Most modern relationships aren’t lived—they’re performed. Gestures replace depth. Posts replace presence. Validation replaces intimacy. We rehearse affection the way actors rehearse lines, hitting emotional cues learned from screens. Applause matters more than honesty. Optics matter more than alignment. Love becomes a script. Roles get assigned. Deviation is punished. And when performance becomes the priority, truth becomes the threat. People stay together not because they ar