There is nothing straightforward about a breakup. Whether you split on the best of terms (rare, but lovely) or your relationship crumbles under unreconcilable strain (common, but subjective), we all have a story that has – somehow – shaped us.

And the rules of the game only seem to be getting more complicated. A 2022 YouGov survey found that 56% of women aren’t friends with any of their ex-partners. One-fifth of people opt for the delete and block protocol at the end of a relationship. But the prevailing desire to forget and move on is hindered by a frustrating reality: clean breaks rarely ever happen, especially when one-third of cohabiting couples who break up are forced to stay living together.

Were break-ups always this complicated?