For years, he became whatever the world needed him to be. Softer. Quieter. Easier to love. He learned which parts of himself to hide, which emotions to silence, and which mask to wear so no one would turn away. After a while, he no longer knew where the performance ended and where he began. But love that asks you to disappear is not love. And one day, he finally understood that healing was not about becoming more acceptable. It was about cutting the threads that kept him tied to every version of himself created for someone else.