I think a lot of people here have been the victims of a love mismanaged, which is unfortunately very common. Love often starts out with the best intentions, and can be a catalyst for growth and fulfilment, but it isn't indefinite. Given our nature and how things are structured it invariably wanes.
For me I have been the perpetrator of such mismanagement, which has left me feeling very hollow and guilty. I was the only one responsible for reciprocating it, but I just became apathetic and indifferent and I fell out of love. How could I hurt him like this, and if it made me feel so awful why couldn't I love him anymore? It was beyond terrifying. I let him down as best I could, and we're still friends, but the guilt I feel is dire. Love only seems to give way to shitty emotions (or lack thereof) over time.
The idyllic pure form of love seems unattainable, and I don't think it's worth pursuing anymore for me personally. Everyone else is allowed to enjoy love and use it for whatever purpose they want. I just can't do it anymore.
Love is painful; the fact that you surrender completely to another person is too surreal. Yet, we do it, often without realizing, driven by "sexual energy."
It's a shame I only discovered this after so many years. In my case, it went beyond sexual energy; for her, it was just about "good sex and fun."
Amidst these moments, I built a safe harbor in this for years, thinking it was reciprocated. But today, I see the truth.
No matter how much you love and prove to the person, there will always be someone to replace you and fulfill their needs better. Today, I can't love; I see it as entirely irrelevant and senseless.
We try to maintain a friendship, but I simply can't accept how things ended, and for her, everything is fine. She sees it in a completely calm way! To her, it sounds like "I was with you for so many years, you embraced my problems, but now that it's time to embrace yours, I'm leaving."
This prevents us from having a friendship; I can't help but hate her and feel empty..