You don’t have to apologize for having your heart broken by micro-cheating.

You don’t have to feel embarrassed or ashamed for being hurt by someone constantly disrespecting you and picking away at you. You don’t have to explain to anyone why having your boyfriend like another girl’s hot Instagram selfie or commenting on with heart-eye emojis is offensive or feels like a betrayal.

You don’t have to feel like you’re being petty or overly-sensitive when you discover your boyfriend is texting his female friends and lying about it. When his phone is going off at all hours and instead of being honest, he deletes the messages or tells you it’s someone else. You don’t have to apologize for feeling angry when you find out he’s been having lunch with her every day for weeks and only now drops it into conversation.

You don’t have to feel crazy for overanalyzing his decision to introduce you to other women as his ‘friend.’ You don’t have to apologize for eventually seeing every woman as a threat because he never made you feel special or important, because he always wanted to appear available and keep his options open.

You don’t have to apologize for being scared to let someone in again. You don’t have to apologize for not wanting to jump into a new relationship or the dating scene for as long as it takes for your heart to heal. You don’t have to feel invalidated just because he never actually ‘cheated’ on you. You don’t have to let people make you feel silly for feeling as if he might as well have. You don’t have to explain to anyone why you can’t believe that anyone is worth trusting, or why you feel like a guy’s phone is a trigger waiting to be pulled.

You don’t have to apologize for the way it felt like a knife twisting inside of you each time he chose a little ego-boosting and validation from others instead of making you feel enough. You don’t have to apologize for just how deflating it felt to repeatedly be shown that he didn’t value you or your love.

You don’t have to apologize for how he chose to mistreat you. You don’t have to apologize for needing someone to devote all of their sexual attention and intimacy towards you and only you. You don’t have to apologize for expecting your boyfriend to treat you like you are the only girl in the world, the only girl who exists in his eyes, the only girl who is worthy of his time and effort. The only girl whose feelings are a priority.

You don’t have to apologize for realizing your worth. For taking your time to piece yourself back together, in whatever way you choose.

Because that is what you deserve.