He started to blow my phone up when I stopped answering his texts.
When I cared he didn't but once he saw I was done he knew things weren't good. He tried to make up for how he treated me while we were together with the "I love you" texts but it was too late. This was so hard for me not to give in because I wanted him still so badly but I knew what he was doing was all an act.
I realized things were better off when I stopped answering.
Out of sight out of mind. It felt liberating! I figured out how to be independent. I don't need to worry about whether or not he's going to talk to me today or if I'll get a snap tonight. Even if he did decide to randomly light up my phone one day I realized that that's exactly what it is- he may have been thinking about me in that moment but he didn't do enough to care about my all the time when we were together, and that voice inside me was enough to understand that and move on.
Eventually he gave up when I stopped.
Of course the inevitable and what you wanted to happen but didn't all at the same time. He gave up. Although you know he gave up along time ago but boys logic is opposite than girls: girls react first with their emotions- you're upset the first week after a breakup; boys tend not to realize the impact of a breakup until a few weeks later. Which is usually when they start hittin' up your phone. But once they have stopped, you know they've given up. And usually, it's for the best.
I was able to move on once I stopped answering.
I found myself feeling more confident, positive and happy when I stopped answering. I could once again focus on myself and not have the anxiety of what his next move would be. It didn't happen right away but eventually it did. I stopped becoming so obsessed and started focusing that intense energy into something more light and positive. Hate is the word. Hate is what I would describe myself when I would text him and when I cared so much about him and when I watched him slowly disconnect himself. They don't realize what they've lost until it's gone, but that's not your problem.
The 5th thing was nothing. Nothing at all happened when I stopped answering. He did nothing to stop me from leaving. You always hope for prince charming to come in and save the day, realize they f***ed up, but 9 times out of 10 it doesn't happen. He didn't care enough to stop me.