Dear Lily, it seems that this person’s presence is teaching you the final lesson you must face: love and separation. What may be difficult to accept is not necessarily that she has started a new relationship, but that you are still held back by the belief that you were not enough—that if you had been better, you might have returned to her side sooner in a new role. Is that how you feel, Lily?

Perhaps you could try asking yourself: Is it the thought of “not being good enough” that you find hard to accept without her, or is it truly about her loving someone else? Maybe it’s a bit of both. Yet these external factors are not really about what you did or didn’t do, but rather reflect how two people can grow in different directions.

She may not walk with you all the way to the end, but her presence has given you tremendous growth. The very fact that she appeared in your life is, in itself, of profound meaning to you. The red thread of fate still connects you—only not as lovers anymore.

It’s okay to grieve this separation. Releasing these emotions is part of healing. You may reach out to your therapist—I truly hope this helps in some way.