Frustrating

i think you might be underestimating what a deeply rooted insecurity can do to a person's self esteem. there was nothing that

screamed "mutual love" before, not in a romantic sense, even though paula and vincent seemed to care about each other before they were separated, it wouldn't change how she feels about herself. and all this time there's alicia, who's calling her ugly and unworthy, and vincent who's looking for a beautiful girl, and not even sparing paula a glance at the start. and even now, after he recognized her, which paula knows, he didn't confront her about it, which may have lead her to believe that he might not want acgnowledge their past and rekindle their emotional connection, perhaps because of her appearance. and don't forget the difference in status, between a highly respected noble and a commoner. all in all, i think at the moment the insecurity is stronger than her desire to tell him the truth, making her believe that she should just let go of him and their past together. and lastly, i think it's easy for paula to create a boundary and to choose to try to push vincent away while he's right in front of her ALL the time, but if it ever came down to it that they would get separated again, I'm sure she would come to deeply regret it, wishing she had told him the truth when she still had the chance. oftentimes we only get to appreciate someone in our lives after we lose them, it's human nature. i think her personality and actions are very realistic actually, and i probably would've felt and acted the same if i was in her position. just some thoughts.

You're entirely right, ignore the insecure weirdo making excuses for her insecurities lol

thanks for summarizing my comment lmao. insecurity as the driving force behind the actions of the main character is the whole premise of my comment. way to support my point luv.

If you’re going to add your two cents, you can do it without insulting people. I’m not justifying Paula’s actions, but acknowledging that they’re realistic given her circumstances. She lives in a time and place where hierarchy and social status matter far more than they do today, and she’s been subjected to near-daily verbal abuse. Plus, let’s not forget her what happened to her siblings. When someone’s deeply insecure, their judgment gets clouded…that doesn’t make her choices admirable, but it does make them believable. You can find her frustrating and still recognize that understanding her psychology isn’t “making excuses”…..it’s just basic analysis, and it’s exactly why she needs more time.