I'm pretty sure that's what I was doing when I stopped seeing L so abruptly almost a year ago now. I had the very strong sense that she was getting really frustrated with me and was about to give me the boot, so canceling and then a little later telling her I wasn't coming back was my way of taking control of the ending. At the time, my thoughts were along the lines of I'm doing what I need to do to protect myself - and that's what it was all about. Protecting myself by leaving on my terms, not hers.

Or, one could argue, my same old pattern of leaving before I can be left, but I prefer the above.