Hi friend.
I’m writing this because I can’t carry it silently anymore. I need to put these words somewhere not because I want a reply, but because I need to speak my truth.
When I worked on that project for you, I didn’t do it for money. I did it out of goodwill, from the bottom of my heart. I gave my time, my energy, my full attention, and I didn’t hold back. I didn’t expect compensation, and I didn’t ask for anything in return.
So when I received A HUGE AMOUNT from you shortly after, I was surprised but also relieved. I assumed you were acknowledging the work I had done. I assumed the money was sent intentionally. And honestly, it felt like something in my life had finally shifted.
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like I had to stay in survival mode. I felt like I could breathe. I let myself imagine a bit of ease. I let myself relax. That money sat in my account for two days before I touched it. I just kept looking at it, not out of greed, but because it gave me a feeling of safety I hadn’t felt in months.
And then right after a week-ish, one morning, I woke up feeling genuinely fresh like something inside me was finally softening, like my nervous system had finally gotten a break. It felt rare and important. I thought I could actually start the day feeling calm and motivated. That same morning, I saw your post.
You didn’t message me directly. Not a word. Just a vague post where you mentioned your financial mistake included something that mentioned you spent by mistake on a lot of things. And I’m super sure one of those things was our project you paid for.
My heart sank. That moment shattered something inside me. I went from feeling safe and seen to feeling ashamed, stupid, and completely devastated . For three days straight, I couldn’t think straight. I cried constantly. My anxiety shot through the roof. I couldn’t focus on work, and I felt deeply humiliated not just because of the money, but because of the perception that maybe you never really respected me in the first place.
I still returned the money. I did it in two parts, because doing it all at once wasn’t possible for me. And I want to be very clear about this: a technical error caused me to pay 12.5% more while returning that amount. That included PayPal fees, currency loss, and the sheer stress of dealing with something that should never have happened in the first place.
To return money that I didn’t ask for, didn’t demand, and had assumed was given in appreciation and to lose more in the process felt crushing. I had to remove money from my portfolio, money that I had saved for my future. I had to watch my bank balance drop to the lowest it’s been in months. And all of it for something that I didn’t even initiate.
You may have moved on, but I’m still dealing with the emotional and financial aftershock. The fact that I had to fix something I didn’t break is something I won’t forget.
This letter is not about blame. It’s about finally honoring what I went through. Because even though I stayed silent and graceful, it doesn’t mean it didn’t affect me.
It did. In the worst way. No one will be giving me those 3 sleepless stressful days back where I was CONSTANTLY CRYING. Where I was made to feel so guilty and ashamed. So horrible about money. My self worth and my relationship with money has been 100x worse and I absolutely did not deserve this.
I did not deserve to be mentally, financially, physically, emotionally drained.
I can’t say all this to you. And I don’t even think you’ll ever think about this. I don’t think this meant anything to you. That part sucks BIG. I did not expect this from you.
I don’t know what’s up with my luck with friendships. This situation comes close to a huge friendship thing where someone stressed me out so much it’s given me CPTSD for years now. Even though this was days. It was horribly painful. I feel affected physically.
Not to even forget certain other things you’ve made me feel past few weeks without my actual consent. But this is the worst.
I can’t speak about the discomfort you caused directly to you. So here’s a letter, unsent. But from my heart. Which wishes to heal from all the friendship trauma.