email security question

I’ve had an email address for apr five years, but over the past year started to use another email but kept the other one. So recently when i went to my original email address i forgot my password. I checked the option “forgot my password” and then it gave me a choice to send a temporary password to email address or answer security questions. For the option to send a temporary password to email address it gave two options, send to current email or to alternate email address, ending in xyz. The problem is I never had an alternate email address ending in xyz.

i have a concern someone (and i have a feeling who it could be, although no proof) may have gotten into my email and is doing stuff on my email.

can someone tell me how I can find out if someone got into my email and has been reading and using it?
because I never gave them an alternate email ending in xyz.

the other very odd thing is I do not and will never do facebook. But recently on my cell phone I got several facebook alerts, telling me that I had new friend requests…it links to my email address, and indicates that I signed up for Facebook, says “since you last logged into facebook you have gotten new friend requests”

I have never ever gone near facebook, so why would it send an alert to my email and cell phone telling me “since you last logged onto facebook, youve gotten new friend requests”

can anyone help me out?
I have an ex boyfriend and several years ago, he and I sometimes emailed each other (from the email address I am referring to here, that appears it may have been compromised)

Im worried that he somehow got into my email, (he has my email address but never had the password)

when I tried to contact the administrator of the email i havent heard back from them

im not very technically with it, so if someone can please give me directions for dummies on the fastest easiest way to find out if he got into my email?

With the email address ending in xyz - I would assume that’s just a place holder. Can you click on the address and edit it?

Can you answer the security question or get into that email account? If so immediately change your password there. Next change the security questions. Then change the alternate email address. Or just close the account.

Depending on the email service, something like GMail or Yahoo Mail, there may be a sent mail folder where you can see what has been sent and when. There may also be a deleted folder where you can tell if someone has been reading and deleting messages.

The Facebook alerts may or may not have anything to do with that email address. There are plenty of fake Facebook messages out there. Still you may want to investigate Facebook and see if someone is using an account in your name. See if you have any friends who are Facebook savvy who can help you out with this.