After a year and a half of being on-and-off, he called to let me know he wasn’t ready to lose me…or the woman two decades older than me that he had begun seeing.

—Stormy

Aftermath: It lasted as long as it took me to hang up the phone.

He stopped having sex with me. Have you ever heard of a man stop having sex with anyone, particularly his wife? I consider myself an attractive woman, and the response I get from men confirms that. I wondered if he was having an affair. He said no. I believed him if only because I could actually imagine him being too lazy to cheat.

—Manday

Aftermath: Too long. Humiliatingly, we spent another four sexless years together. Eventually, I found a box of condoms in the computer room. That actually made me feel better. At least there was a reason.

I reconnected with an old girlfriend after a few years. We went to her place one night for an “it’s great to see you again” session. Following the session I went to the bathroom, turned on the light and realized she had pets—and not the cute and cuddly ones. Hundreds of them were on the walls, in the sinks, in the refrigerator…totally disgusting. I couldn’t tell who paid the rent, her or them!

—Damilo

Aftermath: I never slept there or stayed longer than necessary after that and brought plastic bags to keep my clothes safe. Eventually the “sessions” became old and not worth the extra trouble.

After dating my high school boyfriend for almost a year, we both went away to college. I knew it was over when he called me every night to bitch about how much he didn’t like his school and how he couldn’t meet any people. When I suggested he could make friends at social events or by joining organizations, he said he’d rather play video games in his dorm room.

—Ginger

Aftermath: We lasted about one month more, but only because I couldn’t bring myself to break up with him on the phone.

After him pursuing me for a while, I finally agreeing to date him. After a few dates and sex, he suggested I lose weight and then we could decide where the relationship was going.

—Michele

Aftermath: I ran into him a few times but we never dated or had sex again. He moved across the county soon after.