People love to talk about love in soft-focus clichΓ©s. They describe it like a slow sunrise, like something that βgrows over time,β like an emotion that deepens the more you water it.
That was not my experience.
My experience was the opposite of every definition.
They say love grows over time.
Mine was met with βI do not want you. Go away.β
They say love is built on trust, connection, and mutual respect.
I was lied to daily. I was never understood.
They say love accepts your flaws, embraces the full truth of who you are.
I was not even seen, let alone accepted.
They say love feels secure, gentle, supportive.
I was never supported β only destabilised.
They say love stays through challenges, that real partners face problems together.
I was left alone with messes I did not make.
Left alone with damage I did not cause.
They say love encourages growth, individually and together.
No. I shrank. I dimmed. I disappeared to survive it.
They say love involves commitment β real commitment β the kind where people choose each other every day and make sacrifices that matter.
There was no choosing, only enduring.
