My ex and I literally melt into one another whenever we hug, to this day. We lived under the same roof for 5 years. I slept on the sofa downstairs maybe 5 hours the whole time, why? Because no matter how bad things were, we could not bear to be parted from one another's arms at night. To this day, when we meet and hug, it's the same thing, a mystical pull. We have that chemistry, we have love, and deep incompatibilities about a lot of the rest. Grrr!
Do I wish it would have ended sooner without that bad last period? Who's to say. But I have a beautiful friend for life and will become the North American mentor of her daughter, should she return in later years.