My ex ended our engagement over a year ago and I’m the happiest I’ve been since my mom passed

I realize those two seem very odd lol. My ex and I met in April of 2020 and my mom died December 2021. In the early stages, my ex was a wonderful partner. He wanted a partner so bad he created a facade that I fell hard for. My mom was the sunshine in my life, even through her MS and cancer. My ex left 3 months before the wedding and confessed he lied about wanting kids and marriage. He only proposed so I wouldn’t leave. That was late March 2024.

Honestly, last year was hard. He abandoned two senior animals with a ton of medical issues. The cat lived an amazing last year of her life and passed in my arms a month back.

I started a new job 4-months ago. It’s been insane but I’ve met people who I laugh with. I was thinking about this and realized I haven’t laughed this hard since my mom passed. I can’t think of a single time I’ve laughed this hard with my ex. I thought maybe it was just because my mom and I had a bond. Nope.

I work primarily with me (as a woman) and they’ve made me laugh so hard. They say the dumbest shit and I have to hold in my laughter most of the time. I’ve always worked around men so it’s not like this is new. These guys have really become my friends (they all have partners so, no, it’s not like that).

It’s kind of sad. My life, at the end of our relationship, was me crying. All the time. I never felt good enough, I did 85% of the chores, paid 90% of the bills, did all the emotional labor for his family, and I was never enough. I’d rather be single forever than ever be with a man who makes me feel like that.

“Choose better” also needs to stop being said to people. Side rant but I didn’t choose the AH I was with at the end. He was a good liar and I fell for it. I was getting ready to leave but also felt trapped. He turned so fast that I truly felt it was me.

I’m glad I’m finally laughing but it does make me sad to think about how many years I wasted and how many more I almost wasted.