Never have I felt more cheated, more taken advantage of or more scammed than I did on March 31. I prayed and hoped that it was some kind of sick, early April Fools joke — I just refused to believe that it was real. It couldn’t be real.

Yes, all you “How I Met Your Mother” fans know exactly what I’m talking about. That dreadful, infamous series finale that tied everything up in pretty much the worst possible way. After following this show through nine seasons, through thick and thin, you’d think we deserve better.

Warning: There are spoilers beyond this point, so if you’re like me and you always end up 12 episodes behind on your TV shows, stop reading now.

The main problem that I have with the finale is its sense of loss and reality. It almost seems as if the writers of the show took every storyline they could possibly think of and found a way to end them all with heartbreak.

I’ll admit, at first I was very iffy about Barney and Robin becoming a couple. But after spending an entire 24-episode season proving just how perfect Barney and Robin were together, the writers finally persuaded me.

Similarly, when we were first introduced to the mother, I was extremely unconvinced that she was the right girl for Ted. But then we got a peek at how well they complimented each other with their geeky calligraphy sets and Renaissance Fair items, and I realized that these two were simply meant to be.

So by the 23rd episode, I prepared myself for the perfect ending. Barney and Robin would live happily ever after; Ted would finally get married to his soulmate after years of desperate searching.

But then, the writers ruined everything.

They rushed through 16 years within the span of a 40-minute long episode, sprinkling dispiriting messages along the way. Within just an hour, viewers learned that relationships don’t last, friendships end up drifting apart, old habits die hard and loved ones die young.

That’s right, Barney and Robin divorce just three years after their wedding and what’s worse — Barney returns to his old ways, sleeping around and picking up girls without even knowing their names. Every previous episode of this season pointed toward Barney finally settling down and having a meaningful relationship, but it was all thrown out the window in the finale. It was extremely disheartening to see Barney, a genuinely good guy, end the show back at rock bottom.

Marshall and Lily will always be perfect. Even the evil writers didn’t dare to touch this flawless couple. They go on to have a third child, but the heartbreak for them is seeing “The Gang” fall apart. The Gang — they seemed indestructible from the start. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could ever tear the five of them (Barney, Robin, Marshall, Lily and Ted) away from each other. They were a shining beacon of hope for friendships all over the world, proof that relationships didn’t have to die out as we grow older. But despite Lily’s pleading, the members of The Gang all became preoccupied with their own lives and slowly drifted away.

And then, the worst part: The mother dies. No, I’m not joking right now. They ACTUALLY killed the mother on a TV show titled “How I Met Your Mother.”

How could they do this? The mother, or Tracy McConnell as she is later revealed, dies from a “sickness” and is last seen in a hospital bed with Ted reading to her.

A gray-haired Ted finally concludes his story in the year 2030, saying, “And that, kids, is how I met your mother.” His two children protest, telling him that the purpose of the story obviously wasn’t to talk about their mom but about their Aunt Robin. As if this couldn’t get any weirder, the daughter literally says, “We know you have the hots for Aunt Robin!” I was disgusted.

So his children continued to push him to ask Robin out, arguing that their mother has already been dead for six years. Ted goes to Robin’s apartment with the notorious blue french horn, an object that Ted stole from a restaurant for Robin in the very first episode, and she smiles down at him from the window, and then it ends. Nine years of a TV show over, just like that.

As the TV faded to black, the emotions in my head were a huge, messy jumble. I was crying, but I wasn’t sure if the tears were from sadness or just frustration with everything. At this point, I wasn’t sure how I felt, but I certainly wasn’t satisfied.

I understand that the writers wanted to do something different, something shocking, but this was not the right way to end the show. They need to understand that some fans have been following this show for nine years, and developed deep attachments to each of the characters along the way. To have such disheartening conclusions for all of them just bums us all out about real life, too.

And sure, the writers were trying to be realistic with their ending, but is it really so unrealistic to have a group of five people who stay friends throughout the years? Personally, I believe that the right friendships can last a lifetime, and this finale is misleading to anyone worried about relationships falling apart.

And that, kids, is how my favorite show lost all my respect.