Wanderhoney.Com

Sitting at my desk at work, I put on my headphones and let Crying City’s “Lucky” play softly in my ears. I try to focus on the words I’m supposed to write, but my gaze keeps drifting to a group of colleagues deep in conversation. Even with the music on, I can still catch bits of their murmurs and realize they’re talking about Fazura and Fattah’s divorce. I don’t usually follow celebrity news, but still—who would’ve thought? A couple everyone once admired is now going their separate ways. I’m not here to pick sides; no one really should. At the end of the day, only the couple knows what really happened behind closed doors.

One thing is certain:

Relationships are hard enough when both people are equally committed to making things work. Imagine one person left carrying all the weight—especially if there’s betrayal involved. The hardest part, though, is when both simply stop trying.

It’s moments like these that make me reflect on how fragile love can be.

I remember asking myself long ago,

“How does someone just stop loving their partner?”

“How can someone say ‘I love you’ to their partner and still betray them—or feel desire for someone else?”

“How can someone wake up one day and decide they don’t want their partner anymore? To let go of something they chose to carry from the very beginning?”

It’s hard for me to understand because love has always been so essential to who I am. I love to love. I love the feeling of making someone feel loved. Maybe I’m still a bit naive—or maybe I’m just too genuine for a world that isn’t always kind—but I’ve always believed that once you love someone, it should last forever—just the two of you committed against all odds. Maybe that’s why it’s hard for me to understand how love fades for others. For me, love has always felt like something worth fighting for, even when it means risking everything.

A few days ago, I saw a video on Instagram of a couple still deeply in love after more than 7 years together. I felt a bit of envy because I’ve never had a relationship like that before. My first real relationship didn’t come until I was 28. It was long-distance and lasted almost 3 years, but eventually, we let go of each other because of the distance. It was a real, steady love—no bitterness, no blame. We even stayed friends, at least until he met someone new.

Then came another relationship—my first “normal” one, though it turned out to be toxic. Despite that, it taught me more than I could have imagined and led me to 4 years of being on my own. Yet, even long after my ex and I went our separate ways, I held on to that love. I had to teach myself, slowly, to let it go. During our time together, I never let go, no matter how hard things got or how much it hurt. Thinking back, it seems almost wild, but maybe that’s what love is to me: you don’t let go of someone you love easily, even when the world tells you to let it go.

I may not know what it’s like to have my love for someone fade while being together, but I know that love requires constant nurturing and effort. Love isn’t something you simply have; it’s something you keep choosing. It’s not enough to say “I love you” and hope that’s enough. Love has to be felt, lived, and shown every day, in ways that your partner understands. You have to make them feel loved in their own love language, not just yours. That’s how you keep love alive—not just with words, but by making them feel seen, valued, and held.

Maybe…love fades bit by bit as two people drift apart when they stop making the effort to nurture it. It doesn’t always disappear all at once; sometimes it slips away so quietly that it goes unnoticed until it’s almost gone.

In the end, I believe that love is a responsibility. Holding someone’s heart is a precious commitment, one that deserves care, not carelessness. In a world where loyalty is rare, those who protect your heart are worth appreciating. Love is fragile, but when we choose to nurture it every day, it can be stronger than anything else.

So if you’re lucky enough to have someone who truly cherishes your heart, don’t take them for granted.

Keep choosing them every day. ❤️

Love you, Afiq.

X, Hani.