You are in pain because he played with your emotions. He led you to believe that there was something, when in fact there never could be. You were just a stepping stone as he got over his ex. This was manipulative and deceitful on his part. Guard yourself as there is a lot of this behaviour out there (I was happy that you did identify some red flags early on; heed these warnings. I personally feel intuition is a woman’s superpower).

The only advice I can give you here is that time will, eventually, heal your heart. Trust me on that. It will be hard but your feelings and thoughts towards him will eventually fade. In their place, I hope you discover more within yourself and that you deserve better than this treatment. During this time, take the opportunity for growth. Learning a new skill or doing SOMETHING (anything) to occupy your thoughts may help. One thing that helped me get over a similar situation was to learn how to cook. Not only was this beneficial for my own wellbeing but it acts as an asset towards meeting a potential new suitor.

Another way to get over this situation is to make a list of all the bad aspects of this former relationship and his poor character traits you encountered. Whenever you get wistful, reference and re-read this list to remind yourself why it is best left in your past.

I wish you the best and I give you a virtual hug. You will get through this. 🙂