When someone disappears without a word, it’s hard not to assume they’ve walked out of your life for good.

So what would you do if your partner told you he was “pressing pause” on your relationship, then ignored every call and text for weeks, only to suddenly return, acting like nothing happened? Would you welcome them back with open arms? Or would you move on with your life and find comfort elsewhere?

In the following story, one woman ends up in the exact predicament. Here’s the full scoop.

AITAH for adopting a dog after I thought my boyfriend broke up with me?

My boyfriend was going through a tough time and said he needed a break.

He said he was going to press pause on our relationship and visit his family in Washington.

I asked how you pause a relationship, because I don’t understand how that works. He said he needed some time to work on himself and asked me to respect that.

After being ignored, she moved on with her life.

After he left, I texted him a few times, asking him to let me know he arrived safely and to say hi to his mom for me. I received no response.

I tried to call and left a message asking if he had broken up with me. I came to the conclusion that he’d ghosted me, and my friends agreed. I was bummed, and my best friend recommended I find something like a new hobby or a new show to watch that wouldn’t make me think of my boyfriend. I decided to get a dog.

My boyfriend is horribly allergic to pet dander, so I never even considered getting a pet. However, since he broke up with me, I decided to get one. He’s a senior dog from the shelter that needed rescuing. He’s low-energy and likes to lie with his head in my lap while I read, work, or watch TV.

One day, out of the blue, he called and wanted to “unpause” the relationship.

After six weeks away, my boyfriend texted me that he was back and coming over tomorrow (which was yesterday) so we could talk. I was shocked and texted him back asking what he was talking about. He said he was back and ready to unpause our relationship.

He said he would talk to me about everything the next day. I texted back asking what relationship. He didn’t answer.

Yesterday, he showed up and told me he had done a lot of self-examination and was ready to move forward on his life path. He even wanted to talk about moving in together. Then he saw my dog and started freaking out. He asked me how I could get a dog when I know how sick he gets.

The problem was that they had different ideas about what happened.

I told him that I didn’t think it mattered since he broke up with me. He said he didn’t break up with me. I said he ghosted me. He said he communicated with me, telling me he was pressing pause and visiting family. I said not answering texts is ghosting.

We argued in circles, and then he said he had to leave because he was getting an allergic reaction, even though he was standing in the doorway, not inside.

I feel like he broke up with me, and it was okay that I got a dog. He says that he never did, and therefore, it’s a horrible act of disregard to have gotten a dog. Which of us is right?

My best friend said I should break up with him because he’s a jerk. I don’t think I should have to break up with someone who already broke up with me. If I break up with him, I’m basically agreeing with him that he didn’t break up with me, and therefore, I was wrong for getting the dog.

AITA?

Yikes! That boyfriend sounds like something else.

Let’s see what the readers over at Reddit think about what happened here.

For this reader, it’s definitely a breakup.

Some people will appreciate this Friends reference.

Here’s someone who would break up with him and move on.

According to this person, he tried dating someone else, and it didn’t work.

It’s time to move on. She needs to just block him and live her life, because he broke up with her six weeks ago.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.