Advice please (urgent and may decide the future of my relationship)

My relationship with my partner has plummeted ever since they wanted space from me. In November of this year, my partner had asked for space from me due to stress and needing alone time, at first I was hesitant but I accepted it and let them have their space, with the occasional text of checking up on them and them texting me back. During this time, my friend (we'll call him H), told me to break up with my partner, which I refused to because I told him that they were improving themself with this break and becoming better.

Now, after the break (lasted 4-5 days which is abnormal because when we've needed alone time from each other, it would last for less than a day). They text me and ask if we can talk, I'm happy because it's been a while and I've missed them a lot, so I say yes. They first start off by apologizing for the break, which I say it's okay, then they tell me that they want to break up with me as they feel that they aren't ready for a relationship and said relationship is causing them stress, this messes me up and I start crying, I respond to them saying that I'll fight for the sake of us, and I refuse the break up because I believe in hope that we could be together and find another outcome other than a breakup. They tell me that I should find someone better than them and I refuse because I say that I don't want that and that there is no better than them, that I won't find anyone.

Fast forward to Monday, we meet in person and they ask if I want to talk, I say yes, so we walk to a secluded place and talk, I offer them my handmade heart that I painted crimson with a white shine along with my pesto chicken and cheese sandwich, both of which they refuse. When talking, I tell them that I don't want to lose them, I ask them about our future and they say "I don't know the future" and I asked that if they're done with their while being alone, would they reconcile, and they say that in the future "we could be just friends, but don't expect anything more".

This hurt me so much, I started wailing and crying, I cried that they wouldn't even sit next to me, that they wouldn't even comfort me, that their eyes were devoid of the love and smile I once saw, that I miss so dearly. They told me that they cried too, even though they made the decision to do so. This all felt sudden, and it felt like I got shot in the heart, it felt so bad and the fact that they didn't even show any emotion, that they looked at me as if they just wanted to move on and that they were tired of me.

Please help me, anybody. Please give me any advice other than moving on and breaking up, this is a person I've known for a while and have loved so dearly (prior to late-November, we both were happy and showed affection). My partner (or it's complicated rn so I don't know what to call it) had a crush on me and wanted the idea of a relationship first, so this is confusing me, it's like they're giving up on their crush on me.