“I was in a long-term relationship with someone I deeply loved and wanted to marry. He treated me incredibly well in the beginning, and I genuinely felt like the happiest and luckiest girl to have him. Things changed when he moved to a foreign country, struggled to find a job, and went through a lot of mental and financial pressure. He became a different person and betrayed my trust. I forgave him once, but it happened again, and now he's with someone else. He still tells me that he loves me and can't imagine loving anyone else the way he loves me. I still love him deeply too, and I understand he's going through a difficult time, but I'm heartbroken and confused. Was I right to walk away? Can stress really change someone this much? What would you do in my situation? I'd genuinely appreciate an honest, unbiased perspective.”

Another soul answered...

First of all, I don't think you were wrong for walking away. And I don't think walking away necessarily means you stopped loving him. Sometimes you can love someone deeply and still recognise that staying with them is slowly hurting you. I do believe that stress, financial struggles, loneliness and being in an unfamiliar environment can change a person's behaviour. People aren't always at their best when life gets difficult. But there's a difference between understanding someone's circumstances and constantly making excuses for how they choose to treat you. Going through a difficult phase might explain certain behaviours, but it doesn't automatically justify betrayal. What stands out to me is that you forgave him once, gave the relationship another chance, and the same thing happened again. That's important. Forgiveness is an act of love, but it shouldn't become an endless cycle where one person keeps getting hurt while the other keeps getting chances. And about him saying he still loves you, I think it's important to understand that loving someone and being capable of maintaining a healthy relationship with them are two very different things. He might genuinely love you. I'm not going to assume his feelings are fake. But love isn't just about what someone says they feel. it's also about the decisions they make, the respect they show and the responsibility they take for their actions. I'd also suggest that you don't measure your worth against the person he's with now. His decision to move on doesn't diminish what you meant to him, nor does it invalidate the relationship you once had. If I were in your position, I'd choose to walk away too. Not out of hatred, revenge or because the love suddenly disappeared, but because I'd eventually have to choose my own peace over the hope that someone might become the person they used to be. You can acknowledge that he's struggling, wish him well and still decide that you cannot be the person who keeps absorbing the consequences of his struggles. And perhaps the hardest thing to accept is that sometimes relationships don't end because the love was never real. They end because love, on its own, wasn't enough to make things work. Please don't feel guilty for choosing yourself. You deserved the same loyalty and consideration you were willing to give him.