Real Men Cry Alone

Privacy is not peace.

Men don’t cry because they’re weak.
They cry because there is no audience left to disappoint. Because the room is quiet. Because the door is locked. Because the mirror has finally stopped asking questions.
I learned early how to keep my face neutral. How to swallow emotion like medicine — fast, bitter, and unseen. But pain doesn’t disappear. It waits. Patient. Respectful. Until you’re alone enough to hear it breathe.

Release without permission.