Chasing The Guy Who Saved Me

"They really turned on you like that over a tie?"

My best friend, Jane Morrison, sounded incredulous on the other end of the phone.

I was angry and hurt, tears running down my face.

"Yes. I asked so many people about it! At first, they all said there was nothing wrong with the tie.

"But the moment they heard I bought it for my son, something changed. They all got weird.

"I don't know what's happening anymore. I'm losing my mind. Is something wrong with me, or is something wrong with the world?"

Hearing how close I was to breaking down, Jane quickly said, "Send me a photo. Let me see what this tie looks like."

When I hesitated, she sighed. "Come on. It's just me. I promise, even if there's something wrong with it, I'll tell you gently. Okay?"

Even with her reassurance, I was still afraid. I only sent her a stock photo of the same tie design.

Half a minute later, she called me back, furious. "Is Rick ganging up on you with everyone else?

"I zoomed in on the tie. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it! It's just a normal tie."

Hearing that, I finally relaxed and vented to her. "Exactly! I spent over eight grand on this tie. It's not some cheap knockoff."

I kept complaining, not noticing that my friend's angry muttering had suddenly stopped. "Did you really buy this tie for your son?"

The question hit me like ice water. The store clerk, my husband, and my mother had all asked the same thing before turning on me.

I wanted to deny it, but Jane cut me off.

"I wish I'd never met you! How can someone as evil as you exist? How could you do this to your own son?"

She hung up. When I tried calling back, I saw she had already blocked me.

The world spun. My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.

Why was this happening?