Chino, I'm not really seeing a problem. I mean, I could articulate a "adoptive mom dying" versus "cat dying" difference, but the point is, if either party is not getting what they need or want from a relationship, then as painful as it may be, you have to move on. I thankfully don't have a ton of wreckage in my (romantic) past, but I do have one breakup like the one you're describing, and frankly, other than an occasional wistful memory (she was a HUGE Meatloaf fan, so I thought of her briefly when he died) I haven't looked back, and frankly, I don't feel like I have anything to apologize for, and neither do you.