Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

I was dating my boyfriend for almost 5 years. We met in high school and we shared all the first together. By no means was our relationship perfect. We broke up twice, once for a week and once for about 3 months where I saw other people but he didn't. He didn't treat me the way I wanted to be treated but I always loved him and he always loved me. By the end, I wasn't happy and it was a mutual break up. However, he was always my whole life when we were together. We spent every day together, and always spent all day texting each other. It's been a week and a bit since the break up and it's been really hard. I know that this is what I wanted and it was for the best but that doesn't make it hurt any less. After a breakup, you always remember all the good memories and forget the reasons why you should be happy that it's over. I have the big fantasy of one day meeting the man that I've always read about in romance novels and I know that he could never give me that love.

The hard part is my connection to his family. Me and his oldest sister were always very close. We still chat everyday, and I think we are friends not only because I dated her brother. However, after 5 years together, I love his family as must as I still love him. I know that my love for him will never go away because it was my first love. But his family wants me to keep in contact with them and to occasionally go to dinners at their house. While I would one day love for that to be possible, I don't know if it ever will. I want to believe that we can be friends, but is that a delusion? Can lovers ever really be friends? If they can't, then what, do I just have to cut him out of my life completely and never talk to him again? I don't think that I'll ever be okay with him with another girl, because I feel like he never treated me right and I'd be bitter if he treated her right. But could we stay in contact, talking over msn once in a while, and never talk about our new relationships?