You've touched on something here that I've read/encountered before, about the limits and overvaluing of empathy in society. It could be argued that instead of lacking something, you are in fact in possession of a great deal of emotional stability. You may not be behind the game but ahead of it, if you can use this to your 'advantage'.
What you have relayed I can relate to, but I don't know if empathy is the right barometer in my case. I simply have what I call an allergy to other peoples drama :-)
You've hit the nail exactly on the head. A large chunk of the piece going up on Wednesday is breaking down exactly how not having emotional empathy is and asset a lot of the time.
And yeah, it was tough to navigate relationships for a good long while. But now that I have some tools I really struggle to want my brain to work in the usual way.