1. You expect the worst to happen. After leaving a toxic partner behind, you have trust issues. At times, you don’t even trust yourself. That’s why you expect the same to happen when you meet a nice guy. You expect to get heartbroken again because you no longer believe in love.
2. And tend to overthink everything. Because you’ve caught your toxic ex-partner in so many lies, now you have become paranoid. You believe that everyone has motives and will end up hurting you in the end.
3. After you decide to push him away. Your ex has made you feel like you deserve to be badly treated. Therefore, when you meet a good guy and he treats you well, you start pushing him away because you fear that you’ll fall in love and get heartbroken again. That’s why you are destroying everything before it gets real. But, luckily, this guy will not let you leave. He will hold you close and make you feel better.
4. You start thinking he is too good to be true. So, you expect him to abandon you without giving you any explanation. However, you start realizing that he is the same guy you’ve first met and that he is not giving you any reasons to doubt him and his love for you.
5. You expect lots of fights. You are always on the edge, waiting for a fight to start. But, instead, you are surprised when every single issue is solved in a peaceful way. You just can’t believe the sense of comfort you get when you see that this guy actually knows how to listen to you and compromise for the sake of your relationship.
6. And you apologize too often. At first, he’ll wonder why you apologize so much. And then, he’ll notice the pain in your eyes from the one before him. He will know that your ex has made you feel guilty for everything and that you’ve got accustomed to the abuse. He will be patient with you, and slowly but surely will start redefining those horrible standards with more loving and healthy ones.
7. Then, you wonder if they are better off without you. Because you sometimes feel like you don’t deserve him. But you fail to see that just as he has made you feel loved and enriched your life, you have done the same from him. Don’t be scared to let him close to your heart. This guy is your reward for all the pain you’ve endured.
8. First, you overcompensate. When you finally come to terms with the relationship and start seeing this guy for who he is, you’ll start loving him with all your heart and soul. You’ll begin overcompensating out of fear of losing him. Your last relationship has made you feel like you’re not good enough and therefore, now you feel like you have to prove yourself.
9. Then you start trusting him. There will come a time when you’ll start feeling so comfortable and so at home with him that you’ll tell him everything that has happened to you. You will trust him enough to open your heart and let him close. And while you were secretly scared that he’ll leave the moment you tell him everything, you’ll be surprised to discover that he now has one more reason to stay and love you more than ever.
10. And finally, you learn what true love really is. You’ll realize that you are in a healthy, secure, and loving relationship with a good guy who loves you respects you and knows the meaning of true love. This guy will mend the pieces of your broken heart and finally, you’ll realize that everything bad that has happened has led you to him – the true love of your life.
