30 Eye-Opening Moments That Made People Realize That Their Relationship Was Not Meant To Be “The One”

Relationships are complex, and the journey to finding “the one” is often fraught with ups and downs. While some love stories endure, others take unexpected turns, leading individuals to confront the sobering realization that their partner may not be the soulmate they once believed them to be.

#1

Image source: Objective-Fix8925, cottonbro studio

4 yrs ago when a fifteen year old girl DMed me on instagram after trying to find a way to contact me about how my bf (at the time) was begging her for nudes. yeah.

#2

Image source: mochi_chan, Monstera Production

When I realized he doesn’t take no for an answer for ANYTHING.

#3

Image source: BubbhaJebus, RDNE Stock project

When I felt a sense of dread when coming home to her, or when I was at home and she was coming home to me. Wondering what triviality she would be angry about this time.

#4

Image source: AsleepDay_, Jakob Owens

When I made him a surprise and I bought him some gym shorts and he didn’t like them and started to throw a tantrum in my face telling me like how dumb he looks in the shorts and how he would never wear them at all because “look at how stupid they are”. He then threw the package box in my face (and that was the moment I knew I had to run).

#5

Image source: L-Mariee, Naomi August

When I found out that one of my close friends had suddenly died and I burst into tears, to which he said “what are you insecure about this time?” And when i said I just found out my friend died, he turned around and walked out of the room. The next day I was talking to his mum about it in the kitchen and she was comforting me, to which he again said “can you stop being insecure”, and his mum practically tore him in half with words.

I left him soon after, and I’m now in a very happy and healthy relationship, with someone who also helps navigate my grief with me.

I miss his parents sometimes though, they were lovely people and deserved a better son than him.

Edit to add: worth noting we were together for almost 5 years as well, so not a new relationship or anything like that!

#6

Image source: Naive-Bong, ready made

When he started physically hurting my dog.

#7

Image source: Riddle_Snowcraft, Andrea Piacquadio

When she introduced me to her rich ex-boyfriend

Which led her to reveal to me that she had actually sent him nudes during their prior relationship.

I didn’t mind, though. He was her boyfriend before me, after all. Their past was their past and I was actually glad she trusted me with that information.

Then I asked her how come I hadn’t gotten something like that yet and the answer was “well, maybe if you could afford me nice gifts I’d have sent you something by now”

Boy, did I IMMEDIATELY realize she was not the one.

#8

Image source: Natalia1702, Maria Lin Kim

He screamed at me in public in front of our friends when I beat him at a board game.

#9

Image source: SunflowerChild_0811, Engin Akyurt

There were many moments, but this one was on of the few that stood out.

We were watching the Barbie movie. A double date, and due to my movie rewards I got all four tickets and got everyone discounted food. I was really excited for this movie too. It was all good until the about “depressed Barbie”. Basically a satire commercial about a Barbie that’s depressed.

My then boyfriend started laughing manically and pointed at me, saying “that’s her! That’s her !” Then leaned over me to try to get the other couple attention while gesturing at me. He was almost in tears like it was the biggest joke and I was the funniest punchline. I struggled so much with depression and having him just laugh at me, made that moment drag on. I realized throughout our 10 year relationship he’s never tried to understand me or my mental health but he thought my feelings were laughable, and deserved ridicule and tried to get others to join in… Something broke in me that night. I couldn’t really enjoy the rest of the movie and it’s one I’ll forever associate with that moment of hurt and embarrassment. I knew then that the person who truly loves me would never purposefully make feel that way.

#10

Image source: ItsAllinYourHeadComx, Alena Darmel

When she left me because I got sad that my friend died. We were engaged.

#11

Image source: cmdrmcgarrett, Toa Heftiba

When I caught her in bed with my brother.

#12

Image source: SammyMacUK, Pavel Danilyuk

This isn’t a sad or dramatic one:

We had a really good girlfriend and boyfriend type relationship, but when s**t got real and long term commitment (marriage, buying a house, having a baby) peered over the horizon we both freaked out and bailed.

Catalyst was my mate’s wedding towards the end of the relationship and I was embarrassed at how lairy and drunk she was being. She was annoyed that I was being no fun and wouldn’t dance (there was no one else on the dancefloor!)

We’re still friends now. My wife is nothing like my ex, and my ex’s new partner is nothing like me. Everyone involved made the correct decision.

#13

Image source: Illerios1, Alexander Ramsey

When I realized that every time she went away for extended time, instead of missing her I was exited that I get to have some alone time/do stuff with my friends instead of her.

#14

Image source: Somewhere-Plane, Max Vakhtbovycn

There was a picture she painted of me years ago that hung on our wall. It was beautiful, and was like a whole bunch of blue triangles that made out my face and it’s my favorite thing of me that’s ever existed. Then one day after a couple bad years she got in a relatively speaking small argument with me over something and started freaking out, tore the painting off the wall and destroyed it. The argument was so pointless I couldn’t even remember what it was about a week later. I know it sounds dumb but when she painted that for me at the beginning of our relationship it meant everything to me, and after multiple awful years, that was when I knew things could never go back, and that painting and image I had of myself and our love and relationship would forever be broken and unfixable.

#15

Image source: EnoughGold8104, Ketut Subiyanto

He started drinking a 24 case of beer by himself, would yell at me about god knows what cuz he was hammered, pass out on the floor and p**s himself. Then act like nothing happened the next day. What a winner ?.

#16

Image source: ListerfiendLurks, cottonbro studio

When I went to the airport to pick her up, flowers in hand, and stood there until the last of the luggage had been picked up before I realized she hadn’t even gotten on the plane.

#17

Image source: Upvotespoodles, Verne Ho

Being single was better than being with him. It hit me all at once like a lightning strike. I’d been so tied up in trying to appease him and get him to chill the f**k out.

ETA: I’m ok now. Therapy changed the kind of people who I attract and keep. 17 years strong with my best friend in the world.

#18

Image source: ejectafteruse, Ray Aucott

Years, decades, too late.

She wanted a goat that would live in the house with us. One that would go hiking with us & graze. I was vehemently against this idea. We still hadn’t recovered from all the chicken s**t in the spare bedroom.

The goat she brought home was crippled. It would never graze. It would need to be hand fed for its entire life. She tried to bargain with me using [intercourse].

#19

Image source: Kicks4meFromyou, Everton Vila

She thought that the way to fix our problems was to separate temporarily. She ended up pregnant by another dude within a month.

#20

Image source: hunterk*ller84, Jackie Tsang

Saved my money for 6 months to buy her a ring to propose when we were about 21ish… proposed, got laughed at and told by her, that she had been cheating on me for the past year. That hurt.

#21

Image source: camroidv27, cottonbro studio

When I finally realized that she wasn’t and never could be the person who I wanted her to be.

Love a person for who they are in the moment as they truly are, not for what you think they may become.

#22

Image source: HarlodsGazebo, samuel brook-williams

Well it was about that time that I noticed that the she was about 8 stories tall and a crustacean from the protozoic era. .

#23

Image source: DantheOutdoorsman, Brooke Cagle

When she saw no issue with the fact that she would be texting her ex husband (now current husband if that makes things clear) giving him emotional support particularly when we were watching tv together or driving to a restaurant for date night. Her excuse, “I still consider him my best friend (she may have said one of my best friends) and I dont think there is anything wrong with talking to a friend.” 5 years later we divorced and she remarried him 9 months after that.

#24

I don’t know. I think I knew for years, but I was still holding onto the thought that you don’t just *find* a happy relationship, you need to *built* one. Was kinda oblivious to the fact that you need both partners to do the building though.

What really struck me was that I was talking to a therapist once. I was seeing them for having far too much stress – which I now realize was mostly due to my wife – and when the troubles of my marriage became the topic for just a moment, the woman tried to cheer my up by suggesting that this was most likely a mere rough patch.

Sure, we had issued, but they were mostly external burdens that were very taxing to work through. So I should not loose hope and hold onto the things I loved about my wife, and the reasons for why I had married her.

I nodded “yeah” and put on a weary but brave smile like you are supposed to in that moment, but in my mind I realized there weren’t any.

There weren’t any.

Image source: Reasonable-Mischief

#25

Image source: Tongue4aBidet, freestocks

When she told me to get a girlfriend for [intercourse].

#26

Image source: FreyAlster, Alfonso Scarpa

When she threatened me with a knife and started stabbing the bed cuz I wouldn’t wanna drink more with her.

#27

Image source: VeryNorcal, Yan Krukau

We never had an okay day. We had amazing days and awful days. Never just a nice okay one. Think of always manic or always depressed, no breaks. It was tough but had to break off.

#28

She was away for college when suddenly she stopped responding to my calls and texts. Turns out she got pregnant by someone else. I was with her for 5 years.

Image source: thr33prim3s

#29

Image source: Mystery-Bass-Man, Raychan

When I celebrated their growth but they were angry at mine.

#30

Image source: oneluckyfish, SHVETS production

When he couldn’t even name ONE thing that he liked about me after 4 years of him constantly asking reassurance from my end. Don’t know how I stayed for so long in the relationship constantly begging for him to actually like me even when we were together.