A Redditor is opening up about the aftermath of a four-year relationship that ended after he brought up marriage, and the fallout has left the former couple still living together months later.
In a post shared to r/BoyDinnerDiaries, a 25-year-old man described dating his 23-year-old girlfriend for four years. Their relationship dates back to her freshman year of college. He wrote that the two moved in together last spring and started sharing a kitchen, dining room, and bed for the first time after years of sleeping in twin dorm beds.
According to the post, the relationship shifted after two of the couple's friends got married. When he brought up the idea of marriage himself, he said his girlfriend told him it was "essentially pointless" for her. She cited her career as a lawyer as her priority.
"She sort of shamed me for even thinking that," he wrote, adding that he felt as though bringing up marriage had been interpreted as an attack on her career ambitions.
The man said he told his girlfriend the next morning, before she left for law school, that her comment had been hurtful. According to his account, she came home later that day and ended the relationship. She told him her career mattered more than the relationship. He recalled her saying, "I will do anything to have the career I want. I will cut off my parents if I have to."
The man acknowledged the relationship wasn't without conflict prior to the breakup, but said he didn't consider their arguments a dealbreaker. He pointed to his own parents' 30-year marriage as a point of comparison.
In the six months since the breakup, the man said his life has largely narrowed to work and home, citing a lack of friends independent of his ex-girlfriend and the loss of 20 pounds during the period. Meanwhile, he described his ex as appearing to thrive, and mentioned her increased attendance at concerts, more frequent dinners with someone new, a study-abroad trip, and 'heavier drinking.'
He detailed three instances in which she returned home after drinking heavily, including two occasions when she got into his bed without pants and one in which she left her belongings in an Uber. It required 12 hours to retrieve them. He said the pattern has left him concerned for her safety.
The man said he and his ex-girlfriend continue to share a kitchen and bathroom, with his ex now sleeping in a spare room, as their lease isn't up until next spring. He said his family has encouraged him to stop worrying about her and focus on his own life, but he said they don't fully understand how close he had come to proposing before the breakup.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in this post. The details above reflect the account shared by u/PMYourBellyButton_ on r/BoyDinnerDiaries.
