When I turned my phone on again later that night I discovered dozens of missed calls and messages not only from Dylan but also from his mother Pamela Foster, his sister Rachel Foster, and Amber. Among the chaos I noticed one message Dylan had sent earlier claiming that he had an emergency and needed me to call immediately.
As I scrolled further I found additional messages explaining that his credit card had been declined and that his friends were watching him struggle to pay the restaurant bill.
“Fix this,” one message demanded bluntly.
I set the phone aside without answering because adulthood occasionally requires letting someone face the consequences of their own choices.
The following morning Dylan launched a social media campaign portraying himself as the victim of a narcissistic partner who abandoned him on his birthday. His mother left angry voicemails accusing me of emotional cruelty while his sister declared that my behavior proved something had always been wrong with me. Amber sent a long voice message filled with furious yelling that sounded more theatrical than sincere.