Assalamu alaykum - The quiet shame after a broken engagement

Assalamu alaykum everyone, I'm a Muslim woman and I wanted to share something I've been feeling lately. A little background - about a year ago I was planning to marry a man. We told our families and everything was moving forward. But his parents didn't approve and asked him to call it off. Instead of standing by us, he ended the engagement. I've accepted it and I'm trying to heal, but things at home feel different now. I don't think people talk enough about the shame that can follow after a relationship or engagement ends, especially for women. It's more than just the heartbreak. It's telling your mum and family about the person, letting them imagine a future, and then having to explain that it's over. Sometimes the reason isn't lack of love or effort - sometimes it's cultural differences or family pressure on his side. When it ends, the pain doesn't stop at sorrow. There's this heavy feeling of embarrassment and unspoken judgement at home. You start to feel like your value has dropped in your family's eyes. Like you're the woman who was engaged but didn't end up getting married. No one might say it outright, but you sense it in the looks, the offhand comments, or the silence. It feels like you're being quietly blamed for something that wasn't really in your control. The engagement is over, but the shame lingers. It's very isolating to carry that alone. I don't have advice or a neat lesson. I just wanted to speak this out loud because I can't be the only sister who has felt this.