Failed reconciliation attempt after no contact. What now?

I dated my ex for about 2 years before she broke up with me. We were deeply in love and I was obsessive over her. I unhealthily removed everyone from my life and threw all of my emotions on her, leading to her feeling suffocated. After we broke up, we went back and forth for a month inconsistently being in contact over text. I then initiated 30 days of no contact. I sent the elephant in the room text and she responded after half an hour. I followed the sample timeline of how often to text her and kept things lighthearted while also informing her that I just want to see where things go. About 6 days in she sent me a text on a day I did not text her. She sent a large paragraph explaining how we have so many memories and how she wants to make more in the future. She said if she saw me, she would probably fall in love again. She also, however said that she still has a heavy dislike for me and has not forgiven me for my behavior during our relationship (I was needy and emotionally abusive in a way). I responded hesitantly and brought up the fact that she told me she was with someone. She said only kinda. I then told her that I just wanted her to be happy and I did not want to mess up her happiness if she already has it with another guy. From there, she told me she feels bad leaving what we had. We talked for a bit and I asked if we could continue the conversation the next day. She agreed and the next day I texted her asking her stance on everything. She asked me if I was over her. I asked her to clarify and she asked if I no longer have feelings for her and if I am willing to get with other girls. I responded with: “In that case, no I am not ‘over’ you.” Once I said that her demeanor completely changed and she became cold, explaining that she does not think she can be with me right now because her friends and family hate me. I explained that I think it is best to take things slow and see how things go. I saw the conversation taking a negative turn so I attempted to end it. Once I had already said goodbye, she sent me a text saying this:

“you know, i hope we can be together again in the future. we’ll see how it goes. there’s nothing we can do right now and that’s that. i’m so happy you’re happy. you’re a great guy :slight_smile: please don’t text me back. text me if you really need me though, i’m here as a friend. goodbye :)”

I have not made contact since. It has been seven days. I think the mistake I made was taking the bone she tossed for me. What should I do now? When should I contact her and what should I say? It did not end off on a horrible note. All advice is greatly appreciated.

Right now she has some good memories, but she also has bad memories of you being possessive, needy, and abusive. Stay no contact for at least 30 days and then call her to talk. In the meantime, work on trying to understand why you treated badly and change your negative behaviors.

I already did no contact for 30 days. Would it really be beneficial to just repeat the same time frame? Additionally, what should I say to her when I reach out again? Should I send another elephant in the room text or use a memory/advice text? I understand why I treated her poorly and I have fixed the issues within myself.

Some days after the 30 day no contact and you said you want to take things slowly, she still had a heavy dislike for you and hasn’t forgiven you for your behavior during the relationship. In what way were you emotionally abusive?? She also asked if you no longer had feelings for you and if you were going to get with other girls. But the last thing she wrote was she hopes you can be together in the future but nothing can be done right now. She gave you a compliment saying you’re a great guy, but don’t text back.

She’s upset and maybe a little angry and it takes time for the bad memories to fade and more of the good memories to come to the forefront. No, don’t send another elephant in the room or memory text as hearing from you again so soon will remind her of the bad memories and she will be resistant and reluctant to believe you’ve changed.

When you call her, tell her you still have feelings for her and you haven’t been out with other girls. Ask her if she’s okay and if she’s willing to talk about the breakdown of the relationship and tell her what you’ve been doing to improve yourself. If she’s had enough time to cool down and you have a positive interaction, sometime soon after that, ask her out on a date to have a fun time.

Good luck:)