As I've said in other comments, my title (and subtitle) was a bit click-bait-y and exaggerated. I won't make that mistake again. Also, I failed to put it in context (this happened over a decade ago) and I was mostly trying to be honest about how I actually felt then. I am not trying to teach anyone anything. I am merely saying that I learned important things from this situation that helped me be a better partner in relationships since then. And also, I'm not above self-justification. I'm sure I'll feel differently about this in another 10 years and maybe I'll cringe at what I have written. But for now, this is as true and honest as I can tell that story and I'm okay with that evolving as I evolve.