I catfished my own boyfriend to test him and now I do not know what to do

Before you judge me, hear me out. Then judge me. I probably deserve it.

My boyfriend and I have been together for 2 years. We live separately — he is in Fort Worth, I am in Arlington. For the past few months, something has felt off. He is on his phone more, working late more often, and our intimacy dropped significantly.

I know what you are thinking. Just talk to him. I did. He said work was stressful and he was tired. I believed him the first time. The second time. By the third time I started doubting.

So I did something I am not proud of.

I created a fake Instagram profile. Used photos of an attractive woman (AI-generated, not a real person). Built out the profile to look realistic. Then I followed him, liked a few of his photos, and waited.

He followed back within an hour.

Within a day, HE slid into the DMs. Not me. He initiated.

Within a week, the fake profile and my boyfriend were having full conversations. Flirty. Personal. He told "her" he was single. He told "her" he lived alone. He asked "her" to meet up for drinks in Fort Worth.

I have screenshots of everything.

Here is where it gets complicated: technically, he has not cheated. He flirted with a profile that does not exist. He agreed to a date that will never happen. But the INTENT is there. He told a stranger he was single. He pursued someone who was not me.

I have not told him yet. I do not know how to bring it up without admitting what I did. "I catfished you" is not a great opening line.

My friends are split. Half say he failed the test and I should leave. Half say I am psycho for setting the trap and I violated his trust.

Both sides might be right.

The real question is: if I had not done this, would I have ever found out? Or would I have stayed in a relationship with someone who was one real DM away from cheating?

I know this is messy. I know I am not the hero of this story. But I needed to tell someone.