How should I handle MLC direct lying?

[TimeHeals]

Mainly bc its obvious he's squeezing me in w 'something else'.

I don't actually know what this means. Is it just mind reading? Is it an expectation based on the past? It's hard to stay anchored in the moment in close personal relationships. Often, we will project our own personal past onto whoever we are with and follow ego-driven scripts in our interactions with them.

As for setting a boundary about being friends with somebody you have been married to. I don't believe it's a good thing to try and normalize a dysfunctional relationship by "being friends". If you are going to move on, a new partner won't want the old one hanging around all of the time... and for good reasons. If you are going to eventually reconcile, it's going to take more commitment than "let's be buddies". It's a lose/lose proposition, IMO.