I should have listened to my mom

Okay, I need to get this off my chest. I messed up. Big time. It's about my ex, Mark. We were together for like, five years, and everyone thought we were perfect. Instagram couple, you know? But inside, it wasn't perfect. Not even close.

My mom… she never liked him. She always said he was charming but empty. That he cared more about appearances than real stuff. I brushed it off. Moms are supposed to say stuff like that, right? They're supposed to be overly protective. I thought she was just jealous that I was happy.

But she was right. Mark was all about the surface. Fancy dinners, expensive gifts, perfect vacations... but he never actually *listened* to me. He never asked about my day and really cared about the answer. He never remembered the small things that were important to me. He was always on his phone, always checking his social media, always worried about what other people thought.

I started feeling so alone. Like I was just playing a role in his perfect life. I tried talking to him about it, but he'd just get defensive. He'd say I was being ungrateful, that he worked so hard to give me everything I wanted. But I didn't want *things*. I wanted *him*. I wanted connection.

Then I met someone else. Liam. He wasn't flashy or rich. He was just… kind. He listened. He remembered my favorite coffee order. He noticed when I was having a bad day and just sat with me. We talked for hours, about everything and nothing. I started falling for him, hard.

I know what I did was wrong. I started seeing Liam while I was still with Mark. I kept lying to Mark, making excuses. The guilt was eating me alive, but I felt so trapped. I knew I had to end things with Mark, but I was scared. Scared of hurting him, scared of what everyone would think. And honestly, scared of being alone.

Eventually, Mark found out. A mutual friend saw me with Liam and told him. He was furious. He yelled, he cried, he said some awful things. I deserved it. I broke his heart. I humiliated him.

We broke up, obviously. I'm now with Liam, and I'm truly happy. But the guilt still lingers. I wish I had been honest with Mark from the beginning. I wish I had listened to my mom and seen him for who he really was. I wish I hadn't cheated. It's a stain on my conscience that I don't know how to get rid of. I’m sorry, Mark. I really am.