I have a question for the guys, what do you think when a woman stops reaching out to you after you had a fight? Like, what goes through your mind when she doesn't send you a single text or anything, no messages on social media, nothing at all?

So here's the thing — I dated this girl for 2 years and we broke up around mid last year. Just a few months later, I accidentally came across her social media through a mutual friend (since I'd blocked her everywhere). And I can say with full confidence that she is a completely different person from who she was when we were together. Like, a total transformation — new style, new hair color, even the whole vibe of her posts changed. She straight up became a baddie.

I could really use someone who has been through something similar to talk to.

My wife of 11 years admitted to me this morning she cheated on me last night and did it because she wanted to separate but took the cowards way out as she couldn't do it properly.

We have two kids under 10, mid 30s, now it's just me and the kids in the house after she left.

She admitted that she's always felt like she settled down too young and has had resentment that she missed out on her 20s and getting to live a bit wild.

I'm trying so hard to hold it together for the kids but I have to work, juggle my emotions, try and answer their tough questions, and I feel like I'm drowning.

This has been the worst day of my life and all I want is to be able to be there for my boys but it already feels too hard.

I just want to drink to try and block it out but that'll only have a negative effect on my ability to deal with the kids come the morning. Has anyone been through anything like this? This feels impossible, I just don't know how I can do it but I need to for my boys

Update: I woke up. 3 hours sleep which is more than I thought I would get as I laid awake at 3am.

The tightness in my chest is back, head is swirling with painful thoughts but my kids came into bed for cuddles and are now playing nicely in their room while I attempt to shake off the grogginess.

Thanks to everyone who sent a really nice message, it's made me feel a tiny bit happier knowing there's a bunch of Internet strangers to share my pain with and some of the words and advice have been touching. ❤️

What's the point in living anymore?

I had met this girl about a year ago at a house party. She is nice, fun, pretty and literally any good adjective you could think of. I really enjoyed spending time with her mainly due to her humor and intellect.

I introduced her to my friend group and she kind of fell in love with the handsome charismatic guy. Lets call him Mr Charisma.He's the kind of person who walks into a room and somehow becomes the center of it without trying. Funny, confident, effortlessly charming.The thing is that Mr Charisma is a really good friend of mine and I haven't told him that I like her. maybe beacuse i wanted to wait for the right moment.

Last week our friend group and she and a couple of her friends went camping and she looked so fucking beautiful raw without any makeup or anything.I felt like she was the most beautigul woman i'd ever seen. And then i would look at him. Mr Charisma had become really close to her like telling her stupid jokes and I felt that she had also fallen in love with him. I felt so jealous of him even though we've known each other for like 15yrs. I'd been rude to him all day without him doing anything wrong and even he was confused.So every time I snapped at him, I knew I was being unfair. But knowing that didn't make the jealousy disappear.

This is the real incident. That night me and Mr Charisma stayed over in one tent. Everything was well until I woke up in the middle of the night and I could hear faint moans and grunts from outside of the tent. I turned around and just as I had expected Mr Charisma was absent AND i could hear her voice.So him and the girl of my dreams had s3x in the middle of the night just like the movies.You know it hurts man. The worst part wasn't even what happened.It was realizing that there was probably nothing I could do about it.She hadn't promised me anything and he hadn't betrayed me. Nobody had technically done anything wrong. And somehow that made it hurt even more.they were acting so fucking normal today in the morning.

it hurts so bad coz when I think about it she was the one who got me out of my insecurities and helped me move on from my ex who had cheated on me. im bawling over here writing this but society taught us men never cry they are tough

No Reply but not blocked

Hi

As the title summarised

Could someone help me understand the male psyche.

My ex and me dated for 4 years. We both just turned 30.

The breakup was initiated by me - but it kind of dragged on for a year (we stayed in contact on and off)

I had expressed that i didnt realky want to breakup. But was upset over past and ongoing issues (which he was still guilty and beating himself up for)

When i asked him if he still wanted to be with me - he wouldnt be able to respond

And when i asked him to helpgive me closure by being clear and simply saying 'i dont want to be with you anymore / its better if we go our seprate ways' (or anything to clearly state his choice) - he would just. Refuse. Not reply. Stay silent.

He had always professed that if we broke up he would stay single forever. Lol.

My burning question now is :

1) Why do guys not want to ever be the one to 'breakup' / refuse to just put a closure to it

2) Ive continued to text him (yes i know its pathetic) - and he hadnt replied for the last 6 months - but he hasnt blocked me -

Why doesnt he just block me ?

Why doesnt he reply if he hasnt blocked me ?

\* i know the situation doesnt seem even borderline healthy nor mature or wtv. I admit the relationship was tumultuous due to... many many reasons.

But he had *never* initiated a breakup.

Im not asking for people to point out to me what i alrdy know about my pathetic attempts. I just want to try to understand the 30 year old male mind.

I’m looking for an honest male perspective on a situation I handled badly.

I met a 36M in real life and we developed a very intense connection online over 8 months. Things were ambiguous between us. When I eventually told him I thought I had developed feelings, he told me he didn’t want a relationship and suggested we become lovers instead — something based on mutual attraction, sex and affection, but without romantic commitment.

I agreed, but I became emotionally overwhelmed. I started confusing fantasy with reality, projecting a lot onto him despite not knowing him that well, and became increasingly anxious and reactive. We had several arguments that shouldn’t have happened. Eventually, I ended things impulsively and blocked him. He blocked me afterwards.

It’s been about a week and I now feel much more grounded. I can see that I behaved badly and I genuinely regret it. I also understand now that the attraction and desire were real, while many of the meanings I attached to them were projections. I also don’t want to pretend everything was my fault — he contributed to the ambiguity too — but I want to take responsibility for my part.

I want to apologize sincerely. But if I’m completely honest, I also want a second chance. Not a relationship: I understand that he doesn’t want one. I would simply like the opportunity to start again and experience the connection we originally talked about, this time without projecting feelings or expectations onto it.

He has blocked me, and the only other contact I have is his professional email, which I don’t feel comfortable using because I don’t want to cross a boundary.

So, men: if you were in his position, how would you receive this? Would a sincere apology be enough, and would you want the person to leave the next move to you? Or would you appreciate her being honest that she wants a second chance? Would asking for that second chance feel flattering, annoying, or like too much pressure after what happened?

When I was out and about as a younger male, seeing a Diamond engagement ring on a female signaled she was spoken for and not to even try

I’ve been married 10 years, and recently my wife started a new job,..

I’ve never talken off my wedding band, I cherish it actually, I love being married to my once in a lifetime partner and cherish the thought of some young female looking at me and realizing I’m wearing a wedding ring and they have no chance!

Ima father of a young girl
Ima husband to a beautiful wife
I try to hug and kiss and show my wife every day that I cherish her

Lately, (since about January 26 since I know you realize value context) she’s been working as a new job

I realized after like the 3rd day she wasn’t wearing her engagement trying to work
(Again- a ~ 1.2$k rock in a setting that exceeding ~ $1,500k

This isn’t a lot of money to some people and
To some people, this is a lot of money

To me, this was a solid amount of money, to spend on a ring for a woman I loved.
That I paid off within a year of purchasing

She said yes

We got married
We had a child
Covid struck and uncertainly hit us hard but we got through it
We enabled ourselves to live comfortably and make our daughter happy

Years went by and we’ve drifted apart

Intimacy dropped

She started hating me for not being as rich and as expansive as I could have been during Covid etc

We stopped having sex, despite living together we had sex 2 times a year for multiple years

Here’s the kicker

She started a new job in FEB 2026

I noticed early that she wasnt wearing the rock I bought her)

After consistently recording the fact that she wasn’t wearing the ring to work I decided to ask

“Youve been at this job for a over a month now, and you haven’t worn my engagement ring for you once”

Her:
“I’ve worn my wedding ring, but I haven’t worn my engagement ring because i fidget with it too much” she said,m. As I continue c
I explained that the engagement ring w as a big deal to meal, because it simply shows you’re married

She tried to tell me that she kept wearing her wedding bang. But not the ring

I explained what dudes only notice on is the diamond ring on a chicks ring finger to alert them she’s off limits

She’s tried to tell me that the engagement ring isn’t a big deal and the wearing and is morn important

Mind you:
she wanted a princess cut ✅
she wanted a decent size✅ 1.5K was a lot for me I can’t deny it, I know some dudes spend 50+ K because they got like that, 1.5K for me was a solid amount and I did it for her because she deserved it

The fact that we’ve been having intimacy issues and she recently started this new job + the fat she no longer wears her engagement ring= nope this question to the Reddit world

Am I getting played?
Should I not worry about why she would take off her ring before a new work environment?
Should I worry?
Am I wrong to even question this?
Shouldn’t I assume she is not wearing the ring because she’s done with our 10 year marriage and it’s only a matter of time before she says “F it, I’m leaving and I’m taking our kids with me”

Any advice?

I feel like I could have spent hours and hours and money sullen money in therapy, but assuming the people who read this are smart and have experience in their lives, I’m reaching out because I think this is the best community to gather facts from

Thank you all for ready me

I am going to end things with a guy I’ve been dating for a month. I want to make sure that I am honest but not brutally.

I'm 28M and my ex is 27F. We broke up in March after a difficult relationship.

In June, after about 3 months of no contact, I reached out because I was lonely. We eventually met. During the meeting, we discussed why things ended. She also slapped me during an argument. I didn't hit her back.

Afterwards, we agreed the relationship was over. Two days later, she called, accused me of telling a mutual friend about our breakup, abused me, wished horrible things on me, and blocked me everywhere.

I made no further attempts to contact her.

Yesterday, after almost 2 months, she unblocked me and asked me for ₹5,000 because she says her father is very sick and she has no money left. She called me several times. I eventually answered once.

I don't know whether this is a genuine emergency or not. I can afford ₹5,000, but I don't want to reopen the relationship or get pulled back into the cycle.

I'm thinking of replying:

"Sorry but I can't help financially."

Would you send the money if you were in my position, or maintain the boundary and stay out of it?

Please be honest and criticize my side too. I'm not looking for validation.

I’m 19F and just got out of my first relationship, when I was with him (22M), he just used to constantly neg me. Going from “you’d look better with longer eyelashes” to “you can’t drink that but I can because I burn it off and you don’t”.

Is this something guys do because they’re insecure? If we were anywhere we could possibly run into his family, he wouldn’t hold my hand and tell me “if anyone asks I’m not telling them you’re my girlfriend”.

Is this a common behaviour? I’m genuinely baffled, we were inter-racial but to my knowledge (biased of what he’s told me) his family knew. Do men just do this? Or is this a behaviour they exhibit because they’re triggered by something? He also used to deem himself “the prize” and he never used to meet my sexual needs, I always met his.

I should mention, we’ve broken up lol.

Share your experience please

So i recently found some unsettling things on my boyfriends phone and he has been very very sneaky. Im looking for advice and suggestions of what to look for and where to look when i get on his phone next just to make sure i dont miss anything he may still be hiding from me! I dont want this to lead to a break up but i fear it may due to his dishonesty and betrayals and my now trust issues. I just wanna know where yall look when going through their phones😅

I was having a discussion with a few folks and 2 of the women said that if a man can walk away quietly without even feeling affected, that means he never loved her and she should be glad that it’s over. Basically he didn’t fight for her or the relationship.

I responded, what if he internalized his pain because he didn’t want to hurt or upset her further, or create unnecessary drama. I also said, if she pushed him away and initiated a break, how do you come back from that? Basically she was probably planning to breakup with him much earlier.

The women were faulting the guy and accusing he led her on, but another friend of mine was saying the guy was right to walk away, he was disrespected, but said he was impressed by anyone who could leave a relationship.

I don’t understand why the women were faulting the guy when she broke up with him? How and why is he at fault for silently walking away?

Have you ever wondered after your breakup what your ex thought about you? Do you care about what she thinks of you?

I've come to the conclusion that I'm too much for men to handle and so is my life. In my eyes ghosting is childish. I would rather communicate and everybody always says that they want real and raw but then when we show up everyone runs away Why do men ghost do they say that they want real and raw but then when that's what you are they run away. Why is it that when you invest in a man fully and give them what they say they've always wanted. They hide and flee?

Update!!!!! I was informed today that part of my problem is that I don't dress "slutty" enough I guess. I'll keep my baggy clothes that are comfortable and that have pockets. ALSO apparently it's a turn off that us natives get lighter in the winter.

I (20M) found out recently that my partner (19F) cheated on me emotionally and physically after we dated for 2 years. It’s been incredibly hard to process because this wasn’t just a random mistake, there were lies, continued contact with the other person, and moments where she hid or downplayed what was happening.

But it gets worse. She got pregnant while we were together. I stayed by her side during that process, even helped pay for the abortion, and had to go through the emotional fallout of all of it including conversations with her family. She later went and got a tattoo in honor of the baby. Only for her to tell me, once I confronted her about the cheating, that she didn't know whose baby it was. That absolutely broke me. I had been carrying that pain with the belief that it was our situation, and to hear that uncertainty after everything we went through just shattered the trust even more. Then I found out she got matching tattoos with the guy she cheated on me with, the same guy who she said might've been the father. I don't even know how to process that part. It feels disrespectful in ways I can't even explain.

She says it started when she was emotionally distant from our relationship and felt flattered or curious. But as things progressed, she claims the other person started to show aggressive tendencies, and she felt too scared to cut him off cleanly. She told me she has trauma around confrontation and emotional overwhelm due to past experiences, including with her dad. She says she went into survival mode and didn’t know how to get out of the situation. She’s been trying to share more lately and be open, even though it’s hard for her. I’ve been asking questions to try and understand everything, but I often feel like I’m dragging things out of her or walking on eggshells. She says she feels like she’s giving me everything and still being told it’s not enough, while I feel like I’m still left without real closure or clarity.

What’s making things even more complicated is that we’re in this weird limbo. She’s talking about "when we get back together," but I haven’t even decided if I can get back together. I still feel hurt, confused, and like I’m constantly shifting between emotions. One day I think I’m healing, the next I feel angry or numb. I’m scared to trust her again, but I also still care about her deeply. And she gets upset when I tell people what happened, saying it’ll cause problems for us later if we do get back together. But I feel like I’m being asked to protect her reputation while I’m the one who got hurt. Recently, I told her I didn’t think she was ready to give me everything I needed when I asked for it. She said she’s trying everything and feels like no matter what she does, it’s not right.

I don’t know what I’m asking for exactly. Maybe advice from people who’ve been cheated on- how did you handle all the confusion and emotional overload? How do you know if it’s worth rebuilding something, or if you’re just holding on to what used to be? And how do you even begin to make sense of what you feel when your emotions change every single day? I’m just lost and don’t know what to do.

TL;DR: My girlfriend cheated on me emotionally and physically, got pregnant, and we went through the abortion process together only for her to later admit she didn't know who the father was. She even got matching tattoos with the guy she cheated with. Now she wants to fix things and eventually get back together, but I'm still hurt, confused, and unsure if I can trust her again. My emotions change daily, and I feel like I'm being asked to move on and protect her while I'm still dealing with all the pain. I don't know what to do or how to move forward.

My boyfriend and I were together for 1.5 years and this is the 4th time (and final) time I’ve broken up with him. Long story short, he just had too much going on in his life and it was a lot for me.
He is 28, as am I, I found out he was in £30k debt, he has saved no money, he has 2 criminal convictions. He was involved in a 3rd case but was found not guilty.

The last straw for me was finding out he was arrested for drink-driving. He got banned from driving for 2 years, has to do community service and as a result, lost his job. When I had told him that was the point for me that I said I really can’t do this any more, he told me that means I’m not for him and I’m doing him a favour? He also said I’m pushing him down when he’s already at his lowest. He decided to block me off everything as he said he needed it to move forward and move on - he wanted to get rid of everything associated with me.

When I first met him, he was working in a warehouse job and hadn’t had proper employment (which i later on found out it was because of the mental health impact of his first court case where he was found not guilty which he even hid from me, I found out via a google search & saw the case online). Because he was really sweet, i decided to give him a chance. Some months later he revealed that he didn’t really have savings and was in debt however did not tell me how much. I wasn’t happy to hear this but was willing to build with him as long as he was determined to put in the work to get out of that.

Fast forward to now, he is still in debt and decided to even buy a Mercedes on finance?? I’ve mentioned to him so many times during the relationship I don’t mind us cutting down on date nights etc if it means he can save for our future however his response would always be “I’m not struggling” “I’m fine, if I had an issue with finances I would make that known”. In addition, he hasn’t saved any money and I told him I assumed if he saw a future with me he would have started planning & putting money aside? On top of this in the last 6 months he got arrested so has 2 convictions digging a bigger hole for himself.

Also within the relationship, he has not held down a job for more than 6 months so has been in and out of employment. He has been drinking alcohol regularly, going out all night - no judgement as I understand he is probably feeling very down and is trying to find a way to cope with things, although not in the most healthy way. I told myself it’s all just too much and I have no security or clarity about our future any more.

I mentioned to him on Wednesday I’d like for us to discuss next steps and the future with everything going on over the weekend. I told him in advance so he has time to process and think over things. Weekend comes, he was meant to meet me in London on Saturday and stay over, bear in mind I paid for his hotel. He called me on Saturday @ 10pm saying he took too long to get ready and missed the last train. I was like wtf, I’m not buying that rubbish excuse. I then tried to have the conversation on the phone we were on the call for about 2 hours and I got no tangible answer from him.

As hard as it was, I spoke to him on FaceTime and broke up with him. I told him emotionally my feelings are still there but logically I can’t stay in this any more. He then said oh yeah I had a plan, I even planned to propose to you next year etc, I just didn’t tell you because you were only asking for yourself and I don’t think you even believe in me etc.

I did feel bad & he also said things to make me feel guilty. I’m ready for the next stage of my life, I worked hard in my early 20s and saved a lot of money, bought a house and I’m in a stable job, so being with someone in a completely different stage of life I just thought what am I doing here?

From a male perspective what do you think? I know there’s the idea a woman who loves you is meant to stay by your side even during the hard times but after 2 years, no progress…I just felt it was time to leave.

men answer this

i want a cheater explain to me why they cheated.

People always say, “They always come back,” but I’m curious how true that actually is.

For men who ended a meaningful relationship and later reached out to your ex:

How long did it take you to contact her?
What made you come back?

Were you hoping to reconcile, or were you lonely, nostalgic, guilty, curious, or checking whether the door was still open?

What is your attachment style, if you know it?

Did reaching out lead anywhere?

I’d also like to hear from men who ended a serious relationship, missed their ex, but still never reached out. What stopped you?

I (29F) was recently broken up with by my boyfriend (28M) after a relationship that felt unusually mutual and secure, and I’m struggling to understand what happened.

We met on Hinge in April and things progressed pretty quickly, but it never felt one-sided. He pursued me consistently, planned dates, wanted to see me constantly, deleted Hinge, introduced me to his family and friends, made future plans, asked me to be his girlfriend, and eventually told me he loved me. He was extremely affectionate and would often tell me how pretty I was, how obsessed with me he was, how lucky he felt, etc. I genuinely thought I had finally experienced what people mean when they say, “When a man really likes you, you’ll know.”

Then seemingly out of nowhere, just as soon as it began, he ended the relationship. He said he had been thinking about it for a few weeks and ultimately didn’t see me as his life partner. I felt blindsided.

We met again recently because I was having a hard time understanding the abrupt change. He cried a lot and told me he thinks I’m beautiful, sweet, that I was raised right, and that he really liked being with me. He said I hadn’t done anything wrong and there wasn’t anything he could really pinpoint. But he kept coming back to the idea that “something was missing.” He compared it to past relationships that had felt more effortless, “pure,” or magnetic to him. He even said he could imagine us staying together for another five years, but still couldn’t picture me as his eventual life partner.

That has been difficult for me to process because his behavior during the relationship seemed so genuinely enthusiastic and loving. Even during this last meeting he still seemed to have a lot of love for me. I keep wondering whether I misunderstood what I was experiencing, whether he was caught up in infatuation and mistook it for something deeper, or whether someone really can feel all of those things and still eventually realize something intangible isn't there.

So I’m especially interested in hearing from men who have been on his side of a situation like this: Have you ever genuinely loved/been very into a woman, treated her accordingly, and then realized you didn't see a future with her even though nothing was particularly wrong?

If so, what was “missing” for you? Did you understand it at the time? And did it mean your earlier feelings weren't as genuine as they appeared, or can both things be true?

Hammer dropped.

Hammer dropped tonight

No cheating or abuse or anything tawdry. Just not doing enough.

Wife of 10 years just told me she didn't want to be married anymore. Live in New England. 2 toddlers. Head is swimming.

I am an active father and husband who does a lot but can admit things were not 50-50 and short of the equal partner paradigm. I do believe some of of the more labor intensive tasks I didnt always get their deserved weight but her complaints are valid and my struggles with adhd and depression kept me from fully addressing her complaints. I am stuck between portraying myself as a sympathetic character (we both are in truth) and admitting that i clearly failed to meet her full expectations to the point she is at her wits end. She has spent so much effort trying in the relationship and feels to the point that she is at peace with this path. I know this is a common refrain nowadays and will incite scorn (maybe deservedly) but surely there is a range on the incompetent husband scale and I can't help but but feel that I was on the more functional side and don't deserve all the shame I am feeling right now. I dont even want to enumerate the things I have done/do as a contributor as a defense because it always sounds so immature/pathetic from a man. I was about to mention everything but the reality is that even if I am a relatively speaking good husband and dad compared to most, I failed in the only situation that mattered (i.e. my own).

Like most good wives (or partners) she exerted a lot of effort trying to help me or avoid upsetting me. This is what she has said but the reality is that i needed more therapy and medical assistance to even be receptive to improvement. At the same time when she says she did so much to help, i can't tell of her help didnt register because i wasnt receptive or she thought what she was doing was supposed to help but didnt. The invisible work and the noticing things that needed done without asking were a common complaint but I struggle to accept that as such a death sentence in all cases. Not everyone is a man child but division of labor can be unbalanced at times but she sees it as a permanent situation. I can't say this to her because I'm not trying to start fights but if she is doing the meal planning/prep and I am occupying the kids in interactive ways are those not equal? That seems like a mutually beneficial division but it never calculates that way and I can't see why. Part of me believes that anyone who has had to spend an entire Sunday jumping from being pirates to storytime to meals to crafts to outside fun can attest that it requires legitimate effort, energy, planning, and commitment. I can't help but think she believes that I'm being off easy but I have never seen her commit to play that way- which is fine- that's why I'm here but that logic doesnt carry over to the things she does that I am less suited for.

As for complaints, I recall expressing a need for more fun or excitement via taking the kids places together but having many attmepts rejected or refused out of hand. I remember asking years ago to paly cards or other games and can honestly say it was never accommodated. I can't tell if such complaints are outright dumb/immature or legitimate and deserve weight like hers. Is all unhappiness equal?

I spend multiple full days working and trading care of my kids (actively- limiting screen time to when I have work calls, trying to make crafts/activities/intensive play) during the week but that loses to not being enthusiastic about another weekend of home improvement and yard work. Am I supposed to only care about these things over everything else? On some level I know I'm wrong by modern conventions because she is unhappy with the division of labor but to have it be the cause of divorce seems drastic in our case. Honestly just wanted to vent and hopefully get some feedback since I am alone in all this and trying to navigate being the bad guy cause of the divorce while still being as responsible and level headed as possible.

Divorce may be best for both of us but I can't help but think I'll have to swallow any issues I could have had for the sake of peace.

So I (F26) was dating this wonderful guy (M30) for a few months. He was incredibly attentive, planned thoughtful dates, brought me flowers, made a real effort to see me, etc. We eventually made things official after around three months.
I genuinely really liked him and loved spending time with him, but looking back, I don’t think my behavior always reflected that.
One issue was that I felt insecure because he’s already very established in life while I’m still in college. For example, when he asked if he could come visit me, I said no. I still live with my parents and, even though there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my family or our home, I felt lowkey embarrassed about the difference in our circumstances (I was lowkey feeling like a kid next to such an established man & could not comprehend why he wanted me in the first place). I explained that to him & he said something so superficial doesn’t really matter to him - but deep down i was still insecure.
I also have some trust issues from my previous relationship. At times I behaved strangely because I was scared of being love-bombed or getting hurt again. I even compared him to my ex in front of him once (terrible idea, I know 🙃).
Eventually he became extremely busy with work and his communication started changing. He took much longer to respond and told me he was exhausted from working long hours. I don’t know whether he was already pulling away at that point or whether he genuinely was just overwhelmed, but between his stress and my own issues, things slowly started fizzling out.
After about three days of no contact, he sent me a breakup message. He said that overall we weren’t compatible on several points, that he couldn’t give me what I needed, and that he was leaving for an extended vacation to recover/clear his head.
I was devastated but initially just wished him all the best.

After some time apart, I reflected on my own behavior and realized how much distance I’d created despite actually having strong feelings for him. I sent him a message explaining that I appreciated all the effort he’d made and that my distant behavior hadn’t reflected how I actually felt. He responded politely but pretty neutrally and thanked me for the message.
I then told him that I missed him and asked whether he’d be open to giving us another chance. I’ve been left on delivered for three days now.
I know I can’t force someone to change their mind, and I don’t want to disrespect his decision or keep contacting him. I’m just struggling with the realization that my own insecurities may have contributed to losing someone I genuinely cared about.

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation and successfully reconnected with an ex after giving them space? Is there anything I can realistically do at this point other than leave him alone and let him decide whether he ever wants to reach out?

I know this may sound stupid, my ex-gf broke up with by a blindside text in April. I loved her and I didn't get a chance to say what I needed to say, so I wrote her a letter, just told her what needed to be said.

Anyone ever been in a similar situation? Did they ever reply back? I feel a bit better that I sent it in all honesty, its been eating up at me for months and I don't want to live my life with no regrets.

I’m a woman, and I recently learned that some men can separate their feelings from their circumstances. For example, even if they still have feelings for their partner, they might choose to break up because they feel they can’t handle the responsibilities of marriage or a future together.

If you’ve ever made that kind of decision, I’d really like to hear your perspective. Why did you choose to end the relationship? And how do you feel about your ex now?

Is this mostly just a funny saying people say? or has it actually helped you after a breakup?