I think you guys are taking the het the wrong way. The point of mentioning it to show more of her lost humanity. Yuri is great but it's not as common het therefore it makes more sense as a reference in the story. I mean could you imagine if it said ' the woman I loved'?
An old favourite but this is the first time I'm reading the forum on it I think. Didn't know the statement about the 'man' became such a hotly contested topic when I've always read it like the above interpretation. It's meant to show that she lost her humanity and a sense of normalcy. It points towards why she later thinks about how she resents the original witch along with mentions of other hardships she encounters.
Anyway I always loved this story and the metaphors. I always assumed being a witch is an allegory to being gay here, being different making you feel alone. The whole bit about the forest not being acknowledged by other people linking with how people often try to turn a blind eye to being gay or pretending it doesn't exist. The wounds and frostbite from being out in the world healed in your safe place with your lover. Before and even now, being gay or bi can estrange you from family and brings a ton of hardships on its own. Some slight feelings of resentment could crop up, just human nature, but at the end of it all you have each other.
