I Gave You A Second Chance, But I’m Not Going To Give You A Third

Girl who gave you a second chance
Unsplash / Joey Nicotra

I believe in second chances. I believe in seeing the best in people. I believe that everyone makes mistakes. I believe in kindness. I believe in forgiveness.

That is why I gave you a second chance. I cared about you enough to let your first offense slide. I trusted you when you said that you were sorry, that you would change. I gave you a shot to turn the situation around. I gave you more opportunities than most people would.

But you went right back to doing what made me upset in the first place. You didn’t hesitate to screw up again after I accepted your apology. You assumed that, since I forgave you once, I would do it over and over again. You assumed that you could walk all over me, because I have such a big heart.

You made a major error in judgement. I may be nice, but I am not a pushover. I am not a placemat. I am not the kind of person who will accept poor treatment when there are so many other options out there for me.

Even though I gave you a second chance the first time you hurt me, I am not going to allow it to happen again. I am not going to accept the same insincere apology twice. I am not going to lower my standards to make room for you in my life.

I gave you a second chance, because I believed you when you told me that it would never happen again, that you would do better. But by messing up a second time, you proved to me that you cannot be trusted. You proved that you cannot keep promises. You proved yourself to be a liar.

I gave you a second chance, because I really liked you. At the time, I could picture a successful future alongside you and I didn’t want to give up on that possibility yet. I didn’t want to leave you. I wanted to do everything I could to fight for us, to make sure I wasn’t giving up on something special. But you made it clear that you aren’t the person I originally thought you were. You aren’t the kind of person I want in my future. You only belong in my past.

I gave you a second chance, because I am a realist. I accept that I am imperfect. I am going to make mistakes too. You are not the only one who is flawed. You are not the only one who has done something they are not proud of doing. But the difference between us is that I try hard not to hurt other people. When I screw up once, I do everything I can to avoid disappointing them again. I don’t take advantage of my second chances. I appreciate them. I realize that I am lucky to have them.

So don’t blame me when I walk away from you, because I gave you a second chance. I did my part. But you didn’t do yours. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

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