Why does a situationship hurt more than a real relationship?

When a relationship ends, there's a shape to grieve: the things you did, the life you had, the reasons it stopped. A situationship never settled into anything definite, so what you lose is everything it might have been, and your mind can keep writing that story forever. With no clear beginning or ending, your body never gets a moment to register that it's over. Let yourself grieve it properly. It was real to you, and that's reason enough.