“Its been almost 20 years, and I still wonder what happened.”
Here is what some people shared.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
“I dated someone in college who returned home for the summer, about 4-5 hours away.
We had been dating for about four months by this point, so things were at least somewhat serious.
“However, in July, she suddenly went radio silent.
For a week or two, I couldn’t reach her at all.
Finally, she responded to a few messages but gave no reasonable explanation for her absence.
robert_dunder
2.
“A former situationship ghosted me.
We had been on and off for years.
I’m sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Anyway, he ghosted me one day.
I felt confused, hurt, and angry.
Eventually, I realized that my ego hurt more than my heart.
Once I realized that, it was easier to take care of myself and move forward with my life.
Years later, my life is 100x better without him in it.
If I saw him today, I would thank him for ghosting me.
“As a teenager, I met a guy a year older than me at a conference in LA.
He was honestly the first guy I genuinely, really, really liked.
Then, one day, out of the blue, he completely ghosted me.
I reached out and never got a response.
It probably wouldn’t have worked out, but it still stung.”
ripcharlieswan
4.
“I met him on Bumble; in retrospect, I was love-bombed.
We talked for hours almost daily.
He said and did all the right things.
He flew out, and I thought we had an amazing week.
I felt wanted, valued, and cared for.
He was pressuring me to make plans to move to his place and quit my job.
He made elaborate plans for my birthday, etc.”
“I was about 50 and met this woman on a dating site.
We spoke on the phone for hours and then met for a date.
We got on well, and after the date, she completely ghosted me.
sharpcrocodile997
6.
“I was 18 and met this girl online.
We talked for hours and had so much in common.
The major snag was that I lived near London, and she was in Scotland.
Nevertheless, I met her after my exams and had an amazing week with her.
Coming home was horrendous, and we were both so sad.
However, when I returned from holiday, the texts and the emails stopped.
There was absolutely nothing.
She didnt return my calls, emails, or messages.
I was so in love with her that my world had ended.”
We started talking regularly again… and then a few weeks later, she disappeared again.
I couldnt believe it.
It was a game I was fed up with.”
catieferrarer
7.
He showed great interest, sent me cute snaps, and would want to video chat when possible.
Its crazy how some people can switch so quickly after getting what they want.
It made me feel cheap and used especially since I thought there was a great connection.”
I could tell the guy I was dating wasnt thrilled about it, but he said he trusted me.
When I was away, I texted him almost daily and sent pictures.
And then nothing for like five days.
I finally texted him and said, ‘Did you ghost me?’
He responded no but that he was dealing with some mental health issues.
juliasmithb
9.
“I was dating this guy, and he was amazing.
One day, I got a text from a random number saying that my boyfriend wanted butt pics.
I believed him because his friends were weird.
Were long-distance, too.
I texted him a couple more times throughout the MONTH.
So if he reads this, he deserves a rude hand gesture.”
“I was 35.
We had been dating for 1.5 years.
It was early November.
I fell extremely ill with a heart condition and was admitted to the ICU for seven days.
After the first day in the hospital, the healthcare team contacted my emergency contact.
They couldnt get him on the phone.
Seven days go by, and Im downgraded from the ICU and then released a few days later.”
I know the hospital had called him.
Another week passed, and he stopped to pick up his laundry and dropped off his cat.
His excuse was he couldnt give a 35-year-old woman or his cat what we wanted.
Then followed up with, ‘I have a job.’
It was his cat from a previous relationship.
2.5 years later, I still have the cat.”
Tracy, 38
11.
We had been together off and on for 22 years.
I have asked her to marry me many times, and she never said anything.
Then, on Nov 4, 2022, she stopped calling and blocked me from her phone.”
Truthfully, I still have thoughts of her.
Her daughter calls sometimes to check on me.
She says I am still her Dad.
I don’t ask about her mother.
Anonymous
12.
Ive been ghosted by both men and women.
Some whom I was in serious relationships and friendships with.
I began to isolate myself and stopped interacting with people for years.
In the midst of it, I learned how to find peace in my solitude.
I realized I could not control how people received my love and kindness or their reciprocity.
That was a real eye-opener.
Ive moved on in my life, and Im much more content without these people.
ITS THEIR LOSS, NOT MINE!"
Well, Saturday rolled around, and *crickets.
Theoretically, I could yell in my backyard and be heard in his.
Still surprised I haven’t bumped into him while walking my dogs."
Julia, 33
14.
“I was seeing this guy on and off for a couple of years.
He was going through boot camp, so emotions were high for a while.
He finally came home and we were doing good, finally back to normal.
Mind you, my boyfriend was 19 at the time, and she was 46.
I didn’t hear from him for two weeks after that.
Six months later, they were married and moved to California.”
“We met at a dive bar.
I was with a bunch of people from work; he was with a couple of friends.
He approached one of my coworkers and asked about me, and we really hit it off.
The chemistry was undeniable.
When my coworkers left, he and I hung back together and went to a few different places together.
We made out that night, and some random person told us we seemed so in love.
I dont know what it was about him that made me trust him.
He drove me home at 5:00 a.m. and spoke over the phone the rest of the week.
We met up for coffee and dated for a few months.”
