Heart-ache: When bro-mances end

I have had what I would call a platonic romance – or “bro-mance” – with a man six times in my life. I have fallen out with three of them so seriously that we see each other either not at all or about once every five years. Each of those break-ups was easily as traumatic as when I’ve split from a girlfriend; much worse in two of the cases. Why wouldn’t they be? The relationships were more intense than I have managed with most women.