I wonder.

After all the disrespect, I was still kind… and that’s what hurts the most.

I swallowed words that were burning my throat. I smiled when my chest felt tight. I stayed soft in rooms that made me feel small. Not because I didn’t feel the sting i felt every single part of it....but because I didn’t know how to stop being gentle, even with people who were rough with me.

Sometimes I wonder if being kind just made it easier for them to hurt me.