His Secret

by Isabel Lucero

“No, but you can choose your family. You can find people who will accept and love you regardless, and you make a point to keep them close.”

What we had was the deepest connection I had experienced up until that point, and I haven’t been able to find anything comparable since. Because I’ve never been in love again, I’ve yet to experience that soul-crushing pain when it ends. Which is exactly why I don’t do relationships.

“You know, people say forgiveness is for the forgiver, but I don’t agree. You want my forgiveness so you can move on without guilt, but forgiving you gives me nothing. It doesn't erase my memory. It doesn’t fill a void. It doesn’t take us back to the past to figure out another way to do things. Forgiveness is for the guilty party, not for the wronged, and I no longer subscribe to catering to those who’ve hurt me. Like I said, you did exactly what you meant to and wanted, and my feelings were not a concern. I have to live with that and so do you.”