I chose me

I didn’t become this woman overnight.

I became her every time

I didn’t break,

every time I stayed soft

without staying stuck.

I loved people who couldn’t hold me,

trusted words that didn’t match actions,

waited in rooms

I had already outgrown.

But I learned

love should not feel like self-erasure.

I stopped asking why I wasn’t enough

for people who were never ready.

Stopped carrying guilt

that was never mine.

Stopped shrinking my truth

to keep fragile egos comfortable.

I chose peace over potential.

I chose clarity over chaos.

I chose myself

even when it meant walking alone.

And here’s the truth

they never tell women

(outgrowing someone

is not cruelty.)

Leaving when you’re no longer safe

is not failure.

Choosing yourself

is not selfish.

I am not hardened.

I am healed.

I am not bitter.

I am awake.

I am not waiting

to be chosen anymore.

This life

this love

this power

I own it now.

And if this book taught you anything,

let it be this:

You don’t lose love

by choosing yourself.

You find everything.