I knew I was the one who let it fall apart, even when I had every chance to hold it together. Pride made me quiet when I should have fought for her, and now all that’s left is the echo of what we used to be. I keep replaying that night in my head, wishing I had said something different, anything that would’ve made her stay. “I never meant to hurt you, I just didn’t know how to stay,” I finally admit, though she’s no longer there to hear it. Now I’m standing in the aftermath of my own mistakes, feeling everything burn slowly inside me, realizing too late that some things don’t break all at once they fade, then disappear when you least expect it.