Breakups suck. They're even worse when they happen in a certain way.
1. "Through someone else. I once had a guy's mom break up with me for him. We were both in our mid-20s. For the smart alecks, my ex-boyfriend and I were both in our 20s and dating. His mom was the one who told me he was breaking up with me. I wasn't dating the mom."
2. "By texting them and asking, 'Can we talk?' Typing for 20 minutes and finally sending the message, 'I'm breaking up with you. Sorry.' That's a true story. I found out later he probably cheated on me."
3. "Mine started making out with another girl while we were at a party, all sitting on the same couch. That deflates the romance pretty quickly."
4. "My ex-fiancé was supposed to escort me to my friend's wedding, for which I was the maid of honor. We had a wedding date set. I had a half-carat round diamond and a dress chosen. We rented a house off campus at college and were seniors. That Friday before the wedding, he suddenly came down with the flu. He couldn't travel. I believed him. He acted loving and apologetic, etc. I went ahead and took the three-hour trip. When I returned Sunday and walked into the house, everything, including furniture, was gone. My clothes and books were still there, but everything else was GONE. I guess that meant he broke the engagement!"
4. "Ghosting them."
5. "Making them think the relationship is strong and then saying some of their bad qualities and leaving them. Then what you do is get with their ex or parent."
6. "At the altar of your wedding."
7. "By starting an open relationship without telling the other party."
8. "Calling the day after my birthday (we had been long distance). She said she didn't love me anymore, she was sleeping with someone else, and I should get tested (the last time I visited her was months before). I tested positive for chlamydia. She said she waited to tell me because she didn't want to ruin my birthday. How generous of her. Also, I didn't have any noticeable symptoms from the chlamydia — I went about four months or so before I found out."
9. "A woman broke up with me by changing her Facebook status to single. In her defense, we had a fight over the phone that morning, but I didn't think it was such a big deal. The nice thing about finding out that way was, at least, that I didn't have to deal with the sort of person who breaks up with someone by changing their Facebook status anymore."
10. "By purposely ruining the relationship until your significant other breaks up with you so you don't seem like the bad guy."
11. "Having someone tell them you died. I thought it'd be easier because she lived in another town, and we didn't really run in the same circles. It ended up being a nightmare that was far from easy. It dragged on for days, and she found out I was alive anyway. Honesty is the best policy."
12. "Dude broke up with me in counseling by telling the counselor. This was supposed to be premarital counseling. Duuuuuuuuuuuddde."
13. "I had a dream my partner broke up with me by making a PowerPoint presentation."
14. "I walked off a plane once...we were on a trip to the UK...I said fuck my baggage and just declined to travel another foot with her."
15. "I was at a party, and we played a game where all the single people were supposed to line up for something, with couples on the other side. A friend went in the single line, and his girlfriend said, 'WTF?' And then he said, 'I’m single, so are you now.' It was very public and very hurtful. I thought he was a dick. Then he showed a picture he’d been sent of her the night before with some dude."
16. "Yesterday, while I was working, my fiancé of one and a half years got a rental car, packed up our four dogs, and vanished. She sent me one text regarding it, saying that she knew I was cheating and she was leaving. After speaking to her family, I found out this is a verified lie and stunt she has pulled previously with other guys. Almost everything she told me over our time together was a complete lie, including highlights like her dad being dead, her being pregnant, and her having cancer. I am now left with nothing and moving back in with my mom three weeks before my 33rd birthday because I cannot afford rent and living costs alone. I am completely devastated at the loss of my dogs and deeply scarred after finding out the person I'd lived with and been engaged to for nearly two years was a secret psychopath using me for personal gain."
17. "Continuing the relationship is the worst way to break up."
What are some other bad ways to break up with someone? Share them in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.