When You Left, You Took My Heart With You

People say time heals all wounds and you eventually move on from everything and everyone. To some extent, they’re right.

Time does fix most hurts. But those hurts leave marks that never fully fade.

What no one mentions is that you never truly forget someone you deeply loved. You just find a way to continue living without them.

You adapt because you have to. Because it’s the only choice you have if you want to keep going.

What they don’t tell you is that real emotional pain stays with you forever.

They don’t say it transforms you permanently, making you different from who you were before the heartache.

They don’t warn you it turns you into someone you barely recognize, someone you don’t particularly like.

I realize this now, but no one told me any of this when you left. I was shattered, and it felt like my world had ended.

But everyone kept saying it was just a regular breakup, nothing major, and that I’d forget you in no time.

They said I was overreacting, that I’d move on quickly, and that time would prove them right.

And I wanted to believe them, I really did. But deep down, I knew the truth. I knew your emotional abuse had changed me forever, leaving a lasting impact on my life.

And I was right, as much as I wish I wasn’t.

Years have passed since you left, but somehow you’re still a part of me.

If you ask those close to me, they’ll say you’re just a distant memory. They’ll tell you I moved on long ago and probably forgot you existed.

Things seem that way. And it’s not like I think about you constantly. I like other guys, I smile, and I have happy moments.

But I can never be entirely happy again. No matter what I do, a memory of you lingers in the back of my mind. Don’t misunderstand, it’s not a painful memory; it’s just a reminder.

It reminds me of who I was before I met you. How open and trusting I was, how I believed in the goodness of people. It reminds me how I believed in love.

It reminds me how I trusted you. And how you broke that trust.

It reminds me of everything I’ve gone through since you left. Of all the sleepless nights, of all the tears I shed, of all the mornings I woke up alone.

And most of all, it reminds me of my heart. It reminds me that once I had a loving heart, and you shattered it.

You took it with you, with no intention of bringing it back. You turned me into a bitter woman who forgot how to love and be loved.

You turned me into someone who doesn’t let anyone in, into someone who believes everyone is out to get something from me.

You transformed me into everything I never wanted to be.

I stopped trusting people because you showed me the consequences of giving someone your trust.

I stopped giving myself fully to anyone because now I know the more you give, the more you lose when they leave.

I stopped relying on others because you taught me people aren’t there to catch you when you fall.

And most of all, I stopped believing in love because you showed me it was just an illusion. I was afraid of love until this helped me: Overcome Fear of Falling in Love and Enjoy a More Fulfilling Life

I forgave you for treating me badly while we were together, for leaving like I meant nothing, for breaking me…

But I can never forgive you for changing who I am. I can never forgive you for altering the core of my being. I can never forgive you for taking away my hope.

And I can never forgive you for taking my heart with you.