01/29/2025
Love doesn’t thrive in neglect. Desire doesn’t grow in disrespect. You can’t treat someone like they’re disposable and expect them to hold you like you’re irreplaceable. You can’t break them, drain them, push them away, and still expect them to crave you like the air they breathe. It doesn’t work like that.
People don’t crave pain. They don’t yearn for mistreatment. They might tolerate it for a while—hoping, praying, excusing—but eventually, something shifts. That same heart you took for granted learns to beat without you. Those same hands that once reached for you learn to rest in their own solitude. And the soul that once ached for your love? It begins to heal in the absence of your chaos.
Because love isn’t about how much someone gave before they had enough. It’s about how much you cherished what they gave while they were still willing to give it. Don’t wait until their silence screams louder than their love. Don’t let your ego convince you that they’ll always be there. Because one day, the same person you treated like an option will wake up and realize they deserve more. And when that day comes, you’ll understand: you never lose a good person by loving them right, only by loving them wrong. - Míchelle Annalèise Coles