VanTahoe

I have one: a friend of mine dated a guy for around 6 years but eventually broke it off because he was a poor communicator, unable to handle his emotions, and a little cold and distant. Several months passed (I don't know the details of whether there was NC) but he wanted to get back together and eventually she agreed on the condition they seek couples counselling. They have been together for a further 5 years now and have had two children along the way. They seem very happy and she told me counselling saved their marriage, they still go for 'check ins' every few months.

Here's a happily ever after story to add to the list. Guy (21) meets Girl (20) at work. They start off slow, with Guy offering to drive Girl to work every day because they live in the same neighbourhood and were going to the same office, after all. They got closer and started getting more serious - I'm not sure if there was an exclusive talk or how intimate they got, but Girl was certainly under the impression they were on the same page romantically. Until a few months in, a colleague tells Girl that Guy has been in a relationship for SEVEN years with another woman, but long distance. On some weekends, he would drive ~8h to see this other woman. When Girl finds out, she is devastated. Endless crying, she was completely in love and thought he was the man of her dreams. Pretty much no contact. But instead of moping around, after just a few weeks, she decides to fly to Europe and start living again, eventually gets a job there and starts afresh. "Screw you" was the attitude, she wasn't going to waste her life pining over some guy who was seeing someone else. So a few weeks after Girl lands in Europe, Guy realizes he's made a terrible mistake. He loved Girl too, and was only hanging on to the long distance girl because they met at 14 and had grown up together - even though they had grown apart long ago and neither was really into it anymore. So Guy broke up with her, and it was amicable. Guy somehow gets Girl's address in Europe. He starts writing letters to her, weekly, and at first Girl ignores them but eventually responds and they start connecting again. He tells her he's broken it off with the other girl and admits to his mistakes. He puts in constant effort, endless letters, huge flowers for her birthday, phone calls start and eventually become a daily routine. This lasts a year. They were long distance for a whole year, other side of the world, with just calls and letters. He had promised he wasn't seeing anyone else, she was the one for him, and she wasn't seeing anyone else because she was still in love with him. Girl eventually decides to fly back home. They're now deeply in love, and six weeks later Guy proposes, and they get married a year or so after that. A few years down the track ... I was born, and a couple after that, my sister. My parents have been together for 40 years now and I've never seen a more in love couple to this day. If mom is away, dad will meet her at the airport with flowers and a sign saying "Welcome back love of my life". They always celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, with a lot of effort and thoughtfulness. They always make sure they give each other time each day to connect, over breakfast or dinner or an outing etc. I barely remember any arguments between them growing up with them. They're very dedicated, loyal, loving and patient people, and genuinely seem to cherish and respect each other. I think they fit the definition of two people living happily ever after, despite such a rocky start. I think there was a lesson in my mum's handling of it, though - she had to move on with her own life, there was no begging to have him back, and that showed him what he was missing and made him really think deeply about the decisions he was making and realize and respect my mum's value. It forced his hand and showed him if he wants to be with her, he couldn't take her for granted. Getting back together really does happen, but it seems to me that moving on with your life as though you won't get back together is the best strategy - it either helps you get them back, or helps you move on, so a win-win. Kindness, love, patience, acknowledging your mistakes, but also setting clear boundaries and not letting someone treat you as an option are the secret ingredients I think. Hope this helps you if you've read this far. Good luck!