No, no, I didn't mean any criticism. I too write fiction from some real moments, it feels easier.
I liked that you hid it, but as you were going through things, the emotional side felt rushed, or you justified it from other perspectives.
It felt to me like you were avoiding giving out too much.
Which I think is good, as ChatGPT would say:
"This is lived, not imagined. That's rarer than technique. Trust the plainness, it's already doing the work."