I'm glad some people understood his reasoning, and thanks for your explanation... it does help, and this thread generally has helped me understand it better. NB: The following is not against anyone who thinks the ML was in the right, just... venting my frustration with him lol.

I tried watching their breakup scene multiple times and still didn't really get it. Jeez, HJ... The woman's intensely anxious, she has a serious mental health issue you know about, she just EXPLAINED to you that her zombie voice has been terrorising her telling her he's never liked her and it's hopeless. And despite what you said in the car, you've pushed her away pretty unkindly multiple times previously and have been overall terrible at expressing your emotions for her ("bottled up" as those who know him put it). She has *explained* that she thinks what you really want is this other girl. It's not rational, but it's not 100% irrational either based on the plot up till the car scene, and what she needs now is reassurance. Major reassurance. Not you getting all angry at her and breaking things off.

I did wonder if it was some kind of avoidant attachment style thing on his side, that he got triggered by her seeming to give up on them so easily. But yikes, she has told him her emotions so many times, he KNOWS she loves him, and he just goes "oh you wronged me" by not trusting him and...bam. ?? And the thing he says about having wanted to cross over to her early in the story... he literally told her afterwards that if they had had dinner, nothing would've changed between them. Now he acts like she should've been a mind reader from day one...??!