Where do I even begin. I'm shaking while I'm typeing this right now. Let me give you a little background.

When I was 21 I met (we will call him Trey). I was visiting family in IN and went out with my cousins to a bar that evening. Trey was bartending. He was very forward and flirty and when last call came he handed me my tab for $0.00 with his phone number on it. I lived 5 hours away in a different state so I didn't really give it much of a thought until the next morning I figured I'd text him to thank him for footing my bill. He called me back asap and for a few months we talked everyday until things got a little serious and we started visiting each other on weekends. After he graduated he found a job about 20 min from where I lived and worked. We were together about a year when he asked me to move in. About 4 months of living together I got a great offer from a company in LA. I discussed it with him and we decided that it was a great opportunity for me and that we should go ahead and make the move. He actually proposed the moment we stepped into our new apartment. We were there for three months, all settled in and enjoying our new life. He finally found a job and everything seemed perfect.

I called Trey at around five on a Wednesday night letting him know I was working late and to just snack around for dinner. Everything about the conversation was normal and he said his normal "love ya and see ya soon, bye." I got home around 9:15 not even realizing his truck wasn't in the lot. I tuned on the light and pretty much half of the apartment's contents were gone. Xbox, DVD collection, all of his clothes and shoes were gone. He even took all of his bathroom toiletries. There was no sign he's ever lived there except for the pictures of us on the walls and coffee table.

Two years later I put in for a transfer that was closer to my family back home and ended up getting it. I bought a house last year in a beautiful nieghborhood close to my parent's. I was comimg home from a friend's yesterday when I noticed a family moving in to the house on the other side of the street directly across from me. Then I notice that the truck in the driveway looks insanely familiar. Then I saw the wife hang up a craft like wooden sign on the font door that said "The (Trey's last name) Family". I went inside and pulled out the wine. I drank myself to sleep and now I'm at work completely unfocused and incredibly freaked out dreading the drive home.

Edit: Thank you for all of your responses reddit. I really appreciate it. I am considering armorphoenix's suggestion. It's been 5 years since I've seen my baby Medusa and I'm just scared she won't recognize me.

Edit: Alright Reddit, I"m leaving work now. I'll answer more when I get home. I really don't know what I'm going to do or if I'm going to do anything at all. Either way I'll let you know.

UPDATE: I recieved an email. I will screenshot it after I respond and show you all. I didn't initiate contact and he still doesn't know that it's me who lives here. I've changed my appearance a bit so it's understandable. Thanks again everyone. This has been extremely painfull and shocking. Reddit has been amazingly understanding and given me a ton of reassurance. I honestly wouldn't know how to deal without my "anonymous" friends. Love you all and I'll post the update after I figure out my response.

Comments: 1999 • Responses: 13  • Date: 

armorphoenix803 karma

Next time she lets the dog out, call her by name, let the dog greet you, and let the dog be MAD exited to see you and play with it. When the wife asks you how you know the dog, say you and Trey have a "history" and let him explain himself to his wife. It's his karma that brought this about, just be happy this is karma's way of giving him his comeuppance.

bruised_ego502 karma

Do you think that might be a little trollish? I don't want to cause problems. Would this really be a good idea? Because, honestly, I'd do it.

PowderedToasty361 karma

Start shopping around the film rights, this story is gold!

bagelsandkegels982 karma

I smell a Lifetime movie of the week.

Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of the Ultimate BeTreyal.

bruised_ego351 karma

I have been pretty unfocused and down all day. Your comment made me smile. Thank you.

IShouldLurkMore339 karma

Regardless of what happens you need to let us know how this ends.

bruised_ego306 karma

I absolutely intend to.

Sconathon196 karma

My advice: watch them carefully and memorize their schedules. Plan it so that you have free time at the same time as his wife. Welcome her to the neighborhood at a time when Trey isn't home, and become friends. Invite her for coffee or a girl's night a few times, and eventually invite the family for dinner. Fucked up situation ensues.

bruised_ego125 karma

I'm not really angry with him. I don't want to create a problem here.

llThelotusll95 karma

I would never talk to the guy or even acknowledge him as a person. Just go about your life like normal, just don't avoid him. It would be totally bad if you always hid when he came outside or something.

bruised_ego64 karma

This is what I'm pretty sure I will do.

llThelotusll24 karma

How are you feeling now btw?

bruised_ego42 karma

I was fine until yesterday. Now the hurt and curiosity are slowly creeping back up on me.

Ka_Nife92 karma

So, I'm going to back track a bit. What did you do when he left? Did you try to contact him or his family at all?

bruised_ego76 karma

His mother was an alcoholic who died in a drunk driving accident when he was 10. He never met his father and was raised by his grandmother. She past away a year after we started dating. He had friends in IN but we weren't in LA for very long before he left. I didn't know how to contact any of them.

Ka_Nife64 karma

So what did you do? Did he just block your number, or stop answering your calls? Did he not own a phone?

You had no way of contacting anyone close to your fiancée?

bruised_ego120 karma

I probably called him about 1,000 times and left several hundred messages in a three week span. After that I just gave up.

gsxr72 karma

Well you should probably figure out if it's really him next door before freaking out.

If it is, take the high road. Don't freak out and just treat him like the rest of the neighbors you don't much care for.

bruised_ego173 karma

It's him. We got a West Highland Terrier right before he left (which he took with him) that I named Medusa. His wife let her out to go to the bathroom this morning while I was leaving and called her by that name.

:'(

sjokkis46 karma

Which of you paid for the dog?

bruised_ego57 karma

He did.

newsedition66 karma

How old are the kids?

bruised_ego88 karma

One looks about 2 and the other is a baby.

RichardBachman109 karma

Sounds like he might have been cheating on you with a girl back home and ended up knocking her up. What a pussy for just running out on you without explaining.

I certainly hope you are over him by this point, there's no need wasting any more of your time on him.

bruised_ego80 karma

I considered this a possibility.

littlemonster01036 karma

I had a similiar situation once. I was dating a guy for 4 years (18-22) and he left me for a girl. I had one semester of college left when he moved in with his new girlfriend directly across the street (it was a college town so we both moved in around the same time - they didn't know where I lived). I was a mess. I saw them coming and going all the time.

I broke into tears constantly. I finally had to move because I couldn't handle it.

But, he left me for her. It's been 5 years for you. I'm hoping time has healed you a little. If not, move.... I wouldn't deal with that all the time if I were you.

bruised_ego33 karma

That's aweful. While I've had plenty of time to move on I've still have a small curiosity as to why he just up and left.