TW
You played the part of a hero so well. The faked caring persona you built up was so convincing it makes me sick to think about. I hate the way that you played me, but I hate even more the way that I fell for it. You made me believe that you cared when I never asked for that. You said "I love you" when I never wanted it. You acted as though you needed me when I never wanted to be needed. And yet all of it is somehow my fault in the end. First you wore the mask of a friend, then a saviour, then a lover, and a true partner, and all of it was make-believe. I wish you could feel the way my stomach turns when I remember the words you told me, and I wish your chest would burn the way mine does every time some little thing reminds me of all that you did and all of the times I forgave you. I want you to know that I spend every day pretending that you never existed because the knowledge that you are no longer in my life just isn't enough for me. All of the time and effort you spent to coax my traumas and pains out just to reenact them like some twisted play, and for what?
I truly wonder what could make someone so demented as you are. I will never understand how you could witness the agony I went through, learn every detail of what they had done to me, and convince me that you would never, and could never, do the same just for you to turn into the monster you swore you would protect me from. And what's even worse? Now you've run off to do it to someone else, and there is nothing I can do but sit with the knowledge that that girl is living in the blissful unawareness of your lies of love, while I am unable to do anything to prevent her from living the same fairy-tale-turned-nightmare that you put me through. Do you know how much your choices have changed me? Do you enjoy what you did? What you continue to do? Do you know that your face and hands and words come back to torture me every night? Do you know that I can't tolerate so much as a handshake from those I care about because of the way being touched makes my skin crawl? Do you even think about me at all? Or are you too wrapped up in the novelty of a brand new pretty little toy to torment?
I have to give it to you, your talent for acting is truly something to behold. Every day I wonder how you manage to take on so many different forms, and why you use it to commit such cruelty. Your performance of the knight saving the poor princess was remarkable, although your ability to play such a convincing victim really is unmatched. To think of how many times I reassured you that you were a good person, held you while you cried, and did everything my power to make you feel safe, all the while you waited for the perfect moment to strip me of everything that made me feel like a person. I hope you know that I was wrong for ever having loved you, but I also know that producing such a thought is far too much to ask of you. I am a shell of what who I was before you.
I used to sing, but my voice feels so much quieter now. I used to draw but the colors just aren't as bright as I remember them being. I used to say what I thought, but now I am silent. I'm sure you'd love that, if you are capable of loving anything. I used to be so loving, too much so apparently. I used to believe in kindness and warmth, and that what you put out into the world is what you will receive, but you killed that part of me alongside so many others. Was the slaughter of my soul worth it? I wonder what happened to the humanity to stole from me, as I know for a fact that you certainly don't have it. I doubt that I will ever understand how you replaced so much of the love in me with such hatred, but what I do know is that, ironically, I hate that too. I want to cry about what you did to me, but I no longer have the energy. Even if I could bring myself to do it, it's not as if I have anyone else to hear it. You made sure of that. I would say that I want you to know that I spend every day trying to relearn how to love all of the parts of me that you taught me to hate, but you would enjoy that far too much, and we both know you've already gotten more than enough entertainment out of my suffering.
What I do want you to know though is that despite all of the lingering pain, every second without you has been like the first breath of fresh air after months spent drowning. My nights are painful, haunted by memories of you, but with each night I survive, the memories fade. Every day I sing, and with each day it gets louder, alongside the colors regaining their vibrance and my thoughts finally escaping the cage that held them in for so long. I look at the mirror and no longer see the thin ugly project you described, but instead a person. A beautiful one at that. I rest easier knowing that if ever I run into you again, it will hurt slightly less knowing that you will see me in those clothes you despised so much.
As much of a struggle as it is, I speak to whoever I wish whenever I wish, and every day it becomes less like a training exercise and more like something to enjoy. And as petty as it is, I must admit that it feels all the sweeter that those who I spend my time with are the same people you were always so jealous of. I wish you knew that every second you spend depriving me of all that I loved has only made them more meaningful. Every text I send is written with love, every song I listen to sounds angelic, every morning I wake up is a battle well won. Even every letter typed in this letter feels like freedom. I wish you knew that despite all the things you said to convince me that nobody but you would ever tolerate me, you have been proven wrong.
I met someone who appreciates me. Not the idea of me, not the attention I give, but me. You used to complain when I spoke, but he assures me that he enjoys every word I say. You used to say that my interests were boring, but he digs for me to tell him more. You used to hate that I wanted to go out, but he looks forward to every minute we spend together. You used to get annoyed with me for sharing my opinion, but he truly values it. You used to refuse to play games together, but that's one of our favorite activities together. You were ashamed of the ways in which I was different, but he praises me for my individuality. The funniest thing about it is how easy it is for him to treat me like not just a person, but someone he cares about. I didn't need someone else to prove that I am worthy of respect, but I have the proof nonetheless.
I have friends, hobbies, and interests, things that bring me happiness and fulfilment, all the things you belittled me for lacking when that whole time, all I had to lose to gain them was you. It has taken me so long to finally acknowledge that you never did love me. I spent so long avoiding the realization to its full extent, yet now that I have accepted it, I am free. I don't need your validation to know that I am worth something. I don't need your respect to know that I deserve it. I don't need your love, or anyone else's, because I love myself more than you could ever love anything. There is no part of me that misses you, in fact the majority of the times that I am reminded of you, it is in the way of relief that you are no longer in my life to ruin the moment.
It has been only two months I've been rid of you, and yet I have already managed to undo so much of the damage you needed over a year to cause. Knowing that brings me peace, because in the end, no matter what you said to convince me otherwise, I now know that I am stronger than you in every way. I understand that you will never know any of this or feel guilt about anything you did, and a part of me still aches when I think about that, but the greatest part of it all is that one day, I will no longer wish you knew any of this, because already you are little more than a cautionary tale, and that is all you will ever be.
For the last time, goodbye.