The text moves across the screen, and she clicks on it. She knew there was something wrong the moment she saw her name pop up. She opens the message and sees the long paragraph, shifting her eyes between its lines. Then her eyes come to a stop as she reads the words, “I’m sorry, I can’t do this no more.”
There was a part of her that felt betrayed. She did everything that he asked her to do.
She cleaned.
She cooked.
She rarely spoke, unless spoken to.
She devoted herself entirely to him and his well-being. She never found time for herself. Her hours were spent trying to appease his needs. She was on his clock: day in and day out.
She changed herself completely for him, fitting into his personal image of what the standard was for the “perfect girlfriend.” That old college sweatshirt, too rugged and old to wear in public. Her mother’s dress, too long to wear to the party. Those earrings from her grandmother, “the ugliest things ever seen or created.”
She disliked his opinions, but any sort of resistance made him angry or furious. He was only trying to help. So she learned to keep her opinions to herself and instead thank him for his insight, even though it upset her to do so. She truly never cared for his criticism, not one ounce of it. It always stirred in her mind and, no matter how hard she tried, she could never forget his comments; they felt like a dark cloud that circled around her head.
No matter how bad it seemed, she always told herself it was because of love. Love made her put up with him through thick and thin. He criticized her and tried to change her because he loved her. Even though he rarely told her. It was love that made her do the things she did.
But now she realized, after many years, that it wasn’t really love at all.
She blamed herself at first. She gave so much of herself to him and was given nothing in return. She thought that maybe if she tried hard or did this instead of that, he wouldn’t have done her dirty. But within her sorrow, she began to realize something important: it’s not my fault.
Always remember that at the end of the day, it is never your fault.
The actions of another person can not be justified as “what if I did this” or “what if I changed this?”
A person does whatever he or she chooses without caring how it affects others. It’s called being selfish, and unfortunately, many can not face the truth; rather than owning their actions, they choose to hide behind their barriers. It sucks, but it’s best to take the lessons that come from these experiences and apply them to future relationships. They are who they are and there is little that can be done to change them.
If a person truly cares for you, they won’t try to hurt you and they won’t be thinking of just themselves. Instead, their focus will be on improving your morale, not trying to destroy your self-esteem. A person who truly cares for you is more likely to build you up, not bring you down.
So in the end, the fault never lies with the person who feels betrayed. It lies instead with the person who never had good intentions in the first place.
Always remember that at the end of the day, it is never your fault.