21/08/2026
I mistook an essay about Ophelia for a Taylor Swift reference. I clicked anyway, out of curiosity.
Three paragraphs in, I wasn't reading about a Shakespeare character anymore. I was reading about the years I spent believing I was the problem — the "human error," the one who needed fixing. About the moment it clicked that this wasn't a bad person. It was a pattern. And it could be on purpose.
Here's the part I still sit with: people congratulated me on the wonderful man I got. Charming, eager to help, smart. I could see it too — the whole performance. That was the worst part. Seeing it clearly and still not being believed, including by myself.
Ophelia drowns in the story. I didn't. I got out — not gracefully, but I got out.
If you've ever seen something clearly and still doubted it because everyone around you didn't — this one's for you.
Have you ever known something was wrong before you had the words for it?
https://cosechasalvaje.substack.com/p/i-was-ophelia-once?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=8uquju