My Best Friend Gave Me Something for My New House, But What Was Inside Made Me Question Our Friendship…

When I finally bought my first house at 27, I felt like a dream had come true.

After years of renting small apartments and living paycheck to paycheck, I had finally saved enough for a modest yet beautiful home in a quiet neighborhood. It wasn’t a mansion, but it was mine.

My best friend, Ava, had been by my side through it all: failed relationships, job struggles, and countless nights where I cried wondering if I’d ever have a place to call home.

So, when moving day came, and Ava showed up with a large gift carefully wrapped, I was deeply touched.

“This is something special for your new beginning,” she said with a smile.

Ava always had a dramatic flair for everything, so I expected something sentimental, maybe a framed photo of us or some fun home decor. But when I tore off the wrapping paper and lifted the lid of the box, my stomach sank.

Inside the box was a collection of old letters, photos, and—most disturbing of all—documents with my ex-fiancé’s name on them.

My hands trembled as I picked up a folded paper. It was a printed email. As I read the words, my breath caught in my throat.

“You need to know the truth about Olivia.”

I looked at Ava, my voice barely a whisper.

—What is this?

Ava sat down on my couch, her expression unreadable.

—Just read it.

I didn’t want to. I had spent the last two years trying to erase James from my life. Our relationship had been a rollercoaster: passionate but toxic. He had lied, cheated, and manipulated me, until I finally found the strength to walk away. But seeing his name in those papers made my past crash head-on with my present.

I pulled out another paper—a photograph. It was of James, but he wasn’t alone. He was with Ava. Together. At a bar. Laughing. My stomach churned.

I kept digging through the box, my hands now moving faster, driven by panic and betrayal. There were screenshots of text messages, hotel receipts, and even a handwritten note from him to her.

—I don’t understand —I said, my voice cracking.

—What are you giving me this for?

Ava sighed.

—You need to know.

I wiped my eyes.

—Know what? That my best friend slept with the man who broke my heart?

Ava flinched.

—It wasn’t like that.

—Then how was it? —I demanded.

Ava hesitated for a moment before whispering:

—It started after you broke up.

A bitter, sharp laugh escaped me.

—And that makes it okay?

—No —she admitted—. But I didn’t know how to tell you.

—At first, it was casual. He came to me, we talked, and little by little… it happened.

I raised my hand.

—Stop.

Everything around me faded. My new house, my new beginning, it all felt tainted now.

—Honestly, I wanted to tell you —Ava said, her voice tinged with desperation—. But then it got… complicated.

I stared at her.

—Complicated how?

Ava bit her lip.

—I found something.

She reached into the box and pulled out another paper, unfolding it carefully. It was a paternity test.

I read the words over and over again, my mind refusing to process them. Until I finally whispered:

—Does he have a child?

Ava nodded.

—And I think you need to sit down.

I collapsed onto the couch, clutching the paper in my trembling hands. Ava’s voice was barely audible.

—The child… might be yours.

I blinked, unable to comprehend what I was hearing.

—That’s impossible.

Ava took a deep breath.

—James told me that just before you two broke up, you were trying to have a baby.

I clenched my fists.

—Yes, and I thought it never happened.

Ava hesitated.

—But what if it did?

A shiver ran down my spine. My world spun.

I had spent years trying to heal from that relationship. And now, in a matter of minutes, Ava had shattered everything I thought I knew. I was furious with her. For betraying me. For hiding this from me. For thinking that a gift like this could be anything but devastating.

But beneath the anger, there was something else—fear. If what she was saying was true, I had a child. A child I had never known about. A child who had been raised by someone else while I spent years believing I was alone.

I turned to Ava, my voice empty.

—Why now? Why are you telling me this now?

Ava swallowed hard.

—Because I couldn’t live with the guilt anymore.

—I betrayed you, yes.

—I was selfish, yes.

—But this… this is bigger than both of us.

—You deserve to know the truth.

Tears rolled down my face as I looked back at the documents. My hands shook. My heart ached. My mind spun.

This was supposed to be my fresh start. But now, my past had caught up to me. And I had no idea what to do next.