There are also the very real fears that follow. Worry about sexually transmitted infections can turn ordinary days into weeks of anxiety. The possibility of an unplanned pregnancy can feel like time itself has stopped while you wait for certainty. What once seemed like a harmless escape gradually reveals the power to reshape your future in ways you never intended. The cost is no longer emotional alone. It becomes physical, mental, and deeply personal.
Regret has a way of changing how you see yourself. You may grow quieter. You may build walls. You may promise yourself that you will be more careful next time, yet still wonder why it hurts so much when you expected nothing in the first place. The deepest wound is often not the mistake itself but the realization that you gave access to someone who never planned to stay.
Choosing who you share yourself with is not about being flawless or avoiding desire. It is about discernment. It is about protecting your peace, your health, and your sense of self. Every choice writes a chapter you must live with long after the moment passes. When the lights are off and the world grows quiet, you are left alone with your thoughts, your body, and your story. Making choices from a place of self respect does not guarantee you will never be hurt. But it does ensure that you will not be the one abandoning yourself in the process.
