I graduated against the odds after the hardest year of my life (finishing my law degree from home whilst caring for terminally ill my father). Proudly, I asked my partner of 5 years to come to my graduation. He didn’t see the point in ‘celebrating me’ for a day, and when he saw how hurt I was he called me self-centered. I had to beg him to attend.

—free

Aftermath: We broke up a week later over this and various other belittling acts. He made me believe I was insignificant and unexciting so I would just stay home with him. I took him back twice more after he promised that he would change. Three months and a lot of empty promises later, I left him for good. I feel like me again.

His new-to-me fiancée answered the door when I went to visit him, holding their 6-month-old baby!

—shay

Aftermath: I congratulated the blushing bride on her awesome pick of a husband-to-be.

Two words: Thumb dick.

—nikki

Aftermath: Need I say more?

After only two days of chatting on Facebook, he told me “Rawr! It means ‘I love you’ in dinosaur,”and he was serious.

—KutcherGirl

Aftermath: None.

I have that one ex who I still keep in touch with to get me through the “dry spells.” But, being a girl, I sometimes confuse this with a relationship and get upset when he doesn’t call. This last time, I decided it was over when I looked at my phone and realized that in the 3 weeks since we had “reconnected.”  He never called and only sent text messages late on Friday nights.

—Lindsey

Aftermath: It’s embarrassing that this has happened so many times, but what can I say? I’ll let you know the aftermath in 3 months or so.