The truth is, I don't know how to start this story of mine. I'm a 26-year-old nurse, and he's a 30-year-old soldier. We're both coming from painful breakups—my ex left me, and his ex-girlfriend cheated on him. So when we first met, I felt like we were both still wounded.
At first, I really didn't want to get into any relationships. I told myself, I might get hurt again. So even though he was always chatting to me—"good morning," "be careful on duty," "eat before you go"—I didn't pay him much attention. But he didn't stop. He was there every day, patient, caring, and even though I felt like he wanted an answer, he didn't push me. Because back then, I wasn't really ready.
As time went on, there were days when we we fought. It was simple, but it was heavy on my heart because I saw his lack of emotional intelligence. He didn't know how to say “sorry”, and I had to explain everything. It was tiring, but despite that, he always came back, and to be honest, I gradually loved him. I thought that if he asked again, I would be ready to answer him.
But the day came when my body almost gave out. I was hospitalized, almost dying in the ICU. He didn't know right away because before I was rushed, we weren't okay. When I told him, it took 4 days for him to respond, and when he did respond, he just asked where I was admitted. After that, 8 more days before he made any signs. During the time I was in the hospital for a month, I hoped that he would come to me, that I would feel his presence, but he didn't.
While I was weak and struggling to fight the pain, I found out he was going out and dating someone else. I even saw photos of his new partner on social media. The pain. While I was bedridden and crying every day, he was enjoying someone else. It was as if he had ended our story, without even giving the love that had grown in my heart a chance.
After a month, he suddenly started chatting. He said he missed me and wanted to fix us. But I told him not to, because he had caused me too much pain. Just a few weeks later, I heard that he was engaged to someone else. When I talked to him, he said that he proposed because I didn't give him a chance.
To this day, I still love him, but I don't know how to deal with the fact that he proposed to someone else while I was waiting for him. I don't know if I'll be okay if he comes back, or if I can trust him again.
Here's the truth: I love him, but it might be too late. So my question—how can you forget the person you loved, but chose someone else?
