She didn’t arrive at this version of herself by chance. She was shaped by years of being treated as interchangeable, by moments when her presence was taken for granted and her absence barely noticed. Too often, she learned what it felt like to be second, or third, or not considered at all—quietly reminded that she was never the obvious choice.
Still, she stayed awake to the lessons. Each dismissal refined her boundaries. Each replacement clarified her worth. Somewhere along the way, she stopped shrinking to fit and stopped waiting for recognition that never came. She began choosing herself—not out of anger, but out of clarity.
She isn’t closed off; she’s calibrated. Seasoned by experience, steady in self-trust, and unwilling to bargain with her own value. That’s not defensiveness. That’s strength, earned honestly.