Pete Davidson has no issues with his ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian personally and wishes her nothing but the very best, but a source exclusively tells In Touch he’s still pretty scarred by their failed romance and has lingering regrets about what might have been between them.

“When Pete heard that Kim’s got someone new in her life, it brought up a lot of feelings,” the insider says, referencing In Touch’s recent reporting on Kim’s new dating life eight-months after her Odell Beckham Jr. split. “People may not realize it, but they were very much in love.” 

The seemingly unlikely former couple were together for nine months before calling it quits in August 2022, which a different source told People at the time was due at least in part to their “busy schedules.”

However, many have speculated about what could be the real driving reason behind their doomed romance: from the relationship just being a rebound fling that ran its course, to potentially something more serious going on with the troubled comedian, 31, who has openly struggled with addiction and mental health issues in the past. 

“Fact is, he didn’t end it because he wasn’t into her anymore,” but rather, “He simply could not handle the level of scrutiny and insane stress that came with dating her,” the insider tells. 

Even Kim’s mom, Kris Jenner, raved about her ex during a confessional on The Kardashians. “Pete is amazing. No drama, no stress, he’s just Pete,” the matriarch said at the time, when they were dating, “[He] fits in with the family. I think Kim is happy, she laughs, she’s more confident, Pete brings out the best in her.”

While the SKIMS founder’s family may have been sad to see him go, the same cannot be said for her ex-husband Kanye West, 47. The insider says that, in addition to conflicting filming schedules and the media attention, it was the Adolf Hitler-praising rapper that “absolutely sabotaged [their relationship] – and it worked.”

“Don’t forget Kanye pretty much threatened his life and Pete took that very seriously, he was terrified day and night after that,” the source says. “He could hardly sleep and anywhere he went outside the house he felt unsafe, it was very unhealthy for him and ultimately, he had no choice but to pull the plug to save his sanity.”

For Pete, who has been institutionalized for his post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder, “It was a tough spot to be in,” the insider tells, “but Kim was very understanding and sweet, they were both sad it had to end because they had such a special connection and amazing sex.” 

Even though Kim, 44, has moved on, “Pete is looking back and wishing things could have been different.”

“He knows that nothing has changed and that it wouldn’t be a good situation for him because all the same things would happen again, no way would Kanye be cool about it. It’s a huge bummer for Pete because he’d like to be with her and he just can’t.”