Sunken Ships is a 91大神 series that explores the how and why of the end of all relationships 鈥 familial, romantic or just good old friendships.
*Amina and *Fatima had been friends for thirteen years. But one fight was enough to reveal the many times Fatima had tried to sabotage Amina, and now, the friendship is no more.
Fatima and I had known each other since we were in secondary school. She was a couple of years my junior, so we never had a reason to strike up a conversation. Almost a decade later, I started dating her cousin, and we started talking. I eventually married her cousin, so we moved from being friends to family.
Fatima always came across as someone who was lost. She鈥檚 the only child of parents who never married, so the family never really took her in as one of their own. They treated her like an outcast. I thought she was a lovely person who was judged based on other people鈥檚 prejudice. I took our relationship as family very seriously.
Since I was older, our friendship started off as me guiding her through life. I was answering her questions and helping with decisions she had to make. I shared intimate parts of my life with her. Even when her cousin and I separated, she was still in my life as a friend. She鈥檇 call multiple times a day, and we鈥檇 make out time to hang out.
What changed?
Our first fight. One day in April (2022), she texted me to ask for my ex-boyfriend鈥檚 number. The ex was a guy I had dated after her cousin. I told her that I wondered why she was asking when she spoke to him regularly, and that鈥檚 when she started cursing me out. She said there was nothing special about my relationship with him, and if she wanted to sleep with him or take him away from me, she could.
I was completely shocked because my accusation that she was still talking to my ex was unfounded. I had no proof but just threw it out there because I noticed my ex had a lot more information about my life than I gave him. He knew about the new jobs I was working on, the people I was working with and other things I didn鈥檛 share with him.
There are three people I knew could have been responsible; a mutual friend of the ex and I who frankly doesn鈥檛 have our time, another friend of mine who doesn鈥檛 even respond to his messages, and Fatima. I thought if I brought it up, she鈥檇 deny it, but instead, it made her snap. That鈥檚 when a lot of things started to make sense; why she was always asking me extremely personal questions, and why my spirit was no longer in tune with hers. She was obsessed with my ex and our relationship.
Did she ever show signs of this obsession?
I remember when she went out with my ex and I. Immediately she got home, she called her own boyfriend and broke up with him. She told me she saw the way my ex treated me, and it occurred to her that she could do better than what she currently had. It was weird because she didn鈥檛 acknowledge how much work I put into the relationship to get that kind of treatment. If you want more then you invest more time, energy, money and emotion. She based a life-changing situation on a one-day interaction. Who does that? I tried to not look too deeply into that situation because nobody wants to settle for less. I loved her too much to deep it like that.
So, she鈥檇 never done anything to hurt you before?
In 2018, we went to a club and met a guy and his friend. The friend happened to be a celebrity, but I was more interested in doing business with the guy. We all exchanged numbers, and she told me the guy was asking her out but she鈥檇 rather date the celebrity.
The guy and I got really serious about work. He kept mentioning I shouldn鈥檛 bring up details of the contract with anybody. Secrecy is a big deal in the industry I work, so I didn鈥檛 think too much about it. Unfortunately, he just sent me a message telling me he had to terminate the contract. Money is not my biggest problem, so I took the loss and kept pushing.
February of 2022, we met at a work conference. After exchanging pleasantries, I brought up the fact that he terminated our contract. That鈥檚 when he told me he only did it because my 鈥渟ister鈥, Fatima, had told him that if he was serious about her, he鈥檇 have to stop working so closely with me.
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That鈥檚 a lot. Did you confront her about it when he told you?
I didn鈥檛. I just thought he was saying it to get into my good graces after terminating the contract. I wouldn鈥檛 just believe what a stranger has to say about her. Especially since I didn鈥檛 even know they were dating.
It was during the fight that she brought it up. She told me a friend of ours said I was sleeping with him. But when she confronted him, he showed chats as evidence that it was only work we discussed. Then, she told him to block off the contract if it truly was only work.
It鈥檚 funny how there were so many things she did to me, and I just kept disbelieving them because I didn鈥檛 believe my friend of 13 years would try things like that.
What else did she do?
She also insisted that I sent a spy to her house to keep tabs on her. The spy in question was my former assistant who I told Fatima I wanted to rehire in March. By January, Fatima had hired her. She told me that since I didn鈥檛 need the assistant during that period, she wanted to hire the babe. I agreed. Then, she asked the girl to move in with her to lessen her commute. I didn鈥檛 orchestrate the hiring or the meeting, so how was she my spy?
When Fatima fired the assistant based on the spy allegations, she told the babe it was because I convinced her to fire her. That I said she was a prostitute. The whole concept is bizarre to me because why will I randomly call my former assistant a prostitute? I never had that conversation with Fatima. Now, the babe thinks I was gossiping about her.
Our former friend also stopped talking to me for the same reason. There are a bunch of people who feel comfortable slandering me because of Fatima鈥檚 actions.
Why do you think she did all of this?
Obsession? Jealousy? Both? She鈥檚 actively trying to ruin my life, and I don鈥檛 understand why. I鈥檝e never done anything to her or anyone she holds dear, so I don鈥檛 know why she鈥檚 doing all of these things.
Do you think you鈥檇 ever forgive her?
I鈥檝e already forgiven her. I try not to hold negative things in my heart against anyone, but one thing I鈥檝e learnt is to not allow just anyone in my personal space. I let this person have enough access to me and she felt comfortable disrespecting me like this. You can call someone your friend, but they end up being a wicked person who鈥檚 simply planning your downfall.
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