I’ve been dating this man for about six months. I am divorced and he is widowed. His wife passed away at a very young age and suffered for several years before. It has been two years since her passing.

We had a great summer romance, and it developed into more feelings. It has been difficult at times, trying to figure out if he is with me because I fill a void or because he cares for me. Until a realtor came into his house, the place was a shrine to his wife. I totally respect that, and we are not committed. I have been on my own most of my adult life and he has been in a committed relationship for all of his adult life. He would see me 24-7 if he could, and always says how sad he is when he is not with me. That is too much pressure to put on me, don’t you think?

Fast forward to Valentine’s Day. He gave me a beautiful bracelet – used. I am not stuck up and don’t even care for jewelry, but I thought it might be his wife’s and that he was passing it on to me. He said he got it at Tiffany’s. It turns out he lied to me about that – it wasn’t his wife’s, but could have been purchased “on the street.”

What bothered me was how he lied, kept up the lie, and made up an elaborate story and continued it until he was backed into a corner. He would have continued on. Now he is devastated, embarrassed, and afraid of losing me. He says he will never ever lie, fib, or embellish. My ex-husband lied before we were married and they were not serious lies … this was a character flaw that I should have listened to because he was a very abusive man once we were married. Do people think he is sorry that he got caught or really sorry? Is it too harsh to end a relationship over this?

– The bracelet