Shell Erniea month agoI’m a 23-year-old woman, and my boyfriend and I have been together for 5 and a half years. Our relationship has been really great, especially considering the circumstances. He works on cruise ships and comes home every 7 months, which has always been a challenge. He started working on the ships because of a huge gambling debt he incurred, and he told me about it right after it happened. I chose to stay with him and support him through it. I’ve tried my best to be supportive of his career and time away. I stay up late to talk to him, even though our time zones are often off, and I make sure to take leave from work when he’s home. We’ve been talking about marriage for the past year and had planned to get engaged this year. However, a few days ago, we had a fight. He’s been very forgetful about things going on in my life, and I became upset. I asked him to take a few hours to think about how we could work through the issue. After 24 hours, he messaged me saying that he thinks we should go our separate ways. I’m in complete shock and so much pain. I’ve asked him to reconsider and work things out, but he keeps saying things like “I’m at peace without you” and “I don’t feel the same anymore.” I’m confused because we were doing well when he left home just a month ago. There were things I didn’t realize were issues, and he says they’re the reasons he wants to end the relationship. I admitted that I had become comfortable and wasn’t as affectionate as I usually am, but I’ve expressed that I’m willing to work on that. I just don’t understand how he can end a 5-year relationship without even trying to fix things. Should I keep trying to resolve this, or should I let him go? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.144
Shell ErnieShell Ernie