Someone once asked...
Someone answered with kindness...
After my father passed, I stopped calling home for almost a year. Not out of anger — I just couldn't bear another goodbye that might be the last one. A friend finally said to me, "You're not protecting yourself. You're just pre-grieving everyone before they're gone." That's what betrayal does too. We think we're building walls to keep the hurt out, but really we're just grieving in advance, over and over, for things that haven't happened yet. Trust doesn't mean the wall comes down all at once. It means you let one person in, watch what happens, and decide again tomorrow.