My boyfriend is 31 and I'm 26. We have been together for a year now, and living together for six months. We've had our fair share of arguments and fights (even a couple of breakups) over the year, but overall we have been a very happy couple. Before me, he was married to a woman he had dated eight years prior. They got divorced about three years ago.
When I first moved in with him, he let me use his laptop one day. I casually looked at his computer history and I found that he had googled his ex, and searched various websites in order to find her. I was really hurt, but I didn't want him to think I was snooping so I casually asked if he was over her a few days later and he assured me that he was.
About a week ago, my laptop crashed so I used his, and again, through his computer history, I learned that he had been looking his ex up on Facebook. I feel like this is emotional cheating and I'm contemplating leaving him, but I'm torn because I love him; I just don't know if he loves me in the same way. Should I give him more time? Is there room for understanding his behavior?
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I don't get why people google their exes... alright, I did it once and it's because my mom one day told me, OMG, I heard ::my ex's name:: got shot in some mall shooting or something. Only then, it piqued my interest to google and find out more if it's true or not, (turned out it's another guy with similar name), and even then: MY FIANCEE knew that I was googling that guy.
Anyway: It seems that he hasn't really gotten over his ex if he's doing it excessively. Once every once in a year or something..ok..maybe he was just curious. But doing it on almost a daily basis? Hmmm...definitely not over the ex.
I only know one person in real life (off-line) who did such things as your bf does, and guess what: HE was still very much in love with his ex. The same woman who cheated on him, and did pretty bad things to him. When her name's mentioned, the dude always said negative thing about her, etc, didn't miss a beat. But sometimes it showed up to the surface that he actually thought about her often and tried his best to update himself of his ex's life.
And he's been MARRIED to a wonderful lady whom he claims to love a couple years after the ex dumped him. And my friend treated his wife wonderfully (when I hang out with the missus, she's always happy and gushes about her wonderful hubby). Unfortunately, dear hubby is never over his ex. --The sad part of this story is: Now, he's cheating on his wife with his ex after his ex finally expressed that she wasn't too happy with her own marriage--
Now it's going to be up to you. What's your deal breaker. If you're ok being a Martha (reference: The Notebook), then by all mean, stick around. Hang on, be miserable all the time, don't complain/whine though, you choose your own poison on this one.
But seriously, don't you think you deserve better than this, or at least you deserve a man who loves as much as you love him (I'm assuming you love only him and not hung up on some exes, that is)?
Breaking up is never easy, but seriously, think about what you really want from a relationship (whether it's with him or with other man eventually), and make up your mind. You're still in your prime age, you'll bop up, lady. You'll do just fine. There are MANY NICE men out there, not only him. Just because he's your first nicer man, doesn't mean you won't meet others.
Remember: YOU ARE NOT HAPPY now. If you're depressed, don't feel like you want to go home, etc knowing what he's been doing when he's away. Dude. YOU'RE NOT HAPPY no matter what a nice guy he is. The dude just isn't over his ex.
If I were you, my anger would be that he'd been misleading me all along and haven't been able to be really 'faithful' to you by checking up his ex. As for having feelings for an ex, unfortunately, things like that can't be controlled, they need time to either go away or whatever.
Maybe one day when he's finally over this ex of his, he'll realize what a fool he was for doing what he did, and seek you out. Until then, don't waste your time.