Dear Eric: I’ve been in a relationship with my partner on and off for years. He promised me that our relationship will be formal for his upcoming birthday. But I found out he cheated on me. It hurts so much. And now he is engaged to her. Now he wants to have a friendship with me. How can I keep him out of my life for good?

– Heartbroken

Dear Heartbroken: Block, delete and phone a friend, i.e., tell your friends “I need to break this cycle, and I need you to help me. If I start talking about reaching out to him, hold me back.”

I’m sorry that he’s been stringing you along. Friendship, in this case, needs to be earned. He’s not doing that. It’s a great time to move on.

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Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.