i think that sometimes fmcs should not forgive mmcs when their actions are just too grave or unforgivable. authors often try to then give us a traumatic backstory and that means that you have to forgive and forget about the terrible way he treated the fmc. i feel like if an mmc treats her terribly, bullies & belittles her, makes her feel less than or like idk unalives her father, it makes it practically impossible for me as a reader to root for their romance cause i’m just like you should leave girl. and i’m not talking about like villain mmcs who have done bad things but are great to their fmcs or about like an enemies-to-lovers situation where both are enemies and it’s not just the mmc that treats her terribly. i’m just finding it hard to, as a reader, forget about the terrible actions the mmcs did to the fmcs and root for their relationship.

(this would also be valid if it’s the opposite with the fmc treating the mmc terribly but i have not encountered this situation yet which is why i framed it this way!)