Love And Pain

No one should have to love the way I did. I found room in my heart for someone who still carried someone else’s imprint. I never tried to erase it— just as I never asked for the hurt that arrived wrapped in a ribbon brighter than your smile on the day your love faded. But I stayed kind— sweeter than the morning coffee you made for me, sweeter than the quiet moments before sleep when I lay beside you. The ending came without a warning, so I turned the blame inward, shutting out every red flag, wishing that it wasn’t you I kept seeing, kept feeling. No one should carry love the way I held it. No one should have to bear pain they never agreed to.