Defeat. It's not the right word but it's the first word that comes to mind. (Thanks, Chuck Pahlaniuk) Not exactly the right word indeed since there was no battle, no war and no competition. No contest--- just the apt words to describe the empty venture to ennui. The good news was you knew it from the start. The bad news is you knew it from the very start.
How do you break a fall? You can not. You just rise after the fall.
