Anonymous wrote:I was in an abusive relationship of a similar length (8 years). He was emotionally abusive for years, and I left the second time he threatened to beat the crap out of me.
The main Q I have is whether or not this friend who informed you about the ex's cancer knows about the abuse. If he/she does, then he/she is a crappy friend for trying to guilt you into support.
If he/she didn't know, then I would simply say something like, "it was a long time ago, and the circumstances of the break-up are such that I don't have any obligation or desire to be in touch with him. I'm not going to discuss what happened so long ago, but I am sorry to hear about his illness. "
If the friend keeps trying to engage, just rinse and repeat....
Yeah, this sounds like no real friend of yours, if he/she is trying to get you to engage with your former abuser.