She Dumped Her Boyfriend Because He Wouldn’t Finalize His Divorce, And She Was Sick Of Feeling Like A Third-Wheel To Him And His Ex

When this 39-year-old woman first met her boyfriend Dave, who is 43, about two and a half years ago, he was separated from his ex-wife for around one year.
He and his ex had three children together, and after she started dating David, she met his ex numerous times. His ex has since gone on to have another baby with a different guy.
So, throughout her relationship with Dave, she’s tried asking him why he didn’t just finalize his divorce with his ex as opposed to simply remaining “separated.”
“And he said that divorces are costly, and neither of them plans to get married again, so why bother,” she explained.
“He mentioned (jokingly) that he will finalize his divorce when he proposes to me.”
Anyway, things in her and Dave’s relationship have been great, and his kids absolutely adore her. But while she understands that he and his ex are co-parenting, she really can’t stop feeling like a third wheel.
Apparently, his ex is constantly over at their house. Plus, his ex and her new baby have joined every single vacation they’ve ever taken with the other three kids.
“I told him this is so uncomfortable because it feels like they have an open marriage, and I’m part of whatever that is,” she admitted.
Even after she opened up about her feelings, though, Dave didn’t understand her perspective. He was adamant that he and his ex were “truly done” and that he wasn’t in an open marriage.

sepy – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
This pushed her to tell Dave that, if that was actually the case, then she should just “cut the cord.”
Well, he refused to do that, and she hit her breaking point. So, she wound up breaking up with Dave because she couldn’t stand the strange situation anymore.
Once she ended things with him, he wouldn’t stop texting her and accusing her of being “ridiculous.” He also claimed that being separated and getting a divorce are no different.
Now, she can’t help but wonder if this arrangement with Dave and his ex-wife really was inappropriate or if she genuinely overreacted.
“Am I too old-fashioned? Is this really part of co-parenting?” she asked.
Do you think this is normal co-parenting behavior, or are Dave and his ex blending too many boundaries? What would you have done in her shoes?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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