Should we always just let go of the past and move on??

I see a lot of people telling those who have been hurt by their spouse to let go of the past and focus on the present once an apology has been made, or when real changes have been shown. And yes, that's a beautiful thing when it works.

But should we always be expected to just let go and move on?

I'm not talking about cheating. I'm talking about the kind of hurt that leaves scars. The kind that changes how you see yourself, your relationship, and the person you trusted most.

What if the past hurt you so deeply that you don't want to simply move on? Not because you're holding a grudge, but because you know, without a doubt, that you would never have treated your spouse the way they treated you.

People talk a lot about forgiveness, but not enough about the damage that remains long after the apology. Some wounds heal, but they don't disappear. And sometimes the hardest part isn't accepting that someone has changed—it's accepting that they were capable of hurting you like that in the first place.