I'm happy for you. When you take something on like this it is a great asset to have someone for emotional support. After your girlfriend dropped the bomb this must have been harder to come by, which could explain why you were fooling around trying to fill a void.

You can still surround yourself with smart people while freelancing. It is just a little harder to do. You also appear to be scarred by the experience which is why you never want to do it again. Good luck with the new job.