:bism: (In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)
(Peace be upon you)
Welcome to IB, sis! And I'm really sorry to hear all this, and I truly sympathize.Sister, you're a revert; so, I'm assuming you're somewhat at least familiar with the concept of "He's just not that into you." If you're not, I'd recommend you read the book of the same name because even though the book is written by a non-Muslim, it has a few home truths that you need to learn to let go of this other man.
Sis, believe me, you're not in love with this other man; you're in love with the fantasy of what this other man represented to you which is your innocence and your own longing of him; it doesn't represent his own feelings for you. Don't be taken in by lures of Satan and ruin your marriage and your
iman (faith) and your future for the uncertainty of wanting what this other man represents who's not even any longer in your life to know or care about that longing.
The funny thing is I know what you're suffering. Approximately two years ago, I fell for someone too. I thought he was the greatest person ever and that we had awesome chemistry, but as I found out later, he turned out to be so completely different to what I'd imagined and it took me a long time to accept that I had fallen for my own fantasy of what he was and not what he truly is. Uh, I can't describe to you how heartbreaking that was, and I know I cried my share of tears. But in the end, you know what? I'm so grateful today that I'm not married with this person because I don't think he would have appreciated me as an individual and probably would have been one of the worst decisions of my life. And you know what? I even used to blame Allah for sometimes taking this person away from me, but I am now so grateful that Allah in His Wisdom did not let that marriage happen.
I think probably the same is true for this other man; I mean, come on, sis: The man had been pressuring you to have sex before marriage before you were ready and also knowing that this action is completely forbidden in his religion. He took you and your love for granted. If he really did love you, he'd have understood your reservations and respected you wanting to share your body with a person who offered you honor in marriage. Please don't make excuses for this man. Sure, he may have changed for the better; and while it is true that some people do change, most often, most people like him don't change. Take what he said as closure and as a divine sign instead that you were right for making the decision to not be with him.
Finally, I'm assuming that your husband was a virgin before marriage as well? If so, him not being able to please you might have something to do with that. And so maybe you both can go on a journey of experimentation of each other's bodies specific to as to what would bring you pleasure because I'm sure doing that would heighten his pleasure too and make him feel great about being a success in the bedroom with you. And I also suggest that you try to get close to him with things that you think you'd both enjoy and try to learn one another; I'm not saying, by the way, that you should stay in this marriage if you feel strongly about ending it. I'm, however, saying that it's too early to jump out of the ship because it seems that you not being able to connect with your husband has a lot to do psychologically with the fantasy of what you looking at the past through rose-tinted vision and also having that rose-tinted vision of what future would have been like with that other man. However, fantasy is not reality: What you're experiencing is a mirage in the desert that looks good but is not real. And I don't think it's wise to give up what is real for a mirage.
If you still continue to feel this way, strongly suggest that you pray the
Istikhara prayer about ending this marriage and see how Allah then guides your heart in the days following that prayer. I don't know what is right for you, sis, or your future, but I do know one thing: Allah will never guide you wrong if you recite the
Istikhara prayer.
*Hugs*
Wishing you the best, sis,
P.S. Give us an update when you've thought things through.
Barkallahu feeki (may Allah bless you).
:wa: (And peace be upon you)