"Where Love Meets Reality"

From the time I was young, I believed love was the answer to everything. I imagined myself in the role of the leading lady in those romantic films I watched, swept away in a perfect love story. I thought that once I grew older, I’d find the love I dreamt about, just like in the movies. It seemed simple—when I was older, in my teens, I’d meet someone who would love me the way I wanted, the way I had always imagined.

But as I entered my teenage years, love felt farther away than ever. It wasn’t something I could control, and I didn’t understand why no one seemed to love me the way I had hoped. The intimacy, the passion, the constant connection—I longed for it, but it never came. I felt as though I was waiting for something that would never happen.

By the time I turned 18, I saw love in a completely different light. I realized that for many people, love wasn’t something pure or idealistic; it was a way to escape the pain of loneliness. People feared being alone, so they clung to toxic and abusive relationships, staying with someone just to avoid the emptiness. The people I knew who were in relationships seemed to carry a lot of problems, and they weren’t the usual kinds of problems. It was deeper problems of dependency and a need to be heard, to be validated, even if it wasn’t healthy.

It was a hard truth to swallow, yet now I understand that the deep, meaningful, and pure love I once dreamed of is still out there. Though the journey has taken unexpected turns, I continue to hold onto the hope that one day, I will find the love I truly deserve.