I do not know whether she changed or whether I just stopped making excuses for the distance

Dear Delyara, That question has followed me for months. Maybe she did get busier. Maybe her life really is as full as she says. Maybe the delayed replies, the shallow answers, the cancelled plans, and the changed tone all have innocent explanations. Maybe all of that is true. And maybe I also reached the end of my ability to cover the emotional gap with kindness alone. I think there comes a point where generosity becomes self-erasure. Where “understanding” becomes the story you tell to avoid admitting that the friendship has become lonelier than it should be. I am somewhere near that point now. I hate being there. But I also hate pretending more.