Thanks, breh. I actually just came out of a 5 year relationship, and going through that and hearing what KS and many other brehs have been saying has me feeling like I wasn’t alone in what I went through.
I honestly ignored all the red flags (comes from a single parent home, only child, said she likes drama, high earner, etc) and towards the end of the relationship (years 3-5) she pretty much got bored with me and wanted to move on. She didn’t need me, as she was a high earner, and she pretty much made that clear. Towards the end of the relationship, it was nothing but arguments and I felt I lost myself. I felt I couldn’t say anything without an argument or getting some type of pushback, so I just bottled shyt in. The arguments stopped, but I lost myself in the process.
Going through all that opened my eyes, and now I know exactly what I want and won’t go for less. If she’s not bringing me peace and cooperation, then I’m cutting her loose. Funny thing is, now my ex throws hints all the time about getting back together. I’m not the pushover or “beta” she needs. I can’t and won’t go through that again.
This new woman is a breath of fresh air. She’s younger (she’s 23 and I’m 32) and so far her actions have shown she aligns with what I’m looking for. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m just feeling her out right now.