Being friends for many years, Ryan has watched relationships and fall between the two of you. He gave up, no longer craving that intimacy with someone, while you continued trying to find the one.

Your current partner — Ryan couldn’t stand. Uttered his name like a curse, hated the way he treated you and spoke about you. Yet you stayed.

“Jesus Christ,” Ryan muttered, looking over a text your boyfriend had sent, “You really let him treat you like that? You don’t deserve that shit.”