Love, Lust, and Letting Go

If there’s one lesson The Venus Fly Trap taught me — and hopefully teaches its readers — it’s that love is the most powerful force in the universe… but sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is let it go.

We grow up on stories that tell us love conquers all. That if you just fight hard enough, hold on long enough, sacrifice enough, it will all work out. But real life isn’t a fairy tale. Sometimes love burns too hot. Sometimes lust blinds us. And sometimes, holding on does more damage than walking away.

The Fire of Lust

Lust is intoxicating. It floods your veins, drowns your logic, and makes you feel more alive than anything else. In The Venus Fly Trap, lust is the spark that lights many of the fires. It’s irresistible, magnetic, dangerous.

But lust alone is a terrible architect. It builds castles out of sand. It convinces you the high will last forever — until the tide rolls in and washes it away.

When Love Hurts More Than It Heals

Here’s the part most people don’t want to admit: love can hurt. Not the sweet ache of missing someone, but the kind that erodes your self-worth.

I stayed in relationships long past their expiration date because I believed love should be enough. But love without honesty is a lie. Love without respect is abuse. Love without freedom is a prison.

Staying in those traps didn’t make me loyal. It made me afraid. Afraid of who I’d be without them. Afraid of facing myself.

The Myth of “Forever”

We cling to the idea that if love ends, it wasn’t real. But sometimes the most real, transformative love is the kind that doesn’t last forever. It teaches you, breaks you, reshapes you — and then leaves.

That doesn’t mean it was worthless. It means it did its job. It cracked you open, forced you to grow, and prepared you for what’s next.

The Courage of Letting Go

Letting go isn’t weakness. It’s courage. It’s looking at something beautiful, admitting it’s also destructive, and choosing yourself instead.

For me, that meant walking away from relationships that looked perfect on the outside but were hollow inside. It meant admitting that passion without trust wasn’t enough. It meant allowing endings to be endings, without trying to force them into new beginnings.

What Remains

Here’s the surprising part: when you let go, love doesn’t disappear. It changes shape. Sometimes it turns into gratitude. Sometimes it turns into wisdom. And sometimes, it just dissolves — and that’s okay too.

Because what remains, always, is you. And learning to love yourself enough to walk away is the foundation for everything else.

Love Beyond the Trap

The Venus Fly Trap isn’t a story about giving up on love. It’s about redefining it. Love isn’t meant to trap us. It’s meant to free us. To expand us. To help us grow into truer, fuller versions of ourselves.

Lust is thrilling. Lies are seductive. But letting go — that’s liberation.

Final Thought

Love, lust, and letting go. Three forces that shape us, break us, and ultimately teach us who we are.