Why some people adore your becoming but vanish once you arrive.
They said I was full of potential. I thought it was love. But it was just marketing.
People like to fall for unfinished products because it makes them feel essential. They see your chaos and call it character development. They call your doubt “depth.” Your instability, “mystery.”
Then, one day, you stabilize. You become everything they claimed to want. And that’s when they vanish—quietly, like an early investor cashing out before the company goes public.
They didn’t want you whole. They wanted a stake in your becoming.
The romance of the unfinished
Everyone says they want someone “growing,” but what they really mean is someone unfinished enough to make them feel like the missing piece.
Potential is intoxicating because it flatters both sides. You get to be adored for who you might become. They get to feel wise for recognizing something before it’s fully formed.
It’s not love, but early access.
They don’t want a partner; they want a front-row seat to your transformation. You become their favorite character…
