When Cora Hayes met up with her Hinge match, it was the perfect date.
Originally from Australia, the 22-year-old was travelling around Europe, and while in Scotland she connected with Jack online.
The meeting turned into a four day whirlwind romance, and the pair even got matching tattoos.
Cora hoped that, despite her travels, the pair would be able to make it work.
Soon, Cora was in Birmingham, but she and Jack arranged date two – the plan was for the pair to go to the Scottish Highlands together.
But it wasn’t meant to be.
Despite Cora forking out £140 to fly back to Scotland, she was dumped just two days before the flight. Why? Because she was coming on a little too strong.
‘I was blaming myself and thought I wasn’t good enough,’ she says. ‘But the way someone treats you is a reflection of themselves. You just have to know your worth.’
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Cora said the pair had an ‘instant connection’ when they first met in June 2024.
‘I got along well with him and we hit it off. We started talking about tattoos at the bar and one of his friends was joking and saying that Jack would never get one – but he said he would.
‘I said I’d get one too and it became a joke of the night that we’d get one the next day.
‘The next day came round and we went to a tattoo parlour and got matching tattoos of a little lemon. There was no reason, but we both agreed on the lemon and got the exact same tattoo at the same time together.’
After heading to Birmingham, Cora said she thought the romance ‘could be something.’
‘I messaged him saying I had some spare time while travelling and that I could come back. He said: “Yeah, come back. I’d love to see you again”.
Cora makes it clear that they both agreed she’d head back up north.
‘We spent the next few days planning what we were going to do. We were going to drive up to the Highlands in Scotland.
‘I booked flights and during this whole thing we were in constant communication. I sent him my flight details and made sure the days worked and everything.
‘Throughout that whole time we were still messaging and things were going well.’
However, Cora claims that Jack cancelled their plans just two days before her flight, blaming it on ‘family issues’.
Cora said: ‘It got to two days before I was due to fly out and his messages started getting less frequent just randomly. No issue had happened. I sort of had an inkling.
‘Then I got a message saying: “Hey, I’m really sorry, family things have come up, I can’t do this weekend. I hope you get home safe.” He knew I wasn’t going back to Australia for a month, but he didn’t try to move the dates.’
But Cora wasn’t convinced by Jack’s story. ‘I believe he made it up,’ she says. ‘He later apologised and said he felt I came on too strong and he didn’t want to get hurt because I live in Australia.
‘Who would make up a lie instead of just being honest?’
Since then, Cora hasn’t heard from Jack.
‘I was in real panic mode. I didn’t know what to do and if I should go back there and just not see him.’
The 22-year-old decided to fly to Edinburgh anyway – however she heard nothing from Jack.
Cora said: ‘My friend suggested I go back to Edinburgh because there was so much more to see.
‘I booked a hostel to stay there for four nights. I heard absolutely nothing from him. I was posting Instagram stories in Edinburgh and he was viewing them. I heard absolutely nothing.’
Cora says she was ghosted by Jack, which she thinks is unfair. ‘That’s the part I can’t wrap my head around. Just tell me it’s not going to work out.
‘To leave someone in the dark like that is beyond crazy to me. I don’t know how you can do that. I think it’s awful – while they’re in your home town.’
There is a silver lining though. ‘I did end up meeting two girls in my hostel from Australia as well and told them the reason why I was back,’ she says.
‘The next day they ended up getting the same lemon tattoos as me. So now I can change the story. It was a very sweet ending.
“It’s very empowering. It’s kind of like a f**k you. For him, the tattoo’s still the same story, but for me it’s changed to a story of friendship and girlhood.
‘He’s never going to forget me.’
The solo traveller admitted that she still ‘loved Edinburgh despite that one situation’ and urges others to ‘know their worth’ if they are ever similarly ghosted.
Cora said: ‘He’s shown his true colours. He’s the type of person that ghosts you after paying money to go see him on his request.
“I definitely loved Edinburgh despite that one situation. When I went back, I did still use Hinge to meet other people. Everyone else I met there was so lovely.
‘Just remember you’re a good person and that you’re loved. There’s so many other people out there. There’s a lot of love out there even if it’s not romantic love.’
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