To You,
Hi. I hope you’re doing alright. Even after everything you put me through, I still hope you’re okay. That’s just the kind of person I am, even if you’ve tried to tell other people otherwise.
Here’s the thing: I trusted you. I thought you were different. You made me feel special and happy and safe. Until you didn’t. Then I didn’t know what to do.
Everything started out fine, the way it should be; laughing, sharing secrets and fears, spending a lot of time together. Then something changed. I think something changed in you; you think something changed in me. Whatever changed, it wasn’t for the better.
You stopped treating me the way I deserve to be treated as a person. You stopped being nice to me, you stopped showing that you cared about me, you stopped talking to me. You stopped trying to make me happy or see how I was doing. You stopped caring about me and only focused on yourself. You stopped being someone I could count on. You stopped being respectful.
Even through all of this, I still showed you I cared because that’s just who I am. I want everyone to know that they are worth something and that someone cares about and loves them. But that didn’t matter to you. You took advantage of my kindness and made me pay for it. You knocked me down to make yourself look better. That is not how any kind of relationship works.
In any kind of relationship, you’re supposed to treat people with respect and kindness. It doesn’t matter what others have done to you. Be the bigger person. Take the high road. You don’t make people feel like they’re garbage and replaceable and undeserving of something you have to offer. We are supposed to be building each other up and facing this world together. You did the opposite, and I don’t deserve that. No one does.
I don’t deserve to be yelled at because something else is bothering you. I don’t deserve to be told that the things going wrong right now are my fault alone. I don’t deserve to be lied to. I don’t deserve to be thrown aside. I don’t deserve to be taken advantage of or taken for granted. I don’t deserve to be made into the bad guy when I’m just trying to help. I don’t deserve to have my friends mistreated, and my friends don’t deserve to be mistreated either. I don’t deserve to feel like I can’t leave. I don’t deserve to be afraid.
I deserve to be treated with respect, just like everyone else on this planet. I deserve to be spoken to in a calm and rational manner without any condescension or hostility. I deserve to be told the truth. I deserve to be loved and respected for who I am. I deserve to be seen as caring, honest, and helpful. My friends deserve to be treated with respect and care, especially because they are such great people. I deserve to feel safe. I deserve to feel happy.
I want you to know that I have kept and found people who treat me the way I deserve. I have some amazing friends who have always been good to me. I have found some new people who treat me like the person I am and like me for me. I have someone who treats me exactly the way that you didn’t. You don’t have anyone to blame for losing me but yourself. You are responsible for the way you treat people.
We all need to treat people the way we want to be treated. If I had treated you the way you treated me, you would have left long before I did. You need to recognize when you’re not treating someone right and fix your words and actions right away.
Otherwise, what kind of person are you really?
Sincerely,
Emilie
