I Posted a Picture of My Partner and Me on Facebook for the First Time And Immediately Got a Message: ‘You Must Run from Him. Now’

Social media has a way of weaving itself into your life and your relationships, often without you even realizing it. Most of the time, it’s harmless—just cute pictures and updates for friends and family. But occasionally, it can take an unexpected and chilling turn.

Mark and I had been dating for almost a year. He was the ideal boyfriend—sweet, funny, and thoughtful. Whether we were hiking or just relaxing at home on a lazy Sunday, he always knew how to make me smile. I felt incredibly lucky to have him, so I decided it was time to take the next step: making our relationship official on Facebook.

We were out hiking one afternoon when we snapped a cute picture together—us grinning with the sun behind us. I posted it with the caption, “Just me and my favorite person on our latest adventure!” I added a couple of heart emojis and hit share, happy to share a little piece of our joy with the world.

But just ten minutes later, a notification made my stomach drop. It wasn’t a like or a comment. It was a message: “YOU MUST RUN FROM HIM. NOW.”

I stared at my phone, my heart racing. Who would send something like that? I clicked on the profile, but it was a blank page—no info, no photos, nothing. It was as if a ghost had sent the message. I glanced over at Mark, who was happily loading our backpacks into the car, unaware of the storm building inside me. Should I tell him?

Before I could process what was happening, another message arrived: “Don’t tell Mark anything. Smile, stay calm, and don’t provoke him. You have no idea what he’s capable of. Got it?”

I felt the blood drain from my face. What was going on? Who was sending these messages? And why were they so convinced I was in danger?

Mark waved at me with his usual warm smile, completely oblivious to my growing panic. He didn’t look dangerous—he looked like the man I loved. But the messages were so unsettling, I decided to play along, at least for now.

Forcing a smile, I walked over to him, my voice steady. “Ready to head home?”

He gave me a curious look. “Everything okay?”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah, just my mom texting. I’ll deal with it later.”

That night, I couldn’t shake the messages. They played over and over in my mind, making me question everything. Mark had always been so loving, so kind. But what if there was something I didn’t know? What if there was a darker side to him?

Over the next few days, things started to feel off. I’d catch him staring at me for no reason, just watching me. It made me uneasy. One night, I was reading on the couch, and when I glanced up, there he was—his eyes locked on me. When I asked if something was wrong, he shrugged it off. But the unease only grew.

Then, one morning, another message popped up from the anonymous profile: “Meet me at Bayou Bakery tomorrow at 2 p.m. I’ll give you the evidence. Don’t tell Mark.”

My hands shook as I read it. Evidence? Evidence of what? I needed to know the truth, but how could I lie to Mark? What if he was already suspicious? What if he knew something was wrong?

The next morning, over breakfast, I tried to sound casual. “I’m meeting my mom for lunch tomorrow,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t betray my nerves.

Mark didn’t look up right away. “You didn’t mention that before.”

“Oh, it was a last-minute thing,” I replied quickly, feeling my pulse quicken.

He finally met my eyes, his expression unreadable. “Alright.”

The next day, I left for Bayou Bakery, my stomach in knots. As I walked out the door, I could feel Mark’s eyes on me, and I wondered if he suspected something. I arrived at the bakery early and sat by the window, nervously scanning the room. The smell of coffee and pastries did nothing to calm my nerves. Every time the door opened, I jumped, expecting someone mysterious with all the answers.

But ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Nothing. Just as I was about to leave, the door swung open—and there was Mark.

“Ellie?” He looked confused, cautious. “What are you doing here? I thought you were meeting your mom.”

My throat went dry. “I… I thought you were at work. Why are you here?”

Mark sat down across from me, his eyes scanning the room. “I got a message. Someone told me to come here. They said I needed to see something about you.”

I felt like the ground was falling away beneath me. “You got a message? About me?”

He nodded, his expression tense. “Yeah. I didn’t believe it at first, but then you started acting strange. I didn’t know what to think.”

Before I could respond, the door opened again, and to my complete shock, Andrew, one of our mutual friends, walked in, grinning like he’d just pulled off the prank of the century. He strolled over, pulled up a chair, and sat down like he’d been waiting for this moment.

“Surprise!” he said with a smirk.

Mark and I stared at him in disbelief.

“Andrew, what the hell is going on?” I demanded, my voice shaking with anger.

Andrew leaned back, his grin widening. “Relax. It was just a prank. Or, more accurately, a test.”

“A test?” Mark’s voice was cold. “You scared the hell out of us, Andrew. Why would you do that?”

Andrew shrugged, looking slightly less smug. “I’ve seen too many relationships fall apart because of lies and social media. I wanted to see if you two really trusted each other.”

I felt my blood boil. “You sent those messages? You made me think Mark was dangerous, and now you’re sitting here like it’s no big deal?”

Andrew held up his hands. “Alright, maybe I went too far. But the point is, instead of talking to each other, you both believed anonymous messages. What does that say about your relationship?”

I glanced at Mark, and though we were both furious, there was a painful truth in what Andrew said. We had let fear and doubt get in the way of trust.

The rest of the conversation was tense. Andrew apologized, but it didn’t feel like enough. He admitted he had wanted to see if we would trust each other or if we’d let our fears take over.

As we left the bakery, Mark and I didn’t say much at first. The shock of it all still hung over us, but the weight of what had happened wasn’t lost on either of us.

Finally, I broke the silence. “Do you think Andrew was right?”

Mark sighed, running a hand through his hair. “As much as I hate to admit it… maybe. We didn’t talk. We let a few anonymous messages get in our heads.”

We both knew that trust wasn’t something to take lightly. While Andrew’s prank had been cruel, it showed us that to keep our relationship strong, we had to confront our fears—together.