Red flags can be hard to notice when one is in love.

But sometimes, the person makes a point of waving it right in front of you and then there’s no denying it anymore.

In this woman’s case, her boyfriend made a fake proposal to test her “loyalty” inspired by his toxic friends, and when she said no, he was offended.

Let’s analyze the situation.

AITA for abruptly saying “no” when my bf proposed

My (22, F) boyfriend (23, M) and I have been dating for two years, seven months of which were long distance.

We met on a dating app and things started well.

However, I only met his friends four months ago and I can’t stand them.

They’re the toxic alpha-male type who constantly interfere in our relationship.

That’s a huge red flag. But she hadn’t realized that yet.

One of them, Mark (24, M), once made a misogynistic joke after I cooked dinner, saying, “That’s why you belong in the kitchen.”

I called him out immediately, and my boyfriend supported me then.

But then his friends started getting through to him.

Lately, though, my boyfriend has started making similar snide remarks, and when I asked why, he said he didn’t know.

I spoke with Ellie, Mark’s girlfriend, who wants to break up with him.

She told me Mark had been feeding my boyfriend toxic advice and even encouraged him to “test” me to see if I’m “worth it.”

I wasn’t sure what that meant until yesterday, when we all went to Disneyland.

He did something quite embarrassing to her.

My boyfriend was unusually sweet, but during lunch, he suddenly got down on one knee and proposed.

It felt abrupt, especially given the recent behavior and pressure from his friends.

I blurted out and said “no.”

He and his friends took it personally.

He left upset, and now his friends are calling me the villain for rejecting him publicly.

They even admitted they had bet I’d say yes because of how much I love him.

I still love him, but proposing just to “test” my loyalty, under peer pressure, feels manipulative.

AITA?

A proposal is supposed to be romantic and loving, and he let his misogynistic friends taint it.

She stood up for herself and they didn’t like it.

Let’s see what Reddit has to say about this situation.

A reader shares their thoughts.

Agreed.

Hopefully.

This commenter shares their opinion.

Another reader chimes in.

Exactly.

She’s actually lucky he showed who he is before they got married.

Hopefully, she finds a partner who will treat her with the basic respect every human being deserves.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.