The Oleander (Eulogy of Us Series #4)

'Madaling magsalita at mag-desisyon dahil wala ka sa sitwasyon' but Vivienne says otherwise. For her, being in a relationship shouldn't remove someone's rationality, hindi normal maging tanga sa pag-ibig. It shouldn't make you size down just to fit into the relationship. It shouldn't make you question your worth at higit sa lahat, dapat marunong kang magpalaya.

But what if love doesn't arrive in a way that's logical? What if it comes unexpectedly, slowly blurring your boundaries until you don't even notice you're already compromising pieces of yourself? What if you wake up one day and realize you've been patient for too long, understanding for too much, forgiving for things you swore you never would? What if it became a poison that lingers in your veins, tempting you with its beauty even as it slowly destroys you?

What if loving someone makes you brave...but also a little foolish and selfish? Because it's easy to say you'll never beg for bare minimum. It's easy to promise you'll walk away at the first red flag. It's easy to believe you'll choose yourself every single time.

Until it's you, until it's their voice that softens your anger, until it's their hands that feel like home...until walking away starts to feel like you're turning your back on everything you once struggled to hold together. So what if the hardest part isn't loving but learning you have to let go?