FI hand-delivered me a heartfelt note today regarding the situation and what he was willing to do to help repair our relationship. In his note, everything we had discussed (the good, the bad, and the ugly) was given careful consideration. He actually was able to see things from my perspective and offer ways in which he could work on some big issues we've been having.
I felt he really dug deep to see how he was contributing to our issues and what he could do to mend things and how we could work together on this. He showed up with flowers and cards and it was really nice to see him, albeit somewhat bittersweet given the circumstances.
I accepted his offer to work things out, but I told him that for the time being, the engagement was on-hold and that I would be staying with my parents, not moving right back in. I said we'd have to take things slow and try to rebuild our relationship one day at a time. He kept trying to give me back my ring and have me wear it, but I explained that I needed to take things one step at a time. We have a date later this evening and we are going to just see how that goes. I'm going to maintain my space and we will see how the next few interactions go. I told him not to expect me to move back in in the next few weeks, that this could take some time.
So that's where we are at as of today. I'm proud of myself for staying true to my heart and my needs. Cautiously optomistic but realistic that this might not be repairable. I'm going to give it one last shot.