Update:
Thought I better do an update, although it might get lost now on this thread, but I'm a bit wary of starting a new one!
DS and GF are over 🙌🏼
We've been hesitant to celebrate as we thought he would take her back, but he's started his apprenticeship and has been hanging out with his mates regularly and DS tells us it's completely over.
He's told his work mates about her and some of what happened and they've encouraged him not to take her back, his friends have as well and have been so supportive and just great mates to him considering he ditched them for 16months.
DS, while can still be slightly moody, as in normal teenage mood, has been pleasant, starting and having conversations with us, having a joke here and there, spending a little bit more time around us (watching sport with his Dad for example), it's just so so nice to have our 'normal' son back.
We were all worried that when it was over he would be a mess, completely depressed, but he seems ok.
He has been a bit low some days and I think sometimes he's not sure what to do in his down time as he was always with her but otherwise his mental health seems ok.
We've had a bit of a chat and I think he was ready for it to be over but wasn't sure how to go about it, it's like the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders, he just seems 'lighter', we've told him this and he agrees.
His mates and even their GF's have even told him he seems so much happier.
I think some of the weird/nasty things the GF did at the end of their relationship helped him to get over it.
We still feel a bit on watch and wait mode, wondering if she will come back in time and keeping an eye on his mental health but also trying not to bombard him, just letting him come to us.
He has reassured us that there will be no new GF for a while tho haha
But for now, we can relax and have a lovely family Xmas without drama.
Sometimes I just watch him standing there having a chat to us and I could cry, we got through it 