"I’m secretly thrilled my ex’s rebound is pregnant."
A couple years ago, I met this guy at a party. He was charming, emotional, cooked me food the next day, called me his girlfriend a few weeks after that...all that jazz. We fell madly in love.
Plot twist: He cried more than I did, puffed more w33d than oxygen, and talked about his future plans in such grandiose ways. I'm talking moving to Europe indefinitely, getting a masters degree from a prestigious university…but never actually looked up a flight, settled on a date, took a definitive step, or did literally anything about them.
Just w33d, stress, rinse and repeat. I spent a YEAR trying to make that relationship work. A WHOLE YEAR. Emotional CPR. Motivational speeches. The voice of reason. The main motivator. Meanwhile, he changed his plans every 24 hours.
And then after a year he said he "couldn't handle the stress of a relationship" once he starts his hypothetical plans. So, we broke up. I was devastated. A few weeks after our breakup, he told me he met a girl at a bar as rebound and they're FWB now and it's nothing serious and he is devastated over our breakup.
Fine. I cried. I journaled. Started Therapy. Went celibate. Was absolutely miserable. After that, we didn’t see each other for months, then had a couple meet ups to catch-up, where he literally said:
He's still seeing her.
She’s a “good friend."
He’s “not in love."
He still has strong feelings for me.
He's attracted to me.
He’s “still figuring out his feelings” for her.
And he was STILL planning to leave our city because he “hated it here.”
This was just a few months ago.
Fine. I cried some more. I journaled. Continued therapy. Stayed celibate for a few more months. I healed. I moved on.
Fast forward to yesterday: I learn (purely accidentally) that he’s still in our city, in a full-blown relationship with the rebound girl, and his girlfriend is very pregnant. Like… due in a couple of weeks pregnant. The man who absolutely HATED kids, never wanted them, is about to be elbow-deep in diapers and sleep deprivation. Europe? Europe who? Europe WHERE??? And…
A tiny evil part of my soul is…delighted. 💀
Like, I’m free, thriving, booking flights, living my life, adding to my hobbies, planning my future, and he’s buying diaper rash creams.
The man who refused to commit because he needed “freedom," the man who anything and everything over-stimulated him, the man with zero emotional regulation, the most indecisive man I've ever met, is now locked into fatherhood in the exact city he swore he’d escape.
No Europe. No Masters. Just diapers. I know it’s petty. I know it’s wrong. I don’t wish him harm. Truly. I hope he grows into whoever he needs to be. But my god...
Here's what people had to say to OP:
thatonecrazywolf wrote:
Man I wish more people would gloat when a shitty ex messes up. An ex of mine from years ago is now a felony, has thousands of dollars in debt from theft, and can't keep a job at all. It felt fucking great when TA got hit with karma.
Fist bump from this side of the internet, gotta love karma.
OP responded:
You dodged a bullet!! Honestly, this is my first time gloating about one of my ex’s f*** ups, and I recommend. 11/10. It’s been cathartic lol
plisdongjangankykgt wrote:
As someone who recently found out that my situationship started a relationship not long after I moved for my job (I know it's barely comparable to what you had to go through but boy did it break me) this was a weirdly pleasurable read. I've been balls deep in my rage that I found it hard to believe that karma exists and that I can still thrive regardless.
TLDR this story gives me hope for my own betterment (and whatever storm is going to happen to the guy who hurt me senseless). Hope you're having a superb holiday season and a fabulous 2026 queen!!
OP responded:
We learn and we grow. I learned so much about myself in that relationship. It gave me so many new tools and new standards to help me avoid partners that are not right for me, what I need in a partner and what kind of partner I want to be for someone in return. It hurt like a b**, but I’m way better off now with my new sets of skills and stronger intuition. You’ll do great!! To bigger and better things in 2026. 🥂
Ladyswire wrote:
I don’t want to rain on anyone else’s parade, and I’m happy you’re happy (really! I’m sure you deserved way better), but he may very well end up happy as a dad too. I know my husband has an ex who might see things similarly, and, oh man, she made sure there were comments about my pregnancy out there.
But the truth is that he’s a really great dad—he changed his mind about things and made his own choices; I didn’t kidnap his adult self into parenthood.
OP responded:
I honestly hope that things work out for the best for him and his new family. Every child deserves happy parents who want them.
lola_dubois18 wrote:
God, your story sounds super familiar.
Things started off so well and it was all love and fun. At first I thought the crying was sweet vulnerability. I learned it was actually emotional immaturity.
Then there were all the impulsive and bad decisions, wildly excessive weed use, refusal to do anything that didn’t suit him, and he wants to live on a houseboat in Amsterdam, but can barely figure out how to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in the US. Works contract jobs and has big gaps in employment. Had very weird world views. Rarely have I ever seen anyone so entitled, but also so crushingly insecure.
I tried hard to make it work, to build him up. You say “Emotional CPR”, I kept thinking “I’m keeping things going on life support." Although karma hasn’t caught up with him yet, I know it will. Thank you for your story. Solidarity & bon voyage.
OP responded:
Let this be our lesson to never be someone’s emotional life support and gracefully exit when we see the red flags. Staying and trying is not rewarding—just a waste of time and energy.
humble_meercat wrote:
Sometimes life hands you a big old Karma sandwich when you make stupid choices, and now you get to watch him choke it down. There’s nothing wrong with a little schadenfreude here and there. If you see him again be sure to tell him all about your upcoming trips!
FreeNorthNord wrote:
First off totally ok to be happy about his self sabotage, dude sounds like the eternal victim of his own lack of self motivation. Second I foresee his new relationship going one of two ways.
His new girl going to get tired of taking care of a baby and an adult baby and dump him, or he’s gonna spend the next 18 years doing the bare minimum while complaining about how stress out he is. Either way you dodge a bullet.
HZLeyedValkyrie wrote:
Nothing wrong watching karma play out in real time. Call it part of the healing process.
Now def don’t let this guy have anymore place in your life. Book your flights live your life and relish in the moments. Close his chapter on your book of life.