I Betrayed My Best Friend's Trust for a Silly Gossip Rumor

So here’s the thing, I’m a nonbinary person in my 20s and have had some ups and downs with friendships. I think most people can relate to that, right? Anyway, about three months ago, my best friend Alice came over to tell me she’d broken up with her long-time boyfriend John because he cheated on her with someone at work. She was heartbroken and I listened as she poured out all the details, promising to keep everything she said between us. Alice has always been so supportive of me, especially when things get tough. So you can imagine how conflicted I felt when a few days later, one of our mutual friends, Maya, approached me about John and Alice’s relationship history in secret. She asked me if I knew anything new because she had her doubts too. My first thought was that Maya shouldn’t be spreading rumors without concrete proof. But then I realized Maya was Alice's closest friend for years before they fell out over some drama and now things were strained. Maya probably wouldn’t hurt me with gossip but I couldn't ignore the way John looked at other women. The doubt was gnawing away inside of me. So, instead of sticking to my word with Alice and telling her off for prying, I told Maya I thought Alice might have gotten back together with another guy she dated in high school. It was just a wild guess based on rumors but the more we talked, the more Maya believed it must be true. I didn’t sleep that night, I kept thinking about how unfair and cruel my words sounded, even though they were never proven. Alice trusted me to keep secrets and I betrayed her confidence for no real reason other than a few whispers of doubt from another friend who had lost sight of our values too. The next day when Alice saw Maya acting differently around us all, she knew something was off but has never directly confronted either of us. I’ve tried making up for it since by being even more supportive and loyal to both my friends than ever before. But I can’t shake the guilt of knowing how badly I hurt someone who’s always been there for me. It just goes to show that gossip is like a disease, it infects people with insecurity and mistrust so easily. Maybe next time, I’ll think twice about spreading unverified information.