His loss, and you dodged a bullet. I'm deployed in Afghanistan for a year and my ex started out the deployment by doing the same kind of slow ghosting. At first it was extremely painful and I didnt understand what was happening, it is awful. But over time finally began to heal as well. He will try to keep you on the hook with occasional niceties. Don't let that ruin your healing. It's a really slippery slope once feelings start being caught again, and you're only setting yourself up for more heartbreak again. Move on and live your best life.