The biggest life lesson everyone knows about (or should) is that people come and go. They come into your life when you least expect it and leave to teach you lessons about yourself. They change you for better or for worse. But sometimes, when they leave, they take much more than what you bargained for.

And that’s what you did.

You came out of left field when I wasn't looking for anything. In the middle of my freshman year, I was still trying to find myself. I was young and naive (some will argue that I still am). Laying my eyes on you was accidental and falling for you was unintentional. I never had someone pay attention to me the way you did. I was easy to prey on and you knew that. Boy, did you take advantage of that.

You really took advantage of that.

You took what little dignity I had for myself. The self-respect that I spent years building, all gone when you waltzed into my life. Waiting by the phone, ruining friendships; that wasn't me. Yet, I compromised my integrity for someone who didn't deserve it. You took and took but never gave.

Nonetheless, I always kept giving. I gave you everything; literally, everything. But never got more than a “what are you doing?” text at 2 a.m. from you.

You took away my self-worth. For an entire year, I defined myself through your eyes: how you saw me, treated me. I was your piece of meat for you to use when it was convenient for you. I was your friend when you needed it the most. I was everything to you but you never realized it. As the famous author r.h. Sin says, “You can’t love him into deserving you.”

And you lost out on an amazing woman. I know that now.

After you left, I doubted myself in every aspect possible: my choices, my identity, even my faith. I started to dwindle academically and secluded myself. It took months before I looked in a mirror and saw what you did to me. Not only did you break my heart, but you broke me. Into a million fragile little pieces. So many pieces that I thought I would never be whole again.

But with the help of my friends and family, I proved myself wrong. Little by little, I began to trust myself again. I gained control of my life and started to realize how much I have to offer. I started to distance myself from the person you made me believe I was and became the person I was meant to be.

You took so much you left me with nothing. But that gave me everything. You broke me but that gave me the chance to fix me. So, thank you. For giving me the opportunity to become the kind of woman I could be proud of. For reminding me that I deserve the best. Sometimes, the hardest situations yield the best outcomes.