1.
“There’s no nice way to say this but she changed too much. She went from being that chill, fun girl that I fell in love with to someone who always seemed like she wanted to tell me how I was doing something wrong or could do better. I couldn’t take it anymore. No one wants to be constantly lectured and nagged at by someone who is supposed to just love them.” — Adam, 27

2.
“We just grew apart. We started dating at the beginning of college and by junior year we weren’t the same people who we were when we’d started dating. By the end we were more like best friends than people in a relationship.” — Zach, 24

3.
“I was interested in someone else, and one day that other girl I wanted to get with was on the market so I went for it. It sucks but it is what it is.” — Kyle, 27

4.
“We stopped having fun. We both grew too content in our routine that was actually a rut and I stopped being excited to see her, excited to be with her. And eventually, that translated into stopped being in love with her.” — Evan, 25

5.
“Our fighting went from healthy discussions to all out FIGHTS. We said nasty, horrible things to each other and we never really healed after those things were out there. Once you’ve told someone you hate them and meant it…yeah it’s kind of over after that.” — Dalton, 29

6.
“She wanted kids, I really don’t. Pretty cut and dry.” — Parker, 31

7.
“We had been long distance for most of our relationship which, as I now know, meant we were a ‘vacation’ relationship. Whenever we were together one of us (or both of us) was always on vacation. So when we finally got together in our ‘real life’ and were faced with ‘real life’ problems, we cracked. We couldn’t handle our stress when it was actually in front of us and not buffered by space.” — Dean, 27

8.
“I figured out pretty quickly that she was annoying AF. Whatever, she was hot but so, so, SO not the girl you actually date.” — Andy, 25

9.
“I cheated. Plain and simple. And then I wanted to see what’d happen with the girl that I cheated with. I don’t regret going after something I wanted, but I do regret hurting my ex in the process. You live and learn.” — Jake, 24

10.
“We both stopped trying and became really complacent in the relationship. We just expected that we’d be there, rather than actually hoping and wanting the other person to be there. We stopped chasing the love and eventually it just fizzled until it wasn’t there anymore. At the end I didn’t even recognize her.” — Nicolas, 26

11.
“She used sex as a manipulation. She’d withhold it when she was mad, or use it to get what she wanted. It was ridiculously obvious what she was doing and honestly, really immature. I got fed up with it after a while and peaced. No one needs that.” — Logan, 25

12.
“We had had a really intense back and forth, heated chase thing between us before we finally ended up together. And when we defined the relationship that spark was gone. So after the spark and ‘wanting what we can’t have’ thing wasn’t there, I wasn’t interested.” — Ryan, 24

13.
“I thought I would be with her forever and then one day, I realized that we were headed in completely different directions. But I was already on a really awesome trajectory in other parts of my life and couldn’t bring myself to give up everything for her. She felt the same. So we parted and went off with the hope that maybe we’ll meet back together someday. I think we both know that was just a way of lessening the blow that it’s really over.” — Samuel, 29

14.
“I looked through her phone and found out she’d been sexting a couple of her guy friends. We ended, appropriately enough, over text.” —Mark, 24

15.
“I loved her. I really, really did. But the reality about love is that it’s work. And she had a lot of problems and baggage she wasn’t willing to work on letting go of in order to be able and ready to accept love from me. So eventually, I stopped working at giving it. And when you stop choosing to give your love to someone, it’s unsalvageable.” Josh, 30

16.
“I proposed and she said no. You don’t stay together after that.” — Greg, 28