UPDATE – WIBTAH For Ghosting My Ex Wife

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When Old Flames Resurface: A Christmas Reunion Gone Awry

In a tale that many can relate to, a man finds himself back in the orbit of his childhood friend and ex-girlfriend, Sarah, after years of heartache and betrayal. As he navigates the awkwardness of their reunion, he grapples with unresolved feelings and the painful memories of their past. With family expectations weighing heavily on him, he must decide whether to rekindle a friendship or firmly close the door on a chapter that left him scarred. This story resonates with anyone who’s faced the complexities of past relationships and the pressure of familial ties during the holiday season.

Family Drama and Conflict Resolution: A Christmas Reunion

In a small town, a man known as the “Hallmark Christmas Movie Guy” finds himself navigating family drama during the holiday season. Currently in Reykjavik, Iceland, he reflects on a recent encounter with his childhood friend, Sarah, which was prompted by pressure from his family.

Location: Reykjavik, Iceland, known for its short days and potential northern lights.
Family Pressure: The man’s mother and sister persistently urged him to meet Sarah, despite his clear intentions not to rekindle their past relationship.
Meeting Place: They agreed to meet at their old school playground, a familiar setting in their small town.

During their meeting, the man made it clear that he was only there to appease their families. The conversation began with small talk, but soon shifted to more personal topics.

Sarah’s Life Update: She shared details about her life since their breakup, including her marriage to another man who turned out to be a poor partner.
Relationship Struggles: Sarah described her marriage as mundane, filled with arguments about money and chores, ultimately leading to infidelity on her husband’s part.
Personal Challenges: She revealed that she had undergone significant personal struggles, including a difficult abortion, which she had kept hidden from their families.

As Sarah expressed a desire to reconnect, the man reflected on their past friendship and the pain of their breakup. He felt that despite her claims of personal growth, the memories of their past were too painful to overlook.

His Response: He explained that he had also changed and that rekindling their relationship would only lead to resentment on his part.
Final Thoughts: He wished her well but made it clear that he was not interested in pursuing anything further.

After their meeting, the man returned to his family, where he faced disappointment from his father for giving in to his mother and sister’s wishes. His brother even teased him, calling him a “simp,” leading to a playful wrestling match.

Departure: The man left for Iceland the next day, determined to enjoy his holiday without the weight of past relationships.
Future Plans: He is set to travel to Budapest for work, leaving Sarah behind in his past.

This encounter highlights the complexities of family dynamics, unresolved feelings, and the challenges of conflict resolution during a time that is often filled with wedding tension and emotional baggage.

This is Original story from Reddit

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Story

Hi, I’m apparently known as the Hallmark Christmas Movie Guy. I’m currently writing this from Reykjavik, Iceland. I have some friends I met while doing some consulting work here.

This time of year, the days are very short and the northern lights are visible. Unfortunately, it’s supposed to be cloudy and rainy for the foreseeable future here, so I’m out of luck with the aurora borealis. We’re doing a Christmas pub crawl among other things.

Reykjavik is very single-friendly during the holidays. TLDR: I met up with Sarah to shut up our families. We talked. I left. Done.

After I posted, for the next couple of days, my mom and sister kept bugging me about it until I caved. I know. I made it clear to them that I had no intention of getting back together with Sarah and that I was pissed that they thought there was a chance I’d get back together with someone who stabbed their son and brother in the heart.

Finally, I told Sarah I’d meet her at the playground at our old school. It’s a small town, so there’s only one school that’s K-12. When we met, I told her up front that I’m just there as a favor to our parents and my sister.

She acknowledged that, and we engaged in a little small talk. She told me that she had started following me on social media. I’ve since made it friends and family only, and she saw how I’d been all over the world and even commented on the girlfriend I had in Romania.

I told Sarah her name was Monica and we had a great time together. She then started in with the juicy stuff I wanted to hear. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very juicy—just regular boring relationship crap.

She started living with the guy, and it quickly became apparent that, once she was with him, the relationship went from an exciting affair to a regular humdrum relationship. She said she knew the forbidden sparks were gone the first time she had to pick up and launder the guy’s skid-marked underwear. Yep, she left me for a guy who was barely toilet trained.

She said she was in denial that she couldn’t have thrown me away for a guy who was no good, so she doubled down by marrying him. Sarah was always very stubborn. He was apparently a good salesman and earned a lot in commissions, but he was really bad with money.

They had a lot of fights about money and household chores, and finally, she caught him cheating with a coworker—oh, the irony! She left him with a wrecked credit score. She was pregnant with his kid at the time, so she got an abortion, trying to avoid the filters.

This is something no one in our families knows about. She’s been living with her parents and working at the same feed store her dad works at. She said she wanted to reconnect with me due to the fact that we were childhood friends and had been each other’s best friends for 17 years, and she missed me.

She started on about how much therapy she’d been through and that she is a completely different person now. She wants me to know how much she cares about me and that that girl I was best friends with is still there and blah blah blah. I can’t even write this manipulative stuff out anymore.

I guess I’m not a nice guy anymore. I didn’t want to start any kind of beef with her family and mine, so I just told her that I had also changed since she dumped me. I told her that when I touch something and get burned, I don’t touch it anymore.

I told her it’s great that she worked on herself, but some new guy idiot will have to benefit from that. When I look at her, all I see is her crying, telling me she’s leaving me, holding a proverbial knife with my blood all over it. In my mind, she’s a person who says, “Honey, I love you, but I also love stabbin’!” No thank you, ma’am.

I told her that if we got together, the resentment would make me treat her like crap all the time, and she didn’t want or deserve that. I told her good luck in her future endeavors and I hope she keeps up with her changes, and that I had to leave to go to Iceland for Christmas—yes, I was bragging.

She was tearing up and trying not to let me see her cry, and I pretended not to notice. Dad was disappointed I caved to mom and sister. He made it like I failed the test of manhood.

I told my mom and sister not to expect any wedding bells or grandchildren/nephews any time soon. My brother called me a “simp,” and so I had to wrestle him. He got me in a headlock. The guy’s getting too big, and I held back too much.

I left for Iceland the next day, and I’m there until the new year. I’m headed to Budapest for a follow-up project. Sarah is not invited.

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