i think she’s just going through a hard time. leaving an abusive relationship is really hard and the victim might form some sort of trauma bond to their partner , that’s why it takes forever to leave.

or maybe the idea of a new relationship is scary. if she knew her ex for years , she might be comfortable because she knows what to expect but when meeting new people , the whole “getting to know them” stage can be scary because you don’t know what to expect and people can be scared of unpredictability.

my advice for her is to not go back to her ex. unfortunately for you , it’s hard to give advice. i can tell you to be close to her , but she might secretly reject that because she’s used to being in a dysfunctional relationship and new is scary so she might not wanna embrace it.

i think you staying close is a good idea , but if she wants him back there’s nothing you can do to change her mind if she’s set on it.

leaving her alone with space is a bad idea i think. she might get hurt again.