It seems that we hear stories about relationships ending nearly every day. Usually, people don’t make such life-altering decisions easily; there are events, dynamics, and many other things leading to it.
That’s what this Reddit thread is about – the reasons and ways people realized the person they were involved with wasn’t “the one” for them. The variety of shared stories creates quite an entertaining (and even eye-opening) list for us, so without further ado, let’s dive in, shall we?
More info: Reddit
#1
I found a text to his friend saying he saw no future with me. We had been together 4 years and he had recently convinced me to leave my high paying job to move to a small town for his career .
Image credits: florida_lmt
#2
Her parents caught us mid-elopement in the backyard, just as her dog—draped in a scarf—was about to officiate. Fifty stuffed animals looked on as witnesses, their button eyes filled with silent judgment. Before we could seal the deal, her mom called out, “Hey, come inside, it’s time for lunch.” So, we abandoned our vows, switched gears, and spent the afternoon playing pirate and princess instead. We never went back to our wedding day after that. Guess the magic was one-time-only.
#3
"If you were a real man you would have hit me for flirting with him"
No, just no.
Image credits: Fit_Reveal_6304
Many people are afraid of asking others out, usually due to being afraid of rejection or simply nervousness. If they manage this fear and end up going on a date with someone they like, from time to time the dates turn into committed relationships.
Granted, there is no exact number of dates that “force” people into the said relationship. It all depends on the people involved – how much they like each other, how their communication is going, and whether they can even imagine themselves being serious about each other.
#4
When I poured my heart out to her, talking about the things that I was passionate about, and then she looked at me and said, "I'm bored", with a self-amused look on her face, like she thought she was being cute.
Image credits: Benevolent27
#5
When we got in a fight, he punched a hole in the closet door then went to the liquor store and took his anger out on the wrong person who proceeded to hit him over the back of the head with a bottle and give him a skull fracture. He was absolutely insufferable. Refused treatment by the ambulance, refused to let me take him to the ER, refused a second ambulance treatment. He had a splitting headache for days and finally he let me take him to the ER after like 6 days and he found out he had a skull fracture. When he got out, he needed 24/7 observation for 2 weeks and I had a job and a kid so I couldn’t do that. I called his mom who came and took him and when he came back, I had all of his stuff packed up in his van ready for him to move out. I did not play.
Image credits: cloudstrifewife
#6
When she asked me to bring her home fries after work. So I stopped into McDonalds and got her two large fries. I came in with them. She proceeded to take the bag from me, open it up, pull out the fries and throw them in the trash right in front of me. I was pretty shocked and asked what was wrong, "I wanted frozen fries!" then asked why I even came over. This caused me to think really hard about things in the past and there were so many other incidents like this that I just brushed off. Then I realized no matter what I did she would resent and not be happy with me.
Image credits: MrCrix
At first, these relationships can be basically perfect. In fact, there’s even the whole phenomenon called the honeymoon phase. During it, the relationship seems carefree and happy. People still seem fascinating and they can’t spend much time apart. Typically, this lasts from 6 months to 2 years.
Then, the bubble pops and the phase ends. A couple gets used to each other and the initial limerence evaporates. The relationship becomes a thing from their daily life, not a highlight of it. Sounds kind of sad, doesn’t it? Well, it doesn’t have to be.
#7
We were living together, super poor- one of our favourite bands came to town (Big Sugar). We talked about it but it wasn’t in the budget.
Friday night rolls around and he’s getting dressed to go out with the guys.
“Where are you off to?”
“Uh - Big Sugar.”
“What? We talked about this and decided we couldn’t afford to go!”
“Oh, *we* can’t … but *I* can.”.
Image credits: SnooStrawberries620
#8
We were at my parents house and got a good deal of snow overnight. In the morning I went out to help my mom shovel. He sat on our couch on his phone for almost 2 hours while my mom and I shoveled. He had winter clothes with him. We had extra shovels. I asked if he wanted to help and he just said no. It didn't itch at his conscience in the slightest to see me and my mom out the window working while he played angry birds.
I wasn't mad. It's not his house or his driveway. He was a guest. But I just knew in that moment our sense of care or duty or responsibility (or something along those lines) did not align and we had an expiration date.
Image credits: PleasantSalad
#9
I went for a minor medical procedure and my gut told me that listing him as my emergency contact wasn’t the right choice.
Image credits: bestwinner4L
Well, for some it is, as they start wondering if the relationship isn’t as good as they thought. They might feel less in sync with their partner, might lose some intimacy, and things like that.
On the other hand, for others, the honeymoon phase ends when the “actual” relationship starts. They start to see each other for what kind of people they are day-to-day. Their flaws become more apparent too. Some couples find ways to incorporate (or work around) each other’s quirks into their lives, while for others it becomes something that destroys them.
#10
I don’t even remember what the argument was about anymore, but when he grabbed me by the throat in the car was the moment. There’s no going back from that or moving forward. Quietly made my exit plans, called off the engagement, and left. That was the first escalation and I don’t doubt that it would have increased over the years had I stayed.
Image credits: dangerrnoodle
#11
A friend told me:
"it's been a year that I hear you tell me the same stories about him, the same rants, the same complaints. I don't tire of you my friend, but don't you tire of repeating yourself? Will you be telling me the same words in 6 months, 6 years, 16 years?".
Image credits: MoiJaimeLesCrepes
#12
The moment she walked out when I told her I had liver cancer. Her council of women told her she deserved better than a sick... F!?K
Went into remission she tried crawling back.
Image credits: birdmanrules
That brings us to today’s topic. On November 27, 2024, one Reddit user asked, “At what point did you realize she would never become your wife/he would never become your husband?” on r/AskReddit. And, oh boy, people had a lot to say.
Right now, a few days later, the thread has received nearly 7K replies. So, we decided to create a list of the most interesting ways people realized their partner wouldn’t be their future "one."
For some, it was just their intuition telling them it was not the right fit or their friends or family opening their eyes about it. For others, it was some event that ruined the relationship for good, like, sadly, domestic violence. Since we don't want to spoil it too much for you, check out the list yourself!
#13
When I called her out on using lies to cover lies and instead of owning up/apologizing, she hit me in the head with a metal water bottle.
Image credits: BusFew5534
#14
We were talking about his night; he’d had a mate over to hang out.
Him: “ got pretty drunk.”
Me: “oh so is he crashing at yours tonight then?”
Him: “no, he drove home.”
Me: “wait, you let him drive home drunk?!”
Him: “I’m not on the road, what do I care?”
Me: … … …
I realised then that yeah this guy was hot af, but dead cold inside. Zero empathy.
He would’ve happily stayed with me permanently too. But 3 weeks after I ended our 3.5yr relationship, he was with another person. I quite literally meant nothing to him.
Image credits: boopbleps
#15
He told me he didn’t want me to go to a concert for a band we both liked because he was taking his new girlfriend and didn’t want there to be any issues. That is how I found out that we weren’t exclusive. Broke up straight away. About two years later we met randomly and he ended up crying about how unhappy he was with her, how much he missed me and how even though they lived together he slept on the couch. Yeah sure bud.
Image credits: ThehillsarealiveRia
While breakups are usually a painful experience, sometimes they’re the best option out there. As Aldrin Nacu put it, "They're another face of love." Breakups can be a perfect opportunity for growth, self-discovery, and the beginning of a new chapter of life. Sometimes a person you're in a relationship with isn't the right fit for you and the end of it presents a chance to find someone who is.
This puts the stories in today's list in a whole different perspective – they're not sad endings of love, they are the beginnings of it. That sounds way more comforting, doesn't it?
#16
When i cried about him doing nothing for my birthday or valentines day and he ignored me and watched thirst traps on tiktok as i sobbed next to him in bed.
or when i asked him him why he was constantly lying to me and him replying "well there's no consequences, so...".
Image credits: yakiz0ba
#17
She chose alcohol over me. She was in the hospital with liver failure from alcohol for the 3rd time. I packed my s**t & left. I’m Still alcohol free 423 days later.
Image credits: Big_Obligation_3296
#18
When he lost his job and 2 years later I started to put a dot on the calendar whenever he went to the casino while I was at work. The fact that I felt the need to do it was telling enough, but then when faced with it he flat out denied how often he was going. He was going 3-4 times a week, and I found out later he was thousands of dollars in debt. I was outta there.
Image credits: Infostarter2
#19
When he admitted he'd caused someone to have a serious car accident on purpose because he didn't want to let them merge on a busy street. I stopped trusting him entirely.
Image credits: siderealsystem
#20
Left town for two weeks for a trip through the wilderness. I missed her like crazy and thought about how great it will be to see her once I get back. As soon as I get back home I call her and the first thing she says is “oh wow, I didn’t think about you at all.” That really hurt, but was the wake-up call I needed for that terrible relationship.
Image credits: PetrusScissario
#21
When I realized I was making excuses for his behavior instead of feeling proud to call him mine.
Image credits: Outside-Flow-9510
#22
When he hyped up my birthday present for a month and it was a $12 pair of red framed sunglasses from Target. That’s it.
Also, when we were together for 7 years and he was asking me if he should make a “huge decision”. I thought he meant an engagement ring. This m**o was asking ME if he should cheat on *me* in subtext when he asked me if he should make this *huge* decision. Dude was E V I L.
Image credits: IndividualCry0
#23
He mocked the fact that my father walked out on us when I was 8.
Image credits: Adventurous_Fix1730
#24
He was showing me pictures from his trip to Mexico (he goes 3 months a year for family) and scrolled past an album titled "mi amor". It wasn't of me. We had been together 6 years.
#25
When my mother took her last breath in front of me I became very distraught to say the least. Among a lot of bad other things like losing my friend group, family being vultures over my mother’s estate, father pulling shady moves that I’m 99% sure he did to stress out my mom to make her die faster… etc. Poured it all out to my gf at the time and she told me I was too much to deal with.
I didn’t have to make the choice though because she up and cut herself out of my life. She decided to pull a full ghosting while I was busy struggling to set up all the after death particulars like the funeral.
Image credits: That_Murse
#26
When his side of the conversation changed from “when we get married” to “when I get married”.
Image credits: JenovaCelestia
#27
When he proposed. I knew he didn't mean it when he asked, and I knew it didn't count when I said yes. We'd been together for six years, and I was telling him I was unhappy with the fact that things had stagnated. It was one of many talks like that, and I was crying. He knelt down and asked me to marry him. I felt like I had to say yes, so I did. But I knew in the moment it wasn't real. We cuddled for a few minutes before I said I didn't think he'd meant it. His response was, "Well, you kind of forced my hand."
The whole thing felt so gross and so unfair.
Nothing changed after that; we never talked about that moment again. I broke up with him a few months later.
#28
When he said he was unsure about getting married to me and was telling me what I wanted to hear for almost 10 years.
Image credits: Early_Year_1200
#29
When I took her to a movie that I had wanted to see for several years and the only thing she said after was, "We don't have a lot of things in common.".
Image credits: DarrenEdwards
#30
I dated a woman who turned into a beast when she was hungry. It happened often. Right after eating she would be fine. She would say things like “wow I feel so much better now” etc. When I pointed out the correlation between being hangry and the difficulties it caused she refused to see it, refused the idea that hunger was what caused her to be so different. So I knew she was a complete moron and it would never work out.
Image credits: PsychologicalLog4179
#31
She just kept leaving town, I soon realised that it was building up to leaving permanently.
Image credits: Smirknlurking
#32
I realized (with the previous bf) that that person wouldn't become my husband when he wouldn't reciprocate my efforts nor consider my options too. Our goals were too different and we weren't compatible.
Image credits: Affectionate_End8457
#33
Small fights started to last longer and with less provocation. And she wasn't particularly eager to make up afterwards.
Basically, when she stopped trying.
Image credits: IsoAgent
