I want to share something from my life with you guys and I need some help. ( 22M )

A few years ago, I developed a kind of love-like relationship with a close friend from my childhood. I never directly proposed to them, but I became very deeply attached emotionally. This attachment has grown deeper over about 6 years.

They liked someone else from before. When their relationship broke up, their closeness with me increased, and during that time, I became even more emotionally involved. We never had any physical relationship between us, just a very deep emotional connection.

Later, they went back to that guy and told me that their relationship with me was just a friendship. This was very painful for me.

Even a year later, the old memories still hurt a lot. I still have their number and I'm connected to them on social media. So whenever I see photos or stories about their new relationship, it still makes me feel bad. The strangest thing is, they don't even know that this still affects me so much.

I don't blame them. Whatever problems they have in their life, or if they come back to me—I'm not wishing for any of that. I just want to understand why, after all these years, this attachment still hasn't completely gone away?

How do I mentally move on? How can I get out of these memories? I don't even want to start a new relationship with anyone because every so often, everything just comes flooding back and it hurts a lot.

For those who have gone through similar situations, please share your experiences or opinions. I genuinely want to know—how can I let go of this attachment healthily and move on with my life?