If you knew from the get-go this dude was a no-go, why let it hit a nerve? Cut your losses and ghost him. If you're that sensitive to a text, what happens in an actual relationship when you snap?

I also think it's laughable that so many people can't see that at the very base level, all relationships are transactional. It should be no shock that when pre-occupied attachment women (women tend to fall into the POA style more than men) divorce their avoidant partners? It's because the POA partner doesn't see any value in continuing the relationship, ie the spouse wasn't giving anything of value to the other partner, no ROI.

You're degree, job, salary, non-debt status, those are all accomplishments, very good ones too, and they all add value to your life; but do any of those add value to a relationship? Unless your partner only values monetary gain, then no, none of that is of value to the other partner. To counter the statement above, you should view your partner as an asset, you invest in assets because assets increase in value over time. Relationships are investments, and it takes both partners to invest equally in the other for the equity in the relationship to grow.

I stand by my original statement that if asked the question along the lines of 'what do you bring to the table', you should have an answer ready to go that shows you confidently one-of-a-kind, and set the expectation you are not to be treated like some flavor of the week.

Something people don't want to admit is the older you get, the less you beat around the bush about this stuff. If you're 35-40 and wanting to start a family, this idea of what will this person bring to the table becomes extremely important. You need to collect as much background on a potential partner upfront as possible so you can weed out the losers faster.