29F with a 37M (LDR). I was meant to go see him last week in his home country, but because war broke out, he became a little frazzled and not sure about things because he wasn’t sure when we’d see each other next and told me maybe we should spend some time apart, I should talk to other people, so tried to break up after feeling rejected/distanced because i felt like he didnt want to be with me but just didnt know how to to tell me. All of his concerns were triggered by war, work, and family issues. My fears and his words triggered my own abandonment wounds, so I panicked and pulled away and basically ended the relationship because I thought he wanted to end things but didn’t know how to say it. He then told me he was just having a bit of a wobble and needed my support and he says he can’t trust me because I “abandoned” him like his ex-wife and his dad did. I genuinely want to repair things and have apologized, but nothing feels like enough and he keeps me at arm’s length, I didn’t do things out of malice. I genuinely just believed he didn’t want to be with me and didn’t know how to verbalize it or wanted to not carry the guilt of ending things so was pushing me to do it. But he’s reiterated many times that that isn’t the case, if he wanted to end things he would have explicitly told me so.

For anyone who’s been in his shoes, what helped you trust again? And for anyone who’s made this mistake, is there any way to rebuild trust, or is time/space the only option? Any honest insight appreciated.

TL;DR:

My (29F) long-distance partner (37M) lives in a country where war recently broke out. Because of the situation, he became overwhelmed and uncertain about when we would see each other again. During that moment he suggested maybe we should spend time apart and that I could talk to other people. Feeling rejected and believing he didn’t want to be with me but didn’t want to say it directly, my own abandonment fears kicked in and I ended the relationship.


2 comments
  1. …”told me maybe we should spend some time apart, I should talk to other people,”

    Sounds to me like he WAS trying to break up with you and now he is blaming you for taking him at his word. I don’t know how else you take the words talk to other people. Does he always try to put you on the defensive?

Leave a Reply