Arranged marriage decisions often happen fast.

You meet someone once or twice…
Families get involved…
And suddenly, you’re expected to say yes or no to a life-changing decision.

It’s overwhelming—especially when your parents or relatives are convinced about him because of his salary check.

I’ve faced this problem in my life when I was in the arranged marriage talk phase. You might have watched my story time videos on YouTube or read it here on the blog.

When I was talking about this with a friend, she mentioned this question to me—and I got stuck on it. We’re going to discuss that today.

---

The One Question You Must Ask Yourself

Before you say yes to an arranged marriage, ask yourself:

“Do I truly see my future with this person?”

Not just a wedding. Not just a few months.

A life.

---

Take It One Step Deeper (This Changes Everything)

Here’s where most people stop but you shouldn’t.

Ask yourself:

Can I imagine having children with this person?
Would they be a good father (or partner in responsibility)?

Even if you don’t want kids, this question reveals something deeper:

• Their values

• Their behavior

• Their emotional maturity

• How they treat others

You will understand whether you really think he is a good match or not with this simple question. And it’s not just about children, it’s about your inner child. You’ll see how your inner child feels around this person.

---

The Pressure Is Real But So Are the Consequences

In many families, especially in India, saying yes isn’t always just your decision.

There’s pressure from:

• Parents

• Relatives

• Society

And as women, there’s often conditioning to:

• Adjust

• Compromise

• Prioritize others

But here’s the uncomfortable truth:

You are the one who has to live that life not them. Your parents will not bear the consequences of marrying the person, but you surely will.

---

Saying “No” Is Hard, But Regret Is Harder

Rejecting a proposal can feel terrifying.

You might face:

• Emotional pressure

• Arguments at home

• Guilt

But compare that to:

• Being stuck in a marriage you weren’t sure about

• Living with doubt every day

One moment of courage can save you years of regret.

---

Why Financial Independence Changes Everything

Most marriages happen due to financial security.

When you’re financially independent:

• You don’t feel forced to say yes for security

• You can focus on who the person is, not just what they earn

• You gain confidence in your decisions

It shifts your mindset from:
“Is he financially stable?”
to
“Is he right for me?”

You start thinking about other areas of his life, not just his bank balance.

---

Trust Yourself More Than the Noise Around You

At the end of the day, no checklist or advice can replace your intuition.

If something feels off don’t ignore it.
If something feels right explore it honestly.

Your instinct is not your enemy. It’s your guide. Always trust your gut your body knows more than your eyes can see. It’s going to give you signals; you better listen to it.

---

How Do You Know If It’s a Yes?

It’s not about finding a perfect person.

It’s about asking:

• Do I feel comfortable being myself?

• Do I respect this person?

• Can I build a life with them not just a wedding?

If the answer isn’t clear, it’s okay to wait.

---

Choose Your Life, Not Just a Match

Arranged marriage is not just a family decision, it’s your life.

You don’t owe anyone a yes.

You owe yourself:

• Clarity

• Peace

• A future you won’t regret

So take your time. Ask the hard questions.

And most importantly

Choose a life you can actually live, not one you were pressured into.

Arranged marriages, honestly, feel like a marketing process most of the time.

The guy’s salary is highlighted like it’s everything, and the girl’s looks are treated like her biggest achievement. You’ll see parents saying things like “she cooks really well” or “he recently bought land.”

And yes, these things matter to some extent. But are these the things you build a life on?

Not really.

When you meet someone in an arranged setup, we usually stick to safe questions—job, hobbies, future plans.

But no one really asks:

• What kind of person are you, actually?

• What do you like when no one is watching?

• How do you think in difficult situations?

Because at the end of the day, you’re not marrying a profile.
You’re marrying a person.

---

 Health Over Horoscope

This might feel a little uncomfortable to talk about, but it really shouldn’t be.

You are choosing someone you’re going to spend your entire life with. Knowing about their health is basic.

Things like medical tests—STDs, HIV—these are not “too much to ask.” They are just being aware.

I’ve seen this happen in real life. A relative of mine married a woman, and they only knew that her previous husband had passed away. Later, they found out he had HIV.

You can imagine how things went after that.

So yes, it might feel awkward in the moment, but some conversations are more important than comfort.

---

A 50-50 Partnership

There was a time when women stayed at home, managed everything, and still got told, “What do you even do?”

Now women are working outside, earning, building careers…
and still coming home to cook, clean, and manage everything.

That’s not partnership. That’s exhaustion.

If both people are working, then both people should contribute at home too.

Not because it’s a rule.
But because it’s fair.

A relationship feels very different when both people are trying, instead of one person silently handling everything.

---

Family Responsibilities Go Both Ways

When a woman gets married, she adjusts into a new family, takes care of his parents, learns everything.

But why doesn’t it work the other way around?

Why is her responsibility expected, but his is optional?

Marriage doesn’t cancel your responsibility toward your own parents.

Both people should:

• care about each other’s families

• support them emotionally

• be there when it actually matters

Your parents gave you everything to become who you are today. Don’t let society make you feel guilty for wanting to be there for them.

---

Don’t Lose Yourself

I have married friends who can’t even take out two hours to meet without asking for permission.

And I get it—priorities change.

But completely losing yourself? That’s different.

Imagine not dressing the way you like…
not doing things you enjoy…
just because your partner doesn’t like it.

That doesn’t feel right.

Marriage shouldn’t feel like you’re slowly becoming someone else.

You should still:

• have your own friends

• wear what you like

• do things that make you feel like you

The right person won’t try to change you. They’ll accept you.

---

You Don’t Have to Agree on Everything

You’re not always going to think the same way. And that’s normal.

Different opinions, beliefs, even religion—it’s all part of being two different people.

But forcing your beliefs on someone? That’s where it becomes a problem.

If you go to church, that’s beautiful.
But don’t expect me to follow the same path if I connect with God differently.

Respect matters more than similarity.

---

 The “Provider Mindset”

A lot of times, when women talk about wanting a “provider,” they’re quickly labeled as gold diggers.

But honestly, that’s not what this is about.

It’s not about money.

It’s about knowing that the person you’re with is responsible, dependable, and shows up when it matters.

Someone who doesn’t run away from responsibilities.

That kind of stability makes you feel secure—not dependent.

---

No Dowry (Even in Disguise)

People don’t call it dowry anymore.

Now it sounds like:
“We don’t want anything… just give whatever you want to your daughter.”

It’s the same thing, just said more politely.

Marriage is not a transaction.

No one should feel pressured to “give” anything to make a relationship happen.

If both families want to contribute to the wedding, that’s fine.
But it should never feel like an expectation.

---

It’s Always the Small Things

Love is not in big gestures.

It’s in the small, everyday things:

• checking in on each other

• remembering small details

• making effort even on normal days

That’s what actually keeps a relationship alive.

---

Choosing Each Other Every Day

I once saw a reel where a woman asked her husband,
“If me and your mother were drowning, who would you save?”

He said,
“I’ll ask my father to save my mother, because she’s his responsibility. I’ll save you, because you’re mine.”

And honestly, that made sense.

It’s not about choosing one over the other.
It’s about understanding your role in each other’s lives.

After marriage, your partner becomes your person.

And strong relationships are built when both people keep choosing each other again and again.

---

Final Thoughts

These are not “demands.”

These are just basic expectations that come from wanting something real, equal, and respectful.

And it’s okay to have expectations.

Because that’s how both people understand what they are signing up for.

If you’re going into an arranged marriage setup, I hope this gave you at least a few things to think about.

And if you have any questions, you can always reach out through the sidebar.

 

When I understood it's me who created this problem and not the other person, 

I started looking at these things differently.

And let me tell you, I healed. 

I healed deeply.
I understood it's not him, it's me, and that was my nirvana.

I had deleted all of his pictures and removed him from everywhere by then. 

I had also removed him from my public Telegram group because he was in front of my eyes and it was hard for me to forget him at that point.

But once I understood the situation better, I added him again and said, okay, whatever happened, you can be in the group.

Then for the first time he talked about what he actually thinks. 

I was detached, but I was still listening.

He said,
“Disha, I haven't expressed or talked this much even with my family. You were the first person I was talking to, but two weeks were too early for me to say anything. Not that I don't like you, I like you a lot, but that was very early for me.”

Now I was a listener in this conversation. I was not thinking like his date, I was thinking like one of my subscribers is telling me his story. And when I go into that zone, I truly listen.

I understood his side. I understood some people are not too expressive, or they don't even understand their own voices. I nodded and said okay.

That's okay, and I removed you from the group, but now you have joined again. 

My part is done. All the best.

And I was leaving.

---

The Question That Changed Everything

He said, yeah I joined the group again, but what about us?

Us?

I was not the same Disha anymore. I was not in my reacting mode.

I said, us? What about it?

He said, can we try once again?

My brain and heart together said no.

But I said, oh but you don't know what you want, neither do I, so...

And I went outside for some work.

My brain was telling me, stupid Disha, why are you starting something again which literally gave you so much pain before?

My heart was literally nodding with my brain.

But when I heard his story, when he said he did not know how to express his feelings, I felt bad at that point.

My brain was like, oh then be his friend and help him come out of this thing, but why are you literally asking him what he wants? What if he says relationship? Are you ready for another heartbreak?

See, I love my brain and how he protects me.

---

The Message I Didn’t Expect

I ran towards my phone and turned on my internet, but I was late.

He messaged me:

“Disha, I like you a lot, and I see you as a potential life partner. Can we try again?”

Stupid Disha.

Disha had time on the earth to tell him, bhai hum dost hi ache hain, but Disha asked him what he wants.

Stupidest girl I have ever seen.

I messaged him, okay, we can try, but let's take it slow. Not like before, so you will get time to express, and I will get time to not become too attached to you.

We agreed on this.

My heart and brain were literally telling me how I don't listen to them and how it can backfire.

But I was telling them, bro see, now I am not too much attached like before, and this was unplanned. Let's see, please don't make it a big deal.

“Can you believe her?” my heart said disappointedly to my brain, and my brain just made a stupid face.

I was in my bed thinking about what the fuck I just did.

I was detached, then why did I say yes?

He is the same guy who made me cry.

Or wait, did he make me cry, or did I cry because of my thinking patterns?

Disha...

I made a list of things I thought were red flags, and here is what I discovered.

---

Early Signs

We had an 8-hour gap, and I was literally trying to manage and juggle things.

But he was also doing it.

He was also working a full-time job and handling everything on his own, but still trying to adjust the time to talk to me.

Even when he was working, he was trying to manage the time to talk to me, even in his lunch break.

I have never seen a person around me talking to his date even in his lunch break.

When he wakes up, when he sleeps, and all in between he talks with me.

So am I the only one who is adjusting here?

---

The First Red Flag I Thought

Now coming from an Indian household, everyone has the conditioning of waking up early. We become slaves of our mentality.

He always used to tell me to sleep early and wake up early, just like my father.

For my father, if I get depressed, if I am sad, if I am having anxiety, there is only one solution: sleep early, everything will be okay.

And this guy was very similar to him.

So did that mean my father hates me?

No.

It just means they are conditioned in a way that they don't understand why you sleep a lot.

Now thyroid is very new even for my own family.

I cannot explain everything to them.

This guy is completely new.

How was I expecting him to understand this?

That was stupidity.

And let me tell you, he is still the same.

He doesn't stop until I roll my eyes.

He is more stupid than me.

---

The Second Red Flag I Thought

There are two types of people.

One type is expressive.

They express and live their life without judgment and validation.

And then there is the second type, where they don't know their own feelings.

How will they know others?

This guy was from the second category.

He was so low on expressions.

He was protective while asking for my information, but he didn't share much about himself at that time.

First we used to talk only about me.

Now we talk about both of us.

He talks about his colleagues, family, and more.

---

The Third Red Flag I Thought

He understood I need assurance.

I need the talk.

I need him to affirm his thoughts in words.

And he started talking to me about his feelings.

He needed time and that breakup for sure to understand what he actually wants.

But now he has become more expressive than before.

He actually tells me who I am for him, what importance I have, and what feelings he holds for me.

I understood one thing.

Time is important when it comes to any relationship.

I don't get flattered by compliments because I get them on a daily basis from many people.

But I understood at least he is on the same page as me.

---

The Fourth Red Flag I Thought

As a person who grew up in an Indian household, that too as a boy, it is hard.

Now even if this guy is working in a different country and doing good for himself, he still has doubts about himself.

We all carry such doubts.

Before, that's what he was doing.

He was asking me doubts.

I think that was a very vulnerable thing for him.

We don't go to every stranger and ask what we should improve.

But he asked me that.

He was being vulnerable.

I wanted assurance in words, but this was assurance from him too, and I didn't understand it at that time.

---

Not Every Red Flag Is Toxic

Girls, these were very normal red flags.

And I understood his perspective on things.

I understood how it was miscommunication between us.

I am not saying ignore all the toxic traits a person has.

But filter things out.

Don't react so fast.

You have to understand the consequences and how it's going to affect you.

---

No One Is a Perfect Green Forest

Do I want to say he is perfect by turning all his red flags into this?

No.

I don't think a whole green forest exists in reality.

But yes, if you want it, you can generate it with AI.

I think there are imperfections in every forest, and that's what makes it beautiful.

You are not a whole green forest, and the other person is also not going to be one.

---

The Real Question

Now the real question.

If this will not work out, will I make a post?

Hell yes.

I am going to give you every update, so stay tuned for it.

But will I be in that state again if it doesn't work out?

The answer is no.

I learned a lot about my nervous system, my body, my insecurities, and myself.

And I also learned that relationships are like planting.

You put the seed and have to have faith in it until it sprouts.

It's not going to happen in one day.

But yes, someday.

So nurture each other.

Learn to be supportive.

You don't know what battles the other person has gone through.

Be empathetic.

Learn boundaries.

Choose communication over anything.

And be childish in relationships.

Love you,
Disha

My heart was aching because of all the emotions I was feeling.

At that moment, I genuinely felt like all those memes saying “the world is going to end in 2026” should actually become true right then. I was in a completely different zone.

Did I like what I was going through? No.

So what did I do to change it?

I decided to ignore the pain. I decided that I would keep myself so busy that the pain wouldn’t affect me at all.

I started making a content plan for my YouTube channel.

If you haven’t subscribed to my YouTube channel yet, this is your time to do it.

I started working out. I began doing a lot of courses.

I even got the idea for this blog during that time.

I tried to do everything possible to distract myself. 

My chest would start aching in between, but I kept ignoring it.

I told my mom about it, and she said it might be acidity. I also convinced myself that it was probably acidity.

But even when I was doing everything “right,” it was still very difficult for me to feel happy in that moment.

I was having a hard time dealing with my feelings.

The Moment I Finally Sat With My Feelings

And then one day, I just sat on the terrace with my feelings.

I felt terrified. I felt very different.

I didn’t understand the meaning of these feelings, but I tried to stay calm.

For the first time, I was trying to understand all those unsaid emotions within me.

My sleep schedule was completely disturbed. I was sleeping at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. and waking up at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., or even 11 a.m.

I would start crying even while watching something good. My emotions were all over the place.

And I kept asking myself why?

I had met this guy only two weeks before. And that’s not a long time.

So why was I feeling so attached?

I searched about it and learned something interesting: time doesn’t always determine attachment. Sometimes the emotional intensity of a short connection can create a strong bond.

That made me understand something very important.

You can get attached to someone even in a short period of time. 

It doesn’t depend on time, it depends on the people involved and the bond you share.

Realizing I Was Missing the Feeling, Not the Person

With this guy, all the red flag things were very subtle, almost non existent.

But somehow, I was still feeling a void when he wasn’t around.

Then I tried installing a dating app again.

I matched with many people.

But just like before, I didn’t feel good talking to others.

That was my first stupidity.

If you really want a distraction, do anything but don’t go to another person just to forget the first one.

I talked to someone, and within ten minutes of the conversation, I realized what I was doing.

I immediately uninstalled the app.

It felt like I had just woken up from a nightmare.

Finally, I decided to sit with my feelings and talk about everything honestly with myself.

And that’s when I understood something important.

I was not missing the person.

I was missing the way I was being treated.

Once I understood that, I started looking for ways to turn this heartache into something normal again.

Understanding What Was Happening in My Body

When I started researching what I was feeling, I came across something called nervous system regulation.

Our nervous system controls how our body responds to stress, emotions, and safety.

According to psychology and neuroscience research, our body mainly operates in two important states:

Fight-or-flight

Rest-and-digest

When we feel emotionally unsafe because of rejection, uncertainty, heartbreak, or stress our brain interprets it as a threat.

The amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for detecting danger, becomes very active.

This activates the fight-or-flight response and releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

This is why emotional pain can feel very physical.

Some common symptoms include:

chest tightness

racing heart

overthinking

difficulty sleeping

sudden crying

constant anxiety

Research also shows that emotional rejection activates the same brain regions that respond to physical pain.

This is why heartbreak can literally feel painful in your body.

When the nervous system stays in this stress response for too long, the body struggles to return to a calm state.

We can use nervous system regulation techniques to calm out brain and mind.

Techniques That Helped Me Regulate My Nervous System

Once I understood that my body was simply responding to emotional stress, 

I started using a few techniques to regulate my nervous system.

These are the practices that helped me the most.

1. Vipassana Meditation

This was not new for me.

I have attended two 10-day Vipassana meditation courses at Dhamma Giri. I started practicing Vipassana at a young age, and it has slowly become a second habit for me.

During this time, I started doing Anapana meditation daily.

It helped me observe my thoughts instead of reacting to them immediately.

Instead of suppressing my emotions, I was simply noticing them.

Vipassana teaches a powerful truth:

Everything is temporary, even emotions.

If you want to know more about Vipassana, you can watch my YouTube video where I share my personal experience.

2. EFT Tapping

Our body stores stress and emotions in certain energy points.

When I learned about EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), I realized that emotional pain is not just in our mind, it is also stored in our body.

EFT works by gently tapping on specific meridian points while acknowledging the emotion you are feeling.

Instead of suppressing the feeling, you allow yourself to experience it while calming your nervous system at the same time.

At first, it felt strange.

But after practicing it consistently, I noticed the heaviness in my chest slowly reducing after tapping sessions.

The idea behind EFT is that tapping sends calming signals to the brain.

I started my EFT tapping journey with guided videos and slowly made it a regular practice whenever I felt overwhelmed.

3. Somatic Exercises

Somatic exercises help release the stored stress from the body.

Some simple practices I tried were:

slow stretching

shaking out tension from my body

deep breathing

grounding exercises

mindful walking

Sometimes I would simply lie down, place my hand on my chest, and take slow breaths.

Other times I would go for a slow walk and focus only on my breathing and my steps.

These exercises helped signal to my nervous system that I was safe again.

And when the body starts feeling safe, the mind slowly follows.

4. Journaling

Journaling helped me understand all the unsaid things within me.

How I felt.

Where I went wrong.

What I ignored.

What I needed emotionally.

I wrote down everything honestly.

It helped me process my emotions instead of carrying them inside my body.

Slowly Things Started Changing

I started making time for myself.

I went for walks.

I gave my time to simple, normal activities.

And honestly, after some days, the pain in my chest started reducing.

It definitely wasn’t acidity.

It was anxiety that I had been holding onto.

When I understood this through my own experience, feelings, and thoughts, I started making changes in my behavior.

And slowly, I began to see results in my life.

If You Are Going Through Something Similar

I am writing this blog for anyone who might be going through something similar.

Let me tell you something important:

You are not alone girl.

Healing takes time.

Understanding your emotions takes courage.

But once you start listening to yourself, life slowly starts changing.

I also realized something very important.

It was never really about the other person.

It was about me.

About what I think of myself.

About whether I feel safe within myself.

The other person is not responsible for your feelings.

Sometimes we give people permission to hurt us or behave in ways that affect us deeply.

But once you take back that permission, life becomes much easier.

And I will talk more about this in Part 3.

I installed Hinge after a long time.

Now here is what usually happens when I go on Hinge. I install it, I talk to people, I get disappointed, and then I pause my profile and uninstall Hinge.

This has been going on for quite a long time.

But last time when I uninstalled it, I forgot to pause my profile.

So when I installed it again this time, I had 50+ matches on Hinge.

First I was laughing at my own stupidity. Then I started skimming through all these people.

---

First Impressions on Hinge

One guy wrote, “I would rather choose dogs over humans.”

Well boy, if you really want to choose dogs, why are you matching with a human?

There were a lot of people with no sense of self and no sense of what they were talking about.

Then I saw a profile where the guy mentioned that this year he wanted to learn Bachata.

And the day before that I was trying to learn Bachata, but ladies, that’s not a single dance, that’s a couple dance.

So I went through his profile.

He didn’t feel scary. All his prompts were normal.

So I matched with him.

---

When It Started Feeling Different

We started talking, and I felt something in my heart.

I felt good. I felt better.

I had never felt this good with a guy before.

Usually I get disappointed with dating apps, but this guy felt like a good person.

Silent. Firm. Understanding. Future-oriented.

At the beginning of our conversation he said:

"See, I want something serious. If you are okay with that, we can continue."

And I felt good hearing that.

The guy was serious and wanted to learn Bachata, that was a bonus.

But wait… it gets interesting.

---

The Early Signals I Ignored

When we started talking, he said he was looking for a partner. He even said he wanted a wife.

Sometimes he would call me “wifey.”

And I felt happy.

I started opening up and talking to him more.

He was not living here. He was living in the USA, and I am in India, so there was an 8-hour time difference.

I literally made a timetable to talk to him.

In my nighttime.
In the early morning.
In the evening.

I was investing my time and trying to be better at communication.

Do I try this much with others?

No.

I usually just talk however I want.

But for this guy, I was actually learning new things.

And I forgot the most important thing.

Observation.

I was so busy feeling that he was a good person that I forgot to watch how this conversation was affecting me.

So ladies, don’t be me here. Understand patterns and learn from my mistakes.

---

Red Flag #1 – Subtle Judgments

One day he said: "Disha, you sleep a lot."

He was saying it as a joke, but he said it many times.

Somewhere I felt maybe he was right.

Maybe I do sleep a lot.

But when I talked with my doctor, my doctor said: "Girl, you have hypothyroid. Your levels are fluctuating a lot. That’s why your body behaves differently. Don’t take stress. Take more rest."

And I believed my doctor.

Sometimes people don’t understand the problems you are going through.

Instead of understanding them, they just start giving you solutions.

I didn’t like it.

That was Strike One in Sheldon’s voice.

---

Red Flag #2 – Unequal Transparency

I got my UGC NET results that day.

The website was taking a lot of time to load, so he said: "Give me your details, I’ll check it."

I said no. I said I would check it myself and tell him tomorrow.

But he was very persistent.

So I gave him the details.

That night while sleeping I suddenly realized something.

I didn’t even know his real name.

I didn’t know his LinkedIn.

I didn’t know his job.

I didn’t know anything.

But he had checked my LinkedIn, he knew about my YouTube channel, my Quora, my parents, my siblings, my friends, my Telegram group.

He knew everything.

And I knew nothing.

I felt like I was getting naked in front of someone who was fully clothed.

I felt so unsafe.

That was Strike Two.

---

Confusing Signals

The guy used to ask me:

"What do you think about me?"
"What do you feel about me?"

And I would answer honestly.

I said, “You are a good person. I like you.”

But when I asked him the same question, he said:

"I don’t know. I have responsibilities."

And I was confused.

I didn’t ask him to marry me.

I just asked the same question he was asking me.

Later he explained that his friends say “I love you” casually to their girlfriends but they are not loyal.

So he wanted to calculate everything before saying he likes someone.

I didn’t understand that math.

I told him:

"Like doesn’t come from calculation. If you can’t even say this, we shouldn’t be together."

He eventually said it.

But I didn’t know if he meant it.

---

When Reality Became Clear

Two weeks passed.

He was flirting, calling me wifey, and asking for my pictures.

One day he started talking in more flirty language and I told him to stop.

Then he asked: "Tell me what I can improve in myself."

I told him nothing. 

Because no one wants a performative partner. 

I wanted to know more about him, his story, his childhood, his hobbies.

I want someone to be with me because they genuinely want to be with me.

So I asked him a simple question.

"What is your end goal with me?"

Because my long-term goal is marriage.

And he replied:

"I want to become a billionaire."

The irony is we were not even talking about financial goals.

I also want to build my personal brand, my YouTube, my blog, my job.

But that was not the conversation.

At that moment I understood something.

He was just a child.

He wasn’t ready for something serious, no matter what he claimed.

---

Why I Walked Away

I understood he was not the one.

I understood he wanted husband benefits without looking at me like a real partner.

I understood he would keep me busy with unnamed emotions and confusion.

And that would slowly make me question my own worth.

So I walked away.

I told him:

"All the best. I’m closing this here. Let’s not talk anymore. We are different people."

He asked if we could stay friends.

I said no.

He was still in my Telegram group.

But I didn’t say anything.

I deleted his number.

And I moved on.

---

Standing Up for Myself

For the first time, I stood up for myself.

I ended it because I didn’t want mixed signals.

I didn’t want to hope for something that had no direction.

I didn’t want a commitment-phobic partner.

And I finally realized something important.

I can say no when I want to.

But the story doesn’t end here.

Something else was waiting for me.

Something much bigger.

You can read the second part of this story here.