Sometimes I wonder if I’m just being stubborn.
Maybe the smart ones are the ones who compromise a little.
Keep the money. Keep the peace. Keep their place at the table.
But every time I almost convince myself of that, I remember what it feels like to slowly give pieces of yourself away.
You don’t notice it at first.
Then one day you look in the mirror and the person staring back already sold something they can’t buy back.
I don’t want that version of me.
Even if it means walking alone more often than not.