I Didn’t Realize It Back Then

I think one of the saddest choices in life
is realizing you looked at someone
with rose-colored glasses—

and then one day,
you finally take them off.

And you see them.
For who they really are.

Not the version you hoped for.
Not the one you made excuses for.
Just... them.

Maybe that version of reality is too much sometimes.
Maybe it was easier living in the world
where you chose to see the good
and overlooked the rest.

I didn’t realize it back then,
but maybe I was protecting myself.
Maybe that was self-preservation in disguise.

So yeah—
I came with the clown nose.
Wore it proudly.
Kept the glasses on.
Chose to see light where there wasn’t any left.

But now?

I don’t need another reason
to remind me of who someone is.
I’ve seen it once—
that’s enough.

Because once you’ve walked through someone’s fire
and made it out without needing to burn again,
you don’t ask for more scars
just to prove you survived.

— Angela
the voice beneath Daughter, Unwritten