My boyfriend of three years broke up with me 6 days ago and we had been living together for a year and a half. He would be keeping the apartment.
Now the problem is LITERALLY everything all the essentials for what makes a home I bought with my own money except for the TV. I may have bought it with the idea it would be for us but now clearly that’s gone. I plan on saving for a house or something bigger because where I am now is not ideal. I would be saving myself the trouble of starting over with gathering the basics (dining table, bed, kitchenware, furniture, etc.).
It seems like a no brainer but I’ve already had his family attack me for cutting off utilities. Calling me petty and this is why he left me in the first place for being so emotional. Blocked them afterwards but the thought of what they’re going to say about me when I leave the apartment empty is killing me.
Should I just leave everything with him? Mainly want to take the dining table and bed because it’s an $1000 I’ve spent without his help. I don’t know so conflicted because he laughs at these tantrums of mine. Don’t want to give him another reason to laugh at me.
But here’s where it gets weird:
As I was packing my things, I found a box I had never seen before. It was hidden under the bed, and when I opened it, I found an old journal that belonged to my ex-boyfriend. Curious, I started reading it.
It turned out that the journal was full of heartfelt apologies and confessions of infidelity. He had been cheating on me with several different women throughout our relationship, and he felt incredibly guilty about it. He wrote about how much he hated himself for hurting me and how he wished he could take it all back and change things.
I was shocked. I had never suspected him of cheating, and reading his confessions made my heart ache. But it also gave me a strange sense of vindication. It proved that I was right to end the relationship, and that he wasn’t the good man I thought he was.
I continued reading the journal and found an entry that detailed his financial situation. It turned out that he wasn’t as financially stable as he had made himself out to be. He was in a lot of debt and had been struggling to pay his rent and other bills.
Suddenly, it dawned on me that leaving my stuff for him wasn’t an act of kindness—it was a handout. He wouldn’t just be getting free furniture; he’d also be avoiding having to buy it himself, which he couldn’t afford.
I decided to take everything back, as I had originally planned. But I wasn’t doing it out of spite or revenge. I was doing it because I knew it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to reward him for his bad behavior, and I didn’t want to make things easier for him.
When I came to collect my belongings, my ex-boyfriend was shocked. He tried to argue with me, but I stood my ground. I told him that I knew about his cheating and his financial situation, and I wasn’t there to play his games anymore.
He eventually gave up, and I left with my stuff. I never heard from him or his family again.
I felt a huge sense of relief as I drove away from that apartment with everything that belonged to me. I had not only kept my belongings but also my self-respect. I refused to let him or his family control me, and I knew that I had made the right decision.