Is what I want just a fairytale love story from movies? Too much to ask/want?

Stacy
I'm 35 and I'be never had a real relationship, but every guy I've ever been involved with always tells me "I'll always love her" (meaning his ex). I just broke it off with a longtime friend who I spontaneously developed feelings for after 20 years (amicable "breakup"; we're still friends, but he did a couple things that hurt me while he was still drinking. **Also, Quick backstory on him: He's a recovering alcoholic, went to rehab, and has been sober for 4 months.**). 
Before he went to rehab we talked about a future between us, (he doesn't remember our talk because of the alcohol) but he was still texting a girl (ahem....a whore who was using him) while I was lying in bed next to him- no joke- but he did break it off with this one. 
I don't know how to even let that go whether or not he remembers our "could there be something between us" conversation before he went to rehab. 
More so, even after he got out of rehab, he contends that he "will always love" a different girl with whom he was involved for approx 4 years and this one cheated on him constantly. I'm mean this one even texted my brother one night-in front of him- that she would s**k his d**k (my brother's) if he could get her some kind of pills. My brother of course refused and even SHOWED my "ex"/longtime friend the texts, and to this day he will not admit that it happened. I mean, even other friends and my own mother saw this girl's texts. (FYI, the guy I'm talking about has been not only my friend, but a family friend for these past 20 years) 
Anyway, to wrap it up, this is the girl that he "will always love", and I just don't understand how he could love her considering all the times she hurt him. (The preceding story was just the tip of the iceberg as to how badly she treated him and was always cheating on him.)
She had some other guy help her pack up her stuff and leave him a few years ago, but he will just not let go of this idea that he will always love her. 
How would any of you girls out there feel about this? How do you feel when someone you're seeing tells you that he will always love his ex? Am I living in a fairytale? At my age is there possibly anyone out there who would only have feelings for me and not make me feel like second-best? Or is that just a pipe dream? Is this something that I'm just going to have to learn how to deal with from here on out when I meet someone? It really hurts to think that this would be the scenario that I'm looking at for the rest of my life.