9 Years of Dating and Still No Proposal Anonymous lady shares

I’ve been dating my boyfriend for almost nine years now. From my mid-20s till now that I’m almost 36, I have been with this same man, believing that one day, he would finally make me his wife.

When we first started dating, I was so sure he was the one. He was loving, caring, and supportive. He talked about the future, about settling down, about children.

But years have gone by, and nothing has changed. Along the way, I asked, I begged, I cried “When will you propose?” And he always had the same answer: “soon.” That word has followed me for almost a decade, and now it haunts me.

About a year ago, he even took me ring shopping. I can’t even describe the joy I felt that day. In my head, I thought, Finally! After all the waiting, this is it. I called my best friend, I told my sister, I even secretly started pinning wedding dresses on Pinterest. But here we are today, no proposal, no wedding plan, just more promises and excuses.

Now, reality is catching up with me. I am almost 36, and the fear is real. The fear of starting over. The fear of wasting more time. The fear that maybe I’ll leave him and never find someone else willing to commit. At this age, it feels like my options are shrinking, and that terrifies me.

Sometimes, I wonder if he’s just stringing me along because it’s convenient.
On the other hand, what if I leave and regret it? What if he really was planning to propose “soon” and I gave up too early? These questions run through my head every single day, and it’s exhausting.

So here I am, torn and confused. Am I just wasting my time hoping this man will finally do the right thing? Or should I gather the courage to cut my losses and move on before it’s too late?