'I'm still single, but I'd rather be': Woman's decision to break up with a ‘good on paper’ boyfriend gets validated after her married ex slides into her DM's 6 years after they broke up

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Feb 5, 2025 9:00 PM EST

Decades into single life, it's tough not to second guess every breakup, every date, and every disagreement from relationships of the past. Haunting your thoughts like that 2-year-old frozen pizza in the back of the fridge, it's harder to throw out the 'what ifs' of the past without absolute confirmation that you made the right call in ending things. But as we all know, that 'emergency pizza' getting covered in freezer dust is never going to be a good dinner option. 

Luckily for the woman in this next story, 6-years after a questionable breakup, she saw exactly the kind of man her ex was and had become, after he—now married with children—slid into her DMs. 

After years of dating a guy who was 'good on paper'—you know, the type of dude with a steady job, athletic hobbies, and a cute smile—this woman's entire social circle was pretty sure they'd be each other's endgame. However, this woman had a gut feeling that she couldn't quite shake, causing her to follow through on a breakup that rocked their friend group. 

Keep scrolling for the validation this woman needed to fully move on, leaving her sighing with the relief of singledom.

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  • Cheezburger Image 10463256320
    via Jelena Stanojkovic

    After a fairly unsettling social media deep dive, this woman got the affirmation she needed to feel totally complete as a single woman. Now she's only left with the moral dilemma of airing her ex's dirty laundry to his wife and mother of his child…

  • "I turned down a guy & now I'm seeing what could've been"

    I had an old family friend everyone wanted me to be endgame with. But I was a fence sitter back in 2019. On paper he was educated, athletic, well mannered, with a good career. I knew him for a
    via Uneri48
  • long time so I also felt doubt, I was being unreasonable and wouldn't find better. I ended it cordially. Fast forward. He has a wife, had a kid. He hits me up. Idk
    via Uneri48
  • Cheezburger Image 10463256576
    via Marcela Ruty Romero

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • how he found me. This is the first time I've seen his social media account. He has pics of his family on there, with vacations with them. Took a dive into his following, there's instagram models and the fact he's in my DMs. Speaks for itself.
    via Uneri48
  • so....yeah. If you've ever felt paranoid about being childfree cos' of the possibility of cheating. You're not wrong. Had I not stood firm, I would've been in that woman's position. I'm still single but I'd rather be. I never would've thought this guy would do a 180 like this.
    via Uneri48
  • Historical Pipe_5199 Oh wow it must be surreal to see that someone you once considered a potential partner has made such a drastic turn. Trusting your instincts and standing firm on your boundaries was definitely the right move. It's hard not to feel
    via Historical_Pipe_5199
  • shaken by things like this but honestly, you're in a better place now, knowing your worth and the kind of relationship you'd want, without compromising your values. Staying single when you're not sure about someone is so much better than settling.
    via Historical_Pipe_5199
  • Maleficent-Talk6831 Dodged a bullet for sure. Sometimes the person who seems like a catch, as in they have all their sh together and seem secure, turn out to have some of the most sketchy tendencies.
    via Maleficent-Talk6831
  • owls_exist can relate, a lot of my exes either tried circling back or when they moved on the first thing they do is knock up their next partner despite no updates on academic achievement, accolades or career ladder climbing. all i can think is absolutely NOT.
    via owls_exist
  • Pacific Traffic Similar experience. He kept on messaging me 4 mos after his wedding. Blocked him of course. We def dodged a bullet!
    via Pacific_Traffic
  • Mellenoire Sure would be interesting if his messages were forwarded onto his wife. Just to keep her in the loop, communication is so important, afterall.
    via Mellenoire
  • JustxJules I feel that. An ex was a "traditional family" guy. Wanted kids and a woman who took care of them. I noped out. He found a partner and had two kids with her. He recently left her for a younger woman. So much for having a wife and kids being the most important thing.
    via JustxJules
  • GreenGlass Drgn if I had a dollar for every time some old acquaintance from school who found himself in a miserable marriage hit me up for the numbers of my old friends who were hot in the 90s, I could afford a very decent fancy cocktail.
    via GreenGlassDrgn
  • so very tired69 Bullet dodged, I had someone I handnt spoken to for a decade hit me up within the first two weeks of his twin children being born, had a quick dive on FB with a friend because of the audacity, seriously couldn't have written it, it was so ridiculous
    via so_very_tired69
  • panthertome Ex now has two babies with two baby mummas. Is apparently now engaged and getting married to the second one. It won't last. I'm so, so glad that I'm not in that position. My recent relationship may have sadly just ended (not for CF reasons), but I'd still prefer to be single that stuck in that h_l.
    via panthertome

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