| Dear Carolyn: My partner of three years broke up with me out of the blue a couple of months ago for someone he’d met literally three weeks before. They are now dating long-distance while he and I live in the same small town. This happened while we were both traveling for work, and he gave me a few weeks to move out of our shared house — which he owns — because he “needed to move on.” I bounced around between friends before I was able to find something more permanent. I’m more or less okay with the fact of the breakup — I was very happy but also recognize I’ve sacrificed a lot to make a life in the small community where we met, which was a place I’d never intended to stay permanently. What is really messing with me is the WT[H]-ness of what happened and the seemingly overnight transformation of a person I thought was kind and loving into a massive [glassbowl]. (I’ve taken some consolation in the fact everyone has been shocked.) One of the reasons I was happy was that I felt “safe” in our relationship … and now I feel like that safety has been completely shattered. On top of everything, he let this virtual stranger stay in our house alone, during which time “someone” used my toiletries, poked around in my belongings and drove my car. Ick. Occasionally, I’m knocked down by complete panic over how violated I feel. While the sadness has gotten better with time, this other sense has actually gotten worse, and I’m not sure what to do. — Shattered | 
