A Letter for Him, to You.

You said, "I am sorry. I honestly wish you luck in your life and that you find what you want." Do you know what I wanted? I wanted you. I wanted you to see me—not just in passing, not just when it was convenient, but truly see me. I wanted to be the person you looked at with the same energy, care, and attention you so easily gave to everyone else. I wanted to feel like I mattered, like I wasn’t invisible in my own marriage, like being your wife meant something to you beyond a title or a shared roof. I wanted your time, your energy, your love. I wanted to feel like I was enough. And maybe you didn’t realize it—or maybe you did—but I spent so much time trying to make you see. I tried to show you that I was worth the effort, that I was worth choosing. But over and over, I was left standing on the outside, watching as you gave your best self to everyone else. I wanted accountability. When you betrayed me, I wanted you to own it, to see the pain you caused, to say the words that would make me believe you understood. I wanted you to fight for me the way I fought for you, to prove to me that you were willing to rebuild what you’d broken. But instead, I was left holding the pieces, alone. And even then, I didn’t want to give up. I wanted space—not to leave, but to breathe, to heal, to figure out how to make us work again. I didn’t want to walk away; I wanted to believe in the vows I made, in the love I thought we shared, in the life I thought we were building. But I couldn’t do it alone. I wanted you to meet me halfway, to reach for me with the same intensity I reached for you. I wanted to believe you loved me enough to fight for us, to fight for me. But somewhere along the way, I realized I was the only one fighting. I didn’t want to leave. But staying meant losing myself completely. Staying meant living every day as a shadow of who I used to be, knowing that no matter how much I gave, it would never be enough for you. So, I chose myself. I walked away not because I stopped loving you, but because I finally started loving me. And as much as leaving broke me, it was the only way to save myself. I hope, one day, you realize what I was asking for wasn’t too much. It was what I deserved. And I hope, one day, I can read this and feel nothing but peace.