My ex (25M) sent me (24F) an apology letter and birthday gift after I broke up with him for forgetting my birthday

Pretty much as the title shows. About two weeks ago my ex-boyfriend (25M) forgot my birthday. Leading up to it I was pulling away from the relationship anyway, so him forgetting my birthday was really just the icing on the cake. Since the break up I've gone on a couple dates with someone new (22M) (albeit we're taking things pretty chill/slow) who I feel is a better fit for me, has more similar interests, and who honestly seems more comfortable with himself in general.

I don't think my ex is a bad guy and I could even see us being friends one day, he just had a lot of emotional immaturities and his temperament, values, and goals I felt weren't a good fit for me after some introspection.

He sent me a book by my favorite artist and typed an apology note (on a typewriter, no less) about how he can't stop thinking about how awful he feels that he couldn't make me happy and that he hurt me. I think he genuinely thinks I ended things just over the birthday thing, should I reach out and explain or say thank you? It is a thoughtful gift but I don't want to lead him on. He also has bipolar disorder and can be a bit sensitive to things in general & very intense, so I want to tread carefully.

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TL;DR: Not sure if I should respond to the gift and apology letter my ex sent me after I broke up with him for forgetting my birthday.

edit: clarity

Submitted July 22, 2020 at 01:23PM by chickennuggetisacat https://ift.tt/2WMdDat