We met through an Instagram conversation. There was an 8 years age difference, with me being the older one. When he started flirting with me, I told him I was 32 and not interested in anything that wasn’t long term. He responded by flying to my city and asking me out, promising forever and asking me to wait 2 to 3 years until he became financially independent. My only condition was his parents’ consent, which he got within two days. His parents were supportive of our relationship, especially his mom, who treated me like family.
He moved to my city, which felt like a grand gesture to me. None of my friends, cousins, or family members approved of him or our relationship, but I fought with all of them because I believed in us. For three years, he lived in my city, and I supported him in every way possible financially, emotionally, and physically. I lost my father during the third wave of COVID. Though my mom was against him, she eventually accepted him after seeing my devotion.
After the first year, he started hiding our relationship from any woman he met at work or on social media. When I asked him to post about us, he accused me of being insecure and needing social media validation. He belittled me, body shamed me, and age shamed me in countless ways. His gaslighting became regular, and over time, I began to lose my confidence and even my mental balance. When he finally achieved success in his career and his struggle was over, he decided to move back to his city.
Suddenly, his mom turned hostile toward me and pressured him to leave me. When he asked why, she said that it was fine for him to be with me while he needed my support, but now that he didn’t, he should leave me and find someone younger. Eventually, he broke up with me, saying we were fighting too much and had compatibility issues. Since then, he’s been seeing other women, hanging out with them, and posting pictures and videos.
This has broken me to the point where I’ve been hospitalized multiple times over the past 5 to 6 months. He’s living his best life while I’m left wondering why I’m still here. Embarrassed by my decision and feeling utterly defeated by life, I have nowhere to turn. At 35, I now feel emotionally and mentally unfit for marriage. I feel like such a fool.