I sat on the edge of my bed, my phone buzzing beside me. I couldn’t bring myself to read the message. I already knew what it would say—another round of accusations, more jealousy, more attempts to make me feel guilty for my career. My fiancé had been this way for the past few months, ever since I started booking bikini shoots.

At first, it was subtle comments—little digs about how much skin I was showing, or how other people might see me. But as my career grew, so did his resentment. Today, I had wrapped up a shoot with a prestigious agency, and instead of feeling proud, I felt anxious, knowing he would react poorly. He never saw the success, only the jealousy.

I had always tried to balance my career and my relationship, but lately, the scale was tipping in a way that wasn’t healthy. I had worked so hard to get where I am, and I loved modeling with every part of me. But with each argument, I felt like I was losing myself a little more.

My phone buzzed again. I stared at it, then finally picked it up. His message was exactly what I expected—another jealous rant. As I read through it, I realized I was tired. Tired of defending myself, tired of compromising who I was. I couldn’t keep choosing between him and my dreams.

So, I made the choice. I typed back: “I can’t keep sacrificing my career for your jealousy. I’m choosing myself.”