#Demi Lovato Explains Being ‘Fooled’ Into Whirlwind Engagement To Max Ehrich

Demi Lovato is an open book even when the chapter is closed — and the Max Ehrich chapter is definitely closed.

The pop star is so firmly in her new era that it’s almost hard to remember that phase. Let’s be real, we were all a little baffled — and concerned — by how quickly the relationship went from dating, to living (and quarantining) together, to engaged, to broken up. And then there was the actor’s weird, erratic behavior that made headlines after their split. But now that the drama has died down, Demi has shared some of her reflections on that period of her life.

Related: Demi Says Rape At 15 Was Why Her Music Was ‘So Angry’ Early In Her Career

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, she admitted:

“I really had myself fooled, because it was the safe and expected thing. Obviously I cared deeply about the person, but there was something inside of me that was like, ‘I have to prove to the world that I’m okay.’ Now that I’m not engaged or married and I’m okay, I’m like, ‘Wow. Isn’t that so much more empowering?’ It’s not this false sense of security.”

The 28-year-old added:

“Also, the size of that ring, it made it really real. The second it was off, I was like, ‘You know what? I’m good. I don’t need that.’ I just don’t need an object on my finger to make me feel like I’ve got my s**t together. It looks like stability, but it doesn’t mean that it is. And I don’t actually grow through stability. I find that I like living not in chaos or crisis, but in fluidity. It’s not [being] stuck and stagnant in an ideal or a tradition that was placed upon us by the patriarchy.”

The Dancing with the Devil singer has not been shy about speaking on the breakup — she even reportedly has a song shading him on her new album, singing:

“Good riddance / you got your fifteen minutes.”

In an upcoming episode of her docuseries, she described herself as “shocked” by some of his behavior (that crying on the beach pic comes to mind), and as we previously reported, explained:

“Honestly, what happened? I think I rushed into something that I thought was what I was supposed to do. I realized as time went on that I didn’t actually know the person that I was engaged to.”

Related: Demi Reveals She Lost Control Of Everything During ‘Miserable’ Addiction Battle

Elsewhere, she told Glamour that the split helped her embrace her sexuality:

“When I started getting older, I started realizing how queer I really am. This past year I was engaged to a man, and when it didn’t work, I was like, This is a huge sign. I thought I was going to spend my life with someone. Now that I wasn’t going to, I felt this sense of relief that I could live my truth.”

What do we think, Perezcious readers — is all of this Max Ehrich talk going to drag him back out of the woodwork? Or has he learned to stay out of Demi’s way? Let us know your thoughts in the comments (below)!

[Image via Demi Lovato/Instagram]