🌿 A Gentle Note to Younger Sofea

 Dear Sofea,

You did everything with your whole heart.

You smiled when you were hurting, you prayed for someone who never really saw the weight you were carrying, and you forgave again and again—because you thought loving someone meant never giving up.

But here’s the truth:

You were not born to be background noise in someone else’s story.

You were not meant to be someone’s quiet comfort, someone’s emergency escape, someone’s “maybe later.”

And your love?

It wasn’t weak. It wasn’t foolish. It was real.

You loved with purity, and that’s something to be proud of—not ashamed.

So now, let me say what he never did clearly enough:

Thank you.

For the chocolate bar moment.

For cheering from the sidelines.

For every “I’m okay” when you weren’t.

You can stop now.

You can put the memories down.

You can let this version of love go—not because it wasn’t beautiful, but because you’re ready for the kind that loves you back.

And you will find it, Sofea.

One day, someone will notice your presence without you having to hope.

Until then, stay soft—but stay guarded.

Love again, but love yourself first.

With so much tenderness,

Your future self.

✨ Letter to Sofea (5 April 2017)

Dear Sofea (the girl who whispered “it’s okay” even when it wasn’t),

You were so gentle with him. Even when he broke pieces of you, you still offered kindness. You still said “I’m happy for you” with tears in your eyes. You watched him smile at someone else while hiding the storm in your chest.

That wasn’t weakness.

That was love—pure, unfiltered, unprotected love.

But now let me tell you something no one told you back then:

You never had to prove your love by enduring pain in silence.

You didn’t need to compete.

You didn’t need a second Instagram account.

You didn’t need to keep hurting just to stay close.

You just needed you. Your healing. Your peace.

I know it felt unfair. It was unfair.

But what you did next—learning to be okay, choosing to pray instead of lash out—that’s the kind of strength that builds the future you’re living in now.

I’m so proud of you for surviving what you never said out loud.

Keep writing. Keep healing. Keep walking.

There is a kind of love coming—one that won’t ask you to hide or shrink or compete.

Until then, rest in the truth that you are enough.

With all the love you were never given,

Your future self.

💌 Reply Letter to 2017 Sofea

Dear Sofea (from 2017),

I just read your words, and I want you to know: I hear you. I see the way you kept your love quiet, the way you cried behind smiles, the way you forgave too quickly because you were scared to lose even a piece of him.

You were so full of hope, even when it hurt. You thought staying silent was strength. But now I know better—and I wish I could have hugged you then.

You weren’t weak for loving him. You were human.

But you deserved someone who loved you back, with the same softness and the same fire.

And guess what?

You’re no longer standing in the spot where he left you.

You’re walking forward now.

You’ve grown. You’ve become someone brave enough to tell the truth out loud, to cry without shame, and to let go even when it still aches a little.

I’m so proud of you.

You’re going to be okay. In fact—you already are, more than you realize.

—With love,

Sofea (2025)