You thought I was weak, that without you I would fall like a house without foundations. You confused need with choice. You did not see that I knew how to stand even alone, that emptiness frightens me less than lies. I did not adore you out of necessity, but out of will, like keeping a light on even at dawn. Now you know. I know how to walk without you, I know how to breathe without your name. My strength is not noise, it is not pride that scratches. It is a door that closes softly in front of an empty chair, it is indifference when it finally stops hurting and becomes peace.