Very sorry for your pain.

Please be kind with yourself and please stop any/all communication with him. It will only prolong your suffering.

This may seem insensitive for me to mention, but consider it a bitter pill that might help take some of the shine off the halo you have put over this guy:

It is highly likely that he has his eye on someone else -- someone with whom he has been having "intellectual conversations." 🙄 On that note, your ex-bf is a twat. just saying.

It's awful to lose someone you are so invested in. Yet now the only way through this is to find your determination and actively put him out of your head.

If you need a short period of wallowing, that is 100% understandable. Heartbreak triggers the same physiological response as bereavement. Only you must treat it the same way: He is dead to you. Trust me, that attitude is the fastest route to peace and loving your life again.

Self-care, Time, Distraction (the good kind -- friends, fitness, pets...); these things will help you.

Please consider posting an update after a few weeks.