I’m a 24-year-old male who recently got out of a two-year relationship. I met this girl through my best friend, and we initially got to know each other over the phone before we met in person. At the time, I was finishing my last deployment with the Army, and after I got out, she flew down to meet me. Our time together was perfect. She was in college and graduated in May, and I flew to see her twice, even going to Iowa to attend her graduation.

After graduating, she moved to Alabama. I told her I didn’t think I should move in right away—I wanted her to get settled first. But a few months later, she kept encouraging me to move in, and eventually, I did. While it felt a little rushed, things seemed to work for a while. But soon after, issues started to surface. We argued more often. I was balancing college, a part-time job, and my recent enlistment in the National Guard, and I took on most of the financial responsibilities. She was also in the Guard but was new to the Army, and that transition was hard on her. Sometimes, she felt like I was “mansplaining” things, which I didn’t entirely understand, but I tried to be mindful of it.

In May 2024, I completed my reclassification school and applied for an AGR (Active Guard Reserve) position to help support us. I was excited about the job, hoping it could make things easier financially. But when I got the job, she told me that she didn’t think our relationship could work anymore. I was devastated—it felt like she had given up on us. I moved out that same weekend, and it was like we became strangers overnight. Then, in June, she told me she had moved on and started seeing someone else. That news hit me hard. I didn’t really know how to feel—hurt, confused, maybe a little lost. In July, I saw her again at my duty station. She was there for annual training, and we kept making eye contact throughout the day. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to talk to her. Later, while I was doing laundry, I saw her heading out, so I ran up to her and asked if we could talk. I apologized for everything—for not fully understanding what my job would mean for us. I told her I should have considered her perspective more carefully before taking it. I admitted that I hadn’t realized how often I’d be gone, and I regretted not making her feel heard. She was genuinely the best thing that ever happened to me, and I found myself wishing I could take back that night we broke up. She has so many amazing qualities I value, and I knew then how much I’d lost. But she told me she was seeing someone new and wanted to give it a real chance. That was what stung the most. I just wanted to know how to move on or will there ever be another chance. How does someone just give up like that?