I soon discovered that Eric had a dark, capricious side and would flare up over the smallest matters.

We had our first major argument two months into the relationship. We were out shopping and I had complained about a rude salesgirl. He lashed out, accusing me of being unreasonable and for making a fuss over nothing.

"You're such a typical Singaporean," he yelled, before storming off.

It got worse. When I dropped by his home to deliver medicine after he'd fallen ill, he scolded me for being intrusive.

A few weeks later, he skipped out on celebrating my birthday, saying he had to visit his family in Malaysia.

Our romance was unravelling at a shocking speed, and I had no idea what I'd done wrong. He would ignore my SMSes and phone calls. I messaged him on Facebook, asking if he still wanted the relationship.

His curt reply: "You're a smart girl; you're sure to figure it out." I felt as if my heart had shattered.

By the third month of our relationship, he was still avoiding my attempts to contact him.

Shortly after, on Valentine's Day, he called me saying that I was a "nice girl" and that he was sure I would find someone "more suitable".From that point, I considered our relationship over.

One month later, he met me to return some of my belongings. Seeing me in person for the first time in a while stirred up his emotions. He confessed that he felt "bad" about ditching me and asked for a reconciliation.

Confused, I decided to wait it out, to see if he was sincere. He'd also taken leave to go overseas, so I planned to have a long talk with him when he returned.

As it turned out, I didn't see him again.