vulnerability

  • The Bloodbath of Healing

    People don’t understand that healing isn’t a glow-up. It’s a bloodbath. It’s standing in the wreckage of everything you tolerated and realizing the monster wasn’t just him – it was the version of you that stayed. The one who kept… Continue reading

    The Bloodbath of Healing
  • When Silence Masquerades as Love

    I’m tired of calling restraint love. For too long, I’ve tried to convince myself that biting my tongue, locking my hands behind my back, and choking down the feelings that rise in my chest is a noble act. That holding… Continue reading

    When Silence Masquerades as Love
  • The Space Between Us

    You looked at me longer than most people do. It wasn’t the quick glance people give before moving on, the kind that skims the surface and never bothers to linger. It was steady, almost deliberate, like you were letting yourself… Continue reading

    The Space Between Us
  • Another Life, Maybe

    There’s a kind of connection that doesn’t need to be spoken to be understood. Yours lives in the way I feel when you’re near me. I don’t know how to explain it clearly, but I notice things I don’t notice… Continue reading

    Another Life, Maybe
  • Slow Isn’t Boring When It Feels Like Safety

    I don’t know how to explain it. The way I feel pulled toward you, even when I’m doing everything I can to keep my distance. It’s not about fear of you – it’s what you bring up in me. You… Continue reading

    Slow Isn’t Boring When It Feels Like Safety
  • The Ache Beneath the Armor

    It’s hard to ask for help when your trauma taught you that needing anything makes you a burden. So I don’t. I keep it in. I figure it out. I carry what’s too heavy because somewhere along the way, I… Continue reading

    The Ache Beneath the Armor
  • The Silence That Startles Me

    Some days, nothing looks wrong on the outside. The coffee is warm. The morning is quiet. The world moves normally. But then something small – a sharp tone, footsteps too loud, a door closing a little too hard – lands… Continue reading

    The Silence That Startles Me
  • He Wasn’t Safe. He Was Real

    If I wanted easy, I wouldn’t want him. I wouldn’t be drawn to the way he made comfort feel counterfeit. He wasn’t smooth. He wasn’t simple. He showed up like a question I couldn’t answer, a feeling I couldn’t name.… Continue reading

    He Wasn’t Safe. He Was Real
  • She Unfolds Where She’s Held, Not Watched

    There’s a version of me that only comes out when I feel safe. She’s softer. Quieter. Laughs without scanning the room. Speaks without second-guessing. She doesn’t measure her words or shrink her feelings to fit someone else’s comfort. She doesn’t… Continue reading

    She Unfolds Where She’s Held, Not Watched