I (21F) have been dating a guy since July (21M). I finally went no contact for 2 weeks but he messaged me. Do I respond to him?

This goes way back to 2024 but in summary we had went on our first date in March 2024, we both weren’t feeling it and I found out he went on a date with Ashley the day after and had sex with her. I never didn’t anything with him other than a hug haha. Ashley and Jake ended up dating and were on an off within a month he tried pursuing me again but I kinda disregarded his approach. Fast forward to February 2025 Jake and I started dating again and he told me that Ashley was crazy and cheated on him and that they had stopped talking. I gave him another change since it had been a year and I believed him. Fast forward to April 2025, we went on a date and he asked me for my Instagram since I only had his number. We followed each other and within a few hours I get a follow request from Ashley , who was still mutuals with him on Instagram. I told him about it and asked why they were mutuals, he said he just never unadded her and said he understands if I think it’s weird and then ghosted me after I tell him he must have something going on with her still. Throughout summer I couldn’t get him off my mind so i explained what happened to our mutual friend who reached out to him, expressing how I’ve been thinking of him etc. so then Jake reached out to me that same day in July 2025. We started dating again but he never asked me to be his girlfriend as he said he wasnt in a good place which was true as he had been fired and was working on getting into the military. Fast forward to November 2025, he tells me he’s going to his friends house at 5pm. I get 2 miss calls from him and then text at 8pm saying “I’m at my girlfriend’s house”. I then get blocked, a few hours later I text him on Instagram since I was in my feelings & ask him why he would u do that to me. He answered at 4 in the morning acting confused and tells me he was drunk with his friends and that they did that, i believed him. Around the same time Ashley requests to follow my instagram and I decline it and she requests me continuously in the afternoon and then sends me a message. I answer and she asked me to talk on the phone. She tells me she’s pregnant with his baby and tells me he was at her house and that they have been together. I ask to see him that same night but he doesn’t answer as he fell asleep. So the next morning I ask to see him and I drive up to his house but I wasn’t sure what to say yet so I leave and told him I’ll come back later. At this point he doesn’t know that I know everything but he later told me he had a clue. He also had texted me saying he’s not in a good head space and that he’ll open up to me about it eventually ( this was him talking ab the whole situation with his ex) He also tells me he loves me (for the first time). I later come back at night to confront him about it and he admits that he had sex with her and believes she got pregnant in August or October (I honestly can’t remember which month). He then says he isn’t that type of person, this is the first toxic relationship he has experienced and he doesn’t know why he did that. I went through his phone for the first time ever after talking to him that same day and his text thread with her consisted of them going back and forth about her being pregnant. As well as him telling her she wouldn’t be in this position if she had let him end things with her and that he’s been trying to get away from her but she doesn’t leave him alone etc. So I continue dating him as he tells me he doesn’t believe she’s actually pregnant and since I was still attached to him. I see him around December 29 and I go through his phone again and find texts with her from December 19 where he says “I been worried about you” and “I think I should come see you again” but I didn’t find any messages indicating he went over as he wouldn’t reply to her consistently. I confront him of this and he says he doesn’t know why he said it but that she makes him feel bad for her and that he’s been talking to his close friend expressing how he doesn’t wanna ruin things between us. As well as telling me he never went to see her. I give him the benefit of the doubt and continue talking to him, I see him again on February 6th and go through his phone and this time his Instagram messages with her were deleted which I assume he did since he expected me to go though his phone. I already knew they were mutuals on TikTok so I go look and found them sending tiktoks here and there as well as him texting her ab a tiktok , just 30 minutes before I came over to see him. I don’t say anything and he asked me if his phone is good, as in him acting like he hasn’t done anything wrong. I nod no and go on my phone in silence and he just stared at me for a while then goes on his phone. It’s 4 am at this point so I go home and act normal and we say our goodbyes. Then that same morning we text as normal and he later ghosts me at 2pm after I asked him to help me with my assignment which is why I was at his house earlier. I don’t really think much of it but he ends up not saying anything and then on February 12 he sends me a kinda rude meme on instragm but I reply in the morning on February 11 and send him one back and he responds with “banger”. I leave him on delivered as I had already unadded him from my Instagram a few days prior. Now fast forward to February 24 I received a text from him (Also after 12 hours of sending this message he had finally unshared his location with me I’m assuming since I never replied and he just accepted this ending. ) Here’s the message he sent me:

“Hey Diana I know you dont care to hear from me but I just felt I should at least say something I understand you choosing to end things and I’m not mad but I genuinely wasn’t two timing or cheating on you I was really invested into you but I know I come with a lot of problems I wish I could change the past but I can’t and I’m sorry I couldn’t be the person for you but I’ll still cherish the time you gave me and the time we spent together you got me outta a dark place and I thank you a lot. I hope you reach your goals and have a blessed life With love -Jake “

I was doing pretty well after going no contact but after receiving this message from him, I feel very emotional and my chest feels quite heavy. I really did like everything about him besides all the negative things he did behind my back, which was why I gave him so many chances to change which he never did. He knew I didn’t like him texting her and continued to do so.

I don’t know whether to respond or not.