I had always been the type of person to lend an ear. No matter the predicament, people would come to vent their frustrations and I would sit and nod in response. I listened to a woman bemoan her cheating husband while sitting on a park bench; a high school teacher who had lost the will to inspire his students as we watched the waves roll along the beach; and even my sister, who had been trying for years to get pregnant again, our hands clasped as tears streamed down her forlorn face.

By the end of it, they had managed to release the stress and anxiety and sadness that had slowly been eating away at them, like a tapeworm of the soul. Often, they had an idea in their mind how to solve, or at least deal with, their problems. It was nothing I had said or done - which, admittedly, was nothing at all - but my mere presence was like a lighthouse, guiding others through the darkness. My sister often said it was my greatest superpower.

I think it was this very trait that attracted Stella to me. She had a long list of ex-boyfriends who had little clue how to listen to a woman, so I, being the attentive listener that most women dream about, was obviously a perfect fit.

We began dating and soon fell in love. Every morning upon waking and every night before going to sleep, Stella would recount her thoughts and problems to me. She had the most beautiful voice, and earthy brown eyes that seemed to stare directly into my being.

Years passed and we continued like this, Stella always talking, me always listening. I had no time to listen to other people’s issues anymore, and the friends I had made over the years slowly left me. Even my sister could no longer stand me, accusing me of not having enough time to even meet my new nephew.

Though my heart was filled with the love of and for a gorgeous woman, I felt an emptiness inside that her words could not fill. I missed listening to the tales of others, being there for them in their hour of need. I had a gift, and I was hiding it away from the world so that I could use it to keep Stella by my side.

But soon I began to wonder whether my sacrifice was worth it. Stella’s voice was as beautiful as the day we met - it still put a smile on my face and a spark in my heart. And yet, her words had begun to lose meaning, and I realised that I was no longer able to properly listen anymore. Her words went in one ear and out the other, empty, listless, worthless things that could have come from anyone.

By investing my greatest power in this one woman and neglecting all those who truly meant anything to me and who had come to depend on me, I had made that superpower useless and obsolete. And without it, who was I?