You looked me in the eye and spoke like we were real

But every word had a safety seal

You said “us” when it fit your needs

Then switched the meaning quietly

I wasn’t blind, I was trusting

That’s a difference you keep adjusting

You let me think we were aligned

While you kept one foot outside

I was filling gaps you wouldn’t face

Being everything he couldn’t give

You called it love, I call it escape

A way to cope, not a way to live

You didn’t fall for me

You leaned on me

There’s a difference you refuse to see

You mistook me

For someone easy to play

You mistook honesty

For something you could bend your way

You mistook presence

For someone desperate to stay

I was real with you

That’s not a weakness, that’s where you misplayed

When I said I needed space for my head

You told me to get out instead

That’s not strength, that’s defense

That’s fear dressed up as confidence

You wanted comfort without risk

Connection without consequence

I was giving you something solid

You were managing appearance

You didn’t respect my mental state

You minimized it when it was real

That told me everything I needed

About how you actually feel

You protected your life

By discarding mine

And somehow thought I wouldn’t notice in time

You mistook me

For someone afraid to lose

But I don’t stay where truth is optional

And respect is something you refuse

You mistook silence

For me not seeing the game

But I was watching every move

While you were rearranging names

I’m not angry anymore

I’m clear

You didn’t break me

You exposed yourself

You mistook me

For a piece in your design

I was never here to complete

What you refuse to fix in your life

You mistook me

But now it’s done

I’m walking away intact

While you stay exactly where you are

Santiago Flores

This isn’t revenge

It’s self-respect