My mom and I, sitting in her 2005 Vauxhall Astra, a CD playing on loop. Strong Enough by Cher filled the car, and without realising it, that moment became one of the most vivid memories of my childhood.
Being eight years old and knowing all the words to Robbie Williams’ heartbreak anthems was already something, but how do I even begin to explain that if you ever saw a little girl wandering around a shopping centre belting out Since You’ve Been Gone, that was probably me?
From a young age, we’re made fully aware that heartbreak exists - thanks to our mums. And to Skins. (Special thanks to Tony and Michelle.)
The drama of not being with the person you want goes beyond just another Hollywood trope. But it’s not until adolescence that we truly begin to grasp what it feels like.
My first taste of it came at 13, when I had to let go of the boy I liked (he had no idea, of course) because he started dating a friend. My last? At 23, when I walked away from someone who was no good for me, my worst heartbreak yet.
Two completely different situations. But in the end, they both come down to the same thing: learning to let go.
"I think the hardest part of letting go is knowing that life moves on without you, that they’ll meet someone else," says our reader Carla.
Because letting go means confronting emotions we’ve locked away. And they become our worst enemies when they finally catch up with us.
That’s why we delay cutting those emotional ties. Because, truthfully, letting go is never easy.
When Is It Time to Let Go?
There are two types of letting go: one where you love someone enough to believe you're doing them a favour by walking away, and one where you need to set yourself free.
They couldn’t be more different, yet they share one thing: selfishness.
If someone is being selfish with you, it’s time to walk away because selfishness and love don’t go hand in hand. Simple as that.
And if you’re the one being selfish… ask yourself this:
Is It Possible to Love Someone and Still Let Them Go?
It’s definitely up for debate. Some people say, "If you love someone, fight for them. Be the best version of yourself so you don’t lose them." Because if you truly love someone, the last thing you want is to let them go. You want them by your side, and you’ll do whatever it takes to be what they deserve.
But then some think like our reader Louis: "If you love them, you want them to be happy, no matter the cost."
At Rum-com, we believe that sometimes you need to let go, sometimes you need to fight for what you love, and sometimes… you just need to accept that love isn’t always enough.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that letting go never feels like a closed chapter. But we’ve also learned that once you finally do, there’s a sense of relief. A weight lifted. Like finishing a chapter and realising the story continues.