I knew the day would come when my ex leaving me for one of our friends wouldn’t hurt anymore. I knew one day the daily pain would subside once I let go of the future I thought we would have together and the happy memories we shared. Instead I feel numb and sad for him.

Trust me I’ll never forgive him for telling me he wanted to marry me, having me move in with him only to kick me out in the worst way possible only three months later. Or his horrible treatment of me over the last two months we were together while he was planning his exit and lining up his next relationship. I won’t forget him saying I was dead to him the day after I moved out and taking the rest of my possessions and coldly tossing them in the lobby as he started his romance with our mutual friend. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully trust anyone again because I was truly blindsided by his actions, and it’s so hard to see someone who adored you turn on you with venom. They say you see someone’s true character with how they treat you during a breakup – he turned into my worst nightmare while immediately moving on. Words can’t express the hurt I felt.

I realize now that nothing is forever especially feelings. People who you trust can change overnight and betray you. Cherish the here and now. And how important it is to not ignore red flags. I was reckless in ever getting serious with a much older man who didn’t want the same things as me, a wandering eye and who had a long history of failed relationships.

Some things are just not meant to be – but it is very hard to see someone you lived with become a complete stranger again. Life is cruel sometimes, but I believe it’s all part of your master plan and that not everything is supposed to work out no matter how much you want it to but you are supposed to learn a lesson from the experience. My lesson? The red flags and signs you ignore in the beginning will be why it ends. Also, don’t compromise yourself and your beliefs just because you love someone and want it to work out. You can apply this advice to professional situations too.

It’s hard to see the silver lining in such a bleak situation but I have grown so much, become a better, smarter person and for that I’m thankful.

Letting go is when you finally realize you’re healing and that you can’t control what others do or how they feel. It’s also important to keep in mind that things truly happen for a reason and that what’s meant to be will be.