AITA for secretly breaking off my engagement to avoid ruining my friend’s life?

I (29F) have been engaged to James (30M) for almost two years. On the outside, we looked like the perfect couple—everyone said so. James is kind, funny, and successful. We met in college, and after a few years of dating, he proposed. Our friends were ecstatic, and our families couldn’t be happier. We had plans for the wedding, a house, and a future together.

But there was one thing I kept hidden from everyone, even James: I didn’t love him. Not in the way I should have. I loved him as a person, and I cared for him deeply, but I was never in love with him. I realized this about six months into our relationship, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him. I didn’t want to hurt him, especially since everything seemed so perfect on the outside.

As the engagement progressed, I found myself getting more and more anxious. Every time James would talk about our future, our wedding plans, or our kids, my heart sank a little more. I wanted to be honest, but I was scared. I didn’t want to break his heart, but at the same time, I couldn’t spend my life in a relationship where I wasn’t truly in love.

One day, everything changed. My best friend, Lily (28F), told me that she was in love with James. She had been harboring feelings for him for years but never told anyone. When she told me, I was shocked, and at first, I laughed it off. But deep down, I knew this was the universe giving me an out. I couldn’t break off my engagement and hurt James, but I also knew that I couldn’t marry him when I wasn’t truly in love. I made a decision that I knew would change everything.

I told Lily that she needed to talk to James. I couldn’t be the one to destroy their lives, and I didn’t want to be the one to hurt him. A week later, Lily confessed her feelings to James, and to my surprise, he reciprocated them. They started a secret relationship, and when I found out, I made the painful decision to break off my engagement.

When I told James I was ending our relationship, he was devastated. He had no idea about Lily’s feelings and was heartbroken that I had decided to leave him. But deep down, I felt like I had done the right thing, even though it felt like a betrayal to both of them.

Now, James and Lily are in a relationship, and I feel like I’m the villain in their story. I’m happy for them, but I also feel guilty for causing this turmoil. My friends and family have called me brave for breaking it off, but I wonder if I could have done things differently.

So, AITA for secretly breaking off my engagement to avoid ruining my friend’s life?