Sometimes acquaintance friendships are the most difficult ones to sort through what they REALLY are.

Sounds like she might have felt that when she met this new person that she couldn't keep anything going with you or there could be a problem created especially if she was really having romantic feelings with this new person. She may not have wanted any possibility of jealously coming up in this NEW relationship she was starting & wanted to put her focus on it.

When I was in college, I had a guy that I enjoyed riding horses with & going out to dinner with & sometimes a play or a movie. I think he was more interested in me that I was in him because I knew that he had a very controlling personality that I didn't want to get involved with at any level that gave him the idea that he could have any control over me. Shoot, he even wanted me to commit months in advance to going out to dinner together & there was just no way this free spirit could do things like that & it was a red flag of what I sensed was the total control that he had over later wives that he had.

The interesting thing was that when I met the guy I ended up getting married to, we were able to stay acquaintance friends at a safe level....but that is a VERY UNUSUAL CASE & most times when one finds someone that they are becoming emotionally close to, they do cut off relationships with others that might stir up a jealous reaction in the new relationship or at least a lot of misunderstandings. Some people aren't good at explaining this & sometimes they really don't understand that's what they are doing or even exactly why so they just cut off any relationships they feel might create a problem in the future. Sounds like that might have been what she was doing & wasn't able to express what she was thinking to you or maybe she didn't feel like there was any relationship there so she didn't need to offer an explanation in the first place.

Just because you talk with someone & you are there for a period of time when they need someone to talk to about their problems, sometimes they say things they are feeling "IN THE MOMENT" but may not be what they feel in the overall big picture.

If there had really been something there you would have been the new man & you weren't so it's obvious that she didn't have you in her real interest & you were a good friend to talk to about her bad relationship through the time she needed someone to talk to.

Whether that's normal or not???? Sounds like she was desperately in need of someone to listen to her & someone to talk with but without any emotional connection to you other than being a friend to talk to, having no emotional connection, there was nothing to grow from & into anything more & maybe in some way she was using you while she needed someone to talk to & when someone else came along that she felt an emotional connection to, she was on to that relationship.

I'm sorry she seemed to lead you on by telling you that
but like I said, maybe she felt that way about you at that period of time when she was desperately in need of someone to talk to & didn't qualify it by any limitations like friends until I find someone who she was interested in.

The thing is that there are times when we just have to radically accept that it is what it is & get on with life. Radically accepting doesn't just something as being right or wrong, good or bad....it just was what it was & leave it at that rather than holding onto everything that happened. Put it in the past & just start working on new relationships each one being whatever it is & however it turns out.