It’s a heavy word, isn’t it? A word that drips with betrayal, with heartbreak, with a silent scream that no one hears. It cuts deeper than a knife, but it doesn’t leave a wound you can see. It stays hidden beneath smiles, behind empty eyes, inside laughter that no longer sounds real.

A few days ago, my phone buzzed. A message. Then a call. A voice on the other end, shaky, exhausted, and barely holding itself together. "I got cheated," he whispered. The words didn’t just stay in my ears—they crawled inside my mind, my heart. Because I had heard them before. Too many times. From others. From myself.

I didn’t know what to say. What do you say? "It’s okay"? No, it’s not. "You’ll get over it"? But what if they don’t? What if that feeling never leaves them, but instead buries itself inside them like an unwanted guest that refuses to leave?

Cheating. It’s an art some people master. They paint illusions, they write poetry with lies, they build castles on the foundation of broken promises. And for what? Happiness? That’s what they think. A momentary rush. A fleeting victory. But real happiness? That doesn’t come from deception. That doesn’t come from stepping on someone else’s trust.

Yet people still do it. Again and again. They take, they destroy, they leave. And those who are left behind? They are the ones who have to pick up the shattered pieces. Alone. In the dark. Wondering where they went wrong. Blaming themselves for something they never did.

What’s worse? It’s not just about relationships. It’s everywhere. A friend betrays a friend. A business partner stabs another in the back. A stranger lies with a smile. And we keep asking: Why? Why do people do this? Is it greed? Is it desperation? Or is it just human nature?

I don’t know.

And maybe that’s the scariest part—not knowing. Not knowing if the next person you trust will be the one who betrays you. Not knowing if you’ll ever be able to trust again.

But here’s what I do know: Not everyone cheats. Not everyone breaks. Some people stay. Some people are real. And they are the ones worth finding. Worth holding onto.

So, if you’ve been cheated, if you’ve been broken—don’t let it define you. Don’t let it turn you into them. Keep your heart soft. Keep your soul kind. Because in a world full of cheaters, the rarest thing you can be is someone who stays true.