Accepted

By Tam Letham

What hurt her the most was that she accepted you for who you were.

To do that, she had to lower her standards, silence her instincts, and tolerate more than she ever should have. She stood by you when you didn't deserve it, defended you when others warned her, and kept believing in the version of you she created in her heart, not the on you kept showing her.

She gave chances when she should've walked away. She chose understanding when she should've demanded effort. And still, she stayed. Not because she was weak, but because she hoped love could change what it clearly couldn't.

She convinced herself that if she just loved you enough, you'd grow. She convinced everyone else that you were a good man -- that they just didn't see the side of you she did. But in the end, you proved her wrong...and everyone else right.

That's what broke her. Not just your actions, but the realization that she fought so hard for someone who never fought for her. That she silenced her pain for a love that never protected her peace.

Now she's not angry -- she's done. She's wiser. She's quieter. And she'll never again let her heart beg for the kind of effort that should've come naturally.

You didn't lose her because she stopped loving you -- you lost her because she finally realized she deserved more than waiting for you to become the man she imagined you could be.

What hurt her was that she accepted

you for who you were.

To do that, she had to lower her

standards, tolerate more than she should

have, and stand by you, even at the

expense of her own happiness. Because

what became important to her was 

finding a way to make it work.

She tried to convince herself, and

everyone else, that you were worth it.

Only for her to prove her wrong...and

everyone else was right.