So hard to make peace with the fact na I may have been collateral damage from the healing my ex refused to do after his long term relationship.
I know what you guys will say. It's stupid to get into a relationship with someone who had just gotten out of a long term relationship. But I genuinely believed he was over it and I failed to recognize the minor tells of what I’m stepping into.
He was still carrying years of trauma and unhealthy coping mechanisms he had never really addressed, and I was on the receiving end of those. I'm not saying he's a bad person, because I genuinely believe he isn't. And I'm not saying I'm perfect either. I know my anxiety and tendency to overthink contributed to our fights rin, but I also know I was constantly on edge because he avoided fights and the things I bring to light.
I believe he had good intentions. He showed me in those first few months that he was capable of being the partner I needed, and I genuinely believed in him. But I think he was still carrying the exhaustion of his past, and you know what they say na the feelings/thoughts you suppress will eventually caught up to you.
It was my first relationship, and I admit I was idealistic which caused some recurring fights. But I also believe that relationships require effort, especially when you're still building a foundation. You can't expect things to work if you're unwilling to face discomfort together.
I don't want to draw conclusions, but I can't help but wonder if I was just a placeholder. Maybe he did love me, but he wasn't ready to do the work that loving someone requires. Maybe he was used to having someone there that he mistook that familiarity for being ready to love again.
I loved him deeply, and I don't regret it. I just wish I knew if he really did love me the way I believed he did, or if I was simply someone who temporarily filled a void he hadn't learned to sit with on his own.