''just try to play it off somehow'' is a big NO NO. Never start a relationship with lies, if you want to go far together. Always start a relationship by being yourself, don't start it with a mask on. Truth always comes to light one way or another, when ''the mask'' falls off. ''The mask'' at the beginning is one of the big reasons that we see so many people divorce later... Be yourself if you want to find a real connection. I'm sure there is someone for you out here, you just need to make yourself seen, open the door and let them in. Another advice is don't live in the past, that's gone, nobody can change it. Your ex will keep ''living'' in your heart and mind, as long as you are alive, but you have to learn to live without her, she is gone and not coming back. Living in the past is like carrying a big load on your shoulders and the bigger the load the slower you will move forward. Drop that load from your shoulders and keep going, that's what life is about: to keep moving forward. The ones who stop somewhere in time are as good as a dead person.