I made the mistake of giving. Not giving a little. Not giving wisely. Not giving with boundaries. I gave until there was nothing left of me but scraps. And people...no, vultures...they feasted.
They called it love. They called it friendship. They called it care. But it was hunger. It was greed wrapped in sweet words. It was hands that took without hesitation. And I let them. God, I let them.
I believed that emptying myself was noble. That sacrifice was strength. That love was proven by how much of yourself you could burn to keep others warm. But all I proved was how easy I was to use. How easy it was to strip me bare.
They drained me. They hollowed me out. They left me crawling in my own silence, wondering when I stopped being a person and became a supply.
And the ugliest truth? I handed them permission.
Because people will always take. They will bleed you dry if you let them. They will mask their hunger with smiles. They will whisper sweet things while ripping pieces of you away. And you will not notice until you are nothing but a carcass dressed as a human.
I know this now. I know it with a bitterness that sticks to my throat.
So when I clawed myself back, when I rose from the ruin they left me in, I was not the same. I did not come back soft. I did not come back forgiving. I came back sharp, suspicious, vicious with boundaries.
Now I look at people and see teeth where their mouths are. I hear lies behind every gentle word. I feel knives behind every outstretched hand. Trust? That word has rotted in me. It is heavy. It is poisoned. It is no longer free.
Abuse does not always come with bruises. Sometimes it comes with favors. With manipulation disguised as love. With endless taking until your bones ache from carrying what is not yours. And the moment you say no, the illusion shatters. You see the monster in the eyes of the ones you thought you loved.
My mistake was thinking I could love endlessly. That kindness had no cost. That I could survive being consumed. But I am not prey anymore.
The part of me that gave without question is dead.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcAo6sxDcB
The part of me that trusted without doubt is buried.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DCofNCRlr
The part of me that begged to be seen is gone.
What remains is something they cannot use. Cannot drain. Cannot devour.
Because I am not endless.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU299OJYXyW
I am not a well.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhKqRIxjKM
I am not yours.
I am rage turned into armor.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGeBU0pwb3
I am pain sharpened into a blade.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDpdJ8mDSv
I am the storm they created45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpYnV99CaS
and storms do not apologize for destruction.
and then Add to home screen.