My opinion is: I think deep down he may realize what he’s done, but men are wired in a different way than women. They don’t display their emotions. They rarely talk of them. He knows he’s a piece of shit, he just will never admit to it.

When something similar happened to me, I wrote my ex and got everything off my chest. His reply was more short. That he never meant to hurt me. That he would always respect me. And then he ended with “you should know I’m not good at texting or explaining myself”. That was it. I didn’t get an actual apology. I didn’t get an affirmation that he once loved me. This made me more hurt and I carried it with me for a long time. I felt I didn’t get justice for the pain he caused. I am two years on now and it still bothers me/affects my self-esteem but I have taken time to self-reflect and am taking some lessons from it, most notably that I need to love myself more than anyone else and that I needed to learn to set boundaries. I am hoping you get to this place. Regardless of age (I’m 38), it will take time. Have patience with yourself. Show kindness to yourself.

And on his front …

I never reached out but curiosity, at times, got the best of me and I would check his social media. I discovered a lot. My ex got married two months after we last talked. I saw all his wedding and honeymoon photos … but not on his pages – on his wife’s (who had him tagged). He still doesn’t mention his relationship status anywhere and gives the illusion of still being single. He’s still in a dead-end job. He doesn’t look happy. I bring this up because I truly believe that energy is cyclical and what you put out is what you get in return. My ex will never know happiness or love and it is all at his own hands, lies and manipulation. I am thankful I’m not the new wife who will now have a lifetime chained to this. Your guy also has to live with the fact that he hurt an innocent person. That is a heavy weight to carry. I do believe it will haunt these guys.

You may not get closure from him (which, if you are like me, is what you really desire). You just need to take the lesson from the experience and try and move forward.