A Romantic Turns Aromantic

Life Alone

A woman who takes photos to capture every moment, makes sure to look into the eyes of her friends to see the little details, walks a little slower to observe

the pollinators, listen to a stranger’s story to show them someone cares. Someone who would go to the end of the world for someone she cared for.

Her life was changed drastically with incredible amounts of grief. Everything seemed to be falling apart.

In July 2026, a trusted person thought to be the love of her life had made the conscious decision to give up on her.

She has forgiven their faults day after day and night after night without apology most times.

She did everything she possibly could to make them happy, and still they were unable to open their eyes to see the conditional love that most people don’t get.

She just loved for what they were and accepted them.

She wasn’t able to be accepted for some reason-after endless attempts at sharing a deep love and keeping the connection alive- but relationships are two-way streets, team efforts, acts of kindness, and tender touch.

When one gives up, the relationship has already burned to the ground, and there is nothing only one person can do to build it up themselves-it’s already in ashes.

She grieves so heavily about the love she could once feel. She tried so hard to save it, but nothing was ever perfect enough. A love she thought would last forever and have even after death.

She would still feel it. She thought love was unconditional and forgiving. She thought she would have been granted the same grace she gave out when mistakes were made. She did not get grace.

She got met with anger and unrealistic conditions and cruel behavior.

She still loves them even though it hurts and can’t believe they let her go.

They seemed to become blind to her person and made her up in their head as some cruel individual who deserved to be punished with shame.

Even with the most painful look in her eye -they still left. Before leaving, they even made sure to ask if she was okay. Not to be caring, but to make sure she wouldn’t break anything. This was baffling to her. She would never in a million years break anything because of a breakup. She wouldn’t even hurt a fly. She is a vegetarian and an emotionally intelligent person.

Why would she waste her energy breaking things?

She wasn’t the angry one.

She was the mature, independent, and emotionally intelligent one. She just wanted the love they gave her again. Instead, she gets to mourn it.

And that is why she is done with romance in partnered relationships.

Don’t get me wrong-for a long while it was amazing, but something changed, and it became emotionally unbearable due to a lack of an equal match of emotional intelligence. They changed in an unhealthy way. She was seeing it firsthand—avoidance, anger, and emotional cruelty.

It may seem like giving up, but to her it’s just beginning without judgement or expectation or pain when her so-called person abandoned her.

Yes, of course she is upset with them. All she wanted was them to be their loving self and treat her with kindness, but they couldn’t for some reason. She wants nothing but the best for them, but sincerely hope they look back to reflect how immature they chose to be. Why was it so impossible for them to control their anger even over small things? She knows she wasn't the root cause of the anger and something deeper was unleashed in them that they were avoiding. She was the soundboard for the anger, and that wasn’t fair.

She loves her life

So much so, she romanticized every little thing in her life.

Strangers laughing, poetry, lovers, and warm food, the feeling of the sun on her face, warm candles, cuddling animals, seasonal change, game nights, chatting with friends, painting, connecting with people, experiencing new things, concerts, open mics, hiking, spotting mushrooms,

She loved the candidness of her life. Most of all, the only thing she could see was the intense and deep romantic love she had for who she thought was her forever person.

This year, she decided to be the renaissance of her love.

A new definition of love in life will be drastically changed. She won’t accept anything less than what is deserved. To experience love in every way possible. Mostly, this will be choices of selflessness to give back to others without expectation of a gift.