Sometimes, when relationships break down , the reasons are clear: they cheated, you cheated , one of you moved away, you drifted apart, you fought all the time, you wanted different things. But sometimes you have no idea what happened, because the person was so afraid of hurting your feelings during the break-up that they hardly say anything at all, leaving you to draw your own conclusions , put two and two together, and come up with a story that could be so far off the mark, but which you and your friends think is the most likely explanation. So that becomes "what happened." In these cases, the relationship can stay hanging in the wardrobe of your past for years. So when enough time has gone by that your feelings probably won't get hurt, what is the harm in asking? Saving face is so 2010.