| You have no idea how much I relate to this man, I had almost the same exact experience with an ex of mine except that I was the catalyst to a large chunk of the problems she ended up experiencing. My girlfriend was an old friend from high school that I reconnected with after many years. We clicked instantly and started dating shortly thereafter. Slowly she let me in on her struggles with depression and bipolar disorder. I was openly supportive but I never paid it any mind since she seemed the same as anyone else whenever we were together. Fast forward a number of months and things quickly unravel. Out of nowhere she starts shutting me out and acting erratic. Then she breaks up with me. A week or so passes and she reaches out asking for some of her stuff back. I oblige and we meet up. Afterwards, she starts telling me about how she misses me and how she made a rash decision. We start sleeping together again but she's still being distant. Fast forward another month or so and I finally learn the truth. She broke up with me because her ex reached out to her and she didn't know how to handle it. Then she got back together with me out of impulse, but she didn't know what to do since her ex had already moved back in at that point. Where our stories differ is that I kept on seeing her after finding out about the boyfriend because I didn't want to abandon her. One day she'd tell me that she was only with him because she needed the financial support that he was able to provide her, then on another she'd talk about him like he was the greatest thing to ever happen to her. Eventually things came to a head and she blocked me out of the blue. Later on I found out that she was actually pregnant and had an abortion. At the time I was so angry at her for everything but in hindsight I think she did me a great favor. Mental illness is nothing to scoff at and being with a person burdened by it is a struggle regardless of how much love you have for them. I don't think she's a bad person and I'm greatly indebted to her for forcibly removing me from her life. |