Dear _______,

I want to start off by thanking you for the year and a half that you gave me. Although we had a great start, the last six months of it was spent wondering why you would treat someone you "loved" the way you treated me. Admittedly, I had my own faults, but that's not the point of this letter. The point is that I'm thankful for the memories we shared, but I'm even more thankful for the lessons I learned.

In the beginning, we were golden. We learned every detail about one another and it was unlike anything I had experienced before. But unfortunately, it was filled with empty promises to be there every step of the way and promises to never leave -- but we see where those left us. What I really want you to know is that I forgive you. At this point, I wasn't the best version of myself either but somehow things worked for us until college finally rolled around for me. The night before move-in day, I tried to act like nothing bothered me but you just knew I was afraid to leave home. You assured me, as you always did, I'd have you there. But as they usually did, your promises seemed to crumble under pressure. Being at college with you seemed to be a dream come true, until it just wasn't anymore. The fights became worse, but you always apologized even if it wasn't your fault. I'll always be grateful for the person you were back then.

But you know, they always say that you can never be friends with an ex, and that's completely true. I started texting the guy I dated before you (we'll call him "A") because I thought we were friends, but really, he wanted more. "A" convinced me to break up with you so that I could finally see him after about two years of not talking, so I listened. To this day I regret that decision, but I also became a better person because of it. Things with "A" didn't work, and when I told you, you were still crushed that I had even decided to talk to him. I wholeheartedly believed we could work through it, but I was wrong.

Over the next few months, we kept trying to work on things, but you couldn't seem to forgive me. Honestly, I don't blame you. When Valentine's Day rolled around, I had hoped for at least a box of chocolates, but I didn't even get a text. When I asked if you still cared, you told me that you "just wanted to explore your options" and so I let you. Eventually, you cried to me that no girl wanted you, and I assured you I was still there, but I should've left then. I also started losing sleep at night, and my grades suffered too. But I'm thankful for this part of my life; it taught me to never depend on anyone for my own happiness. The real kicker though, is when someone in my family passed away unexpectedly. It was finals week and all you could offer me was, "I'm sorry, but I'm busy studying." That hurt the most, but I've forgiven you for it. Still, I thought I needed you.

A few nights before I moved home for the summer, you came over and we actually got along. You promised to spend time with me over the break, and I had hopes of patching things up. You told me that I'd be the first person you'd go to when you were ready to date again, but then my friends started asking who was the girl in your Snapchat stories; And just like that, you were in a relationship. I still felt the need to apologize for the past and you told me that you had "forgiven me, but couldn't forget." That bothered me for a while, but then I figured out that I was even happier without our endless drama and arguments.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, you texted me asking if I was happy with a guy you thought I was seeing and I pretended to not recognize your number. The truth was, I wasn't dating the guy and had still not met him. You said you were asking because you were curious, but a small part of me wondered why you even kept my number. But next time you think you know something about my life, just don't. You lost the privilege to be in my life a long time ago, and I'm not heartbroken because of it anymore. I'm glad that you're happy with your new girlfriend, but I want to be left out of it.

I'm not sure I'll ever find anyone else who loves trying to feed the cats on campus at school or who shares my love of Chinese food like you did, but only time will tell.

Sincerely,

A Girl Who's Finally Happy