch, staring at nothing. Every moment I had shared with Daniel now felt like a cruel joke.

Then, suddenly, the sound of tires crunching against gravel pulled me out of my trance.

A serious woman Source: Midjourney

Daniel was home.

Sophie and my parents stood beside me as I stepped onto the porch. My pulse was a dull roar in my ears.

The truck slowed to a stop on the driveway. Daniel climbed out, looking relaxed—completely unaware of the storm waiting for him.

A tire driving on gravel Source: Pexels

Then he did something I wasn’t expecting.

He opened the truck’s back doors, and suddenly, roses—hundreds of them—spilled out, cascading onto the lawn and the front path like a flood of pink and red petals.

I stood frozen, my brain struggling to catch up.

Daniel turned to me, a nervous smile on his face. He dropped to one knee, pulling out a ring.

"Emma," he said softly, "I know our first proposal wasn't exactly what you dreamed of. So I'm doing it again. Will you marry me?"

A woman staring in shock Source: Midjourney

My mouth opened, but no words came out. Was this real? Was this some kind of cruel joke?

Then I heard Sophie burst into laughter beside me.

I turned, completely baffled. "What's going on?"

"It was a prank," Daniel admitted, standing up. "Sophie and I planned it together. I knew my lack of romance disappointed you, so we set this up to surprise you."

My mind reeled. "The emails?"

A man gazing lovingly up at someone Source: Midjourney

"Fake," Daniel said without hesitation. "I sent them to myself from a different email account. I wanted to throw you off so the proposal would be a real surprise."

For a long moment, I just stood there, caught between disbelief and relief.

"So… you're not scamming my dad?"

Daniel let out a laugh. "Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?"

A shocked woman speaking to someone Source: Midjourney

I glanced at him, then at the sea of roses, and before I knew it, I started laughing too.

Daniel might not have been the most classically romantic guy in the world, but in his own ridiculous way, he had given me the surprise of a lifetime.

"Yes," I said through my laughter. "I'll marry you."

A laughing man Source: Midjourney

And as Daniel slipped the ring onto my finger, I realized something: love doesn’t always have to be about grand gestures. Sometimes, it’s the unexpected moments that mean the most.

A laughing woman Source: Midjourney

This story is based on real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been adjusted to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual individuals or events is purely coincidental and unintentional.

The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and hold no liability for misinterpretations. This work is provided "as is,", and any opinions expressed belong to the characters, not the author or publisher.