Never again,
I tell myself—
like a promise
pressed against a breaking heart.

Never again
will I be fooled
by words
that felt like warmth
but held no fire.

I believed you—
not just what you said,
but what I thought it meant.
That I mattered.
That I was seen.

But I was only
a quiet space
you stepped into
when time felt empty.

Just a moment.
Just a pause.
Just… someone
to pass your hours through.

And now it sits here—
this ache,
this unbearable weight
inside my chest,
like sorrow has grown bones
and refuses to leave.

I don’t know
if the lesson is learned yet—
or if I’m just
too tired
to hope the same way again.

— Maggie
The Afterlove Voice 💫