he peeled off the bandages on his heart,
and for the first time, I saw the cuts.
some shallow, some deep.
he told me the story of each cut,
running his hands over the wounds,
wincing at the sharp pain.
my eyes filled with tears -
seeing the person I love in pain
made my own heart ache.
yet I remained quiet, listened,
gave him space to share his story,
and let him know that I understood.
he trusts me, and I refuse to cut his heart.
I love him, and I'll never put him through that.