Originally Posted by
2018LizAnon 
So now that it's ended, I'm asking myself, "what the hell just happened to the last 2.5 years of my life?"
In my opinion, this is a very important question for you to explore. As others have said, you did indeed dodge a bullet, and time will likely make this clearer by the day.
I was involved in a terrible relationship 20 some years ago which I was relieved to escape, and went on to have a reasonable marriage which ended in divorce. After that, I found myself embroiled in YET ANOTHER s*** storm which I wasted 3 years on. Come to find out, I never answered the question I should have after the first disaster, “Why in the world did I sell myself so cheaply (figuratively), and why did I tolerate such crumbs in a relationship for so long?” Only after addressing my own low self esteem could I rationally say, “No, thisn’t normal or right, and I deserve better”. Patterns tend to repeat if we don’t watch out.
Hope you enjoy the forums, especially Friends and Families as others suggest. It’s eye opening.
-bora