Dean met Nicole on Bumble in 2018, and they immediately bonded over their shared Chicago upbringing. Nicole had kids, and they talked often about “wanting more than what we saw growing up in the environment we did,” Dean, a 37-year-old independent contractor, tells WIRED. Even though Dean claims he is progressive, he says, “it wasn’t my thing” because Nicole had become overly negative. The article detailed the painful aftermath of women grappling with their partner’s sudden and shocking disappearance, noting how “many of these ghostings occur after things were seemingly going well.” Naturally, ghosting is a lot easier when you’re communicating with strangers or people you know you’ll never run into again.