At first, a woman loves with hope.
She gives like a spring untouched
pure, generous, overflowing.
She treats you the way she dreams of being treated,
not because she's naive,
but because she believes love should lead the way.
She speaks gently,
forgives quickly,
holds space for you in her silences,
and makes excuses for your absence
even when the silence starts to echo louder than your presence.
She doesn't wait for you to show her how,
she teaches you with tenderness.
She sets the tone with soft hands and wide eyes,
hoping you'll meet her halfway,
hoping you'll learn.
But then…
Something shifts.
Slowly at first.
Then all at once.
And the very love that bloomed without condition
starts mirroring what it receives.
Now, she treats you how you treat her.
she no longer reaches out first.
She watches.
Learns.
Withdraws.
She listens not to what you say,
but to what you do when her world begins to dim.
She stops sending morning messages you ignore.
She stops making plans you cancel.
She stops offering her heart where only your ego answers.
And you might think she's changed.
You might even say she's cold now.
But the truth is,
she simply became your reflection.
Not because she wanted to,
but because loving without return eventually feels like begging.
A woman never forgets how to love.
She just remembers how to protect herself.
And when she does,
you'll realize too late that
the warmth you took for granted
was never yours to own,
it was a gift.
And every gift, when unappreciated,
learns to stay wrapped.