Well, it is rightly said that it takes a lot of effort to love someone. Trust in a relationship isn’t built overnight; it’s earned by being there for your partner in every thick and thin. In short, love isn’t an easy affair. And what happens when misunderstandings creep in, and it all makes you feel like the love is fading away? What if jealousy takes over and ruins everything? That’s the worst, right? This is exactly what happens in the Netflix show How to Ruin Love with Zoleka and Kagiso. They love each other deeply, but a misunderstanding during their proposal happens to destroy their relationship. But what exactly went wrong? Will they find their way back to each other and become each other’s Valentines forever? After a long time, How to Ruin Love is a series that felt very cozy, and close to my heart. The Netflix series explores the highs and lows of love in a way that is not only relatable but also touches one’s heart. Let’s dive into what makes How to Ruin Love special and what happens to Zoleka and Kagiso’s love story at the end.Â
Spoilers Ahead
What happened at the time of the proposal?
Zoleka and Kagiso had been in a relationship for three years. They first met on Valentine’s Day three years ago, when Zoleka was heartbroken after a recent breakup. Kagiso, who had just launched a new app, came to deliver wine to her apartment as she was sipping away her sorrows. As Zoleka and Kagiso spent the evening together, the former felt an instant connection. Well, you can say a love at first meeting sort of thing. From that night on, they were inseparable and madly in love with each other. Now, Zoleka had become the star of the telenovela “Sinful Seductions,” and Kagiso was about to sell his app for thirty-three million rands. So you can imagine how they have come a long way together. However, recently, both faced professional setbacks. Zoleka found out her character was being written off the show, and Kagiso needed to sell his app to save his family home due to his father’s unpaid mortgage.
Despite these challenges, Zoleka believed they had each other to rely on. Kagiso had even promised to marry her and was planning to buy land for their future home because he knew being a landowner would definitely steal Zoleka’s father’s heart, and he would agree to marry off his daughter with him easily. But then, everything went sideways. Zoleka was really excited about their future together, but then she found out that Kagiso didn’t want to marry her. It wasn’t just because of his money problems; he also thought she wasn’t “wife material.” You can imagine how devastated she felt. She thought he was maybe just overwhelmed until he said it himself, and even his sister agreed, saying she wasn’t good enough for him. Zoleka loved Kagiso deeply and couldn’t bear the thought of losing him. So, on the day of Kagiso’s younger sister Omphile’s birthday, Zoleka decided to prove to everyone that she was “wife material.” She planned to cook for them, but since she had never cooked before, she quickly realized how hard it was to follow instructions from Google. She kept worrying that Kagiso might be cheating on her, which distracted her even more and led to burning the food.
Naturally, Kagiso’s family wasn’t happy and even compared her to his ex, which was really hurtful for her. Then, things got worse. When Zoleka came home to talk to Kagiso, she found a contraceptive on the sofa. She had no idea where it came from and assumed it must be Kagiso’s, thinking he had been cheating on her all along. His sister wasn’t any help either, even though it was actually hers, as despite being about to get a divorce, she was secretly having an affair with her husband. Zoleka felt restless and anxious, which is obviously understandable. She had every right to be upset. When she found out Kagiso had gone to Durban, their favorite date spot by the beach, without telling her, she knew something was wrong. So, she packed her suitcase and went to find him, only to be hit with something even more shocking. She saw Kagiso proposing to her best friend Amahle in front of their families.
Zoleka felt utterly betrayed and heartbroken. In a fit of rage, she started yelling and saying awful things to Kagiso and Amahle that she didn’t even mean, like how she was thankful not to marry him, how his family was awful, and how it was a blessing to be saved from them. But then she saw a plane in the sky with a banner that said, “Zoleka, will you marry me?” and it all clicked. It was a huge misunderstanding. Kagiso had planned a surprise proposal for her, and what she saw was just a rehearsal with Amahle to do everything the right way with Zoleka. Amahle, who is homosexual, had no interest in Kagiso, and this was all part of the plan to propose to Zoleka in the most unexpected way. Kagiso had even talked to the telenovela producers to make sure Zoleka’s schedule wouldn’t clash with their plans. His comments about her not being “wife material” were meant to tease her and make the proposal an even bigger surprise. However, Kagiso misunderstood Zoleka’s mean words, thinking she meant them all, and decided to cancel the proposal, believing they weren’t meant to be together after all.
How Did Zoleka And Kagiso End Up Together?
As if their personal misunderstandings weren’t enough, their families brought even more drama. Kagiso came from a middle-class family with no financial support, just waiting for his app to sell. On the other hand, Zoleka’s family was the complete opposite. Her father was a wealthy advocate, and they were one of the richest families in town. Naturally, her father didn’t want her to marry someone like Kagiso and thought her ex was a better match for her as he was richer than Kagiso. But money isn’t everything, right? Zoleka’s ex provided no sense of security; he only cheated on her and lied to her. Kagiso was different. He gave her the most important thing: emotional security. However, the trauma from her past still haunted Zoleka, and maybe that’s why she had difficulty trusting anyone. To make matters worse, the proposal video went viral on social media, showing Zoleka’s shouting and Kagiso’s supposed betrayal. Because of this, the deal to sell Kagiso’s app fell through. He couldn’t even sell the app to other companies because of contract restrictions. You can imagine how complicated their situation had become. Things got even more complicated when Zoleka went to Kagiso’s house to apologize and win him back, admitting she was jealous and didn’t trust him, putting all the blame on herself, only to find Kagiso’s ex at his home. But later she was relieved to know nothing happened between them; the ex was just visiting Kagiso’s sister, as they were friends.
Still, the situation didn’t help, and they ended up fighting again. However, things eventually cooled off and they realized that they still wanted to marry each other. Zoleka and Kagiso knew marriage was between the two of them, and as long as they were happy and wanted to be together, no one could stop them. They decided to elope to avoid more family chaos and drama. But, unfortunately, their families found out because the whole thing was live-streamed on Twitter, and they showed up, starting more drama. In the meantime, Zoleka saw that Kagiso had withdrawn money from her account, which was meant for building their house after buying the land. This was an indication that Kagiso wasn’t thinking about their future together, so she decided not to go through with the wedding. But when Kagiso explained that he had taken the money to pay off his family’s mortgage, she realized she had made the same mistake of not trusting him again. She realized that she had been self-centered all along. She knew she had messed up, and this time, Kagiso might not marry her.
But there’s a saying that all’s well that ends well. Zoleka talked to her father and told him that if she ever got married, she wanted it to be with Kagiso and no one else. Her father realized he had been too judgmental. After all, love should be pure, with no agenda or concern about money. He agreed that she should only marry the one she truly loved. So, for the sake of his daughter, he agreed to go and talk to Kagiso’s family. He apologized for dismissing their son and for all the drama that had happened between the families. Finally, Zoleka found Kagiso at her old apartment, the place where they first met. Zoleka told him how much she wanted to be with him and that she would do anything to make their relationship work. Kagiso saw the love and sincerity in her eyes and decided to make things right. It was Valentine’s Day, the perfect time for a new start. Kagiso went to Zoleka’s father to ask for his permission and arranged everything at her dream venue. He even called her favorite artist to play music and invited both families to celebrate. With everyone present there, he finally proposed to her. Three years down, forever to go!
