All My Exes Hate Me: The Final Chapter
The One Where I let Go
On May 13th, 2025, I woke up and decided to reach out to my exes.
I lured the skeletons out of my closet to see if they'd be willing to rehash the past.

Questions ranged from how we met, to our sex life, to how it all ended.
Some were afraid to answer honestly. They didn't want to 'hurt my feelings'.
I told them -
There is nothing you can say to me that I haven’t already thought about myself.
It all came with a lot of reflection. And a lot of awkward and scary conversations.
For example, facing people I hurt.
Or meeting up with the guy from Hinge who literally ran out of my apartment the last time I saw him.
It was like coming across a smell that transports you back into a time where you feel like you’re still there.
And sometimes - those memories aren’t good.
Sometimes that smell - smells like shit.
Something that started off as a silly idea turned into something so much more significant than I could have ever imagined.
And my life didn't stop once I got the ball rolling. It continued to move on.
I was swimming in the present while drowning myself in the past.
I had to face feelings I tucked away and pretended didn’t exist. I relived the thought of being “in love” with people I don’t even know anymore. Some I never really knew at all.
Reminded me of what I put up with. Of who I could become. Of feelings that could mask themselves as love.
I don’t regret a damn thing.
There may be a time where I can revisit this.
After all, how can I not share about the one who was my boss - or the one who took my virginity?
I’m just excited to write about happier times. From a lifetime of “what’s wrong with me?” - to remind myself of what’s right with me. Learning that I don’t need to be mysterious to be interesting. That I can bare my soul.
Because I am finally happy to show all my cards - take it or leave it.
I look forward to living in the present. To fall in love with myself over and over again.
I want to continue to take myself on dates. To do things that make me happy. To say no to things that don’t.
I’m ready for more adventures, more butterflies. That feeling of holding someone’s hand for the first time.
I want to find love. Even heartbreak (because let's face it, it always makes for a good story).
And I won’t be scared.
Because this time, I’m not bringing the past with me.
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Curious about the exes I didn't write about?
I’m sharing my questions — and answers — exclusively in my newsletter, Pieces of Gail. Click here to read the full behind-the-scenes Q&A and join the conversation → Pieces of Gail
About the Creator
Gail Fredricks
just someone learning, unlearning, and laughing through the chaos.



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