Time did not erase what happened. It did not undo the words that were said, or the silence that followed. But it softened the sharpest edges.
She no longer replayed the betrayal in her mind at night. She no longer questioned whether loving had been a mistake. Instead, she began to see everything differently — not as punishment, but as preparation.
The girl who once waited for someone to return had learned the cost of blind hope.
The girl who once trusted without limits had learned the value of boundaries.
The girl who once feared being alone had learned she could survive storms.
And through it all, love remained — not loud, not desperate, not dramatic.
Steady.
The world had tried to test her heart. It had questioned her choices. It had forced her to grow faster than she ever planned.
But it did not destroy her.
It refined her.
She was no longer soft in a fragile way.
She was soft with strength.
And this time, she was not loving blindly.
She was loving bravely.