"People wonder why hope keeps walking straight into the arms of the pain it's running from." Because you're tired of waiting for a love that feels real. You rush toward anything that feels warm, even if it burns. Patience feels like punishment. Silence feels like rejection. Every delay makes you question your worth. Voices around you feed the doubt until slowing down feels like failure. Your heart hardens. Your standards shake. And eventually, you stop pretending you're fine. You go after whatever gives you relief, even if it's temporary. And just when you're close to something genuine, so many rip off their own mask out of fear - because the moment real love arrives, their shadows panic, rattling their old wounds and dragging them back into the chaos they swore they'd escaped.