What I will never forget in my life is the time the person I love left me, when I needed him the most. I have a small business that sometimes makes money, sometimes barely makes any. I prioritize everything I earn for Carlo and my son. We are not married, but we have a two-year-old son—and he is my world.
At first, everything seemed fine. He always said: “Even though we are not married, I will take care of you and the baby.” I believed his words. I held on to his promise that he would never abandon us. But then came a series of payments. sales. We had no savings, and we were short.
Due to the emergency, I borrowed money. Only once at first, but I had to borrow again to pay off the previous debt. Until I was completely broke. The interest rate increased, and I was forced to think: “Just get through today, tomorrow will be fine.” But the day came when my debt was bigger than my income.
Every day, someone knocks, someone calls, someone charges. I can't rest every night because I know that tomorrow, there will be another fight. I feel fear and nervousness in my chest. Until one day, Carlo came and told me: “My only obligation is to our son. It's not my fault that you're drowning in debt.” After he said that, he left. He went home to his mother and left my son and me.
I felt like I was falling apart. Not just because he left me, but because at my lowest point, he chose to turn his back. It hurts to think that with all the promises he made, that's the only way it would end. I was left, with my son, carrying all the debts and problems. I felt the weight of the world as if I didn't want to breathe.
But even though it hurts, even though it's hard, I thought: I can't give up. I have a child who depends on me. I have a small business—even though it's weak, I can still make it work. No matter how many times I fall, I have to get up. Not just for myself, but for my child who doesn't know.
Until now, I still carry the pain of when he left me. But I learned that even if you lose the person you thought was your support, you can still stand alone. It hurts to lose, but it hurts even more if you don't stand up for your child. So no matter how hard the world gets, I will still choose to fight.
