To the boy who broke me,

Let me start by saying that this letter is just as surprising to me as it is to you. I never thought I would talk to you again or even revisit these memories. I never thought I would be brave enough to get any of these words out, but enough is enough.

Putting my trust in you was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Given my rough past experiences, I’ve never been good at letting people in. The thought of trusting you and showing you parts of me that no one had ever seen before was exciting and terrifying. I did it, and it was beautiful. I was happy, something I hadn’t been in a long time, and I was having fun. You made me feel special, and it felt amazing. In a short amount of time, I was feeling things I was certain that no one else had ever felt.

Then you broke me.

I really don’t know where it went wrong, to me and everyone else; it seemed like we were perfectly happy. One day you were telling me how much you cared about me, and the next you were telling me that we had no future together. I wasn’t important enough for you to keep around anymore. I’d never felt so low, and for a long time, I had no idea how I was going to get over it. You had me feeling so many emotions in a short amount of time, and it was a lot for me to handle.

For all of this, I thank you.

Thank you for teaching me not to fall too fast because while being reckless is fun, it doesn’t last forever, and eventually you have to hit the ground.

Thank you for teaching me not to put my trust in anyone too quickly because if you want someone to hold your heart, you need to be careful and a little hesitant.

Thank you for breaking me to my lowest point; now I know what it feels like. I know that I can handle it.

Thank you for breaking my heart because now no one else can do the same damage that you did.

Thank you for not loving me enough because now I know how to love myself even more.

Thank you for tearing me down because I learned how to pick myself back up.

It's a weird feeling to sit here and tell you, "Thank you." I never thought I'd have anything to thank you for, and I definitely never imagined I’d be able to forgive you. However, I do. We’re humans, and we have to live through these experiences whether we like them or not. You’re not a terrible person for what you did because you taught me how to keep going even when it feels like it’s the end of the world. I hope that we can both find ways to be happy on our own because everyone deserves that much.