Since I was a little girl, I dreamed of the happily ever after I read about in books. I wanted the chirping birds, the fairytale wedding, and, of course, prince charming. As I grew up, I knew that life could not be a fairytale, but there was still a part of me hoping to get that happy ending. However, time after time, I was left disappointed. There was a string of disappointing relationships and partners before I entered a relationship with someone I thought could be the one.

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I was madly in love with him, and in my mind, maybe for the first time since I stepped into the dating scene, I could see that happily ever after. At the time, he was everything for me – everything I wanted and the only thing I focused on. My powers and energy, all went into this relationship and its future. Of course, giving this relationship all of me, I assumed that the other side of the relationship was also feeling and doing the same. Unfourtenetly, that was just a delusion. Over time, I learned through his actions and words that he wasn’t as invested in this relationship as I was.

It’s not that I was completely blind and unaware. My then-partner was pretending. Privately he told me what I wanted to hear, but others heard a widely different story. When it all finally got to me, I was devastated. Everything that I thought was true wasn’t. All the memories that I held so close to my heart were complete fiction. I thought that he was everything I ever wanted – the perfect guy that will always be there with and for me, the one to give me my happy ending, but I was wrong. Overall, looking back, it was a teachable experience. Maybe I didn’t get my happy ending then, but I am still hopeful I will in the future.