Liar, liar — and now social media’s on fire.
Gaslighting, love bombing and incessant fibbing are the stuff of most romance nightmares.
But awestruck audiences across TikTok, Instagram and X can’t seem to get enough of the toxicity as a divorcée virally details the alleged trauma she endured during her pandemic-spawned marriage to a “pathological liar.”
“I did not pay attention to the United Nations of red flags,” lamented a remorseful content creator known as @RessamTessa, an Atlanta transplant from New Jersey, in the first of a 50-part TikTok cautionary tale. “And I’m paying the consequences for that.”
Captivating well more than 100 million virtual viewers, Ressa claimed her ex-husband — disdainfully nicknamed “Legion” — lied about being the vice president of a major condiments company, foraged phony financial documents, falsified phone calls with non-existent colleagues, friends and family members and conned her into believing she’d be lavished with a mini-mansion, BMW X5 and a luxe trip to London.
“I was desperate,” she admitted. “I wanted to be married. I wanted a family. And I thought it was my turn.”
Spinning her sorrowful yarn — entitled “Who the f–k did I marry?” — from the top, Ressa claimed she and Legion initially connected via Facebook Dating and Hinge in March 2020. The meeting occurred just two weeks before Georgia officials mandated the statewide COVID-19 lockdown.
The ill-fated’s first dinner date was nearly derailed after the hopeful sweetheart blew a tire on her way to the restaurant. But Legion rushed to Ressa’s immediate rescue, fixing the busted wheel and incurring the repair costs.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship,’” remembered Ressa. “Boy, was I wrong.”
The lovebirds then embarked on a whirlwind, fairytale-like courtship, which saw Legion — who’d allegedly just relocated from California to Georgia for work — move into Reesa’s condo, introduce her to his family members over the phone and place an all-cash offer on a nearly $700,000 home within two months.
However, Reesa became disenchanted shortly after suffering a miscarriage in June 2020 and undergoing a dilation and curettage (D&C) surgery — a procedure to remove tissue inside of the uterus — in July.
Following the loss, Legion’s questionable behavior — such as leaving her in post-op recovery for several hours and lying about being under contract on several failed house sales — set off alarms.
However, Reesa ignored the warnings.
The pair married in January 2021. But Legion’s deceptions began to unravel, ultimately revealing his infidelities and checkered legal past. In addition to discovering that he actually worked as a temporary forklift operator rather than a corporate executive, Ressa learned of his alleged misconduct in past relationships.
She kicked him out in June 2021, and the twosome divorced two months later, in August.
And although their tainted love story was short-lived, digital nosies were in it for the long haul.
“OMG I’ve watched all 50+ parts [of] ‘Who TF did I marry?’… it was literally so INSANE,” penned a fan to X.
“The ‘Who TF did I marry?’ TikTok’s got us hooked. Not us having a watch party at work,” confessed an equally transfixed viewer.
“I finished all 50 parts of ‘Who tf did I marry?’ on TikTok (it took me eight hours …. but I’m about to rewatch,” another bragged.
However, the juicy twists and turns of the story raised some skeptical eyebrows.
“I’m finally listening to who TF did I marry: what if this was all a fake story and it’s a movie in the making already lmaoooo,” questioned a cynic.
“Now what if the ‘Who TF did I marry’ lady made it all up?!!!” wrote another doubter.
Well, it wouldn’t be the first time a wannabe influencer flubbed the truth for fame.
Carlee Russell, a 26-year-old Alabama nursing student, was convicted for faking her own abduction in October. For the stunt, she was slapped with a one-year prison sentence and an order to pay $18,000 in restitution.
In November, Londoner Ana Stanskovsky, 27, gripped the internet by its throat, insisting she’d tattooed “Kevin” across her forehead in honor of her inamorato. The blond later revealed that the etching was nothing more than a weird hoax.
But Ressa, who says her traumatic marriage left her with “severe PTSD,” claims she’s committed to altering others to the dangers of desperation dating rather than stealing the spotlight for herself.
“When I made the decision to tell my story, I just wanted to help one person,” she said while concluding the series.
“Being single sucks,” she added. “But being married to the wrong person is a type of hell no one should have to go through.”