I fixed myself for them because I wanted to love them the way they deserved. I didn't want old scars touching something that had nothing to do with them. So I kept working on myself quietly, healing in corners, adjusting, improving, trying to be softer and better. I thought I was growing for us, becoming healthier for something real. And then one day I paused and asked myself, what am I still healing from? That's when it hit me, the wounds weren't old anymore, they were current. They knew I could fix myself without complaints, without drama, because that's what I had always done. They saw that strength and used it for their convenience, while I kept offering my best. I gave them my healed version, my patient version, my understanding version, and received their worst in return. Some people don't love you for what you have to offer, they love you because they know exactly what they have to offer, and they're counting on you to tolerate it silently.