"She"

"Because I love you " he said as he explained the reason why he had hit me,

the reason why he ignored me,

and the reason he had always  threatened to leave,

was because he "loved me,"

And because he "loved me,"

I changed myself,

Because he "loved me,"

He endorsed it,

I always believed I needed him to make it,

Because he "loved me,"

And because he "loved me" he made sure I knew I couldn't make it on my own,

Because he "loved me,"

I didn't realize that he didn't "love me,"

Until after I met her,

 Because she loved me,

I learned to embrace my individuality,

Because she loved me,

She encouraged me to do so,

Because she loved me,

I knew I could make it on my own,

Because she loved me,

She made sure I knew how stunning I truly was reminding me every opportunity she got,

Because she loved me,

And when I asked "why?" Why she always took the time to encourage me, why she always insisted that I could do anything in the world I set my mind to, she simply responded:

"Because I love you."