mad? i was hurt. and i think many people don't see that. sometimes hurt looks like being quiet. sometimes it looks like slow replies, short answers, or choosing to walk away instead of fighting again. i wasn't mad. i was just tired of being the only one who tried. i was tired of feeling like my feelings didn't matter. i was tired of holding everything inside because no one really listened. i wasn't mad. i was just hurting. and i needed space to breathe, to calm down, to stop myself from breaking even more. i needed time to feel okay again. i needed time to heal, even if people didn't understand it.