Wow!
Extremely well written and well edited, Byn - with an unreliable narrator who's kinda scary. I don't know about this "dude." But I'm reminded of a comment I loved in a book:

I do not think we can even choose our soul mate. It seems to just happen. So sometimes your soul mate is wonderful. And sometimes your soul mate is an asshole.

The Neanderthal's Aunt by Gina DeMarco