A political aide quit her job and left behind a parting message—printed screenshots of her coworker’s private messages trashing her and others—handed out to the entire office on her last day.
Writing under the Reddit handle agirlishungry, the woman said she was under informal “investigation” in her office after rumors spread that she had inappropriate relationships with multiple men in the organization.
‘I loved him’
These rumors, the original poster (OP) said, were rooted in a personal campaign of character assassination by her coworker—nicknamed “Warden” in the post—who had once been among her closest friends.
“I’m actually the one who got him this job,” she noted in the thread.
Warden had allegedly accused her of faking a stroke, questioning the medical evidence she had previously submitted and the physical symptoms she experienced, including partial paralysis that required occupational therapy.
“What hurts the most,” she wrote, “is that I considered Warden as one of my closest friends. I genuinely loved him and treated him like family.”
After learning that she would be allowed to remain employed only through the busy season, user agirlishungry made the decision to quit early.
On her final day, she showed the rest of the office screenshots of Warden’s messages—some of which included disparaging comments about other colleagues.
“Some already knew,” she wrote, “but two of the men were shocked and clearly hurt when they saw what he’d said.”
‘Ruined me’
The dramatic departure won support online.
“Absolutely [not wrong], I think I would have done much worse,” one Reddit user reassured the OP.
“Good luck in the future and may you never have another duplicitous rat in your life.”
User agirlishungry responded, “I do want to do something much worse, but I’m more hurt than mad [to be honest] … this betrayal just really ruined me. I’ve known him for nine years and worked with him for six.”
Though the decision was emotionally charged, the OP emphasized that she had consulted a lawyer before distributing the screenshots. With no human resources department in her political office and a contract based solely on appointment, she said, “I can really be fired at any point in time.”
The situation aligns with an increasingly visible workplace trend: abrupt, chaotic resignations driven by perceived betrayal or burnout.
Newsweek reports that so-called “revenge quitting” is on the rise, especially among younger workers who reject toxic environments.
“Gen Z has a fierce commitment to their personal values,” Keri Mesropov, founder of Spring Talent Development, told Newsweek.
“They aren’t just passionate about them, but they expect their employers to uphold them, too.”
Still, experts caution that quitting a job—especially in a political or reputationally sensitive role—can have long-lasting professional impacts.
In an interview with Newsweek, career coach Marlo Lyons advised, “Do not focus on what was horrible at the current company. Focus on the opportunities at the new company.
“Your manager could perceive you as a disgruntled employee if you complain now.”
‘Zero negative feeling’
In reply to an invitation to comment from Newsweek, via Reddit, user agirlishungry revealed that another office knows about “my issues and my so-called fake stroke, so I think Warden is also telling it to other offices.
“There are so many deadlines this September, I’m excited how they would do the job I left so suddenly,” the OP continued.
“I just want to be very clear that I love my boss, he is amazing, but I also understand that petty fights like this [with Warden] shouldn’t be his priority. I know that’s vague, but I have zero negative feeling towards my boss.”
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