Huh, that&#x27;s funny. I&#x27;ve had the same kind of relationship with a woman for the last 2 years, though we dated for a relatively (for me) long time after my divorce. She has kept in touch after I moved. Only recently, I think she is finally ready to &quot;move on&quot; so I&#x27;ve backed off 100%.<p>It&#x27;s true. Having someone who cares about you with whom you can relieve personal stress is meaningful. She definitely did that for me, and I hope I did that for her.<p>On the other hand, I wonder if it has always been like this or there is something unique to our current societal configuration causing the need for these synthetic partnerships.