This was anything but a clean break. Obviously, breaking up with a long-term partner can be complicated, whether it's dealing with the concrete logistics of moving out or the emotional adjustments of being single again. Even when it seems like the breakup was mutually agreed upon for both parties, it's quite possible that deep down, one person wanted this far more than the other, as was the case with this Redditor and his now ex-girlfriend. His ex made it crystal clear following their breakup t…

Everyone responds differently to breakups. Some people burst into tears and others immediately put up walls and bottle everything up so as not to give their now-former partner the satisfaction of having made them cry. Obviously, bottling everything up is not necessarily the healthy option in these scenarios, but let's give the folks who opt to take this route a break. After all, they have just been dumped. Here, we have a 28-year-old woman who felt the breakup coming in her gut. She was engaged…

Who doesn't love a little drama at the local church's annual Labor Day BBQ event? This Redditor is in the midst of an ongoing divorce with his wife after she cheated on him four times, one of which was a more serious emotional affair with her husband's married close friend. Since the separation, the Original Poster (OP) had been attending a different church and started dating someone new. Still, many of his close friends were still members of his previous church, where his wife was still very m…

There are some folks in the dating scene who, despite having been around the block for quite some time, still do not understand what to say and what not to say when you're first meeting a potential romantic partner. You would think that dwelling on a previous relationship or revealing an extended laundry list of red flags would be topics to avoid on a first date, but you'd be surprised what some people blurt out when they're not thinking clearly. Perhaps it's a form of self-sabotage or perhaps…

According to the laws of probability, everyone is guaranteed to end up on at least one date with someone who is out of their mind or wildly misinformed. It's about as common as the probability of getting food poisoning. It's going to happen in your lifetime at least once… If you're lucky, you'll have the epiphany that the person sitting on the opposite side of the restaurant table is a moron before there are any notable strings attached. Ideally, you'll catch it on the first date so that neithe…

Some relationships feel like they came to an end before they even really started. If you ask the folks who shared stories behind their short-lived relationships , you will see a myriad of reasons why some couples cannot last longer than the runtime of Killers of the Flower Moon . First, there are always the classic reasons: different lifestyles, contrasting life plans, and an overall lack of chemistry. But then, there are the surprising revelations that people probably should have disclosed bef…

Life is about trying things, but it's also about knowing your limits. In theory, you want to be able to find a good balance between the adventurous part of yourself and your rational side. If you lean too far into your impulses to explore, you could end up driving in the dark on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no cell service (this happened to a fairly impulsive friend of mine). On the other end of the spectrum, though, you don't want to be so stuck in your routine that you…

The best way to get back at an ex involves personalizing your payback. It's one thing to post a bunch on social media about how much fun you're having and how much you've moved on since the breakup. It's also one thing to block someone outright. Those options might be petty, but they are also uninventive. What you really need to do, if payback is necessary, is to find something niche about your former partner and see if you can use that to your advantage. Now, payback is not pretty and it's not…

Who doesn't love a bold swing on the dating apps? It could be a home run or a big swing and a miss, but you can't help but appreciate the attempt at the very least. Dating apps have become so ubiquitous in our culture of “courtship” that we have made swiping left and right a passive part of our daily routines, like brushing our teeth or checking our emails. This portion of the dating process has lost most of its flair and excitement, so when you do receive a message that genuinely catches your…

When you know, you know . This is, of course, what everyone says when they find the partner with whom they may want to share the rest of their lives. However, this sentiment very much applies to couples who are on the verge of falling apart. As a third party, you can often see the signs that two people are not meant to be. Sure, there are the obvious signs: fighting, infidelity, etc, but when it comes to the subtle red flags, that's when side remarks, body language, and social media posting bec…

Some breakups do not call for maturity. Some exes are so deserving of payback that it would be a grave injustice if you chose not to do something. Obviously, the sensible thing to do following a breakup is to take the high road and to trust that the best revenge is success and happiness. That being said, we cannot expect the anonymous folks from this Reddit thread to do the sensible thing in these situations. We can only expect drama and unnecessary overreactions because, let's be real here, th…

When you move in with your partner, all their quirks and eccentricities come out. Perhaps they've been hiding that they like to trim their toenails on the couch without cleaning up the remains afterward. Perhaps they've been hiding their inability to clean dishes or their tendency to fold and put away wet towels. All of these strange habits are included in the screenshots below, which were compiled from the following Redditors who boldly shared their stories of what happened after moving in wit…

They say every breakup is unique. That would be true if these anecdotes serve as any indication. Sure, there are the standard reasons why people split up: infidelity, different life goals, timing, location, etc. And then there are these folks who shared their breakup stories via the following r/AskReddit thread. Some of my favorites include the girl who was dumped because her now ex-boyfriend got a dog and realized he couldn't balance the two. Then, there is the person who got dumped because th…

It's never easy to spot red flags when you're actually looking for them. Often, we see them in hindsight or when it's far too late. What gets in the way of catching these obvious signs? Tunnel vision, social pressures to be in a serious relationship, or perhaps the other person is legitimately a convincing pathological liar. Here's the thing to remember if you think this applies to you or a close friend: ignorance is actually not bliss. The illusion of happiness and stability is still just an i…

People talk about how the ability to keep a secret is a good personality trait, but isn't it way more fun to hear people spill the beans? It can't be healthy keeping everything inside anyway, so let's just say that confessing your secrets is a mutually beneficial exercise. Obviously, there are instances in which the knowledge you have could affect someone else, so definitely use your judgment. That's why anonymous confessions are even better for everyone involved. These folks let the flood gate…

There comes a time in everyone's dating experiences when you realize that the person with whom you have been spending time is a complete and total doofus. When this happens, you have three options. First, you can give them the benefit of the doubt. You let whatever silly comment they made slide, you try to explain why they are mistaken, and you move on. Sometimes, people simply do not know things because they have yet to be exposed to them. You taught your partner something. Isn't that a produc…