I can’t quote but agree about the avoidance piece. My ex told me mid-breakup that he’d been staying super late at work and doing more work travel to avoid coming home to me.
And yes, that is exactly as soul-destroying as it sounds at the end of a 7 year relationship
As an aside, I’ve been so reassured to read so many people on here saying that they’ve found breakups hard to get over. It makes me feel so much more normal. I seem to be the only one I know, even in my extended circle, to have been broken up with, and I think most people just have no clue about how painful and horrendous it can be.
Closure comes from unexpected places