Chapter 6 — When Our Love Became Everyone’s Battle

I thought things were finally becoming normal.
He was happy. I was happy. We were making memories together, and for a little while, I allowed myself to believe that maybe the hardest part of our story was behind us.
But then, everything changed.
The pictures he had posted publicly reached my family.
My ex-boyfriend sent those pictures to my parents and my brother. He also sent messages insulting my family. To my brother, he called my sister a terrible name. To my father, he said things like, "Uncle, is this how you raised your daughter?”
Suddenly, something that had been private between us was no longer private.
My family knew.
But before I explain what happened next, there is something about my past that I need to tell.
When I was younger, I made mistakes.
I was in an intermediate relationship with my ex-boyfriend. Looking back now, I don't believe what I felt then was real love. I think it was attraction, excitement, and the kind of infatuation that can feel like love when you're young.
Even while we were together, we didn't talk much. I would find reasons not to talk to him because, deep down, I was scared to tell him that I didn't feel the same way.
At that age, everything felt new.
And sometimes, when everything feels new, we don't always know which choices are right.
Around that time, I also met a friend on Snapchat. We became extremely close—almost like best friends—and for a while, I thought maybe what I felt for him was love too.
But slowly, I started noticing things that made me uncomfortable.
He didn't want me talking to certain people. He wanted passwords to my social media. He even told me that he could get my WhatsApp conversations.
I started thinking,
“What is this?”
Then one day, an old school friend called me “sis” and used to tell me about his love life. He treated me like a sister, and once he said, “I love you, sister,” meaning it in a brother-sister way.
But my Snapchat friend made a huge issue out of it.
That was when I realized I couldn't continue that relationship.
I clearly told him it wasn't going to work, and I ended it.
I thought that was the end of everything.
I didn't know my past was about to come back and create a storm in my future.
To be continued… ❤️