The butterfly didn’t flap its wings. I just took another route.

A story by a girl that survived the butterfly theory.They say when a butterfly flaps its wings, it can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. But in my case, it wasn’t a flap. It was a decision that was very simple, small, forgettable.We took another route that day.It was raining. I don’t even remember why. Maybe the road was blocked. Maybe we were just tired. Maybe fate was tired of waiting. That single shift was a few extra steps, a delayed destination was how I met him. It was July 12.The day my life changed without warning.The day that didn’t ask for permission before becoming a chapter.And at the time, it felt beautiful. Like the kind of meeting that was written in lowercase in the stars, very Q uiet, intense, and accidental. He wasn’t someone I planned for.He just… happened. And suddenly everything was louder than it should’ve been.We liked each other too quickly.Too deeply for a foundation that hadn’t even formed.He was clear about what he wanted. I was clear about what I hoped he’d change his mind about.But it was confusing. Because people can say “I don’t want more” while their actions keep writing love letters with no signature.He made me laugh. He listened. He saw parts of me no one else had seen. But still, it wasn’t enough. I kept handing over pieces of me in hopes he’d want the whole thing.He didn’t.And the truth is… I started losing myself for a maybe.A maybe that was warm and soft and half-present, but never fully mine. He wasn’t unkind. He just wasn’t willing.And that’s a difference people don’t talk about enough.I didn’t walk away all at once.It took me days of crying in silence. Of rewriting reality. Of convincing myself that maybe I was asking for too much.But one day, I blocked him. And the world didn’t collapse.It just… sighed.Staying gone was the hard part. There were moments I wanted to reach out. Times I wanted to say congratulations. Days when my fingers hovered over the unblock button.But healing demanded distance.And I chose peace over proximity.Funny thing is, I thought loving him deeply made me strong.But now I know it was leaving him that proved it.Because love shouldn’t cost your peace. It shouldn’t make you feel like you’re difficult to keep.It shouldn’t be something you tiptoe around, scared that being your full self might be too much.And in the quiet months after, I felt the butterfly again.This time, not in a rerouted street, but in me.My chest didn’t feel heavy anymore. My joy wasn’t tied to someone else’s attention.I laughed without rehearsing it. I existed without apology.And I met someone else.Someone whose love isn’t dressed in confusion or silence or delay.Someone who reminded me that I didn’t need to earn the bare minimum.Now I know what it means to be chosen.To be heard without whispering. To be loved without shrinking. To slow down because we have time, not because we’re unsure.So if you ask me what the butterfly effect looks like?It’s not thunder. It’s not magic.It’s a rainy day. A detour. A stranger saying hi.A short conversation that became a long lesson.It’s July 12.Not a birthday. Not a holiday.Just the day a butterfly brushed past my story…So that one day, I’d learn how to write my own.And even though most people won’t know who this is about, I know you’ll read this and know it’s you.Not because I’m still there. But because I’m finally not

Other insights from The Oparinde Christianah

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons