Survivor's Goodbye

Dear You,

For a long time, I hated you.

I hated what you did to me.

I hated how you made me feel.

For a long time, you made me hate me.

You made me question myself — who I even was.

You destroyed me.

Stripping away any ounce of trust I had left in the world.

And the worst part? You never felt remorse.

You coerced me into doing things I wasn’t ready for.

Making my biggest fears a reality.

Taking my power, my control, my innocence.

I’ve spent years crying over what you did to me.

I bet you forgot about me instantly.

To you, I was just another girl.

To me, you’ll always be the man who hurt me —

The reason I’m afraid of men.

You violated me.

You hurt me in ways words will never fully describe.

For a while, I didn’t think I’d ever get over it.

And some days, I still don’t.

But I’m trying.

I’m healing.

And even though I will never like you,

Even though you don’t deserve my forgiveness —

I forgive you.

Not for your sake, but for mine.

I wish I had reported you.

You deserve to face what you did.

And I deserved justice.

I hope you never hurt another woman like you hurt me.

I hope your life is filled with accountability.

But as for me —

I am healing.

I will not reach out again.

This is my closure.

My goodbye.

My freedom.

—Me