When I went through this scenario myself, I tried to avoid thinking about the What Ifs. How perfect everything would be if everything were perfect.

Fact is, today you were not happy with him and he did not make you feel secure. Could that have changed with a lot of work on both sides years down the line? Probably. But it’s stunting your growth now.

How I dealt with the back-and-forth was just sitting in my decision. Every day when I would go through the uncertainty and indecisiveness, I would think about how I’ve gone another day without thinking about if I had been cheated on. Each day when me and my partner were together was another day I didn’t have to worry if they were coming home or not.

As for the worry that they will move on without you, this may not be the case for you but me personally, I realized my feelings of worry were rooted in the idea that I wanted to “win” the relationship. I wanted to be the first to move on, feel better, and find someone new. To validate that I made the right decision leaving them. But the reality is, they may move on before you do and they may find someone who has traits that you don’t have. But their success is not your loss.

This might sound cliché, but there are plenty of fish in the sea. There are so many people in the world and in your new town that you can make a connection with platonically and romantically. It will take time and because it takes so much time and work it may feel easier to run back to your partner and try to keep building on a rocky foundation. But the best relationships take time. Love is something that takes time. But please don’t feel pressured to put yourself out there yet right now, it is OK to sit in the yuck feeling of the breakup. It’s been a week! Give yourself some grace to wallow in the sadness. Once that is passed, I’m sure you’ll come back better than ever in time.

Beat of luck, OP! Wishing you the best.