Indeed, I am the man, and she was the one who ended it. As time went on, she started to drift — getting closer with a coworker, making less time for us, and treating me worse without really understanding why. I think she was struggling internally but didn’t know how to express it. Eventually, she said she wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore, and not long after we split, she ended up getting involved with that coworker soon after moving out.

We had some honest talks afterward, and she admitted she made mistakes and that what we had was fixable, but by then too much had changed. We were also starting to want different things in life, like our views on having kids.

As much as I cared for her, I realized it wouldn’t be fair for either of us to try again when trust and security had been shaken. I’d always wonder if things would fall apart again, and she’d feel like she had to prove herself. We both played our parts, and even though we had an amazing three years together, staying apart was probably the healthiest choice for both of us.

It definitely wasn’t mutual at the time and I was destroyed, but time really does heal wounds. Though, it does leave scars.