After 14 years of hard work and saving, I finally bought my dream house. It wasn’t an easy journey—there were countless sacrifices along the way. The day I got the keys was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of my life. I called my girlfriend of three months, Betty, to come celebrate. But when I arrived home with cake and flowers, I was stunned to find Betty, her family, and a lawyer waiting with what looked like deed transfer documents, pressuring me to add her name to the property. My heart sank at the thought of losing the home I had worked so hard for.
As I reluctantly prepared to sign, Betty and her family burst into laughter. It was all an elaborate prank—there were no real legal documents. Friends appeared from the kitchen, phones out, recording my reaction. They cheered and celebrated while I stood there in shock. Though Betty insisted it was a harmless joke meant to show my commitment, the prank felt deeply personal, trivializing the years of effort I had put into buying the house.
A month later, while walking on the beach, I decided to propose to Betty. Despite my reservations about the prank, I realized that love also meant forgiveness and understanding. When I asked her to marry me, she said yes, moved by my gesture and the sincerity of my feelings. The experience taught me that real love isn’t about tests or games—it’s about trust and choosing each other every day.
We’re now planning our wedding for next spring, in the backyard of my house. And while the deed still remains in my name, we’ve both agreed that some things—like trust—take time to build. The prank may not have been funny in the moment, but it brought us closer and gave me a deeper understanding of love and commitment.