I loved him in ways I never thought I could love anyone. It wasn't the kind of love that burned bright and demanded to be seen—it was quiet, patient, the kind that made a home in the corners of my heart without asking for permission. But love, no matter how deep, cannot change what isn't meant to be.
I watched as his heart wandered toward someone else, someone who wasn't me. I saw it in the way his eyes softened when he spoke about him, in the way his laughter was just a little louder, a little freer. And in those moments, I knew—I was holding onto something that had never been mine to begin with.
So I did the only thing I could do for him. I let him go.
I stopped texting him, stopped searching for traces of myself in his world. I let the silence between us grow, even as it crushed me. Not because I wanted to, but because I loved him enough to give him what he wanted, even if it meant erasing myself from his life.
At first, he noticed. He asked if I was okay, why I wasn't reaching out like I used to. I wanted to tell him everything—that I was drowning in a love that had no place to go, that I missed him with every part of me. But I knew my words wouldn't change anything. So I smiled through the pain, told him I was just busy, and watched as he accepted my excuse without question.
Days turned into weeks. The silence grew heavier, but so did the weight in my chest. I saw him post pictures with him—the one he chose, the one he looked at the way I once wished he'd look at me. I wondered if he ever noticed my absence, if a part of him ever missed me. But deep down, I knew the truth. If he had, he would've reached out.
And yet, even as I let go, I still loved him. I loved him in the spaces between my ribs, in the quiet moments before sleep, in the aching silence where his laughter used to be. But love isn't always about holding on. Sometimes, it's about stepping back, swallowing the pain, and learning to love from a distance.
Because at the end of the day, all I ever wanted was for him to be happy. Even if that happiness would never include me.