My Girlfriend Loves Someone Else But Want Me As Her Bestie

Some months back, I met a girl on Instagram who I thought was just wonderful.

I still feel so anyway!
She is much less dated and happens to be very beautiful among women, intelligent, easygoing, thoughtful and funny.

As adults, we both have our past and that has never been a problem to me.

My experience in dating in limited because I married at a very young age and had just one date after my
divorce before I met this amazing lady. So far so good, things were moving on very fine; we get along so
well, enjoy each other’s company- she seems to be attracted to me as much as I am to her.
Now my worry, I happen to be her option 2. She has been in several serious relationships in the past and
one of them is the love of her life.

She met him during her university days; he happens to be a young charming professor in her school. She fell for his cute, charming looks and intellectuality and resorted to
moving in with him, she got so addicted and devoted to him.
The professor love her as well, but not as much as she does so, he didn’t entirely reciprocate her efforts;
he cheated on her several times, but she kept going back to him because she letting him go wasn’t an
option to her. Basically, all of her best memories are with him as she still considers her time spent with
him as the best moment of her life. The annoying thing is that he is now married to someone even
younger than she is, yet they still stay in touch with each other.

At this point, it seems platonic, but the gushing language, respect and fondness she expresses each time
she talks about him makes me believe that she is ethically upright to cheat on me with him or anyone
else. Each time we talk about past relationships, I’m always very careful not to make a negative
comment about this guy because I wouldn’t want to change her opinion of her past lover for my own
interest; I respect autonomy and I happen not to be that very jealous type. So, I always try to avoid
talking about our past entirely and I think I’m gradually dying in silence.

She’s my better half, my favorite person ever, but I don’t think I can ever mean same to her. Should I
really care about this fact? Should I just accept the second best position? Is there any way I can gain the
place I desire in her life?