It probably won't make a difference whether he confesses this to you or not. I'm sure having a sense that someone was "there for him" made it easier to leave. Whether you know or not, I think you will still have to go through the healing process either way, and sometimes this is a long process. And some people never seem to work through it. They are broken and bitter years later.
I think getting involved in a romantic relationship immediately after separation only slows this process because it's like using a bandaid rather then focusing on yourself as an individual, and going through the healing process. It's a distraction. A form of self-medication. Dating, not because a person is ready for a real relationship (worked through the baggage, and is ready for something real...), it's just a way to fill a void. In the long run it often only makes the whole process take longer.
There is no arriving, ever. It is all a continual becoming.
