He seemed exactly like the one I had been waiting for. Polite, attentive, easy to talk to. And one day he invited me on a date.

I agreed… but fear was eating me up from the inside. “What if he’s like all the others? What if I end up alone again – only this time with a broken heart?” I kept telling myself.

On the day of our meeting, I prepared for a long time: carefully tied my scarf, put on a beautiful suit, did my makeup with great care. I wanted to look dignified.

At the café, he came with a bouquet of flowers, smiling, looking just as kind and genuine as in our conversations. But before we even sat down, I felt I couldn’t keep this secret any longer.