Cancer

A boundary that has been tested is not the same boundary it was before the testing. Something changes in the moment someone pushes against what you have said is not available, even when you hold the line. You learn things about the other person that you cannot unknow, and you learn things about yourself that feel heavier than they should. The line you draw tomorrow will be steadier than the one you drew last week, shaped by the knowledge of what it costs to maintain it and what it costs to let it fall.