What happens next after break up and monkey-branching

[carterstayin]

There is a girl (same age 34) who has been in my life since 2022. During the first six months of that year, we flirted, hung out, and had a great time. Afterward, she briefly got back with her ex-boyfriend, from whom she had been separated for a short time. They've been together for about 11 years, and from what I've heard and what she has said herself, they are in an incredibly toxic relationship. They are constantly in a cycle of breaking up and making up.

There were several instances when both her friends and she herself told me that the guy was a narcissist. A few months after we ended our flirtation in June 2022, the two of them got married. During the time they were married, I couldn't make sense of what was happening because, in light of everything I had been told, I had done my best to make great memories with this girl. After their marriage, we continued to meet and talk. By the way, their wedding date was November 2022. In May 2023, we kissed. Then, the summer passed with minimal communication. Later, between September and December 2023, our communication significantly increased, and the she decided to separate and divorce. During this period, she was entirely in contact with me. We went on vacation — yes, I know, very awful move — and she told me she just wanted to be with me. She shared everything about her previous relationship. She told me how she had been cheated on, that she had experienced mild abuse, and that her partner had never respected her. In May 2024, they fully divorced and separated.

After the separation, our relationship began. Classic borderline honeymoon period. Everything was perfect, and she kept saying that I was the chosen one for her, etc. Over time, we faced her ex-husband once. I didn’t see him, but my girlfriend saw her ex-husband with another girl. As our relationship progressed, her ex-husband began to make efforts to remind her of himself around November 2024. My girlfriend met with her ex-husband without informing me, and then she said they talked about not seeing each other again and that everything was over. They met 5 months after their divorce! Just before the New Year 2025, she told me that she wanted some time alone, saying that being in relationship with me after her divorce was wrong. On New Year's Day, I went with her and her whole family for a day trip, and the very next day, she said she needed some time to clear her mind. A week later, I told her I wanted to see her, and we met, and that "resting her head" period ended. Then, on January 20, she came to stay at my place, and again, she talked about the same issues. We slept that night, and after I woke up, I checked her WhatsApp on her computer, and yes, I caught her talking to her ex-husband. There were semi-nude photos, endearments like "my ex-husband," and conversations about whether she had someone new in her life. We argued, and she told me she didn’t think these things were an issue and that her marriage ended because of me. A few days later, we met at a mutual friend's birthday, and when I asked her if everything was really over, she said yes, we broke up. The date was January 24, 2025. We haven't seen each other since that day.

After the breakup, of course, I felt terrible due to trauma bonding. We didn’t talk for a week, but since I was in contact with her whole family, I was still getting updates. Later, she sent me a somewhat spoiled message asking how I was, but I didn’t reply. The next day, she had some questions about the things we were working on together, and I gave very brief responses. I already knew that she had gotten back with her ex-husband. Then, both her and my birthdays passed. During this time, I learned that she had told her family and friends that she was back with her ex-husband and would try again. During this time, neither her family nor anyone in her circle likes her ex-husband at all and believes that they should never be together. Even when they got married, both her family and her circle were completely against the marriage. Additionally, after she broke up with me and said she was going to get back with her ex-husband and try again, her family completely distanced themselves from her both financially and emotionally. At this point, I should mention that she is in a huge amount of debt, both to banks and to acquaintances and her family. She talked about how she is an individual, can live the way she wants, and that no one should interfere with her life. She had arguments with her family because of this, and at one point, she even applied some form of violence towards her cousin.

On her birthday, I didn’t send her a message, and she didn’t send one to me either. After that, she sent a few more messages regarding our work.

Then, March came. She always started the first conversation, and I only gave short and direct answers. After that, 15 days passed with complete no contact. We didn’t communicate at all. During this time, she asked one of our mutual friends how I was doing, etc., and this friend conveyed to her that I thought she had gotten back with her ex-husband, which upset and surprised her a lot. At this point, she had even erased from her memory the fact that I had read the WhatsApp messages with her ex-husband on her phone. She seemed to be in a black-and-white situation regarding it. Additionally, she kept asking her circle what kind of surprise I was preparing for her birthday. After this 15-day no contact phase, she started talking to me again. From March 20th until today, she has messaged me 7 out of 9 days about work, etc. She even sent this emoji

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[carterstayin]

She even sent this emoji

She even sent this emoji head within red hearts two or three times. One night, she sent a message and deleted it. She said she was going to ask something and when I suggested she ask it then on next day, she said she couldn’t ask at that moment. As I mentioned, she has sent me messages in some form every day, and right after the break-up, she sent me a photo of the cat we had adopted for her new house after divorce. Two days ago, she said she would leave my jacket and sweater with a friend and that I could pick them up from there. She also told me she wanted her pants that I had left behind. Additionally, I had written letters expressing my feelings for her over the years, and I had prepared individual notes for each day I spent with her to give her on her birthday. I had also bought her a diamond ring that she really wanted – I sold the ring, but the certificate is still with me. Besides these, I also have many special items that belong to both of us. I want to return them to her, but I'm not sure.

Of course, she is receiving therapy, and at one point, she was even on medication, but she stopped taking it. However, in her therapy sessions, she is probably just lying because it seems like she hasn’t benefited from the therapy at all over the past two years.

I learned that she's probably a classic borderline after discovering this subreddit. All of these actions are probably part of charming, but what I’m curious about is this: Did our mutual friend mentioning that I suspected she had gotten back with her ex-husband trigger her fear of abandonment? What could her next behavior pattern be?

[once removed]

you dont need bpd to explain what you can chock up to a case of human nature.

simply put, you have been chasing an emotionally unavailable person, who has what you can call "an unresolved previous relationship".

such cases tend to follow similar paths.

its like a roller coaster. shes on and off again with the guy. as you said, they have a very long history.

you cant compete with that; no one can. it really has to play itself out, and take its course.

you can, however, climb onto the roller coaster, and get thrown for the ride. that is essentially what youve chosen to do, because something about it is attractive to you (presumably, part of it is the uncertainty, and part of it is the potential payoff).

trying to game out her moves in a way that sounds promising for you, is more of that. but this is a ship you are not steering, and cant steer.

with that in mind, what do you want to see happen here? do you want to be with her? do you want to step away? you can clarify these things for yourself (we can help), and when you do that, your own next steps can become a lot simpler.

[carterstayin]

Thank you for replying first off all.

I've been reading BPDlovedones on reddit, searching this Cluster-B on Quora etc.

"you cant compete with that; no one can. it really has to play itself out, and take its course."


Yes, after we broke up in January and she mentioned getting back together with her ex-spouse, everyone around her started to distance themselves and kept their interactions to a minimum. They are not establishing any kind of emotional closeness and are trying to convey the message that they are not there for her. Because even when they were on the verge of getting married, they always had negative thoughts about this relationship and this man.

"its like a roller coaster. shes on and off again with the guy. as you said, they have a very long history."
What you're saying is very true and something I'm aware of. Of course, there is also the statement she previously made to me that "I had to marry with him and experience this to break up completely with him", but unfortunately, as time goes by, many of the things she said lose their significance. Like she seemed me as superhero and the "one"

Actually, despite everything she has done to me and everything that has happened, I think I want to be with her again. I am aware that I am not the person who belongs to her cycle. When she decided to break up with me, she said she was always going through the same cycle, being with someone else after a breakup, and that it was wrong to be with me after her divorce. And of course, she blamed me for the end of her marriage but later on she blamed everybody around her especially her mother.

However, after she said she was breaking up with me in a long WhatsApp message, I didn't say anything to her. I just sent a message saying ‘okay, thank you.’ And I want to clarify to her that I really know if she is with her ex-spouse. Because she thinks I don't know this truth, and when she learns something about it, I believe that's why she gets surprised and then starts talking to me about Facebook ads or another business-related topic. Perhaps because I haven't responded to her in months and haven't tried to re-enter her life, which I never treat her like this way before, she may have internalized this as a fear of abandonment. Maybe what I need is a clear closure: to give her all of her things that I have, to lay out all the letters I wrote for her, and then say I'm leaving. Does this trigger her emotions? I don't know, however I know that she is curious about what surprise I planned for her on her birthday, because she mentioned it to a mutual friend. Her birthday was February 15. And all of this contact period started after she learned that i know she is back again with her ex-spouse.