Echo

Some connections don't end loudly. They fade into repetition — a memory replaying itself long after the moment has passed. You didn't lose the person. You outgrew the echo. There was a shift you couldn't ignore. Something changed without announcement. You noticed the moment respect became the requirement. What didn't rise to meet it could no longer stay. As the echoes softened with distance and faded away, there was nothing left to hear once your resolve became clear.