Finally, I'm no longer afraid to be the one who walks away first. For a long time, I thought love meant staying. Staying even when it hurt me. Staying even when I was losing my peace. I kept believing that if I gave more, stayed longer, and loved harder, maybe things would change. Maybe they would finally love me the way I wanted to be loved. I thought leaving meant giving up. But now, I understand that walking away can also mean choosing yourself. Sometimes, leaving is the strongest thing you can do. I no longer need to wait until 1am completely broken just to feel allowed to go. If I feel unseen, unloved, or unhappy, I can leave. And if I have to walk away first, I will. Because I am no longer afraid to choose myself anymore.