previous; past

he / distal demonstrative, something far off removed from both speaker and listener: that / boyfriend

distal demonstrative, something far off removed from both speaker and listener: that, yon / particularly, male personal third person pronoun: he / by extension from he: boyfriend

he; boyfriend

live a life

to return / to go back / to come back

go against, run counter to / go back, return

return

return / go back / come back / turn back

(と〜) thinking that […] (with the next clause explaining that the truth is contrary to expectations)